How Lauren Magee’s Daughter Inspired Her Return to the Saddle After 30 Years

Alex Husner 0:02

Welcome to The Long Ride Home. I'm your host, Alex Huisner. This show is about honoring where we come from, pursuing what still calls us forward, and trusting the power of timing in both life and in sport. Through honest conversations with riders, trainers, and leaders in the American saddlebred world, we'll explore the stories behind the horses and the people shaping the future of this industry. Come on this journey with me. Welcome back to the long ride home. I'm your host, Alex Huisner, and I'm joined today with Lauren McGee, who is a returning adult amateur rider like myself. Lauren, so good to see you.

Lauren Magee 0:44

Nice to be here, and I'm excited to talk with you today.

Alex Husner 0:46

Yeah, absolutely. And so we connected, we were uh friends on Instagram, and then this was a couple weeks ago that you had sent me a message and you had stopped by Meraki Farm and were there to pick up a horse, and you sent me a picture of your daughter and chapstick, and it was just the cutest thing in the world. And we got to chatting and you know, definitely want to get to know you better and tell your story because for sure some similarities of things that I'm experiencing now and that you've experienced in getting back into riding. But before we get started, can you just maybe give the audience just a little bit of a background on who you are and what your experience has been

Lauren’s Childhood in the American Saddlebred World

Alex Husner 1:21

with horses?

Lauren Magee 1:21

Yeah, absolutely. I know that was like the highlight of my daughter's vacation was meeting the social media star Chapstick. So that was very fun. So I've always loved horses as a kid, grew up riding saddlebreds and saddle seat in the early 90s in Ohio, showed equitation and all of kind of junior classes back, and then around age 11, got out of showing, got into running, ran track, went on to be a college runner, and then that's kind of where my showing and riding experience kind of stopped on a continuous basis. But always loved horses, always wanted to get back into it. Dabbled in it kind of through college, but most of it at the university I was at was all hunter jumper focused, and then some after college did some Dursage, was around, but that's not the same excitement as saddlebreds and saddle seat. And then life happened. I built my career, went back to grad school. Like, and then when I had my daughter, she was really interested in riding. And so she was six, seven, and I was like, okay, well, if we're gonna ride, like I'm super excited about that. That's awesome. We're gonna find a saddle seat barn. We're gonna ride saddlebreds. Like you can do whatever else your journey wants to be, but that's the one part I'm gonna be like, you're riding saddlebreds. And we live in a very hunter-jumper focused community. So finding that right barn and that barn fit was kind of a challenge at first. And then we found where we are now, Good Venture Farm. And as soon as I walked in the barn, I was like, this is definitely the place. So primarily got back into it focused on my daughter and her riding. And I was like, I'll just kind of dabble riding here and there. Well, as we both know, as soon as you get back on the back of a saddlebread, you fall right back into it. There's no turning back. There's no turning back in so have just really kind of gone from there in my own journey as well as my daughter's and kind of what we'll talk more about today, I'm sure.

How Her Daughter Inspired Her Return to Riding

Alex Husner 3:03

So, and how did your daughter think that she wanted, or like what made her think that she wanted to even start riding in the first place? Did she see pictures and videos, or did you tell her about your riding experience?

Lauren Magee 3:13

Yeah, that's such a great question. So, I mean, always like when we'd see horses or we did pony rides, whenever we were like they were available where we were on vacation or state fairs and stuff. And I wasn't hesitant to get her into horseback riding. I just know I remembered everything that came with horseback riding. So I was like, okay, I want it to be her choice to get into it and not me really hoping she would do that. Just she just kept asking. I mean, for like two years, do you want to do soccer? Do you want to do softball? Do we want to do swimming? Like, and it was no, no, no to everything. I want to do horseback riding lessons. And so I think we're born with loves for horses, and that's what she wanted to do. That's where we kind of decided to really pursue it, and she absolutely loves it. So it was really her self-driven desire for it.

Alex Husner 3:55

Self-driven desire, but also passed down from you. I swear to God. I mean, everybody that I've had on the show so far, this comes up of like the maternal connection between mother to daughter and riding, and it's in the genes.

