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 invest…

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 …

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 y…

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? Unfortunatel…

“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 USE…

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…

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 …

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 …

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…

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, Mich…

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. A…

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 …

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 …

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 re…

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 - …

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 discon…

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? C…

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, gr…

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 fami…

There are stereotypes for just about everything when it comes to the horse world, and aging horses are no exception. We picture a hard keeper becoming increasingly thin over time, or maybe we imagine a recently retired athlete going out to a big pasture with a herd of other horses and immediately feeling content. But just like with every stereotype…

There’s no question that the show jumping horses of today are different from the horses of 30, even 20 years ago. As courses continue to get increasingly technical and fast, breeders are producing increasingly athletic horses to match…or is it that cause/effect relationship the other way around? And what about the horses who are bred to jump 1.60, …

There’s so much more to your seat and symmetry in the saddle than meets the eye. It’s not just about good equitation or looking pretty in the saddle. Your horse’s health, musculature, and soundness are profoundly impacted by your balance while you ride. Also, it’s just plain miserable to constantly be fighting your own position while you ride. If y…

If you’re listening to this podcast, then you probably know the name of the company producing it: Noëlle Floyd. What you might not know, though, is that this is also the name of our CEO and Founder. Noëlle started her namesake business as a personal blog meant to detail her career and experiences in the world of show jumping, and since then it’s be…

Your horse is cold backed and unpredictable at the mounting block. Under saddle, he goes around inverted, and can sometimes even kick out or spook suddenly. One of your friends casually says, “Maybe he has Kissing Spines,” and your heart skips - you’ve heard of it before, and know that it’s definitely not good. Kissing Spines disease in horses has …

If you’re a regular to the Equestrian Voices podcast, you know that bitting is a subject we return to time and again. This is because bits have such a dramatic impact on a horse’s happiness and performance - and it’s an area we still have so much to learn about! So we decided to come back to this topic, this time bringing together top professionals…

When it comes to riding, more often than not the focus is placed on the horse - what are they doing, how are they feeling, what can we improve with them, etc. But we all know that the horse is only 50% of the equation - the other 50%? You: the rider. So why does it always feel like focusing on yourself, especially out of the saddle, is somehow self…

If you’ve ever taken a riding lesson, you know that it goes something like this: Your trainer stands in the middle of the ring giving you instructions, and you’re on the horse trying your darndest to follow those instructions precisely. It works… kinda. But bridging that gap between your trainer’s instructions and feeling/understanding can be chall…

Most riders desire to develop a horse who is a happy, willing participant in whatever task or discipline they’ve set out towards. But where the training narrative used to revolve around making sure the horse knows who’s the boss, newer methods value give and take and making sure your horse is heard in the conversation. The balance of toughness vs s…

You hear it all the time: “Young riders today don’t know about horsemanship.” “Kids today just want to get on and ride.” “There are no more barn rats.” These complaints point to a larger potential issue of losing generational knowledge. Is it something we, as horsepeople, should be concerned about? To help us answer this question, we turned to Arch…

Vets are one of the unsung heroes of horse sport. Horses are unfailingly creative (and effective) at hurting themselves; from a mystery lameness to a sudden colic to every type of laceration you could dream up, a day that goes by without some sort of injury is a good day by default. Because of this, having access to a good vet is a critical part of…

If you ride horses and have been on the internet in the past two months, chances are good you’ve heard about “that” helmet study -- specifically, the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab’s Equestrian STAR Helmet Rating Project. On the plus side, we learned that a fancy helmet wasn’t necessarily any safer than a basic, no frills (and much less expensive) helmet…

Mindset Check! Welcome to 2023. We're kicking off with a mindset conversation because even if you're riding less in the cold, dreary month of January, you can still be doing major work to improve your riding. This conversation will inspire you to pour some time, effort, and energy into yourself, not just your horse. (If you, perhaps, would like som…

That’s a wrap on 2022! In this episode, two Equestrian Voices listeners join Caroline to count down 5 of their favorite clips and moments from the pod this year. We can’t wait to learn, question, discuss, and celebrate more with you in 2023! Happy New Year!By NOELLEFLOYD.com

As promised, we’re back with Part 2 of Caroline’s conversation with Amanda Anderson of Saddlefitting.us. We know many of you have been eagerly awaiting the rest of this chat, so let’s dive right into the good stuff. In this episode, host Caroline Culbertson and Amanda discuss: When it may be warranted to stay off your horse entirely (a hard truth, …

