Cosby Green - Practical Horseman Podcast

0:00You were listening to The Horse Radio Network, part of the Ekline Network family. I try not to be too superstitious, um, I, yeah, I just think the more you kind of the bigger deal you make it in your head, the more nervous and the more unattainable, I think the goal so I just try to treat everything as if it's, um, you know, it's, it's our job to train produce horses and I just tried to have the mindset that this is what we've been preparing for and we're just going to do our best and it's the same day as every other day even though it's not but you just have to be in that mindset of every, every day you wake up is a day of excellence. It's a day of doing your best, treating the horses the best.

1:00Welcome to the Practical Horseman Podcast featuring conversations with respected riders, industry leaders and horse care experts. The show was co-hosted by Practical Horseman Editors and our goal is to inform, educate and inspire. I'm Kathleen Landware and this week's episode is with five star event, her Cosby Green. Cosby and I spoke in early January at the start of a new competition year with new goals ahead for the world number 10 rider on the FBI eventing world athlete rankings. To give you a little more background on Cosby, she made her five star debut at Poe in 2023 with Copper Beach. The following year, the pair completed the Badminton and Burley CCI-5 stars. 2025 was an illustrious year for Cosby starting off with her senior team debut at the FBI eventing nation's Cup Great Britain

2:01where she and highly suspicious helped the US team earn silver. Next, she competed in the Lemuelin CCI-5 star, finishing in the top eight with highly suspicious and Yoss UFO Deque Dom. Cosby then rode Clever Louis at the FBI eventing nation's Cup Belgium, helping the US earn another silver metal finish. She piloted MBF party time to fifth place in the FBI eventing world breeding championship for seven year olds. Cosby closed out the year with two strong finishes at the Poe CCI-5 star. While Cosby is originally from Lexington, Kentucky, she has her training base at Chettington Equestrian and Dorset, England. In our discussion, Cosby talks about taking the leap of going to learn and compete overseas, what she enjoys about eventing, her training philosophy, and more. Before getting into the conversation with Cosby, I'd like to share a word from this

3:05episode's sponsor, US Rider. Whenever you call US Rider Answers, we are your trusted equestrian roadside ally, ensuring your horse's safety on the road. Count on us for towing, flat tire repairs, and more for your vehicle and horse trailer. Plus, access emergency veterinary, barrier, and stabling referrals to keep your horses healthy. Stay on the road and in the saddle with US Rider. Visit usrider.org today and become a member. Now, let's jump right into the conversation with Cosby. I think it was in January of 2023, I believe, that you went to work for the New Zealand Olympians, Tim and Janelle Price. Could you talk about that decision to how it came about to go train in England with them? Yeah, so I graduated from the University of Kentucky in December of 2022, and it was kind of

4:11after then, I was just kind of going out my options of what should I be doing, and I've always obviously been inventing my whole life. And I decided if I was going to give it a go, then I should try to go be with the best in the world. So I kind of explored some options, and then ultimately at the time Tim and Janelle were number one and number two. So I went ahead and I just had never met either of them and just reached out to Janelle and asked her if it'd be possible. I could just come and train with her and learn from her and bring my three horses with me. And thankfully, just because of the move to Chettington Equestrian, there was plenty of space. And so the store is kind of aligned, and I blindly packed all my bags and everything, and just headed over there, not knowing a soul, never even having met them in person. Wow, a big leap for a share. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And kind of what were some of the, you know, differences with training and competing in

5:14England versus the U.S. I just think the weather is something that you really don't realize how much of a difference it is. I've been very lucky my whole life, most of my life, most of my career, so I've gone down to Ocala for most of the winters for Akin. And so I really, you know, it's January 1st, the horses were in full work, and you were getting ready for walking horse, are you getting ready for something really early on? And there was always kind of, um, you had to be ready to compete almost a year round just due to the nature of the weather and everything. So that's something that's been a bit of a change. It's not just me personally getting used to the cold and to the wet and the mud and everything, but it's also for the horses. Their schedule really changes around that. We really have to have the horses rest when the weather's bad and, you know, we kind of have to work with nature a little bit more over here. And I found that actually to be a huge benefit for the horses to give them a little bit more time, a little bit more holiday, and just to kind of ease into things a little bit more.