Lauren Magee 4:08

Yeah, I agree. Yeah, because like we had talked about obviously she knew I rode horses growing up and stuff, but I mean, it's not like I have social media pictures to show her anything. Yeah, I have like the printed eight by ten photo I was mailed to my house in 1996. Like it's not like super available to show her. So, like she knew, but it wasn't a huge part of the conversation because there are other like running and other things that I've done that was more in the front of her mind. So it was definitely something she was born with, I think.

Alex Husner 4:36

And and it's interesting too, because it's like as a kid, you know, majority of her friends don't ride horses, so it's like their friends are doing other sports, and for her to want to seek this out, obviously shows something. So that's really cool.

Lauren Magee 4:47

Absolutely. Yes, absolutely.

Alex Husner 4:49

And so when you're I'm curious, when you you said when you walked into Good Venture Farm, you immediately knew that was the right barn. What was that feeling

Finding the Barn That Felt Like Home

Alex Husner 4:55

like?

Lauren Magee 4:55

It was a feeling of like discomfort. The instructor, trainer, owner, Leah Bonaventura, she just a welcoming personality, a welcoming environment, and very hands-on. Like it wasn't just Elena's, my daughter's name, walking in and getting on the horse and riding. Like we went through the brushing and went through what pieces of the tack and how to tack up a horse and how to take care of the horse, and then we rode, and then you brush afterwards and stuff. And those are pieces that I remembered for my instructor growing up that were super important. So that you got that full experience of it, but also that really hand one-on-one experience to me is priceless of what you can give your kid in an instructor to walk through that process and then what it's grown into since then as the barn has grown, because it's very much a newer barn in the last few years, um, to the barn family that we've acquired through her writing, and now my writing has just been a really special place.

Alex Husner 5:47

Yeah. So is she showing yet, or like where is she in the

How the Barn Helped Her Daughter Build Confidence

Alex Husner 5:51

journey at this point?

Lauren Magee 5:52

So she's been riding for just over a year now. So we've started riding um in academy classes, which she's absolutely loving. So we do about a show a month. We take the June and July off just because of summer camps here and other the kids that are doing the academy shows, vacation schedules and stuff. She's really thriving in it. Like she was a kid who was very shy, would like hide behind me at social events and stuff. And the barn has just developed and blossomed to her confidence and excitement to meet new people. She's usually like the face you see and you walk in the barn. And I thought she'd be nervous to show, and she just is like, This is so fun.

Alex Husner 6:29

Yeah, it definitely is a confidence builder as a kid. And I think I was definitely very shy as a kid too. And I would hide behind my mom. But it's like, you know, when you're in the barn, you're doing so many different things and you're dealing with the horses, you're talking to your trainers, your peers, and you know, I mean, the whole socializing part of it is actually a really big part of it. And having that barn family is big. I mean, that was my barn family, those were my best friends as I was a kid, you know, and we only see each other when we would, you know, ride or if we'd all be at the barn at the same time. But gosh, the horse shows were just like the most fun thing in the world when everybody would be together, and it's just a great environment for a child growing up.

Lauren Magee 7:05

Yeah, it really is. Like the kids that she rides with and they become friends. And she started group lessons fairly early on, really just for that social piece of it that she could meet other kids that are they're all a few years older than her, but yeah, she's really developed her closest friendships here at the barn. And do you guys own a horse though? So we have purchased our first horse, which is ultimately for Elena for the Academy division. It's also my kind of childhood dream to own a horse. So I'm curiously living through her. But we did. We bought one this past spring for her to grow into and show in the academy classes.

Alex Husner 7:38

For you getting back into it, like what did that actually look like? Because you brought Elena there to the barn, but did you start taking lessons at the same time?