Are we collectively aware of how profoundly saddle fit can affect our horses? As today’s Equestrian Voices episode guest would argue, probably not. Saddle fit can cause real (and, as far as we know, potentially irreversible) damage to your horse’s body. That’s the bad news. The good news is, a well-fitting saddle doesn't have to be expensive or com…

Before you hit the road with your horse again, give this ep a listen. Your horse will thank you. Travel can be stressful on your horse and, in some cases, even harmful for his health. For the humans, traveling with our horses can be daunting because there are lots of elements you can’t control (traffic, how well your horse eats or drinks on the tra…

Kasey Perry-Glass and Dana Glass may be married and in business together, but their backgrounds in horses couldn’t be more different. But, that’s what makes them interesting – and what makes their business work. In fact, it’s almost like their secret weapon. What can dressage and horsemanship learn from each other? How did they decide to integrate …

If you’re in the horse world long enough, you or someone you know will probably experience trauma. For almost all of us, it has been – or will be – a part of life and the horse world is no exception. And horse people are really, really good at trying to ignore it or “tough it out”. Many of us can miss the signs of it or feel confused about why we’r…

Have you ever whispered a silent prayer to the flying change gods to please let this change be clean? Have you ever felt a twinge of temptation to throw your weight to get the change, or pull on the inside rein? Flying changes don’t have to be dependent on luck (although luck always helps) – but many of us don’t understand the flying change as deep…

What do you need to focus on in those 3- and 4-year old years? How do you cope with the pressure to “not mess up” a young horse? What matters most in the early years for a horse? Top British eventer Piggy March has an FEI record the length of a novel and has had many illustrious wins to her name including Badminton, Burghley, the European Eventing …

Being a successful rider in this sport is an uphill battle — and not just in terms of the skills and time necessary to make your way up the ladder. The ups and downs can be extreme and unpredictable, it’s often “one step forward, two steps back”, and money more often feels like a problem than a solution. And for many ambitious riders like our guest…

What if you don't have $100k to spend on buying a horse? Join the club - there's a whole lot of us! It's time to give this portion of the horse market some air time. What's the buying or selling experience like in the, say, $40,000USD and under range? How do we find good quality horses in budget? Where do we look? What's a PPE like in that price ra…

We’re taking on a spicy topic this week! (But why is this such a heated debate? We’ll get to that, too!) If horses are born without shoes, why do they need them? Are we disrupting their natural gait/growth/biology by putting shoes on them, or are we actually helping them cope with their lifestyle and demands by nailing some steel on their feet? Ric…

Are you an expert on your horse? Do you see your peers or even your trainer “winging it” when it comes to structuring rides, or figuring out why that rail fell down, or why your horse seemed tired in today’s ride? We’re learning about ways to use science and data to drastically improve the performance of ourselves and our horses – and it’s exciting…

Do you know what’s going on with horse slaughter in the States? Most of us don't - or didn't. And that includes me, your host, Caroline. The equestrian community is pretty good at turning a blind eye to this issue. It's easy to think, "those horses aren't our horses." I did it, too. But today, we're going to bring some transparency to horse slaught…

There are a million ways to “make it” - depending on what “making it” means to you. While many riders might dream of winning a gold medal in a pinque coat on a shiny, impeccably braided horse, sometimes you’ll find an even more fulfilling way to be in the horse industry that you hadn’t considered before. Today on the podcast, we have two equestrian…

As important as the horse’s mouth is for his health, as well as our riding, most of us don’t know much about it. For many of us it’s a long, black tunnel of mystery that we try to understand by experimenting with a variety of feeds or anatomical bridles or bits or… you name it. Today, we’re shining a metaphorical light up into that mouth to give yo…

In our sport, you can go to the Olympics when you’re 21… or when you’re 60. Or, you can never make a team but still have a profound impact on the athletes around you and equestrian sport as a whole. Success in horses is a lifelong endeavor, but our sport in the U.S., places a huge emphasis on riders 21 and under. What are the effects (both positive…

It seems like at least once a week, you'll see a social media post or an announcement about another boarding barn closing its doors. A lot of boarding barns that are up and running have long wait lists, and it calls into question what boarding barns are up against. To understand that, you have to understand all of the things that go into running th…

Several weeks back, a video from a Mark Todd clinic circulated around the internet - it was a clip taken during a clinic, and it caused a lot of conversation and controversy on social media. This podcast is not about that video in particular, but the video did spark some reflection and larger conversations around what we deem acceptable in horse tr…