Presenter Roundtable Panels for the May 2026 Online Horse Fair
These roundtable conversations are designed to bring thoughtful, respectful perspectives together around the questions horse owners wrestle with most.
The goal is not to create debate or prove one approach is right.
The goal is to help people think more clearly, feel less alone, and leave with a deeper understanding of what might help them and their horse.
If one of the panels below feels like a natural fit for your work, your perspective, and the kinds of struggles you help people through, we’d love to have you join us.
What these panels are about?
These conversations are meant to be:
☆ thoughtful, practical, and respectful
☆ grounded in real-life challenges horse owners face
☆ focused on helping people think, not just copy
☆ supportive of the Fair’s larger mission of offering diverse perspectives and helping people find what fits their horse best
Each panel will include presenters from different backgrounds and approaches, with the intention of creating meaningful conversation rather than one-size-fits-all answers.
What to expect?
Each roundtable will be approximately 45 to 55 minutes and feature 3 presenters per panel.
The format will be simple:
☆ brief opening and introduction
☆ 3 main discussion questions selected from the sample questions listed under each panel, and a short 3-4 minutes answer time for each
☆ short closing reflections from each presenter
Presenters will receive the final question selection ahead of time so they can come prepared, while still keeping the conversation natural and genuine.
Responses will be kept fairly concise so that each presenter has room to share and the overall conversation stays clear, engaging, and easy to follow.
How to choose a panel?
Please choose the panel that feels most aligned with:
☆ your area of expertise
☆ the kinds of challenges you help people work through
☆ the perspective you feel you could most naturally contribute to
You do not need to have a perfect answer for every question listed.
These are simply examples of the kinds of questions we may explore in the conversation.
May 4th starting 2 p.m. Central Standard Time
There Is No One Right Way… So How Do You Know What’s Right for Your Horse?
Horse owners are surrounded by opinions, methods, and advice, and many feel overwhelmed trying to sort through what actually fits their horse, their goals, and their situation.
This panel is about helping people move out of confusion and into clearer thinking. It’s not about picking one right method. It’s about exploring how experienced horsemen and women assess what matters, what they pay attention to, and how they decide what’s appropriate for the horse in front of them.
Possible questions for this panel:
☆ When someone is trying to decide what’s right for their horse, what do you think they need to look at first?
☆ How do you personally evaluate whether an approach is helping or hurting?
☆ What do you think people often misunderstand about finding the “right” way?
☆ How do you balance principles with the needs of the individual horse?
☆ What are some signs that a person may be following advice without really understanding the horse underneath it?
☆ How can people learn from different methods without becoming scattered or confused?
☆ What role does experience, feel, or observation play in making good decisions?
☆ How can someone stay open-minded without losing clarity?
☆ If someone feels paralyzed by too many opinions, what’s one helpful next step?
May 7th starting 6 p.m. Central Standard Time
When It’s Not Working… Is It Training, the Horse, or Something Else?
When progress stalls or behavior starts to feel difficult, many horse owners immediately wonder what they’re doing wrong, or worry they may be missing something important.
This panel explores how experienced presenters sort through those moments. It opens up conversation around training, pain, confusion, environment, communication, and the many factors that can affect what we’re seeing.
Possible questions for this panel:
☆ When something isn’t working, what are some of the first things you look at?
☆ How do you begin to tell the difference between training issues, pain, confusion, or overwhelm?
☆ What are some common ways behavior gets misunderstood?
☆ When do you think it’s important to pause and reassess rather than keep pushing forward?
☆ What does “behavior as communication” mean to you in practical terms?
☆ What are some subtle signs that something deeper may be going on?
☆ How does the environment influence what people often assume is a training problem?
☆ What mistakes do people commonly make when trying to fix an issue too quickly?
☆ What would you want someone to remember when they feel like they’re failing because things aren’t improving?
May 11th, starting 8 a.m. Central Standard Time
Confidence, Fear, and the Nervous System… For Both You and Your Horse
Many riders and horse owners carry fear, tension, anxiety, or a loss of confidence, and those experiences often affect the horse more than people realize.
This panel explores the emotional side of horsemanship, including nervous system regulation, rebuilding confidence, emotional mirroring, and how to create a calmer, safer space for both horse and human.
Possible questions for this panel:
☆ How do you see human emotion and tension affecting the horse?
☆ What do you notice most often in horses and riders who are stuck in fear or anxiety loops?
☆ How can people begin rebuilding confidence after a difficult experience?
☆ What does emotional regulation look like in practical horsemanship?
☆ What are some signs that either the horse or rider is becoming overwhelmed?
☆ How do you help people slow down without making them feel like they’re failing?
☆ What role does safety, both emotional and physical, play in progress?
May 14th starting at 11 a.m. Central Standard Time
From Information Overload to Clarity… How to Build a Plan That Actually Works
Many horse owners have learned a lot, watched a lot, and tried a lot, but still feel unsure how to turn all that information into a clear path forward.
This panel focuses on structure, next steps, and how people can stop bouncing between ideas and begin building a plan that truly supports progress.
Possible questions for this panel:
☆ What do you think helps someone move from scattered learning into real clarity?
☆ When someone has too many ideas and no real plan, where should they begin?
☆ How do you help people prioritize what matters most right now?
☆ What makes a learning plan actually useful and sustainable?
☆ How do you encourage progress without overwhelming people even more?
☆ What does it look like to create a plan that fits both the horse and the human?
☆ If someone feels like they’ve got a hundred tabs open in their mind, what’s one practical first step?
What we hope people feel while watching?
At the end of these conversations, we want people to feel:
☆ less alone in what they’re navigating
☆ more clear on what to observe and think about
☆ more confident in taking their next step
☆ more open to learning from a variety of perspectives
☆ more supported in finding what fits their own horse
Thank you for considering being part of one of these roundtable conversations.
If one of these panels feels like a good fit, please let us know which one you’d most like to participate in!
We’re so grateful for the depth, care, and perspective you bring to this event.