Lauren Magee 7:45

So I did the same time because I was like, well, if she's gonna ride, like I'm definitely gonna want to ride. But I told the Leah and I was like, well, I'll just ride like once a month. It'll be primarily her thing. Like, I don't want to take anything away from her. And so I rode sporadically the first like month or two. By nature, a competitive person. I like to learn all the things, and I fell back in love with it. So probably like my third or fourth lesson, Leah put me on a show horse, I think strategically, probably. And I just came to life. Like my husband saw my face, like light up, and it was kind of realizing that like a piece of me that I didn't even know was missing was missing. And I was like, Yeah, I would like to do this. So I just started riding every week. Whoever was available to ride, like school horses, most of our school horses are all rescued American saddlebreds, so they all have something new to teach you. And then the more I've just kind of started riding again. Leah was kind of a one-woman show. So I was like, where can I help? What can I do? Like, I just want to be a sponge and learn everything there is to learn then, and really just kind of started being at the barn, riding who was available. And then now how that's kind of further developed, I'm like, well, now I kind of would like to show. So what could that look like? Like, so I did show our horse we bought this past spring, which was really fun. Like that was the first time me getting back in the

Entering the Show Ring Again After 30 Years Away

Lauren Magee 9:00

show ring in 30 years. Like never thought I would get back in a show ring, ever. But why not? It's kind of made me realize that I can do it with my daughter. We

The Lessons Lauren and Her Daughter Are Learning Together

Lauren Magee 9:11

can like do it parallel and have our own journeys, but also be able to relate to each other. Because I've asked her, I'm like, is it okay? Because we don't have many adults. We have more amateurs and adults returning to the barn. But there are group rides that I'm the oldest by 30 years, like it's me and the kids riding. But it's been a really cool journey for us to do together and her to see that it's not easy and that mom struggles too, and kind of what that looks like from my lens, and that I can understand what she's going through during the hard days and the hard lessons as well.

Alex Husner 9:41

No, that's really cool. And I think it does make it more relatable because you know, I know for myself getting back into it, there's been just a lot of things that I didn't remember about riding about. I just, I mean, just about all of it, that it's like how much more challenging it actually is than I remember as a kid because it's like I did it so often back then. But if she's struggling with something, I think if you're actively riding, like you can think of different ways to explain something, you know, in a way, which is helpful. But I definitely can relate to your feeling of being in a group lesson with kids. I've I've been taking lessons at a barn a little bit closer to the house, it's still two hours away, but at Scotland Stables. And I have a private lesson, and then normally there's a group lesson as well. And you know, I'm riding with kids that they're like the age I was when I around when I stopped riding. So I mean, like 13 to 16 or so. There's one point in lesson, it just kind of hit me of like, this is so wild. I'm so I'm so happy. Like I this is like the coolest thing in the world. But you know, to think back on like what my younger self, if I could tell my younger self that now or back then, right? That like 26 years later, you're gonna be doing this, like it's gonna come back. And you know, I always had that feeling of I will be back. And I just I knew it. I just didn't know when. And I think that's kind of the biggest thing that I've learned just in my professional journey is like, and I have to keep reminding myself of this, but like, don't focus on the how, you know, just focus on what you want. And if you take the right steps, I mean, the universe is gonna bring you to it. So it's been a fun part. But what's been the most surprising thing since you've gotten back into it? I mean, like physically, like what was day one like on your first ride back in the saddle? Yes. And that's and that's kind of what everybody said to me too. They're like, You're in shape, it'll be fun. And I'm like, I yeah, I think so. But then I'm, you know, my first time riding, I was like, Whoa, I need a lot of

Rebuilding Strength, Confidence, and Body Awareness

Alex Husner 11:30

work.

Lauren Magee 11:31

Yeah. You don't realize how much you appreciate what you did as a kid until you come back as an adult, I think. Because you just got on and you rode because that's what it was fun, and that's what your instructor told you to do. Yeah, so coming back, and I like said I've been a runner for decades now, marathons, half marathons. So I've considered myself fairly in shape. And there are muscles that you use riding that you definitely do not use running, that is for sure. And so I remember those first few months, really, like I was weak in the saddle, like how to stabilize myself. Getting off, I was sore the next day. Like, if I was riding, I was definitely not running that morning because I didn't have that in my legs. What has surprised me the most as I've continued riding is how strong it has made me in the core, in my legs, in my upper body, in the cardio piece of riding translates to running. And that's the piece that I tell like other adults that are like, oh, I'm interested in riding, but oh, it's just kind of a fun, it's a hobby. I'm like, if you want a workout, like come ride a horse because it's a great workout. And then the other piece of it is obviously the mental mind-body connection. Like as a kid, I didn't know what that was, but as an adult, you realize that relaxing your mind is going to relax your body and how you have to separate your different body parts to be able to control the either the top rain or the bottom rain. Like, and explaining that to kids is much harder. But then also like being able to walk in the barn door and leave work life outside to be able to focus while you're riding because that's all you can focus on at that time. Um, and that's been kind of the biggest aha moment for me as an adult coming back is those are the pieces you don't have as a kid that you have now to figure out how to reset your brain and just ride and not be about everything else. Yeah, which has been wonderful, but can also be a continuous challenge at times, depending on.

