Amateur exhibitor Samantha Ihde-Foust and her mare, Cool Cruzen Lady (Hazel), are coming off an outstanding year with an exceptional showing at the AQHA World Show and Congress. In Oklahoma City, her trainer, Tonya Brown won Reserve in the Junior Western Riding and Foust won the Level 2 Amateur Trail and was Reserve in the Level 2 Amateur Western Riding.
Last October, the duo also ended up winning two Congress Championships and one reserve and her trainer, Tonya Brown was Reserve in a tough Junior Western Riding with a score of 231.5. Later in the show, Samantha and Hazel not only won the Level 1 Amateur Western Riding, but they were also champions in the Amateur Western Riding in dominating fashion.
A relatively new team, Ihde-Foust bought the gorgeous red roan mare at the AQHA World Show two years ago. The duo has been showing in western pleasure, trail, and western riding. “For a mare, she is so kind and willing,” says Samantha. “No matter how hard she is worked or tired she is, she always goes out and does her job. She’s gorgeous and has incredible talent. The western riding comes so naturally to her, and she loves it.”
Read on to learn some more facts about Samantha.
1. I married my high school sweetheart.
I met my now-husband, Bronson Foust, during our freshman year of high school at Dana Hills High school in Dana Point, Ca. We had met a handful of times through our mutual friends and always had an attraction for each other.
When it came time for the homecoming dance, he stepped up to the plate and asked me to be his date. The rest is history. We have been together ever since spending ten incredible years dating until he proposed to me on a trip to New Orleans in January 2018.
We married 10/5/19. We now own a home together in San Diego with our two dogs Ella (Chiweenie) & Luna (Blue Heeler).
2. I had my dream wedding on my mom’s horse ranch.
When I first got engaged, I had my wedding, like most girls, already planned out in my head and on my Pinterest profile. My idea of my dream wedding was at a local winery, all done up and perfect. When It came time to check out wedding venues, I visited that local winery I always dreamed of.
After getting all the information about the venue, I was extremely disappointed. It was out of my price range and also very generic. I would not be able to have any special touches that would make my wedding feel like mine. In my despair, I drove down to my horse ranch to visit my horses.
As I was letting my horse graze on the large grass area we have, the weather was perfect, the flowers were blooming, and it hit me. Why not have it here? It was the best decision I could have made. I was able to personalize the wedding to our style entirely and also had two of my favorite food vendors.
Sidecar Doughnuts brought their truck to fry over 300 fresh doughnuts for my guests and also Heritage BBQ who served us Texas-style brisket and fixin’s off their smoker they brought on site. My husband and I both work in the food and beverage industry, so it was crucial for us to have the best on our special day. It was everything we could have dreamed of.
3. I named my bakery after my grandpa.
When I am not working events as a catering chef, I run my small in-home bakery known as Charlie & Me Bakery. I specialize in old fashioned pastries such as cinnamon rolls, muffins, and croissants. I also have created custom logo cookies for NSBA and Sun and Surf Circuit, to name a few. I came up with the name of Charlie & Me Bakery after my Grandpa Charlie.
My grandpa was the reason for guiding me into most of my passions, one being horses and two being food. As a young child, my grandpa would take me almost every day to a new doughnut store or local mom and pop shop to eat. Those experiences as a child blossomed into being my passions as an adult, and I have my Grandpa Charlie to thank for that.
4. I have a passion for nutrition, even though I am a flourful, all sugar, and extra butter bakery.
As a chef and baker, I have learned about food, the anatomy of animals, and the science behind baking. With my passion for food, I have been gaining an interest in the nutrition side of things. Let’s be clear…like I said, I am a flourful, all sugar, and extra butter bakery. I love my margaritas and tacos. However, learning the importance of proper diet and how certain foods can affect your body and mental health is very intriguing to me. I have been contemplating starting nutrition classes to ad to my Culinary Degree.
5. I was homeschooled for most of my life.
Since I was a young girl, I never loved going to school. I always thrived with hands-on and personal learning. When I started showing horses more frequently around the age of 13, I began to homeschool so that I could attend more horse shows. I continued my homeschooling until high 
school, where I attended full-time in my freshman year and then homeschooled the rest of my high school education. It wasn’t until I started at The Art Institute for my Culinary Arts Degree, that I didn’t miss a single day of class. I loved it there. I took time off showing until I graduated and then continued with my career as a chef and my horseback riding career.
6. If I didn’t ride horses, I wanted to be an ice skater.
When I was little, my only passion for many years was riding horses. For a brief moment, I quit riding horses and found a love for ice-skating. Maybe because the outfits were sparkly like show clothes. I’m not sure where my fascination for ice-skating came from back then, but I can’t help but think what would have happened if I continued with that path.
7. I bought my dream dog at the Silver Dollar Circuit.
Attending my first Silver Dollar Circuit in 2010, I was fascinated with everything about that show. My horse trainer at the time, who owned a pet ferret, told my mom and I about an exotic animal store downtown we needed to go check out. Expecting to see flying squirrels and monkeys, when we walked in, my eyes went straight to the cage where a small little puppy was all alone. I asked to see her, and when I did, she just melted in my arms. I originally wanted to get a golden retriever like my childhood dog when I returned home from the show, but I came back from Silver Dollar Circuit with a circuit championship in the novice youth trail and a Chiweenie. (Chihuahua/Weiner dog)
8. I have never traveled out of the country.
Horse showing is a very financially straining and time-consuming sport. With that, I have never had the opportunity to go out of the country. Being a chef and foodie, it is definitely on my bucket list. The top of my bucket list is Spain, Italy, and Germany.
9. I love Pilates.
I hate working out. I have always dreaded the gym. After having a horse-riding accident and injuring my shoulder, I needed to find a way of building my strength back without re-injuring. I discovered Pilates was the only exercise I didn’t despise. I try to attend a Pilates class 2-3 times a week. It is an excellent workout for equestrians, and I highly recommend it.
10. I’ve been called a “horse hoarder.”
My close friends and husband all call me a horse hoarder. Since I was three years old and all the horses I have owned, I have only sold two. My mom and I currently have six horses, one mini pony and a foal (Cool Cruzen Lady X Machine Made) due any day now.
