Lindsay Neubarth, associate head coach for the equestrian team, started working at age 11.
She didn't work for money, but instead for the chance to ride horses.
"I would exchange working for the opportunity to compete and to be trained by certain trainers," Neubarth said. "That's just how I grew up and how it all developed."
Neubarth rode on the equestrian team at Auburn from 1999 to 2003.
"It was never really something I intended to do," Neubarth said, "but I love Auburn, and I couldn't pass it up. So now I'm going to stick to coaching."
Senior hunt seat rider Anna Schierholz said Neubarth's coaching style is tough, yet encouraging.
"She's really personable, really funny," Schierholz said, "but she still has a constant drive to get the absolute most out of her athletes, which I think is really impressive for a coach, especially a young coach.
"To be able to relate to her athletes so well and yet get so much out of us--it's something for all coaches to strive for."
Neubarth said she grew up playing basketball and volleyball, but always wanted to ride.
She grew up in Cincinnati and moved near Chicago when she was 14, and she said Auburn's warm climate appealed to her when choosing a college.
"I went to a small, private school, and I knew I wanted a big-school atmosphere that was warm," Neubarth said. "When I came down to visit, Auburn was drastically different than the lifestyle up North, but it was definitely a family that I wanted to be a part of."
She majored in psychology and criminology with a minor in Spanish.
Neubarth began coaching at Auburn in 2004.
"She's very tough," said coach Greg Williams, "but they (the players) certainly understand her. They really like her attitude."
Neubarth said one of her favorite aspects of coaching is sharing her love for the University with the women on the team.
"I love getting to teach kids about the team aspect," Neubarth said. "You're no longer competing for yourself like you do when you're growing up. At Auburn, you're competing for your team. It's about the AU, not about the name that's on your jersey."
Schierholz said Neubarth is a mentor for riders both in and out of the arena.
"We all have very close bonds with her as our coach," Schierholz said. "It's very professional, but we know that we can talk to her about anything, and she will help us through any situation. Whether it be athletic or academic, she'll really work with us."
Although she has ridden most of her life, Neubarth said she has never owned her own horse.
"I've always just ridden for other people," Neubarth said. "People would just bring me their horses to ride and try to sell for them.
"A lot of the time, I rode tail horses or nice horses or bad horses or horses that people needed to get rid of."
Neubarth attended the National Championship game in Glendale, Ariz., in January.
"For equestrian, we've won two national championships now," she said. "Understanding all the emotion I'm feeling behind that and seeing that on such a big level, I can only imagine what it was like to be the players and the coaches."
When she isn't coaching, Neubarth plays in a local dodgeball league with trainers and coaches from the athletic department.
She also competes in triathlons and is training for an April marathon in Nashville.
"I have a lot of friends that are going to do the half," Neubarth said. "I can't get anyone to commit to the full."
Neubarth said she loves to travel and plans on going to Greece this summer.
"She loves to crack jokes with us, make fun of us, tease us," Schierholz said. "She's just a fascinatingly cool coach to have."
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