By Jessica Grutkowski
Laura Fernandez begins her day while most of the country is still asleep. A natural early riser, her internal clock rings around 3:30 a.m. and she savors those quiet hours before the Las Vegas sunrise to catch up on emails before heading to the barn. Being an early riser—something she fought for years—has allowed her to sneak extra hours into her day and make time for everything she loves.
Originally from Newtown, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, Laura had her first riding lesson at 6 years old. “My mom rode growing up. I found a photo of her on a horse at my grandparents’ house and became obsessed with all things equestrian,” she said. “I loved ‘National Velvet,’ and My Little Ponies were my Barbie dolls.”
Laura’s mom, Carolyn, attended Sweet Briar College in Virginia for a year. Sweet Briar is known for its strong riding program, but ultimately, Carolyn decided to shift her focus from horses to becoming a chemist. She transferred to another university, where she met Laura’s father, John. “My mom was a high school chemistry teacher, and my dad was a professor at Villanova. He then had several careers in the science industry.”
Throughout her adolescence, school was always a priority—but so were horses. “Horses were a luxury, and something we were challenged to afford,” Laura said.
In middle school, Laura was old enough to begin working to make money for riding lessons. Her first job was selling fruit at the local farm stand. “I’m fairly confident that allowing a 12-year-old to sell fruit on the side of the road would be questionable today, but hey—it was the ’90s!”
The farm stand kicked off a series of jobs that paved the way for Laura to lesson more regularly at Little Bit Farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. “In high school, I had every restaurant job under the sun,” she said. “I even worked at hair salons as a shampoo person.”
Laura loved being at the barn and was open to any activity that kept her near horses. “They called me the curry queen,” she said. “Competing wasn’t important to me at the time, but my mom and coach said I had a natural ability and good energy around horses.”
At 16 years old, Laura had the opportunity to compete on a lesson horse named Jackson at a local schooling show. “I had zero expectations that day, but we ended up winning all our hunter rounds. It felt awesome being a lesson kid and winning!” she said. “After that, I thought to myself, How can I earn enough money to ride as an adult and own a horse?”
First College, Then Career
Earning her bachelor’s degree was step one of Laura’s master plan to owning a horse. “West Virginia University (WVU) had a great journalism school and was located in a fun college town. I felt right at home in my hoodie,” she said. At WVU, Laura studied broadcast journalism and minored in political science. “I had always dreamed of being a reporter and being on the news,” she said.
Throughout college, Laura worked at Buffalo Wild Wings to help pay for her education. In the summer of 2003, she interned at a radio morning show in Washington, D.C. “I loved music and talk radio,” she said. But the idea of moving from market to market wasn’t ideal, so her peers recommended advertising sales. “Sales, in my opinion, was my fast track to get a horse. It’s the kind of career where you get out what you put in—and I was ready to hustle.”
After graduating from WVU in May 2005, Laura moved to Washington, D.C., to jump-start her advertising sales career and be closer to her boyfriend, J.C. Fernandez. “We actually met that summer when I interned with a radio morning show. He was my boss, and coincidentally, he grew up only 10 minutes from me in New Hope.”
A few months after moving in together, J.C. was offered an incredible job in morning radio in Las Vegas, Nevada. “J.C. went to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and had a great network of friends out west,” Laura said. “I love Las Vegas and the community. While I truly enjoy going to the Strip, there is so much more to the city. Red Rock National Park is a must see for outdoor enthusiasts.”
The couple moved across the country, and Laura took a position in advertising sales at the same radio station where J.C. was on the morning show. “It’s awesome having a husband as dedicated to his career as I am. He actually just stepped away from radio and is now doing TV news, and he even has his own YouTube show about cars. He’s like the local Ryan Seacrest!”
In 2007, Laura and J.C. got married at Wynn Las Vegas, an iconic property at the end of the Strip. Since then, Laura’s career has continued to grow. She was hired by Pandora in 2012 to launch its Las Vegas market from an advertising sales perspective, and then managed the launch of two brand-new divisions at the company. SiriusXM acquired Pandora in 2019. “Now I work for one of the largest music, podcast and entertainment companies in the U.S.” she said. “I love my career. I work with amazing people and get to travel all around the country.”
A Horse of Her Own
Thanks to her passion, drive and success over the years, Laura finally achieved her dream of owning a horse. At 29 years old, she purchased a horse named Guverner. “I never stopped taking riding lessons; I was excited to finally have a horse of my own,” she said.
