EC Youth Profile – Peytyn Goodin

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172 – May/June, 2023

By Megan Sacia Ulrich

At three years old, Peytyn Goodin had already found a passion in competi-tive cheerleading. Though her mom, Stephanie Mohindra, had shown horses in the past, the family lived in the city of Peoria, Arizona, and Peytyn had no exposure to–nor interest in–horses. That all changed when her younger brother, Kiptin, began taking riding lessons with Robert Smith. Still dressed in her gym clothes from cheer practice, Peytyn would look on, absorbing it all. Soon, she began to envision herself in the saddle. Her first lesson was at age 11 and now, three short years later, she’s already attained the title of APHA’s 2022 #1 Youth 13 & Under.

Peytyn’s show pen debut was aboard APHA gelding, See You At Seven, who she rode to APHA Zone 2’s Walk-Trot High Point in her first year. “Seven taught me a lot and was an amazing walk-trot horse. I would go to shows, and trainers would say, ‘Is that Seven?’ I felt like he was famous, so it was fun,” Peytyn recalls. “Come to find out, he was a very difficult horse when he was younger, and that’s why so many knew him,” she says with a giggle.

As she was learning the horse show ropes, Peytyn only showed in Western Pleasure. The following year she added Hunter Under Saddle, which came naturally thanks to the strength and balance she’d developed over the years in cheer. Now she competes in all-around classes, noting that she especially enjoys the detail and strategy involved in pattern classes.

“I just like being able to break the patterns down to make them as good as I can get them to be. My current trainer is great at breaking patterns up and teaching all aspects of the scoresheet and where you can ‘plus’ maneuvers; it makes those classes chal-lenging and fun,” Peytyn says. She rides under the guidance of James Sauboulle and Paul Alexander of Elite Show Horses.

Click here to read the complete article
172 – May/June, 2023