Sam Beiter Turned Unwanted Horses into Champions

Hey, everyone. Welcome to the do the Thing podcast. This is your host, Stacy Lauren. Well, you guys, I am excited because I met my next guest when I was being a charity auctioneer at an event. It was at the Pin Oak Charity Horse show, where they were raising money for several nonprofits, including the Texas Children's Hospital, Eyes on Me, and so many different organizations that they're able to spotlight. And it's so amazing when you get to meet people that are at something like that, because it's a whole new kind of form of my people. For those of you that have been following along for a while, you will know that my biggest piece of advice for people is being with people that have the same goal as you, that have the same bond, and that's what gives you the connectedness for you to be able to do the thing and for you to achieve your goals. And that's what this felt like. It was like a whole new language because it was people that really cared about horses and then also about giving back and being a part of something really great. And so I am excited because I talked to this guest, Sam is her name, and she was talking to me about her experience with horses, and the way she spoke about horses actually kind of got me to even understand it in a different way, because I've been working on this quest of helping people go from being even introverted or hiding with the things that they're doing to going all the way through the circles of having global impact. And when you can understand the power of a horse and the presence that it gives you, now you're able to really help someone move quickly. So I'm excited to talk to her about that. I'm excited to hear her do the Thing story because she was telling me some of the things that she's done where she had to do it more. I don't want to use the word scrappy, but I think I'm going to in an even scrappier way, which helped her build her leadership even bigger. So I am welcoming Sam to the show. Hey, Sam.

Hi. This is my first podcast, so I'm super excited. I've never done this, so I guess that's part of Doing the thing. Yeah.

I think one of my favorite things is helping someone do their first podcast, because once you do it, I don't know, it becomes this thing where you're like, okay, now where do I get to go? Because it'll be fun. So I'm excited to be your first.

Yeah.

I would like to hear your do the Thing story. When we were talking, even with your parents, we were just talking about how you've been really kind of with horses your whole life.

Yeah.

Which has led to what you're doing now. And I'd love to kind of hear about that journey.

Yeah. So I started riding when I was about 9, 10 years old, and my mom got me into it because she rode. Growing up, she never did the fancy shows or anything like that. It was more like cleaning stalls and working at a barn. And then the barn owner would let her ride a couple horses here and there, but she always loved them. She never owned her own one. So then I think when she had me, she was like, could live vicariously through me. So she kind of got me into the horses around that age, which typically is kind of a late start start for more. People my age, all my friends, they, their parents rode and are trainers. So they started, they came out of the womb and they were riding. So I kind of had a little bit of a late start with it. But, yeah, I. I was the same way as my mom. I caught the bug totally and just adored these animals. And so anything I could do to go to the barn, you could leave me there. 6 o' clock in the morning till 10 o' clock at night. I was just. I wanted to be there. I didn't want to do anything. El. I loved them so much. They brought me so much peace, in a way. And so I always really appreciated that. And yeah, so once I got to, I think age 11 was when I got my first pony. And he was not very nice. He was, he wasn't evil or anything, but he was not super cuddly or very fancy. He was just the average Joe type of pony. And my parents kind of were like, this is a very expensive sport. We're not going to go buying you these insanely nice ponies and all that. And so when it got to the point to progress in my riding, I got to a certain level and I maxed out on that pony. My parents were kind of like, you have to make him worth more so that you could sell him for more so you could take that money and invest that in the next pony. And so that's kind of the theme throughout my whole riding career, was buying these sort of quirky, weird ones that there was a reason no one wanted them or they were a little cheap. They were either really hard to ride or something difficult about them. And I would either have to work through it or fix it. And I just kind of. It was sort of survival of the fittest but my parents were just like, we support you in every which way, but this is your thing. We're not gonna go broke spending our life savings on your hobby. At the time, they didn't know I was gonna turn it into a business. Cause I actually got pretty good at it. I'm very grateful that they were so supportive. But it's really the horses, when it came down to it, like every horse is. There's a good part of every horse. There's not a worthless horse that you just gotta find it in them. They might not want to do what they were bred to do, or they might not like to be ridden a certain way. And so I never got to find my own riding style because I just. My style is more whatever that horse needs in that moment. And I appreciate it so much now because people could just send me any type of horse, it doesn't matter. And I could take a week or two and figure it out quite quickly and be able to read them and apply that to make them shine in whatever way that they need to be ridden and to show their best selves. Some people, they have talented, talented riders and they ride the way they do. And that works on 40% of horses they can get. One out of every five horses is gonna work with the way they ride. But instead of riding like that, I ride more. Maybe not one type specifically really good, but I can get on a bunch of different horses and really listen to them and adjust my riding style to the horse.

