Ep 37- Motherhood Didn’t Cancel the Horse Girl, with Marissa Ledford

There’s a version of motherhood we all think we’re supposed to live up to — and then there’s the real one.

In this episode of Kanter Kulture, I sit down with Marissa Ledford — one of the iconic “Dalton sisters,” an AQHA competitor, a successful horsewoman in her own right, and a mom who is very much in the thick of it.

This conversation is raw, honest, funny, and refreshingly unfiltered.

We talk about what it actually looks like to be a mom and a horse girl — not the highlight reel, not the polished version, but the behind-the-scenes reality of trying to manage it all without losing yourself in the process.

We get into:

• The mental load of motherhood and horses — and learning to manage your own expectations
• The emotional rollercoaster of kids who want to show horses… and the fear of what happens if they don’t
• Navigating school decisions (homeschool vs public school) and letting go of the judgment around both
• Marriage, dating, and how to keep the spark alive when kids, careers, and chaos take over
• Identity shifts after becoming a mom — including appearance, confidence, bras, bodies, plastic surgery, and the pressure to “bounce back”
• Giving yourself permission to evolve — as a woman, a mom, and a competitor

There’s no pretending here. No sugarcoating. No “perfect balance” myth.

Just two moms having a real conversation about loving their kids deeply, loving horses fiercely, and learning how to exist somewhere in between.

If you are:

• A mom trying to hold onto you
• A horse girl navigating motherhood
• A woman who wants kids someday and wonders what that life really looks like

This episode is for you.

🎧 Now live wherever you listen to podcasts.