Jamon Turner is back on Black in the Saddle three years after his first appearance and Just Believe has grown well past where it started. What began as half-day and full-day horsemanship camps is now a full youth development pipeline: a Western Playgrounds program that pulls in welders, fabricators, cattlemen, and cryotherapy coaches alongside horse trainers, an intern program where kids manage and pay other kids, and a colt-starting curriculum that teaches gun safety, critical thinking, and horsemanship ethics side by side.

This episode is a masterclass in running a mission-driven organization without burning yourself out funding it. Jamon breaks down the actual math of nonprofit horse programs, why leasing horses will bankrupt you, and gets honest about what it takes to bring on coaches and clinicians who have to see the vision of the program. The technical skills are great, but Jamon creates ways for students to practice leadership, community economics and team building.

Starting with just a stock trailer in a small Texas town, Just Believe has evolve so much since our first conversation. I think you'll enjoy hearing just what the process requires.

The conversation closes with a preview of what Jamon's bringing to the BITS Kinship Conference this November in North Carolina and why he said yes to it.

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like and subscribe! It helps get the podcast out to new listeners. I mean, while you're at it you should share it with a friend! I'm sure they'll enjoy this episode as much as you did.

Join Us at Kinship Conference

Mark your calendar: November 6–7, 2026 in Greensboro, NC.

Kinship is a two-day gathering for Black horse folks across every discipline. The FIRST event of its kind, Kinship is built on connection, mentorship, skill-sharing, and honoring the stories that shaped us. If you're looking for real community and real pathways forward in the horse industry, this is where you belong.

✨ Grab your ticket(s) TODAY: https://www.blkinthesaddle.com/kinship

Let's Keep in Touch:
Support the podcast on Patreon→ @blackinthesaddle
Join the newsletter to be the first to know EVERYTHING BITS : https://blkinthesaddle.kit.com/3e1170...
Follow Black In the Saddle on Instagram @blkinthesaddle
Follow Abriana on Instagram @theabrianaj

Advertising Disclosure
Some links or mentions in this episode may be promotional or include affiliate partnerships. We only share what aligns with the values of Black in the Saddle and serves our community.

Join me as I sit with my good friend and horse girl sister, Natasha Gordon, for an unfiltered catch-up on ALL THE THINGS. Natasha walks us through buying her first horse, how she landed on her mare Tessa after nearly buying three other horses, refurbishing a $700 trailer from scratch, hauling Tessa twelve hours from Charlotte to Toledo after her grandmother's passing, and the six-month hoof injury that tested (and ultimately built) the trust between them.

Natasha traces her path from a childhood in a mostly white Ohio town, where she was told horses weren't for her, to discovering Compton Cowboys in San Diego and realizing there was an entire community of Black and brown riders she never knew existed. We talk about what it means to finally belong somewhere, and what they're each building next: land, education, and space for kids who never got the access they did.

In this episode:

- Finding her heart horse
- Refurbishing a $700 trailer and learning to haul solo
- The hoof injury that nearly ended Tessa's riding career
- Building community, land, and legacy for the next generation
- Natasha's creativity practice

Connect with Natasha:
@tashas.belle - or- TikTok and Instagram and search "Tasha Belle"

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like and subscribe! It helps get the podcast out to new listeners. I mean, while you're at it you should share it with a friend! I'm sure they'll enjoy this episode as much as you did.

Join Us at Kinship Conference

Mark your calendar: November 6–7, 2026 in Greensboro, NC.

Kinship is a two-day gathering for Black horse folks across every discipline. The FIRST event of its kind, Kinship is built on connection, mentorship, skill-sharing, and honoring the stories that shaped us. If you're looking for real community and real pathways forward in the horse industry, this is where you belong.

✨ Grab your ticket(s) TODAY: https://www.blkinthesaddle.com/kinship

Let's Keep in Touch:
Support the podcast on Patreon→ @blackinthesaddle
Join the newsletter to be the first to know EVERYTHING BITS : https://blkinthesaddle.kit.com/3e11701aaf
Follow Black In the Saddle on Instagram @blkinthesaddle
Follow Abriana on Instagram @theabrianaj

Advertising Disclosure
Some links or mentions in this episode may be promotional or include affiliate partnerships. We only share what aligns with the values of Black in the Saddle and serves our community.