Alex Husner 13:11

Yeah, I completely agree on that. And I think that's been one of my favorite parts of this is like when I'm going up to the barn, when I get to the barn, I'm not checking my phone. The only time I'm on my phone is if I'm trying to take a picture of chapstick, like exactly. Which he gets he gets annoyed by, but I think he knows like put your phone down, like you're here with me. And I'm like, I'm trying to FaceTime my husband or something so we can he can see you. But but no, it's like it's an amazing way to shut off the rest of the world and everything else that you have going on, and totally as a kid, you're not thinking about it that way. But uh, that's been a huge thing for me in returning and totally agree on the body component of it and how the horses really they can sense anything that's going on in you. I mean, a lot of progress in these last you know, six months or so. But it's like in the beginning, I was so tense that it's like every horse that I got on, like, you know, they they could feel it immediately. And there's still some things that I'm working to relax more, but it's like when you do have that feeling of like when you really you know sink into the horse and like let your body, you know, uh sink in and you can absorb their motion better. I mean, they move better. I mean, the the whole picture is is much better, but you do have to like keep reminding yourself of that. So it is uh a physical workout and also a mental workout in a lot of ways.

Lauren Magee 14:27

Yeah, exactly. And to relax and that like our horse, he is very forgiving, but he is not gonna give me any grace on not relaxing and not asking him in the correct way. So, like really working on that, yeah. And that's I mean, Leah's always yelling at me, relax, like relax your hips, relax your hips. And I'm like, I just sit at a desk for eight hours, like you know, I just need some time, like right.

Alex Husner 14:49

Or when you think that you're relaxing, then I'm like, hi, what else do I do? Relax something.

Lauren Magee 14:54

It's been a really fun journey, and I think I'm even more excited to figure out where to go with mine um in a place that I didn't even think about six months ago.

Alex Husner 15:02

And what are you thinking at this point? Of what point?

Lauren Magee 15:07

I don't know, besides that I would like to sh continue to show. So what that looks like horse wise. I mean, again, as a kid, I just got on the horse that my instructor told me to get on and ride. Like, so if we're thinking about another horse, like what can we financially make work? Like, would that be a pleasure horse? Would that be a five-feated horse? Like, would that be a park horse? Like, what would be possible in those choices that I didn't realize were there before I came back as an adult? So definitely still riding, like irrelevant of what my daughter does, even though I think she's 100% sold on it. Like, I will not leave horses again, that's for sure.

Alex Husner 15:39

Yeah, it's like one time was enough. And it took it took a long time to come back. So it's like once you do come back, that level of gratefulness is there uh in a totally different capacity.

Lauren Magee 15:49

Yeah,

Why Returning Riders Still Have Decades to Grow

Lauren Magee 15:50

but that's what's really cool, I think, about this sport is like you go to the horse shows, and I mean, women are showing men too, but a lot of women like way into their older age that oh yeah, you there's longevity in this sport that you can just start like one of the other returning amateurs at our barn. Her granddaughter rides, she got back into it at 50. Like, yeah, there's I've got decades left to figure things out versus like when I think about running a marathon again, I'm like, well, that sounds like a lot more painful in ways as you get older. As you get older, yeah, versus trying horses. Yeah.

Alex Husner 16:21

So yeah, that's no, that's that's a good reminder too. You kind of can be patient with yourself because you can keep doing this. You know, there's not a lot of sports that you can say that you can do until you know a large portion of your life until you're handicapped, you can keep doing it. But what so far with Elena's journey, I mean, what's kind of like the biggest thing that you think she's learned from riding? Like, not about riding, but like what has it taught her as a person?