Only two months into their partnership, Laura had a bad fall. “I had a nasty gash on my chin that I thought would just need a few stitches,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it when the doctors told me that I needed surgery on my hand, and that I had sustained a broken jaw. Thankfully I didn’t need to get it wired shut, but a liquid diet for two months was not fun.”
Eight weeks later, Laura was back in the saddle and fresh off a successful horse show in Southern California with Guverner. One day at the barn, Laura was cooling out Guverner on a loose rein when he tripped and fell. “It was a freak accident. My collarbone snapped, requiring surgery, a metal plate and six screws,” she said. “I just couldn’t believe it was happening again. Breaking three bones in three months was insane.”
This streak of bad luck was the last thing Laura expected in her first foray into horse ownership. “I loved Guverner, and after that fall, I decided we needed to get a fresh start at another barn.”
As with anything in life, whether relationships, careers or horses, setbacks can feel like a test. “It’s all about how you come out from the other side and grow from the experience. I truly believe that life happens for you,” she said.
To rebuild her confidence in the saddle, Laura not only leaned on her coaches from a training perspective but also focused on her mindset. “I started talking to Pernilla Nathan, a performance coach, and Laura King, a hypnotherapist,” she said. “Some may think it’s excessive, but giving up wasn’t an option. I loved the horses and had worked way too hard to get here and let it all go.”
Laura learned about meditation, breathing exercises and her need for a morning run—which she likens to a daily lunge. She focuses on gratitude, while always looking forward.
Since that first foray into adult amateur equestrian life, Laura has dedicated herself not only to the foundations of riding, but also to building her equine medical knowledge. “While I was out of the saddle, I spent so much time with my vet, Dr. Hartgrove, and understanding how to be the best horse owner,” she said.
Laura now trains at Sagebrush Farm, a hunter-jumper facility in Las Vegas owned by Kristine Creel. “People are always shocked that you can ride in Las Vegas, but it’s only toasty in the summer,” Laura said. “We start riding as early as 5 a.m. in the summer under a covered arena.”
Currently, Laura owns two horses, Contact and Garçon, and leases a third, Mozie. “Horse ownership is an enormous commitment; nothing is guaranteed,” she said. “Our relationship goes far beyond just riding. Having happy horses is everything to me.”
The 3 Stride Podcast
Laura has made great strides in reaching her equestrian goals. “I’m learning to trust myself and love to jump again,” she said. “I’ve been going to horse shows when my work schedule allows, but honestly, I’m just happy to spend time in my horse’s stall!”
Recently, Laura embarked on a new adventure that brings together her love of horses, podcast experience and her two best barn friends. “I had a standing monthly dinner with Molly Heroy. One night, our friend Julia Hanssen, whom I’ve known since she was a little girl, crashed our dinner,” she said. “After chatting for hours, we joked that we should have a podcast about horses.”
In approximately 24 hours, The 3 Stride Podcast was born. “It was a team effort. Molly’s husband made the logo and website, I managed the infrastructure, J.C. edited, Julia created all the socials,” Laura said. “Together, we took a humorous look at the equestrian industry.”
Since their first episode in April 2022, the three best friends have recorded nearly 200 episodes. “Most podcasts are interview-based, but The 3 Stride Podcast is a conversation between friends. I love that you can listen when it’s convenient for you and doesn’t interrupt your daily life,” she said. “Sometimes we’ll host a veterinarian or a trainer, but mostly we’re catching up on our riding goals or recent horse shows, laughing about embarrassing lesson moments and debating the most flattering tan breeches.”
Laura, Molly and Julia are excited about the future of the podcast and are building a small studio in Laura’s home. They also just secured their first presenting sponsor partnership with an equestrian clothing line, for which they record host-read ads and create social content. “It’s a basic studio, but we want to add video capabilities to our recording sessions. Video podcasts are huge, and this will offer our fans another way to connect with us,” she said. “At the end of the day, we’re just three adult amateurs trying to balance family, our careers, life and our love for horses and this sport. We have a lot of laughs!”
In her spare time, Laura enjoys running, going to Pilates or grabbing sushi with J.C. Laura also serves on the boards of the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. Of course, most of her spare time is truly spent at the barn with her horses.
Follow Laura on Instagram @lauragailfernandez or visit 3stridepodcast.com
Photos courtesy of Laura Fernandez
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