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Wednesday, September 06 2017 / Published in Sidelines Spotlight

Louise Smith: Adventures in Business and on Horseback – The Former Silicon Valley Exec Is Now at the Helm of the Equestrian Aid Foundation

 

Louise Smith with Daniel
Photo by Mika Younce

By Carrie Wirth

In high school, Louise Smith was affectionately named The Class Instigator. She’s the protagonist you want to follow because of her independence, quiet courage and taste for adventure. At only 5 feet and a bit tall, her diminutive stature and warm smile immediately put you at ease. She’s unassuming and approachable. You’d never guess her background if you didn’t know it.

Born in Virginia, she spent the lion’s share of her young life in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. During her freshman year in high school, the family moved to the San Francisco Bay area. Of the four Smith children, it was her younger sister, Judy, who was the equestrian. The rest of the family had no ties to the horse world. “Judy competed with hunters and jumpers,” Louise said. “I didn’t have any interest.”

School work came easily for Louise and she earned top grades but described herself as independent and a bit of a hippie. She earned her undergraduate degree at San Jose State University in 1977 and focused her education toward a career as a college professor, but left school multiple times to pursue other interests. Louise did her graduate work at Stanford University in social psychology.

“I think I dropped out of college about six times to do other more important things,” she said. “I got involved in anti-war protests and the counter culture. It was an era of liberation and revolution.”

Louise getting ready to school Daniel at home.
Photo by Mike Pineo

Silicon Valley Comes Calling

While earning her master’s and Ph.D. at Stanford, Louise came to the realization that the role of a college professor was not how she wanted to spend her life. “It’s very solitary in lots of ways,” she said. “I like being part of a team, so when I finished my Ph.D. in 1984, I went into a think tank and did research studies. Then I went to a startup company that became Navigation Technologies, a ground-breaking early global positioning company. It was intense. Think Google Maps today.”

After Navigation Technologies was acquired by hostile takeover in 1988, Louise was recruited by Apple, where she stayed for eight years. She worked in marketing and customer engagement during some challenging times after Steve Jobs had left the company. “The business was going through a lot of changes,” she said. “In a lot of my roles, I was asked to be a problem solver.”

Eventually, Louise left Apple for a new adventure at the Japanese electronics giant Hitachi. “I was part of the team that launched their notebook computer business to the United States,” she said. “That was pretty exciting. It was challenging at that time to be a woman and ranking executive, but our team had some fantastic people.” Louise’s final corporate stints were at BEA Systems, providing services that powered internet transaction processing, and another startup, Endure, a private energy concern.

Throughout Louise’s career, she worked at companies producing products and services that changed the way we live. GPS, personal computers and the internet are embedded in the fabric of our daily lives. “I really love the learning curve,” she said. “I like to go into new and different areas to figure stuff out. In my business career, I established block and tackle marketing programs for many of the companies.”

Louise and her husband Mike Pineo with Daniel.
Photo by Mika Younce

Discovering Horses

“I had been really busy with work and one day decided I needed to do something fun; to take up a hobby,” Louise said. “My sister suggested horseback riding. I attempted to get in with her hunter trainer on numerous occasions but ended up getting assigned to Mike Pineo.”

Mike was a former tech project and sales manager who’d grown up all over the world. He’d been involved with horses his whole life and loved dressage. “He was committed and quirky and quickly converted me to dressage,” Louise said. “When I was younger I would never, ever have imagined that I’d end up in the horse world. It’s a lifestyle that’s completely changed my whole life. And that’s mostly for the better.”

Louise and Mike hit it off and got married. They bought their High School Farm in 1995 and started to collect dressage horses. She decided to retire from BEA Systems and enjoy horses full time.

As she had in school and in her career, Louise caught on fast. She got her Oldenburg mare Weltauna as a green 5-year-old and competed her through the levels to Grand Prix, earning her USDF silver and gold medals along the way. “Neither one of us knew what we were doing, so this would’ve been impossible without Mike,” she said. “Weltauna is a Weltmeyer chestnut mare. She’s very opinionated and can get kind of hot. She really taught me respect for riding.”

Louise also purchased Walkabout, a 2002 Oldenburg gelding by Wolkestein II (Weltmeyer), as a weanling. Mike started and competed him successfully over the years. He was named the 2016 Oldenburg Horse Society’s National Champion and was awarded the 2016 USDF Grand Prix All-Breeds Horse of the Year award. “It was a long road, and I’m really proud of both of them,” she said.

Louise immersed herself in the horses for a few years, then found herself itching to take on another project. A friend told her about Hewlett Packard Foundation’s new Encore program that pairs experienced executives with nonprofit organizations.

“I think there were 10 or 12 of us in the first year [of the program] and I was paired with Community School of Music and Arts in Mountain View as a marketing and business mentor,” Louise said. “I found that I absolutely loved the nonprofit world. It was a great experience to go from working with people who were concerned with making money to working with people who were concerned with doing social good.”

After this assignment, Louise was recruited by Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT), a nonprofit that supports teachers with hands-on learning and classroom materials. She enjoyed the opportunity to be part of an organization that made a difference in how children learn.

Louise, the new executive director of the Equestrian Aid Foundation, with her dog Lilli Rose.
Photo by Mika Younce

Equestrian Aid Foundation

In the midst of this, Louise and Mike went to Wellington, Florida, to visit some friends. She was hooked. “I retired again, and we started our annual pilgrimage back to Wellington for the winter season. That was about six or seven years ago.”

But Louise was not to be retired for long. She heard that Equestrian Aid Foundation (EAF) was looking for an executive director. “I ended up meeting Stephanie [Bulger, president of the board], and chatting with Al Gray [vice president of the board] and voilà! There I was — back to being employed again.”