6:17As much as it makes me panic a little bit that I feel like I'm not doing enough, it's paid off a lot for the horses and their mental and physical well-being. Awesome. Yeah, that would be a big change, I imagine, with the other one over there. Or since some of the order in the winter. So you were like nearing your three-year mark since you've had it over there. And what do you think some of the biggest takeaways are that you've learned so far from the experience? Oh gosh, um, the biggest takeaways. I think some of the biggest takeaways is just if you, if things don't go to plan and you, something of result, does it happen the way you want it to? Or, you know, it's just something that's good to plan as it always does with horses. It's just not to think about too much and then just to keep crack on as they say over here. Just to keep, to keep going and to learn from your mistakes and just to know that it's just

7:18not too deep and there's always another horse show the same weekend and there's just so much, so much ability to just get the horses exposed and experience. And I think that's been really putting things in perspective for me of trying to, trying to really embrace mistakes and embrace failures and trying to turn them into something good because everyone's out here just trying to figure out how to do the right thing. So it's been really eye-opening to see these people I've idolized and almost seem like, you know, I've fanned gold over my whole life and it's just, you know, you're out there, you're doing the season with them and you see things not good to plan with them as well and, you know, it just makes you feel like it's all a little bit, a little bit more normal. So that's been, that's been a pretty big takeaway and then also just, you know, being based around the people that I've been with is I just feel like very lucky that my opinion on what is good training and what is a good, you know, management system, that's all, those are all things that have really elevated since I've been over here and I really

8:19contribute that to just being around excellence, stay in and day out and I think that really makes a difference. I've just found a lot of success to be kind of increased by just small, tiny small different things of, you know, just they're all tiny little things if it be how you groom a horse or how you look after them and just the attention to detail is I've just found all those things that, you know, you might not always think about but they make a really big difference and for the end result. So that's, that's another big takeaway that I've had. No, absolutely, that's just, yeah, seems so true with, you know, everyone's program and their methods and a lot of, there's a lot of similarities but sometimes there's something new you can learn from different people and it's great to take that with you. Yeah. So kind of taking a look back, could you tell me how you got your start riding horses? So I've always just been obsessed and crazed with horses forever as long as my memory has begun. So I grew up, my grandparents did

9:25breed therberts but I wasn't too, you know, too aware of what was happening with that but I just, yeah, just kind of loved them immediately, always had, you know, toy horses and everything and I was just begging my parents to let me ride horses as soon as I could and the local riding school, allowed us to start riding when we were four. So as soon as I turned four, I got my first lessons and at Champagne Run in Lexington, Kentucky and and then it just really kind of kind of hit off from there. I started there learning how to post the troll and then Maggie, she took me all the way up to three stars. So I really spent a good amount of time there and it really kind of cultivated my passion for horses and the sport and eventing was, all there was really at that place at the time at that farm and so it's kind of all I knew and I'm pretty sure at one point that was the only discipline or option available just because it was the only thing around me. So it just kind of

10:25happened by chance and yeah and I've never looked back since and I've just tried to, you know, ride anything that I could back in the days and even sort of this day because I just think there's there's lessons to be learned from every horse and yeah they've all, you know, some good some bad but they've all helped me help me be where I am today. Awesome. Yeah, so it's kind of fun to hear where, you know, how people got their start with horses and everyone's stories kind of unique. But what is it that you enjoy about eventing? I love how difficult it is. It's just so difficult to get all through phases done as well as you want to do. I would say I've still never had that day where every phase is going to plan but it definitely gives me a nice goal and keeps me hungry to keep training and trying to be better to perfect each phase to the best of my abilities and I just yeah I just love that there are so many different aspects to it.

11:25The horse to compete at the top level they have to be well rounded in every aspect they have to be trained they have to trust you they have to have the endurance you know there's so many different things that that they have to have as you have to have as a partnership to achieve that so that's something that I just think is it's a lifelong dream of chasing how to how to master that so I love the challenge and specifically I also love the adrenaline of the cross country I just it's really fun to dissect a difficult track and then and then to execute the plan that's something I just find really satisfying and it's just such a rush and cross country is why every venture does eventing so yeah so that's definitely the best part for me. Oh yeah it's definitely a quite a test for horse and rider to you know master three phases. So what is it about horses that have kept you involved with the sport? I would say horses are the thing that have kept me in the sport

12:27full stop that is you know that's the love and that's the passion that you know we we have is you know younger people and so that's something I've always kind of I've like leaned on and relied on and it's really is the foundation of everything but I just I just love how horses have no reason to be doing what we're asking them to do you know they have no reason to be jumping through a skinny that's you know very skinny or a corner that's on a really difficult line or jumping blindly into into the water but I just love how they want to do their best for us and I just think it's our job to do the best for them as well and I just love their their kind hearts and their willingness to please and and I love I mean I could go on and not about it but I love how you know they can they teach people and they teach people with no word spoken and there's always something to be learned and yeah you can just you know they they can point out your flaws and you know in 30 minutes and teach you how to be better for it and