So I wanna first ask, how did you even get into that mindset? Because a lot of people would have said, oh, I. Because you're around people that are doing. Really. They're buying the fancy horses. And so y. How did you get yourself to not get. I don't want to say envious, but not focus on the negativity of that.

It's a hard sport, especially doing it at such a young age. I definitely had to do a lot of growing up earlier than most kids because we had lots of talks when I was little because I would get super frustrated. I would have my friends who they're same age as me, other than their parents were billionaires. We were the same. We both loved horses, we both rode all the time. And they would go in and they would be on their insanely nice, perfectly made, prepped pony and win. And then I would be like, I'm up at the barn at four o' clock in the morning getting the pony ready and doing everything myself. And I'm like, it's not fair. And I Had to learn very early that life's not fair. But I kind of appreciate that because I can respect it now. And as I got older, I became a working student for this guy, Alex Granado, who's amazing. And he taught me a lot about just riding different types and kind of took my riding to the next level. And he kind of showed me a different side of the industry, which was producing these horses to sell to those people that didn't want to. They did it more as a hobby, not as a lifestyle. And there's a job for that. People appreciate safe horses that can take care of their kid, and I'm really good at producing those. So I kind of found my niche in a way once I started working for Alex. And he was like, this is gonna sound bad, but he. I love horses, and I trust them so much, but almost to a fault, I trust them. So in turn, they trust me. So even if I get a horse that is naughty or has a buck or a stop or anything like that, he's like, these horses do crazy things for you, because I think they feel your energy of being so calm. And it's almost like ignorance is bliss situation, where most riders would be like, oh, this is going really bad. I'm really nervous. And it would start to snowball, and then that affects the horse. And while you're riding, if you get more nervous, the horse is like. Because they're naturally. It's a prey animal, so you have a predator on their back. And so if they trust you, and then all of a sudden you. They feel you get nervous and tense up, they're like, what do you see that I don't see? What is scaring you? That I'm going to be scared? Like, so they really read into that. So he's like, you're so blissfully ignorant that the horses just trust you, and they really get a sense of confidence to do it on their own. Because even if things go bad or a bad jump happens or you misstep going to the jump, he was like, you don't punish them. You just kind of go with it. It's never a bad experience for the horse. And so they don't learn to be afraid of certain things like that. And so I learned that I'm quite good at instilling a lot of confidence in horses, especially ones with maybe some trust issues. But Alex taught me a ton about getting the horses ready and making them so that they're adjustable for the average type of rider, if that makes sense. People, they want a horse that they can learn on. And so I've learned a way to teach these horses that your rider's gonna make mistakes. You need to be there to support them, and then as they progress and learn, they'll end up helping you out while you're teaching them. And I have tons of horses that I've sold and leased that are just amazing, amazing animals that I'm very proud of, the work that I've done with them and then what they've gone on to do with their own writers.

Yeah, it's incredible. So it's so cool because this podcast is a great way for me to kind of see what you're doing to do the thing, and then that helps me then uncover frameworks of what other people kind of do the thing. So one of the big things already, which I didn't actually realize was going to be something we would uncover in this is the skill set that you had in the very beginning of accepting kind of where you were at.

Yeah.

Because so many people think about this, whether it's horses or whether it's anything else in life, People look at other people and what they have and what you're doing yourself and the comparison, and then all of a sudden, if you're stuck in your head about it and you're in the lack of and in the acceptance of. Yeah, it can totally slow you down or even stop you from being able to move.

Right. Yeah. And with horses, there's so many. It took me a while to realize, but now that I've realized I'm not in competition with Joe on his horse, I'm not in a competition against them. It's just me against myself. It's not me against anyone else. They have a different horse. They have different money. They train differently. They prep their horse differently than I do. Their barn's different. Everything's so different that there's so many different factors. So I can only go in the ring and hope to do better than I did the previous time. It's not me against that person because it is a judge sport. So I don't love the judging sometimes, but it's a catch 22. Sometimes it goes your way, and you're like, oh, I should not have won that class. And sometimes you're like, I should have won that class. That person messed up or whatever. But, like, if the judge didn't see it, and so it did teach me at a young age. Again, life isn't fair, but it is what you make it. So you kind of have to just roll with the punches. You can't get stuck on it because then you're just stuck in this place that you can't. You'll dig a pretty good hole that it's going to be really hard to get out of, where if you can just kind of take it on the chin and figure out a way to overcome it and be better next time, then you can move on a lot quicker.

