Heels Down Happy Hour Podcast Episode 144: The Year Of The Fire Horse
Happy 2026 y’all, the Year of the Fire Horse. We promised we lunged it before we all got on. This month, we’re kicking off the year with some of our favorite horse shows and settling in for the tougher topics of horse ownership. Thanks for tuning in.
Click here to stream Episode 144.
Special guests:
Chloe Reid is the co-president of Live Oak International, who is in charge of shaping the tournament’s future by stepping in to lead Sponsorship Strategy and Partnerships. She grew up immersed in the family’s tradition of running this unique horse show. And as an accomplished international show jumper, Chloe brings the unique perspective of an athlete who also serves as a tournament organizer.
Laura Reiman, MS, NPCP-CPT, is the owner of The Pilates Powerhaus in Alexandria, Virginia, and author of ‘Pilates for Horses’. Follow for more tips at Pilates4horses.com
More on what we talked about on this episode:
In honor of Dry January, enjoy this dirty soda mocktail. | @delish
The winter show season is in full swing in Florida, and Lillie Keenan is on a roll at WEF. | @COTH
The 2025 accolades are out, and Boyd Martin is International Rider of the Year and Kent Farrington’s Greya is the International Horse of the Year. | @USEF
EVH-1 cases flared up in Florida in December. Is it still a concern for horse owners? | @heelsdownmag
Product review: We discuss the best gifts we got for Xmas! | @heelsdown
Laura Reiman chose humane euthanasia for her horse after years of searching for answers. We discuss. | @heelsdownmag
International show jumper Chloe Reid joins us just ahead of the 36th annual Live Oak International, the only horse show to feature both international combined driving and show jumping. | @heelsdownmag
Mail bag: How do I get over my fear of riding forward? | @heelsdownmag
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More about our hosts:
Jessica Payne is an international event rider who is rarely seen without her long-haired chihuahua under her arm. She was born in London, Ontario, but grew up in Franklin, Tenn., and graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Animal Science. She’s now a coach, a mom and one-half of Payne Equestrian, a full-service eventing, show jumping and dressage operation based in North Carolina with her Olympian husband, Doug. Jess once lost the tip of her pinky finger clipping her 5* horse, and husband Doug says she can “talk to anyone including a wall….and they will like it!”
Ellie Woznica happily lives on a mountain in northern Pennsylvania in her horses’ front yard. She works from home as a graphic designer, manure mucker, and zoo keeper, but only gets paid for one of those gigs. Ellie grew up showing hunter/jumpers (and still does) but in college she learned to ride western and fell in love with reining and reined cow horse. Outside of horses, Ellie loves to knit, whittle, and write! Her boyfriend says she has too many hobbies.
Justine Griffin is an award winning journalist who has written about everything from horses to high-profile CEOs to her ovaries. (She donated her eggs once.) Two things she loves the most? Whippet puppies and cheese. Justine is a lifelong lover of Thoroughbreds and is a native Floridian.
Many thanks to our sponsors this month: Live Oak International, Ecogold and HITS Horse Shows LLC.
Featured photo by Erin Gilmore Photography