Horse Person

Caroline Culbertson
Horse Person

Being a horse person is like this: the more you learn, the more you realize you know nothing... at all. So, with all the different "bubbles" of the horse world, how can we all get into the same room to share a little bit of curiosity, perspective, and humanity with each other? Welcome to Horse Person, the equestrian podcast hosted and produced by 3x award-winning podcaster Caroline Culbertson. Part education, part human-(horse?) interest, all with the ultimate goal of supporting and encouraging you on your journey to become the best horse person you can be.

Episodes

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    ‘I Started Riding at 40. I Want to Ride Prix St. Georges by Age 60!’

    At 27, Marcela Pomphrey moved to the UK without knowing a lick of English language. At 30 she began working in a sporting industry she had no experience in. At 31, she started a business. At 40, she started riding.  Now, the 46-year-old has a goal of riding at the Prix St. Georges level in dressage by age 60.  In this episode of Horse Person, Marcela shares her journey of decades of longing for horses to be part of her life, how that dream became a reality, and what it taught her about having a learning mindset, embracing the resources that are available to you, and stumbling through the process of being a beginner as an adult. So often, we are lulled into wanting a life of comfort once we reach a certain station in life, but Marcela is the inspiration we all need to wonder about the gifts on the other side of disruption.  Follow along with Marcela’s journey on Instagram, where she documents daily life and training @40somethingdressagediva  This episode is proudly sponsored by Connaway and Associates Equine Insurance Services. Do you have an insurance question? Email us and we’ll answer it in an upcoming episode! Caroline@horsepersonpodcast.com This episode is also supported by Nikovian.com - luxury equestrian sport performance apparel without the unreasonable price tag. Use code horseperson15 to get 15% off any purchase at checkout! And, we are supported by We Ride Together, a non-profit on a mission to promote safe and healthy sport for all. For more info on the “Know Your Rights” resource mentioned in today’s episode, go here.

    46 min
  2. OCT 14

    Frustrated, Fearful or Forgetful in Clinics? How to Make Every Clinic Count and Take Charge of Your Learning

    If you’ve ever driven home after a clinic and felt like everything you heard the clinician say has promptly exited your brain stage left, you’re not alone. It’s so easy for those experiences to pass in a blur, leaving you feeling like you didn’t have the experience you were hoping for, or that the time and money spent didn’t have a true impact on your training trajectory.  So let’s address it! In today’s episode, host Caroline Culbertson is joined by clinician and 5* eventer Sinead Halpin to discuss how to get the most out of this unique learning format. Students and clinicians can’t just treat clinics like a lesson and expect the experience to be excellent. Sinead and Caroline discuss some plays that riders and clinicians can use to ensure they’re downloading the skills and knowledge that will serve them well, and leave the rest behind.  The discuss points like:  Arriving at the clinic wanting a) an audit of you and your horse’s skills and what needs to be addressed, or b) a specific area you’re having difficulty Researching the clinician and their areas of specialty, as well as teaching style Giving the clinician your “elevator pitch” on what you’re hoping to achieve in your time with them Setting “hard goals” and “soft goals”  Why 50% of the learning responsibility is on the clinician, and 50% is on the student How to advocate for your horse in a clinic environment Why sometimes you shouldn’t be confident in some skills, but you can rely on confidence in other areas  Handling nerves while riding in front of auditors  Sinead’s thoughts on green horses and riders riding with top level trainers/clinicians Don’t ride in another clinic without listening to this episode! Learn more about Sinead at www.copperlineequestrian.com.  This episode is supported by WeRideTogether.today , a nonprofit organization on a mission to make the youth and amateur sport environment safer for all athletes. Go HERE for helpful resources, including the CARD Diagrams mentioned in this episode's Ringside Chat segment.  Ad music: Ikkun.