So it sounds like. So you accepted your situation which then allowed you to then accept the horse right where as baby.

Yeah, I kind of. I mean, I love horses, so it doesn't matter. My dad always makes fun of me because he's like, I don't think you've ever called a horse ugly. And I'm like, no, because they're all cute and I love them all. So anytime someone wants to send me a horse or they're like, can you help me with it? I never judge who the person is as a rider or who the horse is and what their abilities are. Everyone should have goals and people around them that can help achieve those goals. Whether you're on your $4,000 pony that has never shown before and probably will never show, but you want to accomplish jumping around a two foot course or whatever it may be, or you are doing the bigger jumpers and you want to win a $25,000 Grand Prix, whatever it may be, everyone should have goals and have people around them that will help get them to that point. Rather than being like, oh, I see it a lot. People will move to a different barn or trainers, whether they're moving their house, whatever it may be, and they'll bring their horse and the trainer's just like, no, you need a different horse. This horse isn't going to do you any good. Where that might be the case in some instances, but.

In reality, every person, as long as they're willing to learn and have an open mind and put in the actual work, they. Anyone can learn how to ride a horse, but they have to be willing. It's not just going to get handed to you. It's not a sport where you could just pick up a ball and a bat and automatically be good at baseball and you're gonna fall off, you're gonna get kicked or stepped on or bit. Like it's all part of the sport. It's kind of like I wouldn't get all suited up to play football and expect to never be tackled ever. It's sort of like that. But if you're willing to work and put in the actual dedication to learn the animals, learn the sport and really Listen, anyone could do it. Wow.

So would you call yourself a horse whisperer?

It seems like you are. I probably wouldn't, but if you would.

Like to, we're claiming it here on the do the Same podcast, because that's what it sounds like is you're taking the horses that might have been unwanted by their riders, and then you're able to meet them where they are, connect with them, and help them see their value.

And then every horse has a job. It's just being able to find that job. And sometimes that's not. I don't get horses. And I'm like, okay, it has to do this job. I've gotten jumpers that end up wanting to be low level hunters. I've gotten hunters that want to be bigger jumpers. It just kind of. You can't fit them into a little box.

Yeah. So one of the things I've been studying also is equine therapy, because one of the things I'm doing now is I partnered with a movie producer and he's creating these short films that then will become feature films. And so one of the movies we're doing is representing this organization called Saddles in Service, and they're helping the veterans, active duty and first responders through equine therapy overcome ptsd.

It's amazing.

Yeah, it's so cool. And that's when I uncovered. I will show it to you. I uncovered the comfort circle framework, which was. I don't know if you could see it on here. Let's see. There we go. I haven't shown it on a podcast interview yet, but anyway, the horse.

The horse.

So because the veterans, the active duty and the military, when they would go to this ranch, what they said was they wouldn't have gone if they knew it was therapy because they didn't want to talk about their stuff, right? Yeah. But because the horse met them where they were and they didn't have to speak. They were still in the community with the people with a shared experience, but they didn't have to speak. It helped them kind of get comfortable with their environment, and then they got comfortable opening up and talking. And so I'd love to just hear kind of your thoughts about that.

Yeah. So, I mean, the horses have definitely helped so many people. I've seen it. We used to have a girl at the barn. She had some physical disabilities and mental disabilities, and she wasn't very talkative, and she was just. Always seemed kind of melancholy just walking around. But the second she'd walk into the barn and she'd See the horses, she'd light up, and then all of a sudden we'd be riding around and she would not shut up. She would tell me about all of her cats, all of her toys, her favorite movies, everything. I've never seen her so excited. And then she'd get off and we'd put the horse away, and then she'd go back to being quiet. It was crazy, but it was awesome to see how much confidence the horses could give you. And so horses, they can feel your heartbeat. Don't hold me to this, but I want to say it's between four and six feet away. And that's just a natural instinct just for them. Because if you think about horses in a herd in the wild, there'll be, say, 50 horses, and they're all spread out enough. But say one on the backside sees a mountain lion or something, like a predator of some sort, their heart rate's going to increase. Then the horse next to them is going to be like, why is their heart rate going up? What are they paying attention to? And then it's a mechanism to help them be safe, essentially, so it can let the whole herd know without someone getting stuck and being like, oh, I didn't know that was going on. It's a natural instinct for them. So it's cool when you think about it, it's almost like you go into the barn and you could feel sort of a wave of calm. But it also can go the other way because if a horse is super stressed out, you can feel it's like all the horses are stressed out because one's having an issue. And so it's kind of a cool experience. But I could see how it applies super well to therapy and things like that, because they can help calm you down if your heart rate's really high and they can sense you're scared or something like that, and they can help bring you down. And also they can bring you back up if you're super sad. They can feel that from. It's not like a dog in the sense, but similar to coming home to your dog and they're super excited to see you. It can be very much like that.