Dr. Letitia Mason has spent over two decades living in two worlds most people assume don't touch: elite academic admissions leadership and a horse program she and her mother ran out of High Point, North Carolina for 25 years. In this conversation, she traces it all the way back to a conversation with her grandfather about "a horse of a different color," through the founding of the HUD-funded Eagle Mounted Scholars Inner City Youth Initiative in 1982, into her PhD research on leadership self-efficacy, and finally back to the barn where she's now applying the very model she built in academia to youth equine work at Green Pastures Still Waters Barn.

In this episode we cover why she kept her horse life separate from her career for decades, the outcomes her program produced (zero dropouts, zero teen pregnancies, 25 years of kids going on to college or a trade), the story behind the Mason Leadership Self-Efficacy Model, and a real conversation about wild horse roundups, BLM policy, and why the internet's outrage cycle rarely tells the whole story. Dr. Mason is speaking at the Kinship Conference this November.

In this episode:

• The origin story behind Eagle Mounted Scholars and its 25-year run
• Building the Mason Leadership Self-Efficacy Model from lived observation, not a lab
• Why she hid her horse work from her academic colleagues for most of her career
• What she's looking forward to sharing at the Kinship Conference

Samir Geiger didn't grow up around horses. He grew up in the Bronx watching the Harlem parade go by, catching a glimpse of Black cowboys and cowgirls at the tail end of it, and soaking up Westerns at his grandparents' house. That glimpse turned into Be Worthy Horsemanship, a program built for kids in the New York and New Jersey school systems who'd never so much as touched a horse and in some cases, don't see one for the first four weeks of the program on purpose.

In this conversation, Samir walks through the injury that changed how he approaches horsemanship, the "goldfish club" icebreaker he uses to get kids thinking differently before they ever meet a horse, and the frameworks that turn a riding lesson into a lesson in patience, focus, and self-trust. He talks about building relationships with riding academies, running a roping clinic in the heart of Newark, and what it means for a kid to watch a Black man teach him how to read a horse. He's speaking at the Kinship Conference in November, and this episode is just a glimpse of what he's bringing.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Be Worthy Horsemanship 101
• Federation of Black Cowboys (Keisha Mars)
• Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club
• Jersey High School Rodeo
• Tom and Bill Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Buck Brannaman

Ifa Simmonds is back on the podcast after four years. That's a long time. When he was last on the podcast, he was training clients in a cold New Jersey barn and had just launched Equestrian Fitness Academy. Today he's studying equestrian sport science at Hartpury University in England, expanding his business internationally, and preparing to bring his work to the Kinship Conference this November.

In this conversation, we talk about what it took to leave everything behind and go back to school across the world, not just logistically, but mentally. Ifa gets into what entering equestrian culture as an outsider taught him about asking questions no one else is asking, and what it's been like to find community with Black equestrians in the UK through an organization called Cool Ridings.

We also get into what he's looking forward to at Kinship, what he wants attendees to walk away from his session feeling, and the moment at the end of the episode when he pulls out a note he's kept on his desk since listening back to their first conversation.

Topics covered:

• Returning to school after 10+ years and why he had to go to England to do it
• Entering the equestrian industry without growing up in it, and what fresh eyes reveal
• Rider fitness vs. horse fitness: why the industry consistently prioritizes one over the other
• Cool Ridings UK and Lydia Haywood's work building Black equestrian community in England
• Bringing it all to the Kinship Conference, the morning wellness session and what he's most excited about

Find Ifa:

• www.ifafit.com
• www.instagram.com/ifafit

If you enjoyed this episode, take a quick second and leave us a 5 star review! It helps get the podcast out to new listeners. I mean, while you're at it you should share it with a friend! I'm sure they'll enjoy this episode as much as you did.

Join us for the Kinship Conference: blkinthesaddle.com/kinship

Mark your calendar: November 6–7, 2026 in Greensboro, NC.

Let's Keep in Touch:

Join the newsletter to be the first to know EVERYTHING BITS

Follow Black In the Saddle on Instagram

Follow Abriana on Instagram

Subscribe to BITS on Youtube

Advertising Disclosure

Some links or mentions in this episode may be promotional or include affiliate partnerships. We only share what aligns with the values of Black in the Saddle and serves our community.

