Orchid Bertelsen spent the last 20 years building a career that took her from a law firm in DC to the Gucci sales floor, through digital marketing at Nestle, and eventually into private equity, where she now helps beauty brands grow profitably.

A first-generation Taiwanese American who grew up without a safety net, Orchid learned early that the path forward meant working harder than everyone else and getting close to the money.

After 30 years away from horses, she recently returned to the saddle at a historic equestrian club 10 minutes from her home in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and what started as a Christmas gift of six lessons has since taken over her entire personality.

FIVE KEY INSIGHTS:

• Finding your way back: Orchid rode from 10 to 14, competed on the B circuit in Illinois and Wisconsin, then stepped away for nearly 30 years. Her return started with a walk past the Grosse Pointe Equestrian Center with her kid in a stroller and one question: "what if?"
• Horses as a forcing function for presence: Managing an oversensitive 17.3-hand horse named Bo has a way of demanding you show up fully. For someone always attached to her phone, barn time is the one place she's not.
• Building content with a system: Through Orchid in the Saddle, she applies her marketing background to create content for returning riders. Batch film on barn days, script with ChatGPT, edit ruthlessly in CapCut to 30 seconds or less, and let the data tell you what to make next.
• The gap the equestrian industry is missing: There's a disconnect between who brands design for and who's actually buying. From boot calf widths to men's sizing to grooming bags, the middle market for quality products made for real people at real price points is wide open.
• Immigrant grit and the cost of an obsession: All three voices in this conversation are first-generation Americans, and the thread connecting growing up without a safety net, building careers close to revenue, and developing a full-blown horse obsession is very real and very relatable.

Orchid Bertelsen is proof that the horse world can pull you back in no matter how long you've been gone, and that returning to the barn at 43 with a half-lease, a TikTok account, and a marketing brain is its own kind of superpower. This conversation covers everything from building a content strategy on a barn budget to the very real gap in equestrian products for adult amateurs, and why the brands that figure that out first are going to win big. If you've ever thought about coming back to horses, or wondered whether your outside career could actually make you better in the saddle, this episode is for you.

Follow Orchid: @orchidinthesaddle on TikTok and Instagram

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Susan Friedland is a former middle school English teacher turned equestrian author based outside Chicago, Illinois. She traded the classroom for the page and has since written four books, including her latest, Marguerite, Misty, and Me, a deep dive into the life of beloved children's author Marguerite Henry.

A lifelong horse-obsessed kid who grew up borrowing horses in Wayne, Illinois, Susan eventually found her way to fox hunting, polo lessons, and the wild pony swim at Chincoteague Island, all while building a writing career that blends her love of horses, history, and storytelling.

What we talked about:

• The real story behind Misty of Chincoteague: wild pony swims, saltwater cowboys, and the tiny Virginia island that inspired one of the most beloved horse books of all time
• How Marguerite Henry went from a city woman with no horse experience to the author of millions of copies across multiple languages, including a Newbery Medal winner
• What it actually takes to write a book about a beloved figure and why Susan says it's "not for the faint of heart"
• The hero's journey hiding inside every great horse story, and why that's probably why these books still hit the way they do
• Why traditional publishers keep passing on horse books, and why Susan (and the numbers) think they're wrong

Susan's story is proof that the path to your dream career doesn't have to be a straight line. It can look like a fox hunting trail through the California hills, a trip to a Virginia island, and an attic full of letters written to a pony. If you've ever felt the pull of a horse book as a kid, this one will take you right back.

Follow Susan on Instagram: @saddleseekshorses

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This episode features Danielle Henson, Sport Communications Manager at the U.S. Equestrian Federation, equestrian, Louisville native, and the person behind one of the most genuinely useful newsletters in the horse industry: CLICK HERE

She talks about what it actually takes to build a career in the horse world when you didn't grow up with industry connections, how social media in equestrian sport has transformed over the last decade, and why the best content always comes back to one thing — the horse.

Key topics we discussed:

1. Growing up 10 minutes from Churchill Downs and finding horses through 4-H and a little Arabian barn called Stonehurst Riding Club
2. The LinkedIn newsletter she started to help people find jobs in the horse world — and how it helped someone land a role at USEF
3. How social media has evolved from hashtags and Snapchat global stories to full video production departments
4. Why horse-forward, emotional content outperforms everything else
5. Her advice for breaking into the equestrian industry without a head start

Social Media Links:

• LinkedIn: Danielle Henson (search + follow her newsletter while you're there)

Horse People Podcast:

• Instagram: @horsepeoplepodcast

Subscribe to Horse People for more cross discipline content and stories.

This episode features Chloe Carabasi, a working actress, model, and social media creator who also happens to be an equestrian, former college polo player, and total horse nerd in the best way.

Joining us as co-host is former guest Jim Seilsopour.

