The Horse Podcast

The Horse Podcast

Rebecca Ashton here. As an equestrian journalist, I get to interview people who are top of their game and have so many ideas and information to pass on. This often transcribes into quite long interviews, sometimes a few thousand words. While the interviews I do will still be transcribed and offered to you in written format (with great photos of course!), this is for those of you who want something interesting to listen to while you’re getting the dinner ready or driving in your car or mucking out the stables so you don’t miss out.

  1. MAR 4

    Jaoão Moreira: A Special Bond with a Special Stallion

    João is one of those quietly spoken, hard working gentle souls who loves his horses and loves his art. Having represented his country at European Championships and Worlds, the top Portuguese rider finally reached the peak in 2024 where he went to Paris. Unfortunately whilst at the venue, his Olympic dreams were dashed in the most awful circumstances with the illness of his stallion Drosa Fürst Kennedy. But the pair have worked their way back to the top to win 2025 Wiesbaden CDI4* before competing as part of the first ever Portuguese team at CHIO Aachen. João and Kennedy's partnership began when the horse was two and a half and the pair’s star continues to rapidly rise. It’s a real story of overcoming adversity with your best friend. Their bond is obvious. We talk about this horse of a lifetime, the daily work and the secret of his success, wife Marta with whom he runs a successful horse business in Germany…..and what is Kyra Kyrklund’s mantra?

    23 min

  2. JAN 3

    Marieke van der Putten: Learn How To Ride

    Marieke Van Der Putten is a Dutch Grand Prix rider. The 43 year old represented her country at the World Championships at Herning in 2022 and the World Cup Finals in Omaha in 2023. From her start breaking in wild ponies to working with team Glock as a stable rider, she is now out on her own riding for RS2 and taking the Grand Prix sport by storm In this interview Marieke talks about the importance of learning to ride all horses and not just learning to ride a test, her journey from breakers to Grand Prix, a normal day, how she likes to warm up at a big show, Titanium with his tricky character and overcoming his illness at the World Cup and her current sensations including the Zonik mare Zantana and the youngster About You.

    34 min

  3. 10/23/2025

    Semmie Rothenberger: Analysing the Process

    Although just recently reaching the senior classes, Semmie is no stranger to the top sport having represented Germany in 11 youth European Championships from pony to U25 since 2011 and coming away with numerous medals. With her sister Sanneke also a successful young rider, her father and mother representing Germany and Netherlands and brother Sönke part of the gold medal winning German team in Rio, she is part of a dressage dynasty. In 2019 she won the FEI Rising Star award. I caught up with Semmie at Aachen where she won the 4* Grand Prix Freestyle with Farrington. We chatted about her current top horses Flannel and Farrington, being part of the Rothenberger family, daily training, finding the way, changing tact with each horse and how every horse has shaped her as a rider, the little steps along the way and growing together with each horse. We touch on Pilates, social media and more. And why does she get so worried when no one talks while she’s training?

    24 min

  4. 10/01/2025

    Ingrid Klimke: The Passion

    Ingrid Klimke needs no introduction. She has represented Germany in both dressage and eventing, she is a multi-championship medal winner including Olympic team gold. We talk about her journey with Vayron, who has been with her just a year now….the little challenges and his amazing personality. We discuss the importance of her own fitness work and riding as you get older…the wisdom and patience and gratitude that she now has. Her small tour horse Diafys. Training for dressage and eventing, how it differs and how it’s the same. The joy of young horses and how she likes to start the horses and take them to the top, keeping the training fresh and interesting for the horses. How positive she is about the next generation of young, athletic riders. Reality versus perfection and looking to the positive, something she learnt from her father. And speaking of Reiner, what were his words of wisdom for Ingrid?

