Marketing Entrepreneur

Frankie Thieriot Stutes, founder of Athletux, shares her journey to finding a unique career path in the equine industry.

- SHOSHANA RUDSKI

You know a horse person can make a living as a barn manager, horse trainer, or veterinarian. But what if you want to go down a different path? We chatted with Frankie Thieriot Stutes to learn more about Athletux, her equestrian marketing services company, to learn about an option off the beaten path.

Frankie has always loved horses. However, she also knew from early on that she didn't want horses to be her entire life. In addition to competing through the Advanced level in eventing with her horse, Fric Frac Berence ("Fric"), she was competitive in basketball and volleyball while in school.

Career and Horses

After high school, she attended Santa Clara University.

"I went to school for communications and marketing and I rode the whole time," she says. "But I always [was] thinking about what my career might look like. I always knew that I wanted to work in sports in some capacity, so I did a lot of internships in college in sports that weren't riding-specific. I did an internship for Fox Sports and another for the San Jose Sharks [hockey team] and another for Nike."

While some aspiring upper-level riders compete a large string of horses at a time, Frankie preferred to focus on one horse at a time and building a strong relationship with him. After college, she planned to go to graduate school, but opted to take a marketing job and keep riding instead.

While preparing to take Fric to the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI 4* (now the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event 5*), she had to ride early mornings and late evenings before and after work. She knew she was going to need a bit of help. However, she was aware that just having one horse might make the process trickier.

Building a Business