If you asked the younger versions of Mary Scott Head and Hayden Weinstein if they would ever stray from their hunter/jumper roots, they would say never. Until both girls found themselves unexpectedly finding their way back to the saddle with the help of two very special Arabians.
Nowadays, neither girl can imagine a life without the horses they describe as dedicated, intelligent, willing, and their heart horses.
After meeting in college, the girls instantly became best friends. While they may be separated by a six-year age gap, their different experiences in the saddle and combined love for the breed have made that friendship even stronger.
However, there was a time both reached a point in their lives when time in the saddle came to an abrupt stop, and a hole in their hearts quickly formed, but the two found themselves filling that gap in a way they never expected.
Junior Hunter to Arabian Sport Horse
©Anne Gittens Photography
Practically raised in the saddle, both girls were serious competitors along the hunter/jumper circuit growing up.
Weinstein competed across the East Coast in the Junior Hunter division until she became an amateur during college. While most riders expect to continue showing, life had other plans for Weinstein, and unfortunately, it didn’t include riding.
After graduating from Auburn University in 2025, Weinstein got an offer to move into Head’s barn apartment to help manage the family’s Straight Egyptian Arabian farm. While she’s no stranger to the daily demands of caring for horses, she knew little about the breed.
With an open mind and a little convincing from the Head family, Weinstein soon found herself growing close to a particular 2012 Arabian stallion named A Assad (Maraj x Cannette), who earned himself the “problem child” title amongst the other horses, as Weinstein would say.
If “Slick” could find a way to get into trouble, he’d usually do it.
“He picks locks and is always managing to escape from his stall. One morning, he’d thrown hay bales across the aisle, and one somehow landed right in front of my staircase,” she laughed at the memory. “I came down in the morning to a fresh mess, but he was the first face I saw every morning, the first voice I heard, the last face I saw at night.”
Naturally, the connection she formed on the ground with him made its way to the saddle.
The pair took to the arena and trails, enjoying each other’s company regardless of whether they had tack on or not. In true Weinstein fashion, she had to get her “hunter/jumper fix” and soon started teaching him how to jump, and ever since then the pair has been stuck to each other like glue.
“Horses have been the air I breathe and the water I drink since I was 5 years old,” Weinstein said.
Weinstein quickly realized she had more than a horse to work with, she had a partner in crime and best friend built into one.
“He would line up on the pasture fence for me to get on, and one day I swung my leg over, and he walked us all the way to the back pasture,” she explained. “I was just lying on his back staring at the sky while he grazed until someone jingled the gate.”
Knowing exactly what that noise meant, Slick and his pasture mates took off galloping, headed straight to the gate. With Weinstein still aboard, she expected to fall off, but Slick didn’t buck once and threw his head up when he halted, keeping his person right where he wanted her.
“All I could think about was how I just had my Black Stallion moment. It was so surreal and sounds made up, but it’s one of my favorite memories,” she laughed. “I just knew that he was my forever horse after that.”
The Family Tie that Brought Her Back
Similarly, Head grew up in the saddle as her mother, Missy Head, had casually ridden all her life. It wasn’t until Missy bought a $900 Arabian named Hershey from a Facebook ad when Head was only 4 years old that she started taking lessons at her local barn the year later.
“I did Pony Club, combined training, barrel racing, lots of 4-H, and a ton of natural horsemanship. So, I got a really good foundation,” Head stated.
When she turned 14, she knew she wanted to do more within the sport and quickly got her start on the rated show circuit, competing in all three rings. Shortly after turning 18, her focus shifted to the jumper ring. From representing Zone 4 at the North American Youth Championships to competing in FEI Grand Prixs and the U25 division, Head was more than successful amongst her fellow competitors.
Head’s show career, however, wasn’t always show jumping.
Her mother surprised her with the family’s second Arabian, Ciroc (Alixir x Minstralas Mali), who quickly jump-started the family business, RainMaker Arabians, in 2006. Head found herself showing Ciroc and the dam of her current horse in the halter and under saddle classes as a little girl before turning her focus to the hunter/jumper circuit.
