In this episode of On The Move, Ben and Joe welcome a very special guest Kayleigh Burke, a horse trainer from Blacksburg, Virginia, and Joe’s wife and business partner.

Kayleigh shares her journey from growing up in a Northern Virginia lesson program to riding on a collegiate team and later coaching college riders herself. The trio dives into the realities of running a horse training business with your spouse, and Kayleigh offers her honest perspective on teaching in lesson programs, the importance of foundational horsemanship, and how those early experiences shape her approach to training and showing today.

Together, Joe, Ben, and Kayleigh explore the balance of life, horses, and horses and running Joe & Kayleigh's business, McDonald Equine.

Tune in for an open, down-to-earth conversation about building a life—and a program—around a shared passion for horses.

Vernon Purdy is a saddle maker and farrier from Greenville, Texas. Vernon owns and operates Vernon Purdy Saddles which specializes in making a wide range of western saddles with Vernon’s specialty designed saddle tree. This saddle tree came from Vernon’s career as a farrier which had lead him on a deeper journey to understand soundness in a horse. It became evident to Vernon that one of the biggest impacts on a horse’s soundness was saddle fit, which led him to design his own tree and start his own saddle shop. Vernon joins Ben and Joe to share his story of pursuing soundness in a horse and what he’s learned along the way.

Steve Meadows is a horseman from Staunton, Virginia who has made a living showing in various disciplines within the AQHA and APHA. Originally from West Virginia, Steve is fourth generation in the horse industry. Rising to prominence in the AQHA, Steve was the first rider to ever win the triple crown of Western Pleasure in 1999. In 2012, Steve chose to change his focus to the Ranch Horse events where he has had sustained success on a national level. Steve joins Ben and Joe to share his journey as a horseman and discuss the Ranch Horse discipline. Topics discussed include the importance of giving a horse a job, staying motivated as a horseman and what it takes to be successful in the show pen.