Lauren Magee 16:45

Oh, as a person, it's definitely caught her self-confidence and to really stand up for what she wants or doesn't want in other areas of life. Like she'll be nervous to go into a new classroom or do something new outside of the barn. And I'm like, you ride big horses, like this should not be scary. But I think the biggest piece is even separate from riding is the social aspect of it. Like in that confidence building, walking into any room, being able to talk to and play with kids and adults from different backgrounds has been really huge for her. Development, I mean, she's eight, so that's wow, a really key piece. Yeah.

Alex Husner 17:22

Yeah. I you always see these like TikToks and things on parents get your daughters into horses because the things that it will teach them is just it's wild. And you don't realize that at the time, but looking back, I'm like, gosh, that that was a huge part of you know, my confidence as a young adult and and you know, started my journey of learning something, dedicating myself to something, being passionate about it, you know, wanting to see success and also loving seeing progress. And really, I mean, having empathy for something, you know, besides you just yourself. I mean, like the relationship with the horses. And I think it's a bond that's hard to describe if you don't have never been around horses. I know for my husband, like he really didn't know anything about them besides just like you said, when we went on vacation, we'd do you know, trail ride or beach ride or whatever, but never really spent a whole lot of time, you know, loving on the horse in those situations. And I think for us coming into this now together, he absolutely adores chapstick. And like, I don't think he had any idea that the horses can be like a big dog, you know. And we've got one that is like I said to you earlier, he's like a golden retriever. I mean, like, I swear that's what chapstick was in a past life. But it uh that part of it has made it a lot of fun. And so I wanted to ask you about that. So getting your husband on board, that's also a funny thing that's come up in some of my conversations. How did you bring it up to him and what did he think about it?

Lauren Magee 18:39

Yeah, absolutely. So he obviously knew that I was lover of horses when we first got together and stuff. So we did trail rides and would always try to get involved in any horse activities, possibly even before my daughter. But he supported Elena riding and then even me getting back into it. And he was probably even the bigger pusher of like, no, you should ride. Like, this is something that you've wanted to do, like you don't do much for yourself, like take this time and do it. Um, and now he's definitely our biggest supporter. He does no interest in riding, but he's there, he's usually videoing and things, he's there helping clean stalls at times, and has really enjoyed obviously seeing her develop, but also how much I have loved it. And then when we got Murphy, our horse, he's just adopted him as like our next dog, basically, and has a love for the horses in a way that I'm not sure he expected even to. So it's just really cool to see. He is our biggest supporter and now fully understands the complexity of riding too. He's like, You have this perfect ride, you look wonderful to someone who doesn't understand riding, then you get off and you're like, But my pinky was in the wrong spot, or like I did this like one thing wrong. He's like, That's you guys did great. But yeah, he's a huge supporter of us.

Alex Husner 19:46

Yeah, no, that's really cool. And I think at this point, you know, coming back into it, our appreciation for, you know, it's not just about the blue ribbons, it's about the progress of like, yeah, there's never gonna be per maybe there is the perfect ride every once in a while, but it's like that that's normally not the case. But it's like, you know, if you master one thing, it just makes you feel so proud. And that's definitely fun for my husband to understand too. And then he's picking it up really quickly. Like when we go to horse shows and when we watch the live streams on you know TV at night, we're watching Lexington right now. I mean, he can tell the horse that's gonna win. Like he definitely has an eye for things. And I think I I don't think he realized he would enjoy it as much as he has from that perspective of like, you know, these are beautiful animals, and like now seeing the behind the scenes of like there's so much work that goes into the horse, to the rider, you know, what the trainer puts into this, like this is something that you know makes you really proud to be a part of.

Lauren Magee 20:38

I think I would agree with that, and that's something I would add to your prior question about like what is this done for my daughter, and what my husband loves about it is the hard work that goes into it as well. Like I said, we're helping at the bar, and like Elena is she's cleaning stalls, she's doing water buckets, like doing all the behind-the-scenes stuff that I never did as a kid or got to see all the work that goes into maintaining the horses on a daily basis and at shows, how much work goes into getting these horses ready to go into the ring and such. Like that's been a really cool piece of it for me to learn, but then also to see the hard work that goes in for her to really enjoy that kind of aspect beyond the riding piece of it is cool.

