Cottonwood Equestrian Center

10/19/2026

What a great weekend we had at Florida Horse Park! One of my students, Caitlin Gerstenberger has been working all summer with Elliot, one of my lesson horses and it was time to put their work to the test… That is, Training Level Test 3 and First Level Test 1! Of course, there are always things to work on, and a few hiccups that can occur, especially being such a new pair, but  I’m just so proud of her for winning her training level test with a 63.4% and earning third at 1–1 with a 65.1%! If that wasn’t fabulous enough, Caitlin and Elliot managed to clinch the reserve champion High Point for training level as well as the TIP Highpoint award! For those of you that might not be familiar with what that is, that’s the thoroughbred incentive program. Elliot was the highest scoring thoroughbred at the show! Huge congratulations to both of them for the great rides they had! 

10/16/2026

When you want the world to know about your bro-mance what do you do? Stand in front of one of the security cameras.🫠

10/14/2026

Aren’t these the words every wife wants to hear when she’s bought another horse? Lol… I sent my husband the screenshot of the conversation of me asking the transport company what the shipping timeline was looking like and this was his response to me. 🤣🌟

10/06/2026

Of course Choo-Choo had to get up while I was getting closer to take this picture because he wanted to say hi, lol, but I guess this is where you go when you want to lie down for a nap but not get rained on! It makes sense to me! 

09/28/2026

Equestrian Inc. in Brandon is a truly reputable and responsible rescue. Please consider supporting them with this event and beyond! 

🍷🐴 SAVE THE DATE: W**E NIGHT AT THE FARM! 🐴🍷

Join us for a special evening at the farm in support of the retired Thoroughbreds of Equestrian Inc. ❤️

Our W**e Night at the Farm Fundraiser is an opportunity to enjoy a beautiful evening with good w**e, great company, and some very special horses, all while helping provide the care these OTTBs deserve as they transition into their next chapters.

📅 Saturday, November 14
🕔 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
📍 Equestrian Inc. | 2214 Fairfield Ave, Brandon, FL 33510

Your support helps provide feed, veterinary care, farrier services, rehabilitation, retraining, and everything else our retired racehorses need to thrive. 🐎❤️

Whether you've supported Equestrian Inc. before or this will be your first visit to the farm, we'd love to have you join us!

🎟️ Registration is now open!
Reserve your spot here:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/w**e-night-at-the-farm-fundraiser

🍷 Come raise a glass for the horses!
Every ticket helps give an OTTB a chance at a new beginning. 🥂🐴

Please share this post and invite your friends! We can't wait to see you at the farm!

09/27/2026

I’m just thrilled with my ladies this weekend! First and second places with scores ranging to the high 60’s!Job well done ladies! (Yes both boys were sticking their noses out of the trailer.🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️)

09/26/2026

Show weekend for two of my students! Wishing Caitlyn and Viktoria lots of fun and wonderful rides!

09/23/2026

I’ve lost track of the number of years I hear riding students refer to the people they take lessons from as their trainers without ever having a horse in training with them so I’m putting this out there for those who don’t know the difference between a trainer and an instructor: People take riding lessons from an instructor. The instructor instructs the student. The trainer trains the horse. Now, I understand why people who have their horses in training have somewhat made a misnomer in referring to those horsemen training their horses as their trainer, even though they’re taking lessons from them because it’s all kind of under the same roof. Fine enough, although still not really accurate but widely accepted. The pros who provide both services have always been billed as “instructor/trainers” but what I cannot wrap my mind around is people who are only taking lessons referring to that individual as their trainer. Worse yet, there are people advertising themselves as trainers when they are really only giving lessons. I get why a student, largely the amateur population would miss this finer point, but when I hear somebody refer to themselves as a trainer when they are not doing a single thing having to do with horse training instead of advertising themselves as an instructor, it really makes me think those people know so little that they don’t even know the difference. This is a sad commentary on how underprepared at best and just ignorant at worst some individuals are to start working as a professional knowing so little. I see too much of this “Fake it ‘til you make it.” type of attitude which really is flirting in the scope of defrauding clients/students they are passing themselves off as professionals to. I can only encourage anybody looking to retain the services of a professional to do their research, their due diligence, by deeply searching to see if one, there is really substantial evidence to support that they actually know what they’re doing, and not just operating at the lowest rung to hide in the shadows of mediocrity, and two, if they have proven show records you can confirm or they can flat out prove to you their legitimate experienced worth in the industry. Just something for the people who need to hear it to think about. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk. ✌️

09/23/2026

This is truly tragic and this heartbreak if far from new. I hope management/administrators for all veterinary practices are making sure they do all they can to protect their staff against struggling so severely that su***de seems like the only answer left. Perhaps see about therapeutic access? Wellness check-ins once or twice a month—or more? Yes, yes, I know all of these resources cost money, but we can’t do nothing. There has to be some measure by which veterinarians support team… If they have a team and they’re not self-employed can access help and help. For those who are self-employed, I know that is tougher, but still, there has to be some type of network developed for all our veterinarians so we can make sure we keep them healthy and safe like they work so tirelessly to do for all of our animals large and small. My deepest condolences the family. 

Today, the world is a little darker...

On 9/21/26, we heard the tragic news that a beloved veterinarian took her life.

Cierra graduated from Texas A&M this past May, and joined an equine internship in Ocala, Florida. 4 short months...

Cierra was a friend. She was brilliant. She truly was "one of a kind." Our families are close. We showed horses together.

I post this today, to remind everyone to be KIND. Leadership is such an integral role.

is a group committed to supporting mental health of veterinarians. It stands for "Not One More Vet." It was created because the su***de rate in our profession is at an all time high. The pressures we endure on the daily are often unfathomable to many. The choices we have to make, the sleepless nights thinking "what if," the heart break.
We are only human at the end of the day. But, I promise, we do our best.

Today, someone lost a child. A child whose dream was to do nothing more than to help. A dream she devoted her entire life to.

We have to remember to support each other. To be kind. To be compassionate. Cierra was all of these things and more.

Today, we mourn the loss of such a beautiful soul. Today, we take a moment and think about the impact we make on others. Today, we take the day to remember Cierra.

To my clients and friends, THANK YOU. Thank you for the continued support. The support for balance of a wife / mom / veterinarian. God has blessed me with a village that supports me as a person first, and that is so rare in our profession these days.

Cierra, watch over all of my patients in heaven. I promise to forever be an advocate for good leadership and good mentorship.

09/21/2026

True statement!