13:30and teach you patience there's just so much to be taken away from them and they're just beautiful intelligent athletic animals and yeah what's not to love about them? No that's so true yeah what a great kind of overview of horses which just they would be kind and so athletic and willing and yeah absolutely could you tell me about some of the most influential horses in your career thus far who they are what they're like and why they have been influential? Yeah so I would say my yeah my heart horse and my favorite would be Copper Beach he was the first horse I've ever gotten that really kind of held my hand and took me places and he he had done he was experienced before I got him so he just filled me with so much confidence and he was the horse I did my first five stars on I did Poe, Badminton and can up early on and he was just an absolute legend and and so kind and such a good teacher he always did what

14:34I told him to do he wasn't the easiest and he had a funny character but he just really was the best kind of way for me to just gain experience and and be encouraged to teach the younger generation so he is currently 20 years old and he just retired about a year ago so he's living very happily at my farm in Kentucky and yeah he's just he just really gave me even more love for the sport um and then I would say another really influential horse I have is highly suspicious his poor name is Puff and I've had him since I was about 16 years old and he I had no business you know riding him when I was 16 um I you know couldn't ride one side of him and you know it he's he's a difficult horse but we've we've learned through everything together I've made lots of mistakes with him you know and then also many victories and he you know the

15:37Milan performance in the five star this past year was something that you know I've always dreamed up as a little girl and you know he made those dreams come true and he's just continued to to get better with age and he really is aging like flying wine he's just getting wiser and he's only getting better so he's a horse that I'm really proud that I've stuck with him even though it's not always been easy um the I'm proud that we've we've grown together and it's it's a really special thing to have fit in America as a teenager and and now we're over here in um the UK and on the Europe side and we're and we're putting our our best foot forward awesome yeah two very special horses and wow you know the journeys you've been on with them and taking either your first five stars and then continuing at the five star level and what and since you've and you've had them since 16 that's pretty fun yeah it is pretty funny and you know speaking of your results in 2025 you had a lot of

16:38really impressive results at the FEI level and you know you reached 10th in the FEI eventing world athlete rankings after you're kind of that big year that you had and what does that ranking mean to you it still feels surreal and I think it always will feel surreal and you know hopefully it will only get better in the future but you know we've got goals but um it's just such an honor and a privilege and a oh my gosh moment just to kind of sit back and reflect and and try to be really proud of everything that we've done and the most thing it makes me proud of is just the team and the people that are behind me and that believe me that's just like I just think that speaks volumes to everyone um you know it just takes everyone to achieve these kind of results and consistent results and that is just such a testament to the people that I have behind me that my groom Philly who's keeping me on track and the horses on track and working so hard for us and all those

17:39all those little things really matter and count and um yeah it's just kind of just thanks to the whole team and it's just you know sometimes it's it's well definitely not always going to be all highs or all good but it's it's good to enjoy the moment of of some things so surreal and yeah just to be really thankful absolutely yeah it's like you said so while it's such a team effort obviously you're helping make it all happen with the horses and the grooms and everyone just yeah impressive achievement for sure thank you could you tell me kind of about some of your the most important wins you've had in your career thus far they kind of stick out in your mind gosh well I've not won too much um but I would say um as far as winning goes probably would be winning the four-star short at Moorvin Park in Moorvin Park before I came over here I think that was 2022

18:42I guess with Copper Beach um that was um that was a win that I got really emotional about um just because it was my first four-star win and it was with that horse that I loved so much and I had my whole family there and it was just a really kind of special moment um and it's just you know one of me I just wanted to have that happen more often as we all do um but yeah just kind of gave me a nice nice taste so it can by just to be even more ambitious um and then yes as far as winning I would consider finishing a five-star win all in itself um I feel like I've had a lot of you know just small wins and stuff and and goals and um achieving them is just kind of a dream come true and I just hope to continue to be able to do that and um I hope to win more things in the future but um yeah we'll see sure yeah it's sometimes you know there's personal wins like you

19:44said yeah finishing a five-star is a very big deal yep so when you compete do you ever get nervous and if so how do you handle your nerves yes I definitely get nervous and I think if you don't get nervous something's wrong um but yeah I just think it's um competing with horses it's such a mental game so you really have to be able to dial in and figure out how to handle and address those nerves so um I just tried to turn my nerves into planning of how am I going to execute and um just keep reminding myself that I've got a plan and I'm prepared for this I've done my homework the horses are you know ready for where they need to be and just put our best foot forward but really it is also just getting experience and gaining confidence that's been that's a really big um thing I think that kind of calms the nerves down but um yeah it's definitely I know I don't have it figured out but it's definitely been a journey of how to you know mentally how to keep

