by Practical Horseman Podcast
The Practical Horseman podcast features conversations with respected riders, industry leaders and horse care experts to inform and inspire listeners. Co-hosted by Practical Horseman editor Sandra Oliynyk and multimedia content assistant Julia Murphy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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3/15/2019
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February 28, 2025
<p>This week’s <a href="https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/podcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Practical Horseman Podcast</a>, sponsored by <a href="https://www.equestrianplus.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EQUESTRIAN+</a>, is with Olympian and horse show organizer Ali Nilforushan. He spoke with us in mid-February as he and his team prepare for the 2025 competition season at the Temecula Valley National Horse Shows in Temecula, California, and The Oaks series in San Juan Capistrano, California.</p><p>To give you a little more background on Ali, he caught the horse bug at an early age. He rode his first horse at age 12 once he and his family immigrated to San Diego, California, from their home country of Iran. Ali was drawn to show jumping and worked his way up the ranks of the sport to achieve top international results. In 2000, he became the first Iranian equestrian to compete at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, qualifying for the individual final with Campione M. In 2006, he competed at the FEI Jumping World Cup Final in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with Cellist 2. </p><p><br></p><p>Ali retired from competition in 2017 after an illustrious riding career, shifting his focus full-time to producing world-class hunter/jumper horse shows on the West Coast. He created <a href="https://jump-nee.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nilforushan Equisport Events</a>, a horse show management company, with his wife Francie Nilforushan. In December 2024, Equine Network acquired a controlling interest in the successful enterprise. As part of Equine Network’s Premier Equisport Group, Ali is at the helm of the Temecula Valley National Horse Shows and The Oaks, a revamped show series at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park.</p><p><br></p><p>In our discussion, Ali talks about how he found his passion in equestrian sport, what he enjoys about being a horse show organizer and what venue upgrades are being made for a top-notch show experience at The Oaks.</p><p><br></p><h2>About This Episode’s Sponsor, EQUESTRIAN+</h2><p><br></p><p>From short training tips to how-to videos and insider-access to private clinics and lessons, learn from top experts in the dressage, hunter, show jumping, equitation and eventing disciplines with EQUESTRIAN+. Watch exclusive interviews and lectures, slow-motion demonstrations and step-by-step tutorials taught by top-level pros and explore cross-discipline topics such as groundwork, rider fitness and stable management. Visit <a href="https://www.equestrianplus.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">equestrianplus.com </a>to sign up for a seven-day free trial with subscription. </p><p><br></p><p>You can also follow EQUESTRIAN+ on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/equestrianplusworldclasstraining" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/equestrian_plus_/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@equestrianplus?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TikTok</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@EQUESTRIANPLUS" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a>.</p>
January 25, 2025
<p>Today's <a href="https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/podcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Practical Horseman Podcast</a>, sponsored by <a href="http://equestrianplus.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EQUESTRIAN+</a>, is with <a href="https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/tag/cornelia-fletcher/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cornelia Fletcher</a>. The five-star eventer made a remarkable comeback at <a href="https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/tag/the-event-2024-at-terranova/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TerraNova’s The Event</a> this past November. After being out of the competition field for a little over a year to give birth to her daughter, Sparrow, last June, the 26-year-old eventer and her plucky Oldenburg mare Daytona Beach 8 claimed the CCI4*-L win on a final score of 41.4.</p><p>The pair, who placed 15th out of 17 horse-and-rider combinations during the dressage phase, delivered a powerhouse cross-country ride on Saturday to surge into second place overnight. One of only two pairs to jump double clear in show jumping, their sharp, accurate round cemented their victory in the CCI4*-L.</p><p>While Cornelia worked hard to maintain her physical and mental fitness for eventing during her pregnancy, she credits her close-knit support team and especially her husband—four-star eventer and grand-prix show jumper Jacob Fletcher—for her success at TerraNova and enabling her to make her post-Sparrow competition debut.</p><p>In today’s podcast, we chatted with Cornelia about her comeback victory at TerraNova, her incredible partnership Daytona Beach 8, her training philosophies and how she balances motherhood with the demanding sport of eventing.</p><h2>About Cornelia Fletcher</h2><p>Cornelia grew up in a non-equestrian family in Hamilton, Massachusetts, near the former USET headquarters and said she was born with the horse bug. After finally wearing her parents down as a horse-obsessed kid, they agreed to help her half-lease a pony at a local barn with a lot of eventing history. From her early days in the saddle, Cornelia had a hunch that eventing might be her sport as she always preferred to be out in the field instead of the arena.</p><p>In middle school, she started working with trainer Babette Lenna, who helped Cornelia find her perfect and longtime eventing partner in Sir Patico MH (“Hugo”). She and the loudly colored Zweibrücker gelding went on to train with renowned five-star eventer Sharon White and had a stellar career together (including an individual bronze at the 2017 North American Youth Championships, top finishes at the three- and four-star level and a European debut at Blenheim). They were on the cusp of tackling their first five star at the 2020 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, before it was canceled due to the COVID pandemic.</p><p>After spending a year training with Australian five-star rider Kevin McNab in Surrey, England, Cornelia and Daytona made their five-star debut at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in in 2022. Despite a 50th-place dressage score, the pair moved up the leaderboard after a clear, fast cross-country round and were one of only six double-clear show jumping rounds to end up finishing in 10th. And they were the top-placed U.S. rider.</p><p>A few other notable highlights from Cornelia’s career include the 2023 Reserve Championship USEF/USEA Developing Horse Championship with DHI Qyaracolle Z, 2022 Houghton Hall CCIO4*-NC-S 2nd place team, more than fifteen top-5 FEI finishes, and she is a Five-time North American Youth Championships medalist. </p><p>Cornelia and Jacob own and operate a small program in Ocala, Florida, that focuses on producing eventing and show-jumping horses.</p><h2>About This Podcast's Sponsor, EQUESTRIAN+</h2><p>From short training tips to how-to videos and insider-access to private clinics and lessons, learn from top experts in the dressage, hunter, show jumping, equitation and...
December 6, 2024
Practical Horseman trainer Julia Collins shares disaster-preparedness tips and stories of horse community resilience in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene's impact on her farm in Asheville, North Carolina.
The Plaid Horse
Dr. Erica Lacher and Justin Long
EquiRatings
NOELLE FLOYD
Bethany Lee
Ride iQ
Horse Radio Network
Dr. Jyme Nichols
Karen Rohlf
EQTV Network
United States Hunter Jumper Association
U.S. Eventing Association
Major League Eventing
Warwick Schiller
Horse & Hound
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