Eventer/Exercise Rider Logan Bearden Lives Her Life in the Fast Lane

Photo courtesy of Logan Bearden/RJC Photo.

California eventer Logan Bearden leads a double-life of sorts, splitting her days between Golden Gate Fields where she works as a licensed exercise rider and her family’s Poplar Place Stables where she is assistant trainer.

If it sounds like a fast-paced existence, that’s because it is! We recently had the opportunity to get to know this talented and hardworking 20-year-old.

How old were you when you started riding?

I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area by two eventing trainers, Chris and Carol Bearden. Being the trainer’s daughter I was on the back of a horse before I could walk; my parents couldn’t keep me out of the barn! I would beg clients to let me warm up their horses with them by sitting in front of the saddle and I would spend hours being passed from one horse to the next as my parents taught.

I spent my childhood in the barn everyday, going to shows with my parents and watching groups of teenage girls fall in love with eventing as they worked their way up the levels. I was hooked before I even started!

Photo courtesy of Logan Bearden/RJC Photo.

When did you start competing?

I rode in local competitions starting at two years old, I bounced around from pony to pony until I was 6, and then I started participating in Pony Club on our “problem” school horses that no one else wanted to ride. When I was 12 I finally had a chance to compete nationally on a stubborn Appy/TB cross. His name was Bandito and he made me work for every step but he helped me grow and fall for eventing even more. I was lucky enough to compete through Novice on Bandito and a Connemara mare, but by 14 I had sadly outgrown both horses’ abilities.

Photo courtesy of Logan Bearden/Carol Mingst.

Your first upper level horse, Marlin, was a Thoroughbred. How did that relationship develop?

When I was 14 my mother was diagnosed with brain cancer and was no longer able to compete or ride. My parents decided that I would try riding a horse she had been competing named Marlin, or Catch of the Day. He is a big grey Thoroughbred gelding that would change my life more than I ever thought possible.

My mom was able to watch our first three shows together before she passed away, where he took me to my first Training level events. I instantly fell for that Thoroughbred gallop, and the way he ate up every bit of the course always wanting more. Marlin and I did a season of training together before tackling our first Preliminary.

We were both inexperienced at this level but he was so game, you wouldn’t have been able to tell. He went out of the box every time like a seasoned pro. We tackled a CIC1* together and then a CCI1*, placing well in both. We would start in the middle of the pack and work our way up with double clears in true Thoroughbred fashion.

He sustained a tendon injury that sidelined us for a year but he came back to run two more upper level events with me. Our first competition back was the Preliminary Challenge at Woodside Horse Park where we went from 21st to fifth. After that we completed our first Intermediate together where he ate up the cross country and put down one of the very few double clear show jump rounds, which considering his age of 19 is quite impressive!

I owe a lot to that quirky grey Thoroughbred. He taught me not only love for the thoroughbred but a passion for the great breed as well.

Photo courtesy of Logan Bearden/RJC Photo.

You teach lessons and are an assistant trainer at your family’s Poplar Place Stables. As the daughter of two eventing trainers, is that something that comes to you naturally?

My mother had me start teaching when I was 13 years old. She would have me sit in on her beginner lessons then gradually allow me to take over the younger kids. I started teaching only a few times a week, helping small kids learn balance and steering on our “old faithful” lesson horses.

Over the years I have slowly picked up more students and now I am coaching alongside my father. He and I work together to help the many kids in our barn. It has been a dream come true to work with my father in bringing up the future riders of eventing.

Photo courtesy of Logan Bearden/Carol Mingst.

How did the opportunity come about to work as an exercise rider?

I started off as a part time groom at the Pleasanton Racetrack (in Pleasanton, California) and I was intrigued by exercising horses. The trainer I was working for and another exercise rider helped me learn the basics. A friend of mine referred me to a trainer at Golden Gate Fields where I got my start and worked towards getting my license.

While I was a provisional rider I could only ride for one trainer, but once I got my official license I could ride for any trainer. Over the past year I have been able to work for a lot of great trainers and have gained invaluable experience on some amazing horses.

Photo courtesy of Logan Bearden/RJC Photo.

What does your average day look like?

I typically start at the track at 6:30 a.m. and get on four to six horses per morning. After I finish up with that I usually stay and pull manes and do other extra tasks to help out.

At around 10:30 a.m. I leave the track and head out to the barn to start riding and teaching for the day, some days run until around 10 p.m., but it’s all worth it since I’m doing what I love.

Photo courtesy of Logan Bearden/RJC Photo.

What have you learned from exercising Thoroughbreds that you can take back to your eventing career?

By exercising Thoroughbreds I have gained a lot of confidence in my stickabiliy and my overall riding ability. It has also helped me understand the OTTBs I work with a lot better. I’m able to figure out the things that they know and help them on their way to becoming a solid event horse.

Photo courtesy of Logan Bearden/CANTER California.

Any Thoroughbreds in particular you’ve fallen in love with?

There are so many choices! There are a few currently at the track that have a special place in my heart; there have been a few that needed new homes but my barn has sadly been full. It’s so nice to see them go to loving homes though, especially when it’s a friend who gets them.

Almost every horse I get the chance to ride is a Thoroughbred, there have been so many throughout the years that have shaped my career and made me into the rider I am today. Currently almost half of our barn are OTTBs or Thoroughbreds Even the two upper level horses I am competing are OTTBs!