Mathena Washington grew up on horseback. From pony rides at three years old to volunteering at ranches in Georgia as a teenager, horses have been a constant thread through a life that's taken her from Boulder to Amarillo to Denver and back again. Now she's channeling everything she's built, an athletic background, a broadcast journalism degree from West Texas A&M, and years of community work, into one of the most intentional campaigns we've seen come through this community.

Mathena is currently running for Miss Black Rodeo USA 2027, and what she's building around that campaign goes far beyond the title. She's also founding the High Plains Legacy Riders Foundation and its youth program, Lead the Legacy, which is bringing inner-city kids in Denver face-to-face with horses, agricultural education, and the confidence that comes with it.

This episode is about what it looks like to build a campaign with mission and a program supported with strategy, faith, patience, and a very good calendar.

Resources & References:

• High Plains Legacy Riders Foundation (in development)
• Lead the Legacy youth program
• Mile High Equestrian and Rescue — Centennial, CO
• Miss Black Rodeo USA 2027 — pageant in Little Rock, AR, August 20–21
• Justin Great — hat designer and campaign sponsor
• Kime's Jeans — riding apparel
• Jordan Peele's High Horse documentary (2025)

If you enjoyed this episode, take a quick second and leave us a 5 star review! It helps get the podcast out to new listeners. I mean, while you're at it you should share it with a friend! I'm sure they'll enjoy this episode as much as you did.

Support Our Next Level on Patreon

Your support means we get to build connections with fellow horsefolk, pathways in our industry, and events that will change how we connect to our horses. Join us on Patreon to support Black in the Saddle and get access to bonus content, behind-the-scenes updates, and more ways to connect with the community. → patreon.com/blackinthesaddle

Join Us at Kinship Conference

Mark your calendar: November 6–7, 2026 in Greensboro, NC.

Kinship is a two-day gathering for Black horse folks across every discipline. The FIRST event of its kind, Kinship is built on connection, mentorship, skill-sharing, and honoring the stories that shaped us. If you're looking for real community and real pathways forward in the horse industry, this is where you belong.

✨ Join the waitlist + learn more: www.blkinthesaddle.com/kinship

Let's Keep in Touch:

Join the newsletter to be the first to know EVERYTHING BITS

Follow Black In the Saddle on Instagram

Follow Abriana on Instagram

Subscribe to BITS on Youtube

Advertising Disclosure

Some links or mentions in this episode may be promotional or include affiliate partnerships. We only share what aligns with the values of Black in the Saddle and serves our community.

Coach Kamerra Brown didn't set out to be a coach. She set out to be a veterinarian mostly, she admits, because she couldn't figure out another way to afford her horse habit. What she found instead was a calling she'd been living out since she was nine years old, cleaning stalls just to stay close to the thing she loved most.

In this episode, Kamerra walks us through a journey that spans a childhood barn family in the Midwest, a Division I scholarship to Delaware State University (the only HBCU with a Division I NCAA equestrian team), a career-defining pivot away from vet school, and a season of professional hardship that tested everything she thought she knew about herself. Through all of it, the wins, the firsts, and the messy middle, horses and community kept showing up for her.

Now she's building something new: the Nokomis Farm Foundation in Orange, Virginia, a place designed to make horses and equine education accessible to people who've always been told this world wasn't for them. Coach Kamerra is also joining us at the Kinship Conference this November, and after this conversation, you'll understand exactly why.

Resources mentioned:

• Delaware State University Equestrian Program (only HBCU with a Division I NCAA equestrian team)
• Nokomis Farm Foundation — Orange, Virginia (near Montpelier/James Madison Museum)
• The Difference Maker by John Maxwell
• Crossing the Line — polo memoir (title confirmed in episode; author not fully named)
• Kinship Conference — November 6–7, 2026 | Greensboro, NC | blkinthesaddle.com/kinship

If you enjoyed this episode, take a quick second and leave us a 5 star review! It helps get the podcast out to new listeners. I mean, while you're at it you should share it with a friend! I'm sure they'll enjoy this episode as much as you did.

Support Our Next Level on Patreon

Your support means we get to build connections with fellow horsefolk, pathways in our industry, and events that will change how we connect to our horses. Join us on Patreon to support Black in the Saddle and get access to bonus content, behind-the-scenes updates, and more ways to connect with the community. → patreon.com/blackinthesaddle

Join Us at Kinship Conference

Mark your calendar: November 6–7, 2026 in Greensboro, NC.