And so when you're talking about the girl you were talking about earlier, how.

Do you think it's almost like the.

Horse sort of opens someone up, right?

Yeah, I think they instill a lot of confidence. It is a very powerful thing, being able to get on this big animal, and even if you're just walking around, but it gives you a sense of power when you're on them. Not in a bad way, but it definitely gives you a confidence boost because you're, you're on this big animal, it's trusting you. You kind of learn to open up and really trust them. And there is certain horses that are very good at this. And I wouldn't just put her on one of my top show jumpers or anything like that. But the horses that are super good for the therapy stuff, they can really make people shine. And I find it's. You can talk to them without saying anything. It's not like a dog where you're like, oh my God. And they get all excited when they hear your voice. It's more your presence that excites the horses.

Yeah. So I'm curious what you think about this. So since I've uncovered this horse kind of piece of. Okay. When you're in a community and if you're with a horse, whether it's supine therapy or you're riding now, all of a sudden you're getting comfortable and then you're able to start speaking up and things like that. So I'm also comparing that to other things, like for example, totally going off of what we were talking about with horses. But it's the same idea of think about a video game. That kid goes, and they're playing video games. The game is almost like their version of a horse.

Yeah.

In a way, they're getting comfortable. They're able to almost communicate through the game and then get comfortable. And then let's just look at, for example, sailing. Let's say someone joins a group when they're going sailing. Sailing is now that same non verbal presence.

Yeah.

And I'm curious how you think about that.

I think that's totally. There's some people that are scared of horses, there's people that are scared of dogs. There's a million things. But for the people that can't find that in say, video games or sailing, or they can't find their spot, truly giving horses a real shot, even if it's just going out to a barn and just petting them. I've had people just petting them that they're like, I feel so relaxed. And these are my friends that have never touched on words a day in their life. And they're like, they're just so beautiful and relaxing. And the more you relax, the more they relax. And so I think that's where that kind of helps A lot of those people, they kind of mimic you in a way. So I think it helps put in perspective if you're just a really excited person. And I've had people get on ponies or horses and they're just super jazzed. And then all of a sudden, these quiet, calm horses are all excited. And it's crazy how you can watch them get lit up just by having someone ride them for a couple minutes. But they sort of tell on you, so it's really helpful for training. But I could totally see, like, if I walk in the barn and I'm really, really sad and kind of don't want to talk to anyone and be sort of quiet, you'll notice the horses, they'll stand in the back corner of their stall, they'll be like, oh, you don't really want attention right now. And I'll kind of be like, oh, am I doing that? I think I'm being a little closed off and whatever. But if I walk in the barn and I'm super like, oh, my God, hi. And they'll come right over to you and they'll be like, oh, my God, this is great. So I think that's where they help a lot of people because they kind of reciprocate whatever you're doing. And so it helps people see it without someone telling you, being like, oh, you're being super closed off today, or whatever. Because that kind of. I feel like sometimes I know when my mom tells me I'm being rude or sassy or whatever, I'm like, yeah, okay. But if the horse kind of throws it back at me, I'm like, maybe, maybe I am being rude. Sassy.

How do you think it's helped your leadership too?

I think it's helped my leadership in a lot of different ways. Just being confident in. Even if I give you the wrong answer, at least trying new things. Because that's how training horses kind of goes. It's a lot of repetition and a lot of. They're not perfect. They're not machines. So I can ask 10 times and they'll do it perfectly. And on that 11th time, someone trips or a bug lands on them or whatever. It kind of taught me that you don't have to be perfect to be a leader. You're not always right. I love it. You have to admit when you're wrong. Because it's not like I. I mess up all the time and I can't reprimand a horse for my own mistake. They just know that that was wrong. And so you'll see some horses, they'll kind of be like, oh, my God, that was bad. And they'll wait for reprimandment but if it's the rider's fault, you can't do that. So I think that kind of taught me as a leader, being able to lead this 1200 pound animal that you can't talk to taught me how to be a silent leader. But also when I need to support, but when I can also let them do their own thing. Not being super duper controlling because you can't really control a 1200 pound animal. It's. If it wants to go do something, it's going to go do it. I can't, I can't manhandle it. So I think that sort of, it really played a big part in being able to lead without being dictator type. It's a give and take. I don't just tell you what to do and you do it. It's a conversation every time. It's a lot of taking feedback and then sorting through and figuring out a solution rather than just being right. Do this, you can't have you found.

