CLICK HERE to view the February Issue of GoMag
Samantha Foust has ridden through a lifetime of chapters, some triumphant…some heartbreaking. Through all of them, horses have been her constant. She first sat in a saddle at three years old, thanks to her grandfather Charlie, and the connection took hold instantly.
By the time she was eight, Foust faced her first major loss when her grandmother passed away from cancer. Only later did she realize how much she leaned on horses to cope. To steady herself. To breathe.
Then, at just sixteen, she lost her father to suicide, an experience that transformed riding from a love into a lifeline. “That’s when horses truly became a passion, and something I realized was essential for my mental health,” she says. “They continue to be what I turn to when days get tough.”
Like many non-pro exhibitors, Foust has learned that showing isn’t just about being competitive, it’s about balance. Before kids, she could practice whenever she wanted. Now, as a mom of two, she’s learned to loosen her grip on perfection and embrace what the sport can give her in this season of life. “I don’t chase trophies anymore,” she says. “I chase fun, fulfillment, and how it makes me feel.”
However, that mindset doesn’t mean she can’t still deliver under pressure. Foust vividly remembers going to the AQHA World Show when her son was just six months old, nursing, exhausted, and still expected to show early the next morning. She wondered if she could compete at her best. Then she went out and won the Level 2 Amateur Trail, her third straight year, proving to herself just how powerful determination can be.
Her partnership with Cool Cruzen Lady (“Hazel”) runs deep. “I’m her person, and she’s mine,” Foust says. Hazel is also the only horse she trusts completely with her kids, a testament to both the mare’s mind and their bond.
That same connection carried into Hazel’s first foal, Lady Marmalade (“Jellybean”), a mare Foust has loved since her first breath. At the 2023 AQHA World Show, Foust and Lady Marmalade earned Reserve World Champion honors in the Three-Year-Old Non Pro Pleasure, an emotional full-circle moment in the OKC Arena.
After the 2024 Sun Circuit, Foust decided to step away…quietly, intentionally, and without apology. She was newly pregnant with her daughter, navigating life with a toddler at home, and then her world shifted again when her brother passed away unexpectedly. “I reflected on my life and realized that while horses bring me immense joy, my family needed me most during that season,” she explains.
What was supposed to be a short hiatus became a conscious choice to slow down and be present. During that time, Hazel didn’t stop doing what she’s always done, making dreams come true.
With trainer Tonya Brown’s daughters taking the reins, Hazel went on to add to her remarkable legacy with multiple Congress championships, Level 2 World and Reserve Championships, a Globe, and numerous Top Tens. At the same time, Foust focused on raising her children and healing.
Watching someone else love and succeed with her once-in-a-lifetime mare became its own kind of gift. Now, stepping back into the pen, Foust isn’t returning with a long list of must-win goals. She’s returning with perspective. She wants to bring her daughter into the horse-show world the way she once did with her son, travel and experience it as a family, and let the season be defined by connection rather than pressure.
Hazel has nothing left to prove, and Jellybean is still teaching her every day. If ribbons come, they’ll be celebrated, but for Foust, the real win is being back in the place that’s always helped her find the silver lining.
CLICK HERE to view the February Issue of GoMag
Cover Photo: Kirstie Marie | Cover Design: EM Design
The deadline for the March Spring Shows issue of GoMag is Saturday, February 28th. To reserve your space, call or text Suzannah Fuhrman, GoHorseShow’s Co-founder and Executive Vice President at 214-449-8716 or email her at Suzannah@GoHorseShow.com. She will be happy to answer any of your questions and can help design an advertising package to fit your needs and budget perfectly. GoHorseShow…Where The Winners Go.