Kinship is a two-day gathering for Black horse folks across every discipline. The FIRST event of its kind, Kinship is built on connection, mentorship, skill-sharing, and honoring the stories that shaped us. If you're looking for real community and real pathways forward in the horse industry, this is where you belong.

✨ Join the waitlist + learn more: www.blkinthesaddle.com/kinship

Let's Keep in Touch:

Join the newsletter to be the first to know EVERYTHING BITS

Follow Black In the Saddle on Instagram

Follow Abriana on Instagram

Subscribe to BITS on Youtube

Advertising Disclosure

Some links or mentions in this episode may be promotional or include affiliate partnerships. We only share what aligns with the values of Black in the Saddle and serves our community.

Sydney Steverson didn't grow up in the show ring. She got bit by the horse bug at summer camp, had to put it down when life got complicated, and then made a beeline for the barn the day she crossed the graduation stage. No plan B. No "let me ease into this." Just: here we go.

In this episode, Sydney, an adult amateur eventer training in Virginia with her horse Superman, brings that same energy to the conversation. If you've ever wondered what it's like coming into a high-stakes discipline in your mid-20s and being told you're already too old, Sydney shares her candid but vulnerable take. We talk about the trainer search, the ego death that horses require, and what it actually feels like to be drift compatible with a 1,200-pound animal who thinks he knows better than you (and is usually right). We also get into her fall at her last show, the video she almost didn't post, and what the outpouring from her community revealed about what vulnerability can build.

Look forward to hearing more about:

• Growing up with horses, losing access, and coming back on her own terms
• The trainer search as a Black woman in a white-dominated discipline
• Relocating to Virginia to train, and what it cost and required
• Where she's headed: five-star aspirations, a lesson program, and getting inner-city kids near horses

Find Sydney:

• TikTok & Instagram: @bookipsies / @bookipsies_
• Facebook: Sydney Steverson

If you enjoyed this episode, take a quick second and leave us a 5 star review! It helps get the podcast out to new listeners. I mean, while you're at it you should share it with a friend! I'm sure they'll enjoy this episode as much as you did.

Support Our Next Level on Patreon

Your support means we get to build connections with fellow horsefolk, pathways in our industry, and events that will change how we connect to our horses. Join us on Patreon to support Black in the Saddle and get access to bonus content, behind-the-scenes updates, and more ways to connect with the community. → patreon.com/blackinthesaddle

Join Us at Kinship Conference

Mark your calendar: November 6–7, 2026 in Greensboro, NC.

Kinship is a two-day gathering for Black horse folks across every discipline. The FIRST event of its kind, Kinship is built on connection, mentorship, skill-sharing, and honoring the stories that shaped us. If you're looking for real community and real pathways forward in the horse industry, this is where you belong.

✨ Join the waitlist + learn more: www.blkinthesaddle.com/kinship

Let's Keep in Touch:

Join the newsletter to be the first to know EVERYTHING BITS

Follow Black In the Saddle on Instagram

Follow Abriana on Instagram

Subscribe to BITS on Youtube

Advertising Disclosure

Some links or mentions in this episode may be promotional or include affiliate partnerships. We only share what aligns with the values of Black in the Saddle and serves our community.

In this episode, I am joined by Tiombe Vaughan, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in person at the Black Equestrian Summer Bash. Tiombe is an incredible equestrian, artist, and breed preservationist who is doing vital work to protect the Spanish Barb horse. We dive deep into her journey from being a kid in Queens, New York, to establishing Falcons Heritage Farm in Waldorf, Maryland, where she balances life as a veterinary technician with the demands of running a sustainable homestead.

We explore how Tiombe uses her background in veterinary medicine and her incredible talent as a self-taught artist to promote the versatility of this historic breed. Tiombe shares the realities of "foaling" and breeding these hardy horses, explaining why it is so important to preserve their form-to-function heritage. She also opens up about the resilience required to navigate the horse industry as a Black woman and the importance of keeping your "blinders on" to stay focused on your vision.

