BY CYNTHIA MCFARLAND

Some of us never outgrow our first love.

Alexandra (Alex) Roman’s childhood fascination with horses has come full circle. 

Today, the visionary behind Horse World Advertising starts every morning in the barn and can be found in the saddle at least five days a week. Her clients are reaping the rewards of her early dreams enhanced by decades of media and sales experience.

Born and raised in Madison, Connecticut, Roman’s first aspirations were horse-centered. From the age of five, she dreamed of becoming a jockey.

“I wanted any job that would put me on a horse,” she said. “My family did not have money so there were no horses in my younger years. I longed for them and any time I could do a trail ride or anything to be around horses, I took advantage of that.”

Roman earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Connecticut in 1994, and her Master of Science in management from Albertus Magnus College in 1999.

As a young adult, she dove into work, putting her horse dreams on the shelf temporarily—but never out of her heart.

Roman worked hard and found her stride in the media business excelling in her position at ESPN.

RIDING OPPORTUNITIES

“When I was about 30, I was full swing into my career at ESPN as senior director of advertising solutions,” Roman said. “Finally, I was at a point in my career where I had some extra money. I’d gotten promoted and this was the first time in my life where I actually had some discretionary income, so I started taking hunter jumper lessons.”  

She had no problem being the only 30-year-old taking lessons at a barn filled with teenagers. 

“Friday nights I’d go to the barn for lessons,” Roman said. “I lived for that all week.”

For the next two decades she would take a lesson once a week.

“Because I was taking lessons, I got to ride a lot of different horses and work with a lot of different trainers,” she said. “I was keen to get on any horse, whatever the barn had. I was not picky; I would ride anything the trainer had. I even started doing schooling shows.” 

Then after about seven years, the barn where she’d been riding was sold to a trainer who wanted to change the focus to dressage. 

“There weren’t a lot of barns within driving distance, so I decided to stay at that barn and convert to dressage,” said Roman, who learned the basics of dressage taking lessons on a beautiful Appendix Quarter Horse gelding named Casey.  

At the same time, she met a woman who lived across the road from the barn. Margaret had two Quarter Horses and went trail riding every day, and she was looking for a riding companion for her other horse named K-C. 

“So, for five years I was riding Casey and K-C,” laughed Roman. “I was fortunate then to get in two rides a week, one in the arena and one on the trail.”  

After over a decade at ESPN, Roman left the network giant to work for Digital Content Next (DCN), a trade association out of New York and Washington D.C. that represents media companies. She served as vice president of member relations and supporters.  

FORWARD MOMENTUM

Early during the Covid-19 lockdown era, Roman reconnected with someone from her past. She’d first met Randy Coppola when she was a kid.

“He was a friend of my older brother and I had a major crush on him, but he was 16 and I was 9 then,” Roman said. 

When they started talking in 2020, the age difference was no longer relevant, but that childhood crush was still sweet. The two found a future together and are currently engaged.

Randy was living in Florida, and in 2021, Roman left New England and moved to the Sunshine State.

“The first thing I had to do when I moved to Florida was find a new barn,” said Roman, who soon began riding at Half Halt Stables, a dressage training barn in Cocoa, Florida.

“Again, I would ride any horse they had, and I became friends with all the wonderful people at Half Halt,” she said.

Little did Roman know that her move to Florida would bring something completely new into her life—the opportunity to have a horse of her own.

“In 2023, one of the women at the stable, was selling her horse. I wasn’t shopping, but I met Voodoo in the field,” said Roman of Voodooville, a 2009 Iowa-bred stakes-placed gelding who’d earned $203,525 in a six-year career.

Roman never imagined buying an off-the-track Thoroughbred but fell hard and fast for Voodoo.

“I’d done leases before, but ownership was a little scary at first,” Roman said. “The owner, Mary, was open to leasing him, so I did that in early 2024 and became the only person riding him and being responsible for him.”

It didn’t take long for Roman to know she wanted to make the arrangement permanent.

“Right away, I was riding five days a week and knew I wasn’t going to be able to let him go,” she said. “I bought Voodoo nine months into the lease.”

Back when Roman was overseeing the horse racing section of ESPN, she had fallen in love with Thoroughbreds. Fast forward 20 years and she had her own OTTB. 

NEW CHAPTER

Roman’s next chapter of life has proved to be rich with opportunity—and not just when it comes to horse ownership.

“In 2024, I walked away from a lucrative career to take my skills into the horse industry,” Roman said. “I recognized that Florida is a very strong state for the horse industry and wanted to be in a growing sector. I left the trade association job and made connections with Brock Sheridan at the FTBOA on LinkedIn.”

Roman launched her own business, Horse World Advertising & Sponsorships. 

“I help equine businesses and services bring their brands to horse people, whether that is Thoroughbred racing professionals, affluent horse show equestrians or to cast a wide net on a global, multi-disciplined horse audience across media types,” she said. “My clients are companies that want to reach horse people, so I can help and guide them. I do advertising sales and sponsorships for the FTBOA as an independent contractor.”

She relishes the opportunity to promote the state’s equine industry.

“We have already developed some key advertising and sponsorship partnerships with the FTBOA. I look forward to continuing to build relationships helping equine products and services reach the Thoroughbred professionals of Florida,” Roman said.

“Everybody at the FTBOA has been wonderful to work with,” she said. “When I bring clients to the FTBOA headquarters, the whole team is supportive and I’m proud to be part of the organization.”

Roman credits Voodoo for this new season of life.

“It was really my horse that inspired me to make this big life change in my 50s,” Roman said. “Finally, little Alex gets to be all about horses. It took 40 years, but I finally get to be all in about horses.” 

Roman admits that timing is everything and loves the season she’s living right now.

“I feel l like it took all this time to get ready for Voodoo,” she said. “When I was working full time in the media industry, there was no time for a horse. Timing has to be right. I feel like we are two mature professionals in our own areas. Now we’re together and can be mature professionals together.”  

She and Randy live in Brooksville, which meant relocating Voodoo closer to home where she can enjoy all the day-to-day aspects of horse ownership. 

“I now have Voodoo at a small dressage farm three miles from home,” Roman said. “Starting with him [the only Thoroughbred on the property] at Half Halt Stables was a true gift as I got to know Voo under the guidance of fantastic trainers who also showed me excellent horse care. I lovingly called it ‘German Horse College.’ Voodoo and I ‘graduated’ and now we’re on our own.” 

The barn where she now boards Voodoo has a dressage arena and also large fields to ride in. 

The horse-crazy little girl who dreamed of being a jockey finally has a horse of her own in her fifth decade of life. For that special horse to be an OTTB is just icing on the cake.

---

Anyone interested in connecting with Alex Roman about ways you can get involved with the FTBOA, should reach out to her by email: aroman@ftboa.com

---

Return to the April 7 issue of Wire to Wire