All episodes

#65 Un-Natural Horsemanship with Chiara Poscente and Zak Maytum

#65 Un-Natural Horsemanship with Chiara Poscente and Zak Maytum

101m 0s

Chiara Poscente is a Mindful Horsemanship Coach, Horse and Rider Biomechanics Trainer, and BTMM Rider Pillars Apprentice Instructor. Zak Maytum is a Mindful Horsemanship Coach, Equine Behavior Specialist, and Innovative Traditional Western Saddle Maker. Together they have founded Un-Natural Horsemanship.

Un-Natural Horsemanship is not a method, doctrine, or school. It is an Idea: Both horse and human can be equally valued and worthy parts of a balanced partnership. The highest goal is to find a good feeling for ourselves and for our horses. Beyond that, it can be fun to see how far we can carry it together.
Un-Natural Horsemanship...

#64 Publishing in the Equestrian Industry with Martha Cook

#64 Publishing in the Equestrian Industry with Martha Cook

36m 0s

Martha Cook is the managing director of Trafalgar Square Books, a publishing company serving the horse industry with beautifully illustrated, well-written books to supplement the growth and development of horse people. Martha runs the daily operations of Trafalgar Square Books, as well as handling contracts, print buying, rights, and promotion and marketing.

Trafalgar Square Books believes that, with the help of their authors, we can all learn to ride better; teach our horses to perform better; feed them and house them more in accordance to their needs; care for them when they fall ill and help them recover from injury;...

#63 Horse Listening with Cheryl Eriksen

#63 Horse Listening with Cheryl Eriksen

32m 13s

Cheryl Eriksen is an author, blogger, horse midwife, and eternal student of the horse-human connection.

While earning her MSW from Western Michigan University, Cheryl took a special interest in the effects of trauma on the developing brain, and she applied that learning, along with her personal experiences as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, into her memoir, Follow Me, Friend.

Additionally, Cheryl has spent decades as an equine professional and extensively studied equine behavior and how it is influenced by what the human brings to the relationship. Through her work in the field of equine assisted psychotherapy and learning, Cheryl...

#62 Talking Horse Sport with Steven Wilde

#62 Talking Horse Sport with Steven Wilde

44m 7s

Steven Wilde travels the world to talk about horse sport. He grew up in the sport of show jumping with his mother, an international rider, and began equestrian sports commentating in 2001. Steven has had great success organizing shows as well. With a long list of events on his resume, Steven has commentated at many shows including multiple Olympic Games, European Championships, World Championships, over 100 World Cup Qualifiers, and over ten years on the Longines Global Champions Tour. His voice is a staple at WEF and other shows in the US and abroad.

Connect with Steven:

X: https://x.com/stevenwilde1
Facebook:...

#61 The Art of Equine Alchemy with Amber Lydic

#61 The Art of Equine Alchemy with Amber Lydic

67m 59s

Over two decades ago, Amber started a successful business focused on helping performance horses with behavioral issues. However, she soon realized that a major part of the horses' problems stemmed from the humans, and at that time, no one was addressing how to support the human side of things. While Amber knew there was a disconnect, she wasn't sure what to do about it, so she continued to train horses to be safe for humans instead of also working towards making humans safe for horses.

Years later, Amber experienced a life-changing moment that helped her understand the power of energy....

#60 Giving OTTBs a new lease on life with Lauren Maas

#60 Giving OTTBs a new lease on life with Lauren Maas

50m 12s

Lauren Maas is the executive director of Canter California and Canter USA, non-profit organizations providing retiring Thoroughbred racehorses with opportunities for new careers by helping to place, rehabilitate, and retrain these amazing athletes.

It began leasing her first love, a 1985 OTTB gelding named Sunny, just before her eleventh birthday. Lauren’s love of thoroughbreds has continued and grown ever since.

After holding multiple volunteer positions throughout the years, Lauren became the executive director of 501c3 thoroughbred aftercare organizations CANTER California and CANTER USA, which has placed more than 25,000 OTTBs in a new home. Lauren has been hard at work...

#59 Working for your luck with international showjumper Richard Vogel

#59 Working for your luck with international showjumper Richard Vogel

38m 19s

*Important to note: This podcast episode was originally recorded in June 2024 in German for the wehorse podcast. We used translation software to dub the episode for our English podcast, The Equestrian Connection. Please excuse any imperfections in the conversation as a result.

Richard Vogel is a German rider who started riding horses at the age of four, following in the footsteps of his family who have always had a strong passion for horses. He began competing at the age of seven and since then has has achieved numerous national and international successes.

After a riding apprenticeship and valuable years...

#58 How Equestrians are Prequalified for Activism with EquUSCAN

#58 How Equestrians are Prequalified for Activism with EquUSCAN

60m 33s

The purpose of EquUSCAN is to engage equestrians (specifically in the US and Canada, though everyone is welcome) in social justice work and global activism. EquUSCAN is a resource hub, highlighting and amplifying important humanitarian causes around the world and providing actionable avenues through which you can get involved and contribute to making a difference, help those who need it most, and reduce harm and suffering for vulnerable and targeted populations. EquUSCAN believes that your voice matters and they want to empower you to use it for the greater good!

Founders Kait Miller and Elsie Reford truly believe that aligning...

#57 Speaking Up About Horse Welfare with Rebekka Klubien, the Journalist Who Exposed Helgstrand Dressage

#57 Speaking Up About Horse Welfare with Rebekka Klubien, the Journalist Who Exposed Helgstrand Dressage

42m 45s

Rebekka Klubien graduated from Roskilde University in 2021 and started working at the public broadcast tv station TV2 in 2022. Currently, she holds the position as a TV producer in the investigative journalism department.

In 2023, Rebekka went undercover as a groom to see firsthand the daily operations at the Danish base of Helgstrand Dressage, which also has locations in Germany and Florida. Inside the barn, Rebekka found horses with welts from whips, mouth sores that were not given time to heal, and spur marks that were disguised with shoe polish when customers visited. She also filmed Helgstrand riders riding...

#56 Understanding Your Horse’s Dietary Needs with Connie Flores

#56 Understanding Your Horse’s Dietary Needs with Connie Flores

83m 25s

Connie Flores is a certified Equine Nutrition Advisor and the owner of 17 Hand Equine Nutrition.

Her goal is to help horse owners understand the purpose behind every ingredient in their horse’s diet and to help develop a personalized feed program specific to the horse as a unique individual. Connie works independently of any feed company and provides unbiased feedback and recommendations, as well as keeps the owner’s goals in mind.

On this episode, we discuss Connie’s why behind empowering owners to understand their horse’s nutrition, advice for both hard and easy keepers, hay testing, and so much more.

Connect...