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She won an AQHA Youth World Championship. She was Reserve Champion at the All American Quarter Horse Congress. From the outside, Arriane Alexander was living every young horse girl’s dream.

But behind the ribbons, the championships, and the success was a story she kept hidden for 40 years.

In this deeply personal episode of Kanter Kulture, Ali Hubbell sits down with Arriane Alexander, the woman behind the viral “I Am Jane Doe” post, to discuss her experience of childhood sexual abuse within the horse show industry and why she’s finally sharing her story.

Arriane opens up about the grooming, manipulation, power dynamics, and silence that can exist in competitive equestrian environments. She shares how someone her family trusted gained her trust, how the experience affected her relationship with horses, and why it took decades to fully understand what had happened to her.

As a lifelong equestrian and mother of a young daughter, Ali shares her own experiences with inappropriate behavior, emotional manipulation, and the culture surrounding powerful trainers in the horse industry.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How grooming can happen in horse show barns and competitive youth programs
• Why successful, trusted adults can be difficult to question
• Warning signs parents should recognize
• The importance of boundaries, consent, and open communication with children
• Why survivors often remain silent for decades
• The emotional impact of abuse and the process of healing
• What equestrian organizations can learn from athlete-safety programs
• How the horse industry can do better for its youth exhibitors

This isn’t about attacking an organization or suggesting every trainer is a threat. It’s about acknowledging uncomfortable realities, starting important conversations, and creating an environment where children feel safe and survivors feel heard.

Because abuse thrives in silence. And it’s time we started talking.

Resources:

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): https://rainn.org

U.S. Center for SafeSport: https://uscenterforsafesport.org

Arriane’s Instagram Post : https://www.instagram.com/p/DekNGewD-sv/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&obrf=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==&srtk=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Follow Kanter Kulture for more conversations about the equestrian industry, the people in it, and the topics that deserve our attention.

Content advisory: This episode contains discussions of childhood sexual abuse, grooming, and emotional trauma. Listener discretion is advised.

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The Congress is coming, everyone is stressed, and frankly—we needed to laugh.

This week, Ali sits down in the barn with longtime friend and horseman Shaun Sellers for a completely unfiltered conversation about his journey from the elite hunter world to the stock-horse industry, preparing a young buckskin mare for Congress, and why his approach to horse showing is anything but conventional.

Shaun shares how he develops confidence in young horses, why horse welfare will always come before a class, and how keeping things fun can make you a better horseman. They also get into show-ring nerves, questionable fashion choices, pheromone cologne in the longe line, sparkly jackets, badly behaved personal horses, unexpected puppies, and the reality that sometimes it simply isn’t your day.

Behind all the chaos is an important reminder: horse shows will always be there, we’re riding glorified farm animals, and if you’re still having fun—you’ve already won.

Fair warning: this episode contains adult language, barn humor, and absolutely no shortage of opinions.

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Something new is happening in the AQHA hunter world… and we are HERE for it.

Ali sits down with Lainie DeBoer and Sarah Chabot to break down AQHA English Versatility—from how the idea started and the two-year process of developing it to the brand-new English Versatility Challenge headed to the AQHA World Show.

We’re talking about why the hunter division needed another opportunity, what judges are actually looking for, how the pattern works, who can enter, the VS Code Red Versatility Series, major prizes, $50,000 currently up for grabs at the World Show Challenge, and why this class could open entirely new doors for hunter under saddle horses, riders, breeders and stallion owners.

And before you start picturing your HUS horse staring down a three-foot fence… relax. 😂 The inaugural World Show pattern is designed to be inviting, with rails on the ground, no jumps—and yes, there are even cookies waiting for the horses at the end.

More importantly, this isn't just about adding another class. It's about trying something different, listening to exhibitors and creating new opportunities for the horses we love.

Could English Versatility be a glimpse at the future of the AQHA hunter division?

We think you're going to want to lean into this one.

Want to see what the class looks like? Click Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WppJvyVcvrA

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