20:47the nerves at at bay and and use them to your advantage really now that's such a good point because you know and that's a fair point too about if you're you should probably be a little nervous when you're competing at these big events and yeah that's a common a common feeling I think amongst riders yeah so for kind of big competitions that you compete at do you have a certain routine that you like to follow there you know sometimes people are superstitious or they you know want to do things a certain way but how do you kind of approach those big competitions um I try not to be too superstitious um I yeah I just think the more you kind of the bigger deal you make it in your head the more nervous and the more unattainable I think the goals seem so I just try to treat everything as if it's um you know it's it's our job to train produce forces and I just try to have the mindset

21:50that this is what we've been preparing for and we're just going to do our best and it's same day as every other day even though it's not but you just have to be in that mindset of every every day you wake up is a day of excellence it's a day of doing your best treating the horses the best and so yeah so I wouldn't say I'm too superstitious but I just try to stay yeah just focused and not too worked up about anything sure now that's a seems like a very good mindset and I like what you said about excellence and trying to do your best you know because obviously that's what everybody wants and hopefully can do on the day and not let you know nerves or things get in the way too much so thinking about training could you describe your training philosophy with horses yeah so I think it's it's just good to think about well I tried to treat each horse as an individual every horse does have their you know their own way that they learn the best or

22:54you know that they prefer to be handled and all these things but I just think one of my biggest philosophies is just kind of keeping things black and white and you know pressure and release and that's just trying to speak the horse's language and try to make things very clear for them because they like they that clarity so I try to do my best to deliver clear messages to the horses that something that's kind of you know through everything and on every horse despite how different they might be is that is I it's my job as the rider to make sure the horse understands what's being asked of them and I'm asking them in a correct good way so that's kind of that it varies to the horses of how that might kind of be carried out some are more sensitive some new a little bit more encouragement um all these kind of things but that's kind of the underlying message that I I really really believe it awesome now that's such a good point about you know horses being individuals and treating them as such and what works for one you might not work for another yep could you tell me

23:59a little bit about the fitness routines you have with your horses obviously they need to be very fit for what they do so what does that kind of look like for them yeah so we do a lot of hacking um like a lot that it's almost my numbing amount of hacking but um it's just such a good way to create their foundation um fitness and it's something to build on so here in the winter we've done um they've all due a month of hacking and it's very tedious and you wonder what it's all for but it is it just really does set them up for success and it really just allows their body to come into themselves and and be prepared to take on more work and um so I think just hacking and trotting up hills and all those kind of things were just really good non-taxing ways to get them fit um yeah we definitely integrate the water treadmill and our schedule I think that's another really amazing tool that just doesn't really pound on their legs or their feet too hard and it's just yeah and it's been

25:00amazing tool builds muscle um all these things and then we just do the good old traditional galloping up the hills as everyone does and um yeah I've just found the combination of these things it really is creating good um fit happy horses awesome pretty cool it's always kind of interesting to hear you know how people approach their horses fitness and worked and prove it over you know like you said that's great about having a month of hacking to really get them going and feeling good from the get go yeah do you have a favorite training exercise and if so could you describe it whether that's kind of jumping or flat work or whatever that might be yeah so I love grids in general um I just think that I just love how the horse can really learn to work themselves and they can figure out how to operate themselves and you know you're kind of just

26:02guiding them on how best to do that but not necessarily telling them how to do that um but I would say um I love a grid that has multiple balances in it um then to an oxer you know maybe one or two strides to an oxer so that way they have to use their scope and then um maybe a couple verticals on the way out that have cavalettes and um placing tools and you know just something for them to have to learn how to be caddy and quick and it can of course be a variation of something along those lines but I just really like something that gets them thinking learning where their legs are and um yeah just kind of treating it as a gym is creating that positive good muscle memory and um testing the limits and testing their scope with gained confidence from repetition of going through the good repetitively so yeah awesome yeah sounds like yeah a lot of really good training for them as they navigate five star courses or whatever level they're competing at yeah so how do you stay fit

27:05for riding are there any specific workouts that you like to do um I wouldn't say anything too specific um I just typically if I've got a full stable of forces I would say I'm I'm lacking a little bit on the fitness just because I'm riding so many and at the end of the day I've got about nothing left um but when I'm not riding as much or you need to feel I need to be extra fit four or five star or you know something along these lines um we've got an amazing gym here on side at Chillington and and so I just go in there and um kind of put together you know something you know I've been very lucky to have some good training in the past when I was in America so I love to kind of make different different workouts for myself and um incorporate a bit of cardio incorporate some strength training and kind of put everything together so um I would say definitely don't work out as much as I should um but I definitely I think it's I think it's very important