Alex Husner 21:16

So, what does the show season look like up there? I know you said that you take June and July off, but like where are the shows? Are they local or are you guys traveling?

Lauren Magee 21:24

Yeah, so our barn, we typically try to stay within three hours. So we're just outside Indianapolis, so we can get to many shows in Kentucky, Ohio, some in Illinois. We have a few locally here that we go to. Um, so we do a four in the spring, and then we'll do four this fall with the ultimate goal of going to Academy Nationals with three or four of the kids, which would be a first for the barn. Yeah, which Leah has been before with other barns and just says it's a really cool experience for the kids and the atmosphere, and we're excited to have them work towards that as a goal in our next Three shows.

Alex Husner 22:01

Where is the Academy Nationals? I didn't I actually didn't know that they did that.

Lauren Magee 22:04

Um, so it's in Murphy'sboro, Tennessee, the first week of November.

Alex Husner 22:08

Okay. Well, that's that's a cool thing to look forward to. And and that's actually been really interesting to see too of the shows that we've been to. The academy classes are huge. The academy classes and like the single bit classes, and that's very encouraging to see, to be honest. If like there are obviously newer people coming into this or coming back into it, and and it's a great way to just get that show ring experience and learn what it's like to actually be in the ring with other people. And so definitely it adds a totally different dynamic when you're also navigating not only all the things that you have to do, but traffic and and everything else going on in the ring.

Lauren Magee 22:41

Yeah, absolutely. Um, but the academy, I mean, I don't remember the academy when I was showing growing up, like maybe one or two classes, but it's such a great introduction to horse showing for kids that haven't had parents that have done it and understand the industry to really get that experience without needing the all of the gear and the horse and all the things that come with showing in the main ring and what most of the kids in our barn are most excited about in the camaraderie because all the classes are right there, all within a three-hour block. So they all stay and they all cheer for each other and are able to watch each other's show, which is just a different aspect than where they're spread out throughout the other show if you're in the main ring. So it's been a really cool experience from that aspect and really where the future of our sport is. Like we have to get some of these kids in and introduce them to saddlebreds and saddle seat. That's a nice way to do it.

Alex Husner 23:28

Yeah, definitely. So professionally, tell us a little bit about like what you do in your professional life. That's that pays for the horses.

Lauren Magee 23:35

That pays for the horses, exactly right. Um, so my professional life, I'm a professor of pediatrics at the IU or the Indiana University School of Medicine. And so I research the impact of violence on kids and families and then help I design and implement interventions and then study the outcome of the interventions of how to get services and mentorship and different aspects to kids and families to hopefully improve their health, but then also prevent them from ever being involved in violence in the future.

Alex Husner 24:04

Wow. Wow, that's really and I knew you were a doctor, but I didn't know on that side of things. That's really interesting. Is there anything that you can see so far of like what you've taken from riding that applies or has made you think differently about what you

The Mental Reset Horses Provide From a Demanding Career

Alex Husner 24:17

do for work?

Lauren Magee 24:17

Horses are very can be very healing. So I mean, personally have been very healing, but also how can we most of the population I work with are from the inner city who maybe potentially don't have asset connections or the availability to be around horses. And that would be a really cool piece to bring the two worlds together to really show the healing power of horses. But how I think the overlap between the two is really kind of the trauma recovery and how you recover from trauma and how horses beyond even victims of violence can really help people heal and recover from any traumatic experience that they've had in life has been really cool. But also adding that the barn and the horses have been a really great place for me to separate from work, which can be I see a lot of not good that happens in the world through the work I do. I'm sure a lot of traumatic things that happen and really bad experiences that people have. And I've done it for 20 years now, so that definitely compounds like hearing the stories and stuff that the barn and the horses have been a great place to just step out of that and just clean a saw or ride a horse and just not have to think about all the bad that does happen.

Alex Husner 25:25

Yeah, well, no, no wonder it's been just such an amazing experience for you so far. I mean, like that that's also a totally different lens of how you see the world now versus as you did as a kid riding. Um, and I can completely understand of like I have a stressful career, you know, sometimes are more stressful than others, but like I'm not dealing with things to that extent that you are, of like actually doing things that are you know really troubling. And that's gotta be tough because it's like, you know, I'm sure to some extent you've built up like a mental toughness and a barrier so that you can keep doing your job, but at the same time, like everybody hits a breaking point at some point, and it is really good to have an outlet like this and just a hobby in general, you know. But besides even for people that can't ride, I think the benefits of having a hobby at this stage in your life is huge. It's really good for your brain and your body and everything.