When she graduated from Auburn University in 2022, her competitive career as a show jumper came to a halt, and with that so did a piece of her heart.
“It hit me really, really hard,” Head explained. “I really didn't know my identity without horses. They're all I've ever known. They were my safe place.”
RF Forrest, a 2018 Arabian gelding (Shah Mishaal RCA x Bint Al Riyahh), came to RainMaker Arabians as a yearling and naturally became Head’s partner in crime.
“It got to the point that, after being out of the saddle for over a year, I just needed horses again, and I did not expect to fall head over heels in love with Forrest,” she said. “I worked with him maybe two times, it felt like he chose me, and there was nothing inside me telling me to hold back.”
What Head needed was sitting under her nose for the longest time, without her even knowing.
After starting him under saddle only two years ago as a 6-year-old, she decided to tackle their first few shows together, which blew Head’s expectations out of the water.
“We took him to his first show after a year of me training him myself at home, and he was top three in all of his classes,” she said proudly. “A month later, at the Region XII Championships in Ocala, he was reserve champion, and that’s when I realized I had a fancy little guy on my hands.”
Continuing their training at home, the pair focused on basics Head had learned throughout her time in the hunters and jumpers. When it came to teaching lead changes, she was shocked by how quickly he picked it up. Every day Head showed up to the barn, she found herself asking Forrest the same question: “How do you know how to do this?”
“He's absolutely incredible. This little horse has made dreams I never had possible. Dreams I didn’t even know I needed have come true with him,” she said.
Turning it up a Notch
After each pair’s first couple of shows together, Head and Weinstein knew it was time to take their training to the next level and sent Forrest and Slick to train under the guidance of Heather Keys at Talaria Farms in Newnan, Ga.
the Region XII Championships
What the girls didn’t know is they would find themselves being welcomed into the Arabian world with open arms. A community they never knew existed had been silently waiting for their arrival, and they don’t see themselves leaving anytime soon.
While Head is no total stranger to the breed thanks to her mother, she never understood what she was missing out on.
“Walking into Talaria Farms, I didn’t know there was such a thing as walking into a barn and it being a breath of fresh air,” she said, as someone used to the hustle and bustle of hunter/jumper barns. “It was magical; these Arabian horses have stolen my heart.”
Not only has training been beneficial for the horses, but it has also created a space for Head and Weinstein to return to the roots they loved so dearly.
“I feel like the Arabian horse community really rallies and takes care of one another, and I would like to attribute that to how the horses are and how they take care of their people,” Head said passionately. “I’ve had some great relationships and bonds with my warmbloods, but there is something about when an Arabian looks you in the eye. They look at your whole soul, and they accept you for that.”
©Suzanna Sturgill
Bringing a deep understanding of both hunter and jumper disciplines to the table has stepped up the game for both women, their horses, and the team at Talaria Farms. Not only did their experience make training easier, but their willingness to be open-minded allowed them to truly see how the Arabian breed shines.
An innate ability to learn quickly is what sets the breed apart, according to Head and Weinstein. What may take a warmblood two or three weeks to learn, both girls found that an Arabian only needs two to three days to learn the same skill. They discovered that the breed is easily adaptable to whatever it’s asked to do, and when explained, it was clear that whether it is western pleasure or jumping, these horses are good for everything.
“These horses are so safe. I could take Slick bareback anywhere and not have to worry about a single thing,” Weinstein explained. “I can ride him at one o'clock in the morning in the pitch black and not worry about him taking flight over a shadow.”
“They’re so much more versatile than people give them credit for,” Head said. “If you give them a chance, they're going to give you their all every single time.”
In Best Friend Fashion
When asked what it’s like to share such a deep connection with someone you train and ride with, neither had the words to describe the connection that goes beyond friendship.
“Working with Mary Scott over the past year has really meant the world to me, and I know it means the world to her as well,” Weinstein said. “Going to shows with her is so much fun because there's a certain competitiveness on that side of the sport that isn't portrayed with Arabian horses. Doing it together has definitely brought us closer in so many ways.