28:06to be to be fit and to be doing well for your horses I think that's of the of the of the most importance oh yeah that's a great point with you know I'm sure you stay very fit riding a lot of horses and he doesn't feel like they probably should work out a little more in that way yeah but yeah like but focusing on you know being the best version of yourself for your horses so that's great to hear yeah so we went through most of my questions I just have kind of a couple more wrap up questions for you thinking about the sport a question sport what is the hardest part of the sport for you um failure as well that's just inevitable and it's sometimes it's it's just hard to kind of to see the light and to see it in the tunnel when you're in those kind of dark dark holes or maybe things aren't going right and it feels like everything's going wrong I think sometimes the hardest part is just putting your boots on and and getting out there and just keep going and and these things and it's just that's a pretty difficult thing but in the end

29:10it does pay off and that um that hard work is is what makes um success at the end and yeah you just keep going now that's a good point you know sometimes those tough days can be hard to deal with but part of the sport and it's you know something to strive for it I continue moving forward and working hard and you know for the love of your horses a lot a lot of the time um is there something about you that people don't know that you could share sometimes people have kind of like their hobbies that they're into and something like that but if you don't feel like there's anything that's fine too um yeah I mean I really enjoy painting um in the offseason and when things are a little bit more chill I love to just kind of play around with a little bit of art I wouldn't say I'm very good at it but um it's just something that I really like to do or um if I feel like I'm getting a little bit too stressed for a competition I just try to um to paint and to focus on

30:11on something else and um yeah and then I'd also say I love to travel that's something that I've really kind of have been lucky enough to discover that I just love to see new places I love to um yeah just explore new things that's very cool yeah it's fun to hear kind of people's hobbies and different ways to unwind or you know see whether that's painting or seeing the world yeah um in your opinion what makes a good horse person um well there's a lot of things I'm just a good horse person um I just think that's the first people that I know um listen to the horses I think it's to know not when to let your goals or your ambitions kind of get in get in the way or kind of blind any anything you see I just think a good a good horse person is someone that listens to the horse whether that's exerting them too much or not enough or you know listening

31:16to what they really like and um I just think a good horse person is able to make any horse the best version of themselves and that's something that I also you know want to be and strive to be is to make the horses their happiest best version of themselves gotcha yeah that's a great point so why do you think you've been successful thus far in your career is kind of a rider and trainer lucky I would say that I'm lucky it feels it feels a lot like luck um but I would just say I'm very lucky to have um just very a lot of ambition I would say ever since I was a little girl this is kind of what I've been manifesting and dreaming and and wanting and just trying to achieve um you know ever since I can remember so I just kind of just think having that that blind determination of of getting there is something that has

32:17definitely helped me get to where be where I am because I always no matter what whether it's doing well or not doing well I just always want to be better and I want to learn how to be a better horse person how to be a better competitor um you know I just think it's important to to always to always stay hungry and to always want to be to be the best you can be no that's great yeah it's great to be ambition and also to have maybe a little luck along the way as well yeah a lot of luck because it does take a lot of luck and great people wow yeah good supporters are often a big part of it as well so what is next for you and your horses I know it's early in the season since it's just January but what kind of to the next few months or if there's any things for the year ahead that you're eyeing for you and your horses yeah so I'd love to um well first of all yeah we're just getting them kind of back into work they're hacking they're starting to school lightly and kind of progressing increasing the workload very slowly um and kind of listen

33:22to see how they've come through their holidays and kind of make a plan from there but I would love to do some some five stars um continue to just become more well rounded and establish at the level um and just continue to get the younger horses to upgrade potentially and also just maintain confidence at the level I set them all up last year um so just continue to get them really solid at the level and perhaps be a bit more competitive across the whole string with all the horses and um yeah I'd love to travel to Europe a bit more this year and just I think it's just great exposure um to see those different kind of tracks and um obviously continue to do the British tracks and I just hope to kind of get a more well rounded um kind of competition year thanks for listening to this week's conversation with Cosby Green and a big thank you to this

34:24episode sponsor us rider learn more at us rider dot org you can listen to the practical horseman podcast on your favorite podcast player or on horseradio network dot com while you're there be sure to like subscribe and leave a review thanks again for joining us I'm Kathleen Landware and you've been listening to the practical horseman podcast