Chloe shares her unique path from Pennsylvania hunter/jumper barns to doubling for Zendaya in major commercials, and talks about finding joy and community through horses, how equestrian skills have helped her stand out in Hollywood, and what it really takes to ride on camera at a full gallop in a ball gown.

Key topics we discussed:

1. How polo shaped Chloe’s equestrian journey from Pennsylvania to Texas to Los Angeles
2. Balancing creative ambition with competitive riding (and the budget battles that come with it)
3. The behind-the-scenes of doubling Zendaya in a high-stakes perfume commercial
4. Why learning new disciplines makes you a better horseperson and actor
5. Finding joy and play in a sport that often takes itself too seriously

Social Media Links:

• Instagram: @chloecarabasi
• TikTok: @chloecarabasi

Horse People Podcast:

• Instagram: @horsepeoplepodcast

Subscribe to Horse People wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you liked Chloe’s episode, share it with a friend who thinks horses and Hollywood don’t mix. They’re wrong

Gideon sits down with Pierce Dargan, CEO of Equine MediRecord, local Irish councillor, and deputy mayor, to talk about what it takes to digitize equine welfare compliance in a pen and paper world, how COVID flipped adoption overnight, and where AI can actually make horses safer.

Key topics discussed:

• Why Pierce ran for local politics, and what it means to shape real decisions like roads, schools, and community life.

• The early grind of building Equine MediRecord, including two years of approvals and stakeholder buy in before anyone could ditch the paper book.

• The unsexy truth of software: bugs, doubt, product fit anxiety, and the first moment someone actually paid.

• How COVID forced even the biggest holdouts online, and why that timing helped push equine compliance tech into new countries fast.

• Where AI can help next, from early lameness detection to colic alerts, plus why better data helps racing earn trust.

Bonus: Pierce’s first syndicate horse, Arthurian Fame, won the Microsoft Cup, then went on to run at Royal Ascot, which is the kind of sentence that only a few get to say aloud.

Social media links for the guest:
LinkedIn: Pierce Dargan
Instagram: @equine.medirecord

Subscribe to Horse People Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you do not miss the next conversation. If you work anywhere near a barn office or a racing office, send this episode to the person still guarding the paper binder like it is a family heirloom.

Michael Iavarone’s done what most horse people only dream about, he’s won the Kentucky Derby. He’s been in this game at the highest level, from Big Brown taking him to the presipice of racing to many G1 wins, but he didn’t grow up in it.

He came from a working-class family, started out getting crushed at the betting windows, and somehow figured out how to buy the right horses at the right time.

This one’s full of wild stories, buying million-dollar horses days before a race, flying around the world to race in Hong Kong and Dubai, and the highs and heartbreaks that come with it. But what stuck with me most is how much Michael still loves the game. Even after all the pressure, all the wins, all the money spent, he’s still out there watching morning works like it’s the best part of his day.

Key Topics we discussed:

• Why Michael only buys horses that have already raced, and how that’s helped him win big

• The story behind Big Brown and how it felt to win two legs of the Triple Crown

• What it’s like to wire a million dollars for a horse just days before the Breeders’ Cup

• Why elite horses have to be mentally tough, not just talented

• How horse racing pulled him back in after he stepped away

Follow Michael on Instagram: @michael.iavarone

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@horsepeoplepodcast

This episode is with Marissa Wells, who just became a 10-goaler in arena polo, a dream she's had since childhood. We talk about what that moment felt like, the years of consistency it took to get there, and what comes next. Marissa is great, a good friend and my first ever guest!!

We get into everything from $800 horses to bodybuilding prep to what kind of horses are actually best for arena.

Follow Marissa on[Instagram] and [Tik Tok]

Key topics we discussed:

• The moment Marissa found out she hit 10 goals and what it meant after a lifetime of dreaming about it.
• Why consistency matters more than talent at the top levels of polo.
• Her surprising take on training horses for arena versus grass.
• How bodybuilding and polo have started to overlap in her life—and why she could never do arena on prep.
• What it means to be a role model now and the advice she gives to the next generation of young girls in polo.

This episode with Jim is great, he's a one of a kind story teller with a one of a kind story and there's so much about this episode that will leave you nodding your head and thinking about the horses that changed your life.

Jim shares stories that feel more like scenes from a novel: escaping the Iranian revolution, chasing foxes in a scarlet hunt coat, and riding reindeer with native people in the Mongolian wilderness.

From Tehran to Norco to Patagonia, horses have been the throughline in his life. We talk about how deep that bond runs, what it means to ride with feeling, and why he still whispers to his mares before bed.

Key topics:

• Growing up between Iran and the US with horses always at the center
• His father's escape from revolutionary Iran on horseback with Kurdish tribals
• Building a new life in California and returning to horses through foxhunting
• Riding adventures across Mongolia, Patagonia, and beyond
• What it means to be a sensitive rider and why he always chooses mares

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