    22 min

  5. 08/23/2025

    Dinja van Liere: From Young Horses to Grand Prix

    DInja is a Dutch dressage amazon who has already had great successes from young horse classes to championship Grand Prix. Her greatest success at the top sport was an individual bronze in both the Special and Freestyle at the World Championships in Herning in 2022 on the stallion Hermès and she followed it up with a fourth place at the Paris Olympics in 2024. This year she already won the World Breeding Championships for Young Dressage Horses with the six year old stallion Red Viper and she has also been named with Hermès on the Dutch team for the Europeans. In our chat with discuss how her journey began. Her grandfather’s influence and commitment. What it takes to ride these amazing horses. The influence of the stallion Capri Sonne Jr and why she decided to ride stallions early on. We talk about what a day is like for Dinja, why fitness work is important to her, her management of the horses, running a stable on her own and what it takes as well as what she learnt from one of her big mentors Leunus van Lieren. Dinja discusses her plans for Hermès and insights into his quirky character and why he’s a championship horse. We chat about her Paris Olympic experience and her individual bronzes at the World Championships in Herning and we meet some of her young up and coming horses such as Mauro Turfhorst and Red Viper. It’s also interesting to hear how her training and priorities in the arena have changed over the years and how she prepares for a test. And why does Dinja have a western trainer?

    52 min

  6. 08/05/2025

    Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl: Know When To Kick Yourself/ Know When To Hug Yourself

    Last year dressage superstar Jessica von Bredow-Werndl successfully defended her Olympic gold medals both in the teams and individual competition in Paris on her champion mare Dalera. A year on, I sat down with Jessi as she compares her experiences of both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics and post Olympics. What she experienced may not be what you imagined.Things can look very different from the outside. This is a very honest, heartfelt and insightful interview. We talk about the pressure of Paris, the rituals she used to get through. Jessi opens up about what strategies she learnt from Tokyo that helped her through Paris. She didn’t have the show she had hoped at Aachen this year with her new ride Diallo, but it’s about putting things in perspective, dealing with “failures” and the positives she learnt in the days afterwards. We discuss the differences between the horses, balancing life and how the death of her coach affected her and why the journey is so important.

    28 min

  7. 07/27/2025

    Becky Moody: Aachen CHIO 2025. What a Year!

    It’s the “Aachen Series”! Today we chat to Team GB dressage superstar Becky Moody. This was her first Aachen experience and she brought her top star and current number two in the world Jagerbomb along with her young small tour mare Magic Dream JB. We talk about the highs and lows of the last 12 months post Olympics. The challenges of being at the top of the sport. How the horse sport is different from the other Olympic disciplines. We discuss her up and coming horses and how all horses are different, how much these top horses love their job and catering for all their different personalities and the difficulties of when the public don’t understand the journey of dressage. We also touch on her clear, logical training approach. And why does Jagerbomb enjoy a buddy at these shows?

    17 min

  8. 12/30/2024

    Patrik Kittel - The Fire and the Smoke

    Swedish dressage rider Patrik Kittel has been in the top sport for 25 years. A competitor in four Olympics and numerous World Equestrian Games and World Cup finals, Patrik rode to victory in the World Cup final this year in Riyadh. In this podcast we discuss taking on criticism and where the dressage sport is at the present moment; horse welfare and what do horses really need; bringing positivity to the sport and how we go about improving things in a methodical way; learning and not being afraid of mistakes; working hard and what it really takes to be at the top and how horse care has changed over the years. How did the whole journey start for Patrik and why did he chose dressage as his discipline? We talk about how to pick yourself up and be better and better; criticising yourself and the passion to keep improving; Touchdown’s personality; off the horse work and what Patrik learnt from his mental coach; the benefit of watching others and what he aims for in a training session. We also take a moment to remember Scandic And what did Isabell Werth say to Patrik to motivate him?

    1 hr
See All (48)

4.3
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Rebecca Ashton here. As an equestrian journalist, I get to interview people who are top of their game and have so many ideas and information to pass on. This often transcribes into quite long interviews, sometimes a few thousand words. While the interviews I do will still be transcribed and offered to you in written format (with great photos of course!), this is for those of you who want something interesting to listen to while you’re getting the dinner ready or driving in your car or mucking out the stables so you don’t miss out.

Information

  • Creator
    The Horse Podcast
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    The Horse Podcast

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