Equestrian Voices

TW: Descriptions of grooming, sexual abuse as a minor. Listen with care. 

Growing up in the Netherlands, Annette Paterakis rode ponies competitively and had Olympic aspirations. However, transitioning to riding horses was difficult, and teenage Annette found herself going from top placings to being eliminated in the show ring. With dreams and investments on the line, Annette needed some help. Unfortunately, it came in...

When you picture adding “play” into your horse’s training, what comes to mind?

Do you imagine your horse chasing around a large ball or nosing carrots out of a container? Or maybe you see your horse trotting joyfully behind you as you run?

The fact is, play can look like a lot of different things, but it doesn’t have to be any of the above. Play’s purpose is to teach your horse how to “try”–an...

Why do competitions make our hearts hammer, mouths go dry, and hands tremble? We may never get nervous riding at home, but as soon as we step into that show ring (or clinic, or in front of peers, or riding a difficult horse), it can feel like something primal just takes over.

As it turns out, that is exactly what’s happening. Competition (whether you’re actually at a show or not) is deeply rooted into our ...

Muscle tension and underdevelopment are a precursor to injury, making topline development crucial to keeping horses healthy and sound. Elasticity through the back allows horses to move freely, support riders, and meet our performance expectations. So why do so many performance horses have underdeveloped muscles and signs of discomfort?

Unfortunately, a lack of knowledge, overlooking pain symptoms, and the ...

“More impulsion!” Most of us have heard our coaches cry – usually accompanied by a hearty clap or imitation of riding forward. But what does ‘impulsion’ actually mean to you, your trainer, or the judge scoring you?

By listener request, we’re breaking down riding terms that have mystified riders for years. Caroline is joined by Rob Van Jacobs, a USEF “R” Rated judge for hunters and equitation. As a judge,...

Amelia White was just 18 years old when she was the victim of a traumatic car accident that changed her entire life. A university student and active eventer, Amelia suddenly found herself out of school, out of the saddle, and in ongoing surgeries. Despite doctors’ best efforts, Amelia was left with a permanent disability that required her to change her goals and aspirations. 

In this inspiring episode, Ame...

There’s no taking the spook out of a horse. As prey animals, horses will always want to run away first. Combine this fact with modern breeding programs that produce lighter, more responsive horses and many of us may find ourselves riding with a pounding heart and sweaty palms, fearing that inevitable spook.

But a spooky horse isn’t a problem; it’s the symptom of a problem that starts with your relationship...

Thinking about all the ways our sport needs to evolve can be overwhelming. When there are so many organizations, individuals, and stakeholders we want to inspire change in. However, evolving the sport doesn’t need to start at the top. It can start with you right now; with your mindset as a rider or trainer.

Annette Paterakis is a mindset coach for equestrians and the author of “Winning Habits – How Elite E...

It was a record-breaking year for Equestrian Voices, as we won two more awards (W3 Awards) and topped the Goodpods chart. We couldn’t have done it without you, our listeners! From the entire EV team - THANK YOU. 

To celebrate this remarkable year, host Caroline Culbertson is rewinding 5 favorite moments of the pod in 2023 with colleague and longtime media friend, Sally Spickard. 

Many of you w...

Michael Pollard had what most of us could only dream of - a meteoric rise in the discipline of Eventing (including winning a Pan Am Games team Gold Medal in 2011), a string of talented horses, a strong non-horse business that supported his riding career, and a supportive group of sponsors, friends and family. 

But then, to the surprise of many, Michael retired from the sport in 2016, selling all of his hor...

As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, the time comes once more for the biggest decision of the winter: Do you blanket your horse, or not? And, which one? (Heavy, medium, medium-light, neck or no neck?!) 

Some riders put a sheet on at the slightest sign of a chill, while others keep their horses bare regardless of outside conditions. And of course, there are the temperature charts that pop up...

Horses are well known for their power to heal. The positive feelings we have after spending time with our horses are, after all, one of the main reasons why we ride, and equine therapy is used to treat a wide range of physical and mental health challenges. 

How often, though, do we think about the flip side of the coin - how do our actions help, or hinder, our horses’ mental and emotional well being? How c...

You’ve just left the barn after another frustrating lesson, and you don’t know what to do. You know that your horse is more than capable of achieving the goals you’ve set for your riding, but in your heart, you also don’t feel like your horse is having fun in the process. How do you go about deciding when it’s time for a new direction for both you and your horse? What are the feelings that come up during the process, a...

Americans are known for their smooth, forward positions on the horse, so much so that it became known as the ‘American Forward Seat’. But how has it evolved over the years as our light, sensitive Thoroughbreds have blended with the heavier horses of Europe? Does it still provide the same effective foundation today as it did before, or is it less relevant today?

In this episode, Caroline sits down with Olym...

We’ve all seen the pictures: the emaciated horse who looks ancient, but in actuality is in their prime, their coat dirty and their eyes dull. We’ve all also had the desire to just hook up our trailer (or commandeer one) and take them home to a better life. 

Unfortunately, few of us have the resources or the means to follow through on that impulse - so how do we go about helping all of the horses who are in...

When you go to a horse show, you can see riders diligently warming up their horses prior to competition, making sure their partner is both mentally and physically ready for the task ahead. But you rarely (if ever) see those same riders warming themselves up before they mount up, making sure they are just as prepared. Why is there such a vast disconnect between horse preparation and wellness  and rider self-care, and ho...

There are many ideas about what good training looks like with horses. We imagine a well-trained horse as one who is able to perform its job at a high level, and view subsequent competition results as a validation of correctness. But what if that same horse can’t be mounted without being held, or has trouble loading onto/unloading off the trailer? Can we still say the horse is well trained if it’s not able to navigate t...

For most of us, competition is a large part of why we choose to ride, and also for most of us, we allow this drive to steer our behavior without really giving it too much thought. 

But science shows that our competitive drive is not a mystery. In fact, learning about this powerful force behind our motivation can help us shape it towards positive, growth-minded outcomes, and avoid the potential negative con...

While many riders need no excuse to tune into a livestream to watch the top show jumping athletes of our day duke it out at the FEI level, there are a lot of people who consider themselves sports enthusiasts who are nonetheless pretty lost when they try to watch the upper levels of the sport. Let’s not even start on how many of our friends and family would politely decline an invitation to a 5* Grand Prix viewing party...