Today’s Practical Horseman Podcast, sponsored by Sentinel Horse Feed, is with Tamie Smith. The five-star eventer always has a lot on her plate, but her current sights are set on the 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event in Lexington, Kentucky, that kicks off later this month on April 24. This year, Tamie will be competing in the CCI4* competition aboard 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood Kynan, following their stellar performance at the Galway Downs International Horse Trials at the end of March.

We last talked to Tamie at the Maryland Five Star this past October after she’d announced that she would be retiring her longtime eventing partner, 19-year-old German Sport Horse gelding Mai Baum, from five-star competition.

About Tamie

Tamie and Mai Baum, or Lexus as he’s known around the barn, first partnered in 2015 and were members of the U.S. Eventing Team that won gold at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. During their CCI5*-L debut at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event in 2021, the pair had a top-10 finish and were named as the reserve for the U.S. Eventing Team for the Tokyo Olympics later that year.

In 2023, Tamie and Mai Baum went on to a historic win in the Kentucky Three-Day five star competition as the first U.S. combination to win in 15 years and the first woman since 2011. When Tamie isn’t competing, you can find her running her training and sale horse program, Next Level Eventing, with her daughter and pro rider, Kaylawna Smith-Cook.

In today’s podcast, we talked to Tamie about her long and storied career with Mai Baum, how she decided it was time for him to step down from five-star competition and what the sassy gelding is up to these days. She also tells us about her current string of horses, including her Kentucky mount this year, her overall training philosophy and balancing motherhood (and grandmother-hood) with her eventing career. And after breaking gender barriers in the sport, Tamie also talks about the strides she’s seen women make in eventing as well as the challenges they still face.

For More:

• To read more about Tamie Smith and her successful eventing career, click here.
• Can’t get enough of eventing? We’re counting down to our favorite event of the year—2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event. Click here for more of our coverage of this year’s event.

About This Podcast’s Sponsor, Sentinel Horse Feed

Purposefully formulated feeds for every horse’s needs. Sentinel Horse Feed knows there’s no horse like your horse. And nobody gets their quirks, emotions and unique personality better than you do. Just like you understand your horse inside and out, Sentinel’s expert nutritionists understand their individual dietary needs. With a wide selection of formulas, Sentinel Horse Feed has something for every life stage and activity level.

Their 100% extruded nugget formulas are packed with naturally wholesome ingredients, crafted for your horse’s whole-body well-being. Discover the difference of feed that’s purposefully made to perfectly fit your horse. Click here to learn more or find a retailer near you.

Thanks to Kent Nutrition Group and Blue Seal for our coverage of the 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, including lead-up events, rider interviews, competition reports, horse spotlights, photos, videos and more!