Lauren Magee 26:15

So it really is. Yeah. I mean, I spent so much of the years I wasn't riding building my career that it's nice to take a step back from just working and have time to do something that I enjoy has been really big. So yeah. But then also that importance of that being able to mentally break from work to ride, because if you when you don't, those are definitely not the days I have great rides, which I've learned the hard way as well. Of like, wait, I used to be able to carry this direction. I can no longer this direction, need to clear the mind, cleanse the work thing to just ride.

Alex Husner 26:46

Do you have any tips or things that you do when you're trying to transition from work to go to the barn that have worked for you?

Lauren Magee 26:52

So I've always been a person that's also been into yoga for years now. So I go into kind of what's called my I call my like yoga mind and just take a few minutes of quiet meditation to really just kind of like decompress, think about, think through mentally, like picture my ride and then reset kind of my nervous system to be able to step into that space and step away from work.

Alex Husner 27:13

Yeah, that that's the theme that's come up in a couple episodes so far that Amanda O'Keefe and Key Waller both said similar things of like the importance of visualization and you know, quieting your mind before you go into the barn. And I know there's one horse show we were at that I was dealing with something with work, and it was just it was driving me absolute bonkers and like it ruined parts of a couple of the days there. And finally, I just company I work for, we communicate a lot on WhatsApp, and like I just kept seeing like message after message after message, and I'm like, you know what? I'm gonna do I'm just gonna move that icon from my home screen on my phone to a not to a second screen so I can't see it. And that helped, you know. Sometimes it's like just remove the notifications. If people know that you're not supposed to be working that day, anyways, like you can get to things later. That's been something I've you know, I've always known I should do, but I think I've been I've forced to, but in a really good way of like just because somebody emails you or calls you or texts you and needs some right now, doesn't mean you always have to respond right now. You know, I mean they can wait, you know. We all wait for other people the same way, but it's it is tough of like you're when you're used to that of like always being on, always being accessible, like being saying no, I'm not I'm not accessible for a while. And the horses will teach you that, and it's it's a great excuse to practice.

Lauren Magee 28:29

Exactly. Like, I can't, I'm riding my horse right now. Yeah, absolutely.

Alex Husner 28:34

Getting in the saddle, yeah.

Lauren Magee 28:35

Um at the same moment, the barn is also a great place to think through things and process. And like I spent a lot of time writing and reading, and like I can't do all that in front of a computer at all times. So, like, just even being around the horses and thinking through some things, I'm gonna have aha moments of the point I was stuck on or something, and then go back later and finish it. But I really try to just turn the brain off anymore.

Alex Husner 28:58

And so you also you're working with Sarah Spaulding, I think, too, right? With Make Wellness now, yeah. Yeah, tell me a little bit about that, how that works.

Lauren Magee 29:07

Yeah, so Make Wellness is a bioactive natural peptide company. It's a newer company in the last year. So Sarah has been a leader, is a leader in the company and such. And I saw her posting about it and was one, obviously watching her amazing videos with Astro of how beautiful he is as a horse, but then also interested for myself personally because I turned 40 last year and I was like, hey, why like is this what 40 feels like? Like, I want to feel better, I won't want to wake up sore, I don't want to wake up feeling tired all the time. And so started taking the peptides for myself personally, but then there's also a ability to be an affiliate and sell the peptides really as a hey, I feel better. Do you want to feel amazing in life as well? And there's other aspects where there's a calming one and a focused one and fit and hydrate, which has been really good to use pre- and post-riding. But then how can I become an affiliate and work with Sarah to do more direct sales training, but then also earn some extra money on the side for those horses and the horse shows and pieces of it that are just a little bit out of reach for us through our normal careers. So yeah, it's been fun. It just started in the last like three weeks. So I'm still learning about all the benefits of the bioactive peptides. Beyond, I can say that fit plus hydrate in the morning is like life-changing. Feel so much better, more energy. I don't drink a pot of coffee anymore and still feel tired. I don't even drink coffee anymore. They've been so life-changing. But then also trying to really learn that additional kind of career path aspect of direct sales. So in my current job, I write a lot of grants. So I sell ideas, I work with multiple collaborators. Like, how can I translate that over to even be more of a flexible career at some point and maybe buy another horse one day?

