F&E: What do people romanticize about the equestrian world that isn’t true? Or, on the contrary, what do you think people miss?

TRACI: People tend to see the beautiful parts—the horses, the competitions, the ribbons, and the lifestyle. While all of that exists, what I think people miss is what horses teach us about ourselves.

Horses are incredibly perceptive. They can sense our tension, breathing, and emotional state. If you’re anxious, they know. If you’re distracted, they know. If you want a horse to settle, you have to settle yourself first.

What people often miss is that horses teach you how to communicate beyond words. You’re in a partnership with a 1,200-pound flight animal that doesn’t speak your language, and your success depends entirely on learning how to understand one another. You learn to read subtle cues, body language, energy, timing, and trust, all in split seconds.

Those lessons extend far beyond the stable. They teach empathy, patience, resilience, intuition, and the ability to understand what someone is feeling rather than simply what they’re saying. Horses teach you to read the room.

You learn to look for the good, because there are no bad horses, only horses that are more challenging to understand.

A horse doesn’t care about your title or accomplishments. They care about how you show up, and they teach us how to become better humans.

F&E: What’s something you’re opinionated about that might surprise people?

TRACI: Decision-making. People think I’m very laid back, but I feel strongly that if you don’t know the answer, pause.

Slower is often faster. Patience isn’t passive, it’s strategic.

We’re constantly encouraged to move faster, grow faster, make decisions faster, and get to the next thing. But whether you’re developing a horse, building a business, or navigating a relationship, I’ve found that the strongest foundations are built over time.

It’s a delicate balance between trusting your gut and knowing when you don’t know.
I often tell myself, “It’s not time to know yet.” That’s surprisingly comforting when you’re someone who likes answers.

F&E: Outside of home and work, are there places that matter to your routine or to your inner, more personal self?

TRACI: It’s wherever I am with the people who matter most to me.

Physically, I feel most at peace in wide-open spaces—in nature with my dogs and horses, near the ocean, out in the desert, or anywhere I can see the horizon.

The desert has become especially meaningful. The sky is constantly changing, and just when you think it can’t get any more beautiful, it surprises you.

F&E: Looking back, if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be? Then, what piece of advice would you give someone starting their entrepreneurial journey now? (Oftentimes these two pieces of advice are quite different.)

TRACI: Trust your gut, and it won’t be easy.

When I was young, all I really knew was that I loved horses. I didn’t have a grand plan. I had no idea where the journey would take me or how I was going to get there.

What I did have was a willingness to keep following what felt right.

Looking back, I spent less time worrying about the destination and more time embracing the journey.

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received came from an icon I was lucky to know, Leonard Lauder. He told me, “Always start with yes.” Not “yes, but…” and not “no.” Start with yes and figure out how to get there.

It resonated because I realized it was already part of how I had been living my life. Leonard perfectly articulated something I instinctively understood.
When I look back, so much of my journey came from starting with yes to opportunities, experiences, challenges, and people along the way.
I’d also tell people not to be afraid of failure. Failure isn’t the opposite of success, it’s part of it.
You don’t need everything figured out. You just need enough courage to take the next step, enough grit to keep going when things go sideways, and trust to believe that the journey is leading you where you’re meant to be.

F&E: What does it mean to you to be part of this community of founders in this September Issue, committed to using your experience to pay it forward to the next generation of women entrepreneurs?

TRACI:It’s incredibly meaningful.

One of the greatest gifts of my career has been being part of the formative years of so many young women.

Through horses, I’ve had the opportunity to watch them pursue a passion that becomes an integral part of who they are. What starts as a love of horses becomes infinitely more. Horses teach life lessons: responsibility, hard work, empathy, discipline, patience, community, and self-awareness. I’ve had the privilege of watching young girls become confident leaders and thoughtful, capable, independent women.

One of the unique things about growing up in the horse world is that you’re pursuing a shared passion alongside people who may be decades older than you. They become mentors, peers, role models, and lifelong friends. Before you know it, you find yourself doing the same for the next generation.

Knowing that many of them will look back on these years as some of the happiest and most meaningful times of their lives is incredibly rewarding.
Even more humbling is knowing that I am someone they trust, look up to, and turn to for guidance. That is an honor and a responsibility I don’t take lightly. At the end of the day, that’s the legacy that matters most to me.