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Orchid Bertelsen is one of the most distinctive and analytically sharp voices to emerge in equestrian media in this year. She built a twenty-year career at the highest levels of digital marketing and e-commerce before the horse world pulled her back in and gave her something new to write about. Her professional background spans Fortune 5 accounts at Dentsu, leading digital strategy across more than 40 consumer brands at Nestlé USA, and running operations at Common Thread Collective, a DTC e-commerce growth agency where she built the financial systems that helped brands grow profitably across paid media, creative, and retention. That resume alone would make her an interesting voice in any industry conversation. What makes her genuinely unique is where she is applying it. 
Orchid rode as a child, competed on the B circuit in Illinois and Wisconsin, then stepped away for nearly 30 years. After 30 years away from horses, she returned to the saddle at a historic equestrian club 10 minutes from her home in Grosse Pointe, Michigan — what started as a Christmas gift of six lessons has since taken over her entire personality. She currently leases a horse named Beau, and that experience of returning to the equestrian world with fresh eyes and a sophisticated marketing brain has given her an unusual and valuable vantage point on an industry she now sees clearly as both an insider and an analyst. 
Her Substack publication, Back in the Saddle, is built around the belief that the equestrian industry is a $12 billion market that still approaches e-commerce and digital marketing the way most consumer categories did a decade ago — and that the brands that figure it out first will have a real and lasting advantage. Her writing on the collapse of Dover Saddlery broke through well beyond the equestrian community, demonstrating that the industry's business stories are as compelling as any in mainstream consumer retail when told by someone who knows how to tell them. She writes about the adult amateur community as the largest and most underserved segment in the sport — and has made changing that the mission of her platform.
Follow Orchid on Substack here: 
https://orchid.substack.com/

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Welcome to The Plaidchat- an extension of The Plaidcast where we expand upon conversations in our sport and discuss the most recent issue of The Plaid Horse Magazine. Piper speaks with co-author of the Show Strides series Rennie Dyball about book 9, Tally's Turn. Piper also speaks with Madison Sanders, lifelong hunter/jumper rider and the founder of Elite Equine Marketplace, a modern, map-based platform designed to streamline how equestrians buy, sell, and connect.
In Show Strides Book 9, as the new trainer at Quince Oaks, gets settled in, she gives Tally a special opportunity. Nona's friend Emily Elek of Stonewall Ponies needs some extra help at a horse show, and Nona asks Tally to go. At the show, Tally gets to be a groom, an extra set of hands to assist the team, and even has the chance to take a lesson with Emily. But when a younger, greener rider is having trouble in the show ring with her pony, another junior rider will need to step up to help to school the pony and set up his owner for success. Will Emily ask Tally to step into the irons? And will Tally be up to the task?
Madison Sanders is a lifelong hunter/jumper rider and the founder of Elite Equine Marketplace, a modern, map-based platform designed to streamline how equestrians buy, sell, and connect. With nearly a decade of experience in the tech industry and a degree from the University of Virginia, she brings a unique blend of industry insight and innovation to the equestrian space. Now based on a farm in Virginia, Madi manages a full barn while actively riding and competing as an adult amateur, giving her firsthand perspective on the needs of today’s riders, trainers, and equine businesses.
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Piper speaks with the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) Co-Founder and Executive Director, Roxane Durant. Brought to you by Taylor, Harris Insurance Services.
Host: Piper Klemm, publisher of The Plaid Horse
Guest: Roxane Durant is one of the original founders of the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA). She has been the full-time Executive Director of IEA since 2009. Prior to that, she was the Equestrian Director at The Andrews School where the IEA concept first began. In addition to her riding, teaching and training experience in the hunter/jumper industry, her early experience was on show management teams for events including the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, The National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden, Capital Challenge, New York State Fair and HITS. She is an advocate for equestrian sports, particularly with regard to youth participation. She is currently on the Youth Engagement Task Force and DEI Task Force of the American Horse Council and is on the Affiliate and Recognized Riding Academy Committees of the USHJA. 
Subscribe To: The Plaid Horse Magazine
Title Sponsor: Taylor, Harris Insurance Services
Sponsor: Sentinel, Chewy, Mojo Joint and Zoetis
 Join us at an upcoming Plaidcast in Person live event!
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Welcome to The Plaidchat- an extension of The Plaidcast where we expand upon conversations in our sport and discuss the most recent issue of The Plaid Horse Magazine. Today, Piper speaks with Liz Ormesher who is the Event Director of BETA International- the go-to trade show for discovering products, trends, and connections in the equine and country sectors. Listen in and share with your friends!
Host: Piper Klemm, publisher of The Plaid Horse
Guest: Liz Ormesher is the Event Director of BETA International, bringing over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and event management, alongside a lifelong passion for horses built on 40 years of owning and riding. A dedicated equestrian, she is now living her dream by combining her professional expertise with her love of the sport, both at work and at home with her young, horse-loving daughter.
Read the Latest Issue of The Plaid Horse Magazine
Subscribe To: The Plaid Horse Magazine
Sponsors: Taylor, Harris Insurance Services, Sentinel and Mojo Joint
Join us at an upcoming Plaidcast in Person live event!
theplaidhorse.com

Send us Fan Mail
Welcome to The Plaidchat- an extension of The Plaidcast where we expand upon conversations in our sport and discuss the most recent issue of The Plaid Horse Magazine. Today, Piper speaks with Liz Ormesher who is the Event Director of BETA International- the go-to trade show for discovering products, trends, and connections in the equine and country sectors. Listen in and share with your friends!
Host: Piper Klemm, publisher of The Plaid Horse
Guest: Liz Ormesher is the Event Director of BETA International, bringing over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and event management, alongside a lifelong passion for horses built on 40 years of owning and riding. A dedicated equestrian, she is now living her dream by combining her professional expertise with her love of the sport, both at work and at home with her young, horse-loving daughter.
Read the Latest Issue of The Plaid Horse Magazine
Subscribe To: The Plaid Horse Magazine
Sponsors: Taylor, Harris Insurance Services, Sentinel and Mojo Joint
Join us at an upcoming Plaidcast in Person live event!