Alex Husner 30:45

Yeah, no, I love that. I mean, I think at the end of the day, the things that we know now that we probably weren't taught in school, and I'm I'm the same age as you are, that like you want to have multiple streams of income, you know. Yeah, the concept of, and you know, there's so many different opportunities now that people can do that. And I think the one that you chose sounds like it's it's a great opportunity. So I'll be excited to hear how your journey with that goes too. I mean, that's it's so cool seeing everything that Sarah's accomplished, not just you know, riding, but in her career. And um, I I think it's it makes sense that this would be something that you would want to not only use but also look into professionally because you know you're connected with a lot of riders and people that they need that stuff. So they need that stuff, yeah.

Lauren Magee 31:28

Energy, right? Once returning amateurs, we're all living that full work, usually parent life. Like we don't need the all the energy we can get. So yeah, the peptides help your body function as it's supposed to function. So in an all-natural way, which is cool.

Alex Husner 31:42

Well, it was super great to talk to you, Lauren. I'm glad that we connected a little bit ago, and I'm excited to continue to watch your journey and Elena's journey and also your professional journey. So I hope that you keep sharing content about all of it so that working on that piece of it.

Lauren Magee 31:59

You and Sarah have inspired me to share more because there's not enough out there of saddlebreds.

Alex Husner 32:03

No, there's not. I mean, there they're really we you and I talked about this when we chat on the phone last week, but I think we both had the same aha moment we came back that it's like, you know, we thought that there would be tons of content and podcasts and and videos and even like training videos. I mean, I've been like literally just starving for anything, especially in the very early days of like I just want to re-immerse myself in this. And there really isn't a whole lot, but I think you know, that's been kind of in the back of my mind when I started the show of like it's a passion project, but also a selfish project that I just I want more people to be able to talk about horses with.

Lauren Magee 32:36

Yeah, absolutely. And it's been a huge the podcast has been a huge help for me too, listening. Cause I'm like, it's like you're speaking directly to me, and I'm like, she's inside my head in the barn. Like, I just want to learn everything and ask all the questions and be the sponsor. I didn't know I should have been at age 10.

Alex Husner 32:50

We're all in this together in a way of like the our experiences are you know more similar than they are different in a lot of ways, especially as a returning adult now. And um, say this at the end of every episode. But if anybody has a story that they want to share, please do reach out to me because I think these conversations are important for people to hear. And maybe there are people that are listening that have been thinking about getting back into horses, and you know, one of these stories or one thing that you share could be the thing that makes them realize, okay, like I'm gonna figure this out, I'm gonna do it.

Lauren’s Advice for Anyone Thinking About Riding Again

Lauren Magee 33:19

Yeah, that would be my number one piece of advice. Just start and do it because you deserve the time and it's a wonderful place to be back to.

Alex Husner 33:27

It is, yeah, yeah. And if you want it, you'll figure out a way to make it happen.

Lauren Magee 33:30

Exactly. Yep. Well, thank you, Lauren, for joining me. Yeah. So for an appearance, tell Chapstick, he has tons of kid fans up here in Indiana. So we'll all be cheering for him if we ever see him at a show.

Alex Husner 33:44

That is awesome. He will love that. He he just he loves playing with people, he loves when people come to see him. So and actually it was it was funny too, when you'd sent me the picture of your daughter and uh and Chapstick. I I think I told you we were on a trip, and I had literally just been thinking it was a Saturday morning. I was like, I wonder what Chapstick's doing right now. And I got that message from you, and that just made my day. Like, oh good, he's he's he's got friends visiting, so he's having fun. If anybody wants to get in touch with me, I normally say the website where you can go and listen, subscribe, the saddlebreadpodcast.com, but also on Instagram and Facebook, please follow the channels and be able to keep up with the content and the future interviews that we have. So thank you for tuning in, everybody. Thanks, Lauren. Thank you.