That helps you in life too?

Yeah, it definitely helps me in life a lot. Especially growing up doing it. I think I learned it a little faster than some of my friends who didn't ride horses. And so then it was, I went through a weird phase in my life where I would get annoyed at all of my friends because they would get frustrated. They'd be like, do this. And I'd be like, well, no. And I try to be sort of like how the horses are and try to have a conversation about it. And they're, they didn't learn that lesson yet. And so then we would kind of butt heads. But now that we're all older, they've learned that lesson. I just learned it so much sooner so that we just had that one weird little bit of my life with that I kind of butt heads with all of my friends. But then we all kind of came around and we were like, oh, that all makes a lot of sense now.

And you mentioned at some point in this interview that being with people that had the same goal as you and that helped you.

Oh yeah.

And then you also mentioned the mentor that you had, what was your group that you feel really helped supported you through this process.

So I think for sure my parents, they've been the biggest supporters. My dad knows nothing about horses, but he's learned a good amount and he just wants me to excel and be good at what I do, whatever it was. And so I really appreciate all of his support. And then my mom, she loves the horses too, so I appreciate her in every way because she does have good opinions on. She knows a nice horse when she sees it. And then Alex, he taught me so much. I lived with him and trained with him from 13 till. I mean, I still meet up with him at shows and stuff now, and I rely on him a lot for when I'm kind of. I don't know what to do with this horse or whatever. I could call him at any point and he can help me. And then a lot of my friends, I have some awesome friends that even the ones that know nothing about horses, they still come to my shows, they support me, and it's super awesome. Yeah.

When you were training under Alex, did he ever get you with other people?

Yeah, I met so many people working for him, so he didn't. When I was working for him full time, he didn't have a ton of clients or anything. So we weren't the only real riders he had. Student wise was really just me and one or two other girls. But he was super big into sail horses, which is what I do now, and I think that had a big influence on that. But we would take horses to go show them to other trainers and other clients, and I would get to ride them for them to kind of showcase the horse. And I got to show a lot of horses. And so meeting people that way was super duper helpful. I got to see a lot of barns, I got to meet a lot of the top trainers. He's definitely helped me out with that. My big horse, he. I bought him from a lady that she was sending him to me to sell, but that was all through Alex. Alex was like, sam's awesome. Just send her the horse. You don't even have to tell her anything about it. She'll figure it out. She's super great. And he was a super quirky, weird horse that they couldn't sell because he is very odd. But I ended up buying him and I love him to death, so he found his forever home no matter what.

And what are you doing now?

So mainly I just do sales and leases. So I have a string of four to five horses at any point in time. Some I lease out, some, some come back off lease. I have a couple. I just leased out a bunch at the Pin Oak Horse show. So I got a couple more new ones coming in. And yeah, basically I just make these nice horses and then I find good homes for them. And leasing's definitely my bigger of the two. Between leasing and sales, the people I lease to are so nice, and the horses are all in great places. And Then they come back and they hang out for a little bit, and then they go on their next lease.

What do you love about it?

I love getting to teach the horses how to take care of riders and then leasing them out. And they're maybe not the most talented horses or the easiest horses to ride, but I send them with. I call it a cheat sheet. I make every horse their own little. This is how I get them ready. This is what I do. This is what happens if he does this. And it's just every little fun fact and how I ride them on it. And getting these horses and watching them show with young kids and teaching them and having success with them, that's my favorite part of the whole thing.

All right, Sam, the time is here. What is your camper? One piece of advice for people on doing the thing.

All right. I would say.

I just be yourself and just be unapologetically yourself. You're. You don't compare yourself to anyone else because you don't know their whole story. You don't know their whole situation. And so you're really only in competition with yourself. So only keep your eyes straight and narrow. That's what I would say.

And do you have any place that people can follow you and kind of see, say, and part of your.

Yeah, so you can follow me on instagram. It's called Four Leaf Equestrian is the horse sales page. And then on TikTok as well.

Thank you so much. This was so much fun.

Yeah. Thank you for having me.

Thanks so much for coming on and you guys, thanks for listening. I'm so excited to see what you say about this episode. Feel free to message me and my community. Do the thing. Don't wait for opportunity created. And hey, guys, have you checked out my Facebook group yet? Go to DoTheThingCollaboration. Com.