As a partner of the 2015 Breeders Cup, the Uber Kentucky team is excited to present a short series of blog posts focused on the Bluegrass State’s favorite pastime: horse racing. Follow along this week for driver-partner features and pro tips for race day!

Meet Shalon. A local entrepreneur, small town enthusiast, and Uber driver-partner in Lexington. We recently met with Shalon to talk about what drives him. Here’s what he had to say:

So, Shalon, tell us about yourself. How are you involved with the equine industry here in Kentucky?

I own and operate Small Town Living Magazine. We cover small towns between Louisville and Lexington, including Middletown, Versailles, Paris, and Shelbyville. It used to be called Shelby Living, but we changed it to Small Town Living in January 2015 – the first issue came out in February 2015.

We started in Shelbyville, which is the American Saddlebred horse capital of the world. We partner with the Shelbyville Horse Show (which brings about $12 million to Shelbyville) to feature horses, equestrians, and other pieces of equine life. We’re also planning to cover the Breeders’ Cup next year.

What’s the Horse Show all about?

The Horse Show is quite a social event. There are horses, of course, but people come now just for the social aspect: food, music, dancing. It’s a full night event, and celebs who own horses come to the show as well.

How did you get involved with the equine industry initially?

We’re a magazine about small town living, so, naturally, we want to cover the events going on in all of these small towns across Kentucky. We simply approached the Horse Show Committee and told them we wanted to cover everything with stories, photos, etc. That’s how we got linked up. We dedicated an issue to the Horse Show and Redd Crabtree (he passed away this year). He’s the first saddlebred horse rider to be inducted into the American Hall of Fame for athleticism. His mother, Helen Crabtree, wrote a book that is now the guide for riding horses and shows. All the riders read it – it’s very cool.

What’s surprised you about the horse industry as a non-equestrian covering horse shows and racing?

An interesting thing I learned was that the gait used by Saddlebred horses during shows – that trot they do – is actually a natural movement. That’s how they actually like to trot around, and they’re just trained to raise their hooves to different heights depending on the gait.

What do you do when you aren’t running Small Town Living?

Since we’re a new magazine and I work on it full time, I don’t make money in the full time position. I started driving with Uber in February 2015 after I heard about it from a friend in Columbus, Ohio. Uber has supplemented my income to be able to build the magazine. I only drive Fridays and Saturdays – I make enough those two days to pay for my rent and my car. Small Town Living is now in more than 80 locations and we’re printing more than 10,000 copies of each issue. We’re hoping to get to 20,000 copies by the end of the year!

You must have a great strategy! What’s your advice for other Uber partners?

I have the strategy, that’s true. As an Uber partner, you have to be open to lots of things. You need to be open to all these people getting in your vehicle and talking to you.

What are you looking forward to in terms of driving during the Breeders’ Cup?

I always love driving for Horse events, such as the Breeder’s Cup and Derby, as all the passengers are coming from different places. You get to chat about their travels and where they are from. It’s also fun seeing the colorful outfits most people ware, including the outrageous hats. Hats were traditionally a Derby thing, but now you see people with them at most equestrian events.

Any shout outs?

Yes – I’d like to give a shout out to my mother and business partner, Stacey P.. I’d also like to give a shout out to Kimber, another Uber partner. We meet up for breakfast at iHOP every Sunday after we drop off the party crowd.


From left to right: Stacey P., Shalon P.
From left to right: Kimber (Uber partner), Shalon P., Joel (roommate)