“Her mom [Missy Head] has been looking for a reason to get these horses in the show ring and get her big break for a while now. So, I think it also means the world to Missy, knowing that her daughter and her best friend are taking that step forward and sharing with the world that Arabian horses are amazing.”
With no knowledge of the breed, let alone competing on Arabians, Weinstein has been pleasantly surprised by the incredible journey.
“My mom has built an excellent program,” Head said. “She's had some really, really successful horses, and with Forrest being one of them, it makes me happy that now I can contribute to what she has been so passionate about and what she tried for years to explain to me. I would laugh it off because it wasn’t a warmblood, but now I get it.
“I’ve always felt that part of my purpose here on Earth is with horses. When I went through that period of not being with them or riding or doing anything, I felt like I lost a huge chunk of myself, but with Forrest and this industry, I’ve gained that chunk back and more.
“They've been my everything for forever, and I don't think that will ever change. I don't think there is a me without horses.”
Journey to AHA Sport Horse Nationals
Having never competed against each other before, Head and Weinstein are excited for the opportunity, which comes with some friendly competition. Showing in a few of the same classes, the best friends have mutually agreed upon ground rules once they enter the ring.
“We're going to stay on opposite sides of the ring, because we're both going to hog that quarter line,” Head laughed. “I’m just grateful and blessed to be here. The fact that I'm here with Forrest is enough, and regardless of the results in the ring, in my eyes, we’ve won.
“We're here to show and ride, but the relationship with the horse is so much more meaningful than a result. I feel like in the hunter/jumper industry, it was much more result-driven. With these horses, you see that drive come from the love of the horse; and naturally the results follow.”
Weinstein, while experienced in the show ring, admits to being a more anxious and nervous rider. However, since she transitioned to the Arabian sport horse classes, she’s found that nervous energy to dissipate the moment she steps into the barn.
“Being there with your horse and being able to show off what you've worked on is so different from what I grew up doing,” Weinstein said. “It's a big deal for every class here, ribbon or not, and it’s so important that we bring happiness back into the sport of just being able to go in the ring and have a great time with your horse no matter what you come out as. Just being here gives me that giddy feeling.”
Making it to the AHA Sport Horse Nationals is extra special to Weinstein, as she hit a major setback at their last show. Just minutes before entering the ring at the Region XII Championships: Slick unexpectedly colicked. While he made a full recovery days later, Weinstein was devastated.
“He went around that ring, and I swear it was the best he ever felt,” she said. “He put every ounce into that warm-up, but when I got off to give him a cool-down before we went in, he started pawing at the ground and going down to roll. I knew instantly something was wrong.
“I felt awful, knowing he was going around without making a fuss while he was in pain, but it was a true testament to how deep our connection is with these horses and that they would do that for us,” Weinstein exclaimed. “I was devastated for him because I know he wanted to perform. That's when I knew he was my heart horse; I can't think of any horse that would ever do that for me.”
Filling the Empty Stalls with Love
While both Head and Weinstein are ecstatic to attend the AHA Sport Horse Nationals for the first time, this week is much more than a horse show to them. It’s a week of remembrance.
The team and family behind RainMaker Arabians experienced a tremendous loss earlier this year that deeply impacted both Head and Weinstein. At the ages of 19 and 20, the stalls labeled Ciroc and Jahara were empty for the first time.
“Ciroc and Jahara basically raised Forrest,” said Head. “They taught him herd dynamics, and Ciroc especially had imprinted on Forrest. It was as if he was passing the torch to him and I know Ciroc is always here with us in a way.”
With Weinstein living above the barn, she had the chance to enjoy them as downstairs neighbors, and they both played a pivotal role in her falling in love with the breed.
“They were like humans, and actually both rejected Slick because he was a troublemaker,” Weinstein laughed. “Ciroc never wanted the barn to be quiet. He would want us to show and keep moving forward.”
As they step into the show ring this week, they honor the two horses that built the base they stand on, knowing Ciroc and Jahara are watching over them, Slick, and Forrest every step of the way.
Every time they walk into the barn, they are reminded to fill the empty stalls not with grief but with love and passion, showcase the connections they’ve made, promote how incredible and intelligent Arabians are, and to yell from the rooftops how special they truly are.