Plaidchat: Katie Armstrong & Dr. Maureen Long DVM

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/686753/fan...) In this episode of The Plaidcast, Piper Klemm welcomes Katie Armstrong and Dr. Maureen T. Long. Katie Armstrong is the owner of Building Better Hunters, a business specializing in behavioral rehabilitation of show horses and colt starting. Katie discusses the importance of incorporating Western training foundations into English riding programs and how recovering from a significant injury changed her perspective on horse training. She shares her experience learning from Western professionals, the gaps she sees in foundational training within the English riding industry, and how proper groundwork, clear boundaries, and effective handling techniques can create safer, more confident horses and handlers. Dr. Maureen T. Long, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, is a professor emeritus at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine and an expert in equine infectious diseases. Her research has focused on West Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis, and Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM). A board-certified specialist in large animal internal medicine, Dr. Long has made significant contributions to equine health through research, education, and vaccine studies. She is also the co-editor of Equine Infectious Diseases and received the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine's Distinguished Service Award in 2024. theplaidhorse.com (https://www.theplaidhorse.com/) Thank you so much for joining us today on the Plaidcast. This podcast is a labor of love, and every single episode exists because of this incredible community of riders, trainers, barn managers, parents, and horse lovers who show up in the barn, in the ring, and right here with us. At The Plaid Horse, our commitment goes far beyond the show ring. We believe deeply in the power of literacy and education and that every rider, at every level, deserves access to knowledge, stories, and ideas that make them a better horseperson and a better human being. Reading matters. Learning matters. And the stories we tell each other in this sport matter more than we sometimes realize. Whether you are a junior rider picking up your first copy of The Plaid Horse Magazine, a professional trainer looking for inspiration, or someone who simply loves horses and everything this world stands for then this community is for you. You belong here. We build this together. Every article, every episode, every conversation is an opportunity to learn something new, to feel less alone in the challenges of this sport, and to be reminded of why we fell in love with horses in the first place. Until next time, keep reading, keep learning, keep riding, and remember that the horse world is better when we build it together. I will see you at the ring!