A Lesson in Sponsorship That Stayed With Me

When I was 19, I was training in Germany with European gold medalist Karin Rehbein at the renowned Gestüt Grönwohldhof. That spring, the world’s best riders were crossing the Atlantic for the Budweiser World Cup Final in Las Vegas, and I had the extraordinary opportunity to go.

Pat Purnell was a student of mine, and I also helped B.G. Siegfried with her riding. I competed horses owned by both of them, including B.G.’s outstanding young horse and Pat’s Grand Prix horse, whom I later purchased and took with me to Europe. Pat’s husband, Jack Purnell, was the CEO of Anheuser-Busch International, the company behind Budweiser and the event’s title sponsor. That connection is part of why the invitation meant as much as it did.

I flew commercially from Hamburg to St. Louis, then took a car to Spirit of St. Louis Airport. From there, I traveled to Las Vegas on the Purnells’ jet with B.G. and her husband, Norb (two of my favorite people).

At 19, staying at the Bellagio and attending the World Cup felt almost unreal. The competition itself was a world-class production. Yet the conversation I remember most clearly happened away from the arena.

I looked up to Jack. He’d earned an MBA from Wharton and built a career most people only read about. During that trip, he talked to me about negotiating sponsorships. His point was simple: if you want a deal to happen, you have to explain what both sides stand to gain. A good partnership should be a win for everyone involved.

I carried that lesson into 2008, when I co-founded Dressage Under the Stars® with the late Neil Hirsch. As I sought sponsorships for the event, I thought often about how to give a prospective partner a reason to care, and a clear reason to participate.

Over the years, I’ve seen more brands connect their products with causes their audiences care about. The idea appeared frequently on Shark Tank, where entrepreneurs would explain both what they sold and what each sale could support. When I began working with Tequila Scenario, I saw an opportunity to build a campaign around that connection.

Tequila Scenario is a small-batch artisanal tequila brand with a strong equestrian identity. Each bottle features an image of one of the founder’s horses. The connection to the horse world is part of the brand’s story, so it felt natural to invite people in that community to support causes of their own choosing.

The result is an influencer challenge planned for the first week of November: Your Scenario. Your Cause.

Participating influencers will share content featuring their favorite Tequila Scenario expression and offer followers a code that tracks purchases. Tequila Scenario will donate 10% of the gross revenue from purchases made with each code to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit selected by that influencer, in their name. Participants will also receive their favorite tequila as a thank-you.

One of the most rewarding parts of developing the challenge has been learning which organizations people want to support. Olympic medalist Lisa Wilcox chose Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines, which provides a home for older horses.

The campaign is set to launch November 15th. It gives each influencer a chance to introduce a product they enjoy, gives the brand a way to reach new audiences, and directs a portion of those sales toward a cause that matters to the person sharing it.

More than two decades after that trip to Las Vegas, I still value Jack’s advice when I think about a partnership: show everyone what they can gain from taking part. I’ll report back after the challenge to share what happened.