    57 min
  3. OCT 14

    Jonathon Millar Returns: Rebuilding His Brain, Body, and Getting Back in the Saddle after a Traumatic Brain Injury

    Jonathon Millar has spent the past year and a half doing something he never expected he’d have to do – slowly, painstakingly rehabilitating from a traumatic brain injury, from which he nearly died, in a non-riding accident that he can't remember. He spent weeks in a coma, had a portion of his skull removed, and then had brain surgery once again to have it replaced. In total, he had 4 brain surgeries as the result of this accident. He spent months rehabilitating his cognitive skills, and then subsequently rehabilitating physically and re-strengthening the deficit he experienced on the left side of his body.  But to talk to the member of the Canadian show jumping team today, he’s filled with optimism and humility at the outpouring of support that the equestrian community gave him. He admits that there were times of feeling very stuck and frustrated, but it’s not lost on him that just the fact that he is alive is pretty miraculous.  Jonathon and I discuss his upbringing (if you’re not familiar, Jonathon is the son of the peerless 10x Canadian Olympian Ian Millar and the late horsewoman Lynn Millar, and the brother of Olympic show jumper Amy Millar). We talk about what he remembers of the accident and the days and weeks that followed. We discuss how his identity became consumed by his rehabilitation - and the challenge of being a lifelong athlete who was suddenly thrust into a very different type of goalsetting and training. And we talk about how Jonathon is doing now - at the time of recording, Jonathan was just about to clock his first show back in the saddle on his horse Lollipop. Returning to the show ring is a huge milestone for him and I’m so grateful to Jonathon for sharing this story and interview with me.  If you’ve followed his story, you’ll really enjoy this in-depth update, but even if you’re not familiar with Jonathon, this is a story of life before and life after a huge fracture in this rider’s life - and how he’s worked to put the pieces of himself and his identity back together. Enjoy. Follow Jonathon and his progress by following the Millar Brook South social media pages. This episode is supported by WeRideTogether.today , a nonprofit organization on a mission to make the youth and amateur sport environment safer for all athletes. Go HERE to take the pledge mentioned in this episode's Ringside Chat segment.  Ad music: Ikkun.

    41 min
  4. OCT 14

    My Apology to Past Horses, Why Being a Reserve for Rio Was 'the Best and Worst Time in My Career', and Developing a Culture of Caring

    When 5* event rider Matt Brown was finally listed as an alternate for the Rio Olympics, it was the realization of a life-long dream. It was also simultaneously the highest and lowest point of his career. He was in a position that he’d worked so hard for, made many sacrifices to get to, and yet, something didn’t feel right.  “Someone within the sport recommended I do something… that was not legal. And I was seriously considering it. We had moved east, (my owners) had spent all this money, (my wife) had uprooted her life… it seemed unfair to not do everything I could (to get to the Olympics) when I was that close,” he recalls.  The pressure was intense - pressure that had been building in dollars, in years, and in life decisions. The question of, ‘What was all of that for if I don’t reach the goal?’ loomed large. But Matt made a choice, and he hasn’t looked back.  It was a turning point in his life that changed the way he proceeds in his business, and he sheds light in this episode on the framework that allows he and his wife, FEI dressage rider Cecily Clark, to operate within a set of values that makes all of their decisions simple. Not always easy, but simple and clear.  In this episode, Caroline chats with Matt and Cecily about how the horse sport world can enter into a productive conversation about the ethical considerations of horse training. They discuss the delicate line of balancing our own personal goals and doing what’s right for the horse. They discuss a horse in Matt’s past that he wishes he could apologize to, and how they’re ensuring they move forward in a way that serves as that apology with the horses they have now. They also shed some light and thoughtfulness on how we as a community can have this challenging conversation, and how we respond to abuse when we witness it in person, or online, and why humility can lead the way in taking action.  This is a beautiful conversation that can encourage you to stay true to yourself, get clear on what you want your life with horses to look like, and to be open to redefining your goals and dreams, even if they feel tightly held. This episode is supported by WeRideTogether.today , a nonprofit organization on a mission to make the youth and amateur sport environment safer for all athletes. Go HERE for the Active Bystander Intervention Toolkit mentioned in today's ad! Ad music: Ikkun.

    59 min
5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Being a horse person is like this: the more you learn, the more you realize you know nothing... at all. So, with all the different "bubbles" of the horse world, how can we all get into the same room to share a little bit of curiosity, perspective, and humanity with each other? Welcome to Horse Person, the equestrian podcast hosted and produced by 3x award-winning podcaster Caroline Culbertson. Part education, part human-(horse?) interest, all with the ultimate goal of supporting and encouraging you on your journey to become the best horse person you can be.

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