Christian Erickson is a lifelong horseman, financial advisor, and entrepreneur with deep roots in both the Thoroughbred industry and wealth management.

His passion for horses began at an early age. At 12, Christian was crowned Rodeo King of the Jackson Hole Rodeo in Jackson, Wyoming. As a teenager, he rode jumpers throughout the South and East Coast before beginning to gallop Thoroughbreds at Keeneland while attending the University of Kentucky. He graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.S. in Political Science and continued riding at Keeneland after graduation.

Christian spent eight years in commercial real estate before beginning his career in financial services in 1993 with J.C. Bradford, later joining Smith Barney. In 2012, he founded Ashwood Wealth Management, Inc. (AWM), a full-service boutique wealth management firm with offices in Lexington, Kentucky; Sun Valley, Idaho; and San Francisco, California. Today, he serves as AWM’s Owner and Managing Partner. The firm’s five advisors collectively bring more than 125 years of experience to serving its clients.

Christian’s professional career has remained closely connected to his passion for horses. He serves as Trustee of the Virginia Kraft Payson Children’s Trust and manages a variety of assets for the trust, including the historic Payson Stud farm in Lexington. He is also President of Payson Stud, Inc., where he oversees a small, boutique Thoroughbred operation focused primarily on mares and foals, along with a select group of racehorses.

Payson Stud was a breeder of 2025 Eclipse Award winner She Feels Pretty and owns and campaigned Corningstone, Indiana’s all-time leading money-winning mare. The operation also includes race mare Hello and Goodbye, a half-sister to She Feels Pretty.

Christian’s career reflects a lifelong commitment to horses, business, and the relationships built through both.