I truly loved learning about her "plan A, B, and C" approach to sustainability, from spinning wool from her own sheep to her dreams of a family compound. Tiombe is a powerful example of what it means to steward both the land and the legacy of the horses that built our history. I know you will find her story as inspiring as I did

In this episode:

1. Why preserving the Spanish Barb breed matters now more than ever.
2. Tiombe’s pivot from aspiring vet to full-time preservationist and artist.
3. The unique story of Falcon Wind, her heart horse who started it all.
4. Lessons on land, lineage, and community as a Black horsewoman.
5. Advice for aspiring equestrians and homesteaders of color.

If you enjoyed this episode, take a quick second and leave us a 5 star review! It helps get the podcast out to new listeners. I mean, while you're at it you should share it with a friend! I'm sure they'll enjoy this episode as much as you did.

Support Our Next Level on Patreon

Your support means we get to build connections with fellow horsefolk, pathways in our industry, and events that will change how we connect to our horses. Join us on Patreon to support Black in the Saddle and get access to bonus content, behind-the-scenes updates, and more ways to connect with the community. → patreon.com/blackinthesaddle

Join Us at Kinship Conference

Mark your calendar: November 6–7, 2026 in Greensboro, NC.

Kinship is a two-day gathering for Black horse folks across every discipline. The FIRST event of its kind, Kinship is built on connection, mentorship, skill-sharing, and honoring the stories that shaped us. If you're looking for real community and real pathways forward in the horse industry, this is where you belong.

✨ Join the waitlist + learn more: www.blkinthesaddle.com/kinship

Let's Keep in Touch:

Join the newsletter to be the first to know EVERYTHING BITS

Follow Black In the Saddle on Instagram

Follow Abriana on Instagram

Subscribe to BITS on Youtube

Advertising Disclosure

Some links or mentions in this episode may be promotional or include affiliate partnerships. We only share what aligns with the values of Black in the Saddle and serves our community.

Sometimes you need a little pep talk before you go to the barn. In this episode, I update you on my own 90-day recommitment plan. I share where I am now, what’s been working, and the moment I realized I was letting my “inner bully” tell me a story about my horse that wasn’t even true.

I want you to know the exact ways I’ve learned to shut that voice down, build self-trust, and create those small moments of belief that grow into real confidence, on and off the horse.

In this episode, I share:

• How I caught my inner critic in the act
• Why I believe confidence is the outcome, not the starting point
• How I use small milestones to keep momentum going
• My process for writing affirmations that actually work for me

Mentioned in this episode:

• Glo Atanmo – ‪@GloAtanmo‬
• Cowgirl Camryn's Agffirmations - https://cowgirl-camryn.kit.com/e896c80696

In this episode of Black in the Saddle, I sit down with the incomparable Pennie Selina Brown, a community connector, wellness champion, and founder of The STAND Foundation. From trail rides under the stars to leading equine-facilitated leadership retreats in Jamaica, Pennie’s journey into the horse world is anything but traditional. And yet, her impact is exactly what this industry needs.

We talk about how a chance encounter at a party led her into the horse world at age 40, how she found healing and growth through her horse Blue, and why she’s so committed to creating safe, transformative spaces for Black girls. We also unpack the difference between her nonprofit work and her new venture, PS Wellness, and what it really means to prioritize healing for ourselves and our communities.

We also share behind-the-scenes reflections from our joint trip to Jamaica to introduce equine-facilitated learning to a new audience, and what it taught us about culture, connection, and care.

In this episode, you’ll hear us discuss:

• The founding of The STAND Foundation and its 10-year legacy
• The mission behind PS Wellness and the power of healing-centered work
• Our reflections on leading a retreat in Kingston, Jamaica
• Why work with the horses is more than sport
• The upcoming Black Equestrian Summer Bash on August 31st at City Ranch in Baltimore

This conversation is full of joy, depth, and truth-telling and it’s a reminder that you don’t need to have grown up on a farm or ranch to find your place in this world. Whether you’re new to horses or have been riding your whole life, you’ll find something in this episode that speaks to you.

Learn more about Pennie:

• The STAND Foundation: thestandfoundation.org | IG: @thestandfoundation__
• PS Wellness: pswellness.me | IG: @pswellness.me

Join Us:

The Black Equestrian Summer Bash is August 31, 2025, at City Ranch in Baltimore! Come for the horses, stay for the healing—and yes, there’s an afterparty.

Can’t make it? Consider donating to The STAND Foundation to support youth development, healing, and leadership through horses.

📩 Want to volunteer? DM me or send an email to get involved ([email protected]).