Louise could completely relate to the Equestrian Aid Foundation’s mission to assist seriously injured and ill horse people. She personally knew people who could have benefited from the organization. “Working to help equestrians — what could be better? This could be you, me, anybody. So, I took the leap,” she said.

Along with her new role at Equestrian Aid Foundation, Louise has a new project in Danseur, her 6-year-old Hanoverian gelding. “I’m so excited about bringing Daniel up,” she said. “He’s gorgeous, a charmer and a fantastic mover. I’m completely in love.”

To Louise, the challenges faced in business and with horses are very similar. “Progress isn’t linear with a horse,” she said. “You think they’ve learned something, then they revert back to an old behavior pattern. It’s remarkably the same in organizations. It’s similarly important to establish trust and understanding with the horse. In a corporate culture, people have their own ways of interacting and communicating. You have to listen, learn and develop the relationship over time.”

Louise explained that to make forward progress, whether in business or with a horse, sometimes you have to backtrack or take side steps to reach your goal. “You just have to stick with it and encourage things to develop in a good direction over time,” she said. “There can be setbacks for sure. There are a lot of parallels in both worlds.”

Margaret Thatcher once famously said, “If you want anything said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.” Louise likes to get things done. She’s not happy when she’s idle. She prefers working, doing and having a goal. She’s a woman who accomplishes her objectives by immersing herself in a new subject. Then, she puts together a program based on teamwork and encourages others to come on board.

“In my business career, I focused on building top teams and my job was to make everyone on the team a star,” Louise said. “It’s similar with the horses. I strive every day to improve my riding and communication skills so the horse can do its best. The more I learn, the more I realize that it can sometimes be as simple as establishing a direction and then getting out of the way. It’s a fascinating challenge!”

 

 

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Marie Meyers has been around the world because of Marie Meyers has been around the world because of dressage, but it’s her farm in Moorpark, California, that has captured her heart. The farm and the business that thrives there represent Marie’s lifelong journey—a journey made up of good friends, spectacular horses and relationships made to last.

Marie was raised in Southern California, and spent her childhood playing just about every sport under the sun, but she didn’t discover riding until she was 14 years old. “I loved animals so much, so I started taking lessons. I did jumping at first, but I was very bad at that, for sure!” Marie laughed.

After some time, Marie moved on to take lessons at Foxfield Riding Academy and began riding dressage. “I fell into dressage by accident,” Marie said, “At the beginning, I thought it was extremely boring, but then I got hooked. By the time I graduated from high school, I had plans to travel to England to work for Franz Rochowansky, a former head of the Spanish Riding School.”

In 1988, Marie’s hard work paid off, and the pair was selected as alternates for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games. “They didn’t take the alternates that year, so we didn’t go to Seoul, but the experience, the training and the European Tour afterwards set me up for the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, Sweden,” Marie said.

In addition to having success representing her country, Marie was busy with her life—marriage, a business, teaching lessons and clinics. 

Learn more about Marie in this month's edition of Sidelines Magazine. Click the link in our bio for more 🦄

📸Photos by Lindsey Long Equine Photography, www.lindseylong.com

#dressage #equestrian #horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #dressagehorse #equestrianlife #showjumping #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #instahorse #dressur #horselove #eventing #equestrianstyle #cheval #dressagerider #horselife #horselover #pferde #love #riding #jumping #pferdeliebe #horseofinstagram #horsebackriding #paard #dressurpferd
We are starting a ‼️new series‼️ here on o We are starting a ‼️new series‼️ here on our socials where we share some of the lovely stallions, and their breeders featured in each month's magazine. Our first feature on this #STUDSunday is...

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You can find ALL of the stallions featured towards the back of the magazine in the equestrian gallery. Keep a look out EVERY Sunday for a new handsome STUD muffin🧁 and don't forget to subscribe to get your very own edition of Sidelines Magazine, the magazine for horse people, about horse people 🦄

📸  SAS Equestrian
‼️ROB JACOBS COLUMN‼️ The purpose of this ‼️ROB JACOBS COLUMN‼️

The purpose of this month’s column is to help the young equestrians of our sport develop and maintain healthy friendships within the industry. Cultivating healthy relationships with other members within the industry is not as easy as one may think. As a young equestrian, it may be difficult navigating friendships at the barn and at horse shows. Typically, kids have friendships within the barn they ride at but also friendships with others from different barns in their area. 

Initially, it may seem as though making other friends in the sport would be easy and ideal; after all, there is the common interest of horses. However, because of the natural therapeutic benefits of horses, the sport has a history of attracting all types of people, with a wide range of personalities. This can be both an advantage and a drawback. We are now in an era that acknowledges the growing need to discuss and manage one’s mental health. 

One thing I have learned is that we are likely to notice mental health challenges at an age younger than most people may think. Some of the friendship dynamics I have observed over the years have caused me to pause and really think about the future of our sport. Without looking for a source to blame for the cause of this, i.e. social media, parents, school, teachers, etc., I think if all adults involved worked to encourage, affirm, love, and respect our youth, the likelihood of them developing authentic friendships with their peers may increase.

Both humans and horses were designed to have connected relationships. These relationships allow a greater sense of security when one experiences challenges in life. Cultivating the quality and authenticity of these relationships requires intentional work. 

Thank you Rob for providing your helpful insight on developing healthy relationships. Check out his tips in his column you can find in the link in our bio.
Never miss a story by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine🦄 

Photo by Blenheim Equisports

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #hunterjumper #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #sidelinesmagzine
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