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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. 
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Title Sponsor: Taylor, Harris Insurance Services
Sponsor: Sentinel, Chewy, Mojo Joint and Zoetis
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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!

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!

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Piper hosts Plaidcast in Person in front of a live audience at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut with Patricia E. Kelly of Ebony Horsewomen, Inc. Brought to you by Taylor, Harris Insurance Services.
Host: Piper Klemm, publisher of The Plaid Horse
Guest: Patricia E. Kelly is the Founder, President, and CEO of Ebony Horsewomen, Inc. (EHI), a Hartford, Connecticut-based non-profit equestrian and therapeutic center developed and directed by African American female equestrians whose mission is to encourage and empower inner city youth toward positive and successful lives through horses. Under Patricia's leadership, the Ebony Horsewomen Inc. has grown from a local organization to the national level with members across the United States. Patricia is also a United States Marine Corps veteran, a certified Urban Riding Specialist Instructor, a Master Urban Riding Instructor, a Certified Equine Husbandry Instructor, and a certified Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Horse Specialist.
Subscribe To: The Plaid Horse Magazine
Title Sponsor: Taylor, Harris Insurance Services
Sponsor: Sentinel, Mojo Joint and Chewy
 Join us at an upcoming Plaidcast in Person event!

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Piper hosts Plaidcast in Person in front of a live audience at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont with Chrissy Rohan, Alyx West, Hadley Rogerson-Leach and Dr. Jenny Wilkinson.
Host: Piper Klemm, publisher of The Plaid Horse
Guest: Chrissy Rohan is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Vermont, where she has spent the past decade teaching equine management and training. She also serves as Faculty Advisor to the student-run cooperative horse barn, home to 22 horses just minutes from campus. A lifelong equestrian, Chrissy grew up riding on her family’s farm in Charlotte, VT, competed in Pony Club and the Big Equitation, and rode on UVM’s IHSA team. Chrissy is deeply involved in the equestrian community, serving for over 15 years with the Vermont Hunter Jumper Association and supporting advocacy efforts through the Vermont Equine Industry Advocacy Group. 
Guest: Alyx West is an Animal Science major with a minor in Equine Studies, expected to graduate in May 2027. She has been riding horses most of her life, and having horses as part of her college experience has been her favorite part of being at UVM. At the UVM Horse Barn, she serves as a teaching assistant for the Equus program taught by Professor Chrissy Rohan. Alongside a team of other teaching assistants, she teaches riding lessons, basic horsemanship, and horse care while also helping oversee UVM’s leased Animal Science horses. After graduation, Alyx hopes to enter the veterinary field as an assistant or technician and continue working with horses in any way she can.
Guest: Hadley Rogerson-Leach is a senior at the University of Vermont and a member of the UVM Horse Barn Cooperative. Her passion for horses began at age seven, when she read every horse book in her school library before receiving a riding lesson for her eighth birthday. She joined the UVM Horse Barn in 2024 as a teaching assistant for the university’s Equus program. Hadley plans to pursue a career in the equine industry after graduating this spring with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences. 
Guest: Dr. Jenny Wilkinson grew up riding in Virginia and competed on the University of Virginia’s Equestrian Team. She spent several summers working as a wrangler in Wyoming and now returns with students for hands-on learning experiences. After completing her veterinary degree at Cornell, she worked at Vermont Large Animal Clinic before joining the University of Vermont in 2008. She teaches a range of equine-focused courses and created the travel study program “The European Pony Tour,” taking students abroad to Ireland and France with plans to visit Scotland next. 
Subscribe To: The Plaid Horse Magazine
Title Sponsor: Taylor, Harris Insurance Services
Sponsor: Sentinel, Mojo Joint and Chewy
 Join us at an upcoming Plaidcast in Person event!