Equestrian Tea Time

Isabeau Solace
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Emma Jenkinson and Isabeau Solace discuss the state of the equine industry with guests.

  1. 3d ago

    The $50 Saddle Fix That Failed

    Send us Fan Mail A $50 fix can feel like a miracle when your saddle seat is rock hard and you’re staring down another three-hour trail ride. Then you actually ride in it. Linda Roth joins me to give an honest, boots-on-the-ground review of the Chevroux Soft Equestrian Seat Pad, what the ad promised, how it attached to the saddle, and why the “air cell” style cushion ended up feeling more like being perched on top of the tack than supported in it. We also talk about how comfort changes when you’re getting back in the saddle after a total knee replacement, and why stability and position can matter as much as padding. From there, we zoom out to barn life and the constant math of horse ownership: bedding costs, dust control, and hock rubs that push you to try new systems. I share our experiment with a Pasture Puff stall mattress, a $3,500 “horse-sized dog bed” that created wildly different reactions depending on the horse, from dragging it out of the stall to refusing to go near it to actually lying down and sleeping on it. If you’ve ever wondered whether stall mattresses really reduce bedding needs, this is the messy real-life version. We finish with New Hampshire winter management, including drainage, turnout footing, and what happens when a property becomes an ice rink for months. We get into permanent install tradeoffs, automatic waterers, and the traction tools that keep both humans and horses upright. If you’re shopping for equestrian gear, saddle comfort upgrades, or low-dust bedding strategies, you’ll leave with practical questions to ask before you buy. Subscribe, share this with a barn friend who loves product testing, and leave a review with the best or worst horse product you’ve tried. emmajenkinsondressage@gmail.com https://youtube.com/@emmajenkinsondressage?si=Zt9ma9vtpMK2iZV7

  2. Aug 17

    AI On The Barn Aisle

    Send us Fan Mail AI is showing up in the horse industry faster than most of us can process, and it’s not just about flashy stall cameras or trendy apps. We sit down and get honest about what AI feels like when you’re trying to run a real equestrian business: building a website, writing copy, managing clients, and still getting to the barn on time. The promise is “save time,” but the reality can be constant edits, confusing workflows, and platforms that nudge you into paying more for features you didn’t ask for. We dig into the web design side from a working perspective, including what happens when hosting companies replace simple templates with prompt-based AI builders that spit out wrong text, misspellings, and generic pages. We also talk accessibility and neurodivergence, because when you’re dyslexic or easily overloaded, an AI tool that creates messy output can be more draining than starting from scratch. And when customer support becomes a chatbot that eventually shrugs, the tech stack starts to feel like a trap instead of a tool. From there, we shift to barn technology: AI monitoring cameras, stable management programs, and the big question nobody wants to admit. What if your rural internet can’t support any of it? We share stories about unstable connections, spotty fiber, and why bandwidth is now part of horse care and farm security. We also zoom out to the larger costs, including the environmental impact of data centers and the cultural cost of people outsourcing critical thinking, creativity, and learning to AI. If you have strong feelings about AI in equestrian life, we want to hear them. Subscribe, share this with a horse friend, leave a review, and reach out if you’d like to join us as a guest. emmajenkinsondressage@gmail.com https://youtube.com/@emmajenkinsondressage?si=Zt9ma9vtpMK2iZV7

  3. Jul 6

    What If Healing Starts Outside The Office

    Send us Fan Mail You’ve probably heard people say, “Horses can read you,” but what does that actually mean when mental health treatment is on the line? We’re joined by Daria Williams, a lifetime horseperson who ran a boarding barn for years and now works in a clinical setting. She just completed EAGALA training as an equine specialist, and she breaks down what equine assisted psychotherapy looks like when it’s done with a real framework, real roles, and real responsibility. We get specific about the EAGALA model: why sessions happen on the ground, how the equine specialist partners with a licensed mental health professional, and how the horses become co-facilitators instead of tools. Daria shares what surprised her most watching animals respond to different clients, and why experienced horse people sometimes have to “do less” to let meaningful moments surface. We also talk about safety in a field with loose horses, goats, and donkeys, and how the team keeps clients safe without escalating fear or shutting down the process. Then we zoom out to the practical side of building an equine assisted mental health program: finding the right animals, navigating insurance and liability, staffing challenges, marketing, and what typical session pricing can look like. If you’re curious about trauma-informed care, experiential therapy, and how horses can help people step out of the office and back into their bodies, this conversation will give you a grounded, honest starting point. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with a horse friend or a therapist, and leave us a review with the question you want answered next. https://www.eagala.org/ emmajenkinsondressage@gmail.com https://youtube.com/@emmajenkinsondressage?si=Zt9ma9vtpMK2iZV7

  4. Jul 6

    Riding Beyond The 20% Rule

    Send us Fan Mail emmajenkinsondressage@gmail.com https://youtube.com/@emmajenkinsondressage?si=Zt9ma9vtpMK2iZV7

  5. Jun 30

    Your Body And Your Horse Can Be A Team

    Send us Fan Mail We sit down with dressage judge and Mindset Equestrian founder Karen Fulcher to unpack the “20% rule,” plus-size rider stigma, and what horse welfare actually looks like in day-to-day training. We also get practical about inclusive riding clothing, building a functional seat, and walking into the show ring with a clearer understanding of how judging works.  • why the 20% rule gets applied unevenly and often weaponized  • focusing on tack fit, comfort, and signs of tension instead of optics  • plus-size equestrian clothing brands that are expanding sizing and listening to riders  • riding for function over silhouette, including when uneven stirrups make sense  • learning to be dynamic in the saddle and adapt to a moving, unbalanced horse  • asking “why” in lessons and advocating for yourself and your horse  • treating the horse as an individual partner and documenting what helps them stay below threshold  • what judges can and cannot do, and why tempo and fluidity matter so much  • how virtual coaching and video feedback help riders actually see their habits  • the unglamorous truth about making money in online equestrian business  You can sign up on my website for it, or you can message me about it. https://www.mindsetequestrian.com/ Plus sized clothing reviews by Karen Fulcher https://youtu.be/Tbmw8sReS4I?feature=shared https://youtu.be/MbX8cLvlsig?feature=shared https://youtu.be/fczNXTHFvRI?feature=shared https://youtu.be/VyGdpHi5TKM?feature=shared emmajenkinsondressage@gmail.com https://youtube.com/@emmajenkinsondressage?si=Zt9ma9vtpMK2iZV7

  6. Jun 22

    A Brideless Horse Show Forces Us To Rethink What We Reward

    Send us Fan Mail A brideless horse show sounds like an instant win for horse welfare, but the reality is messier and more interesting. We start with that headline making UK event and use it to ask a bigger question: is the show horse industry built in a way that rewards calm partnership, or does it quietly reward control no matter what’s on the horse’s head? We talk about what we actually see when tack disappears: softer rounds, less wrestling, and spectators paying attention to behavior and communication. Then we dig into the uncomfortable side, including how “light” performances can be manufactured at home with harsh methods, and why equipment debates can distract from the real moral issue: training, pressure, and what we choose to reward. From there we get practical about safety in jumping, fairness across riders with different aids, and how judges and judging criteria shape the entire culture, especially in dressage. We also widen the lens to the welfare realities around the show environment itself, from stressful stabling and heat to horses that simply do not enjoy traveling. And we get candid about lesson programs, the way shows become the only motivator for students, and the disconnect between professional horsemanship and consumer expectations. We close with a grounded look at starting young horses, breed maturity, conditioning, and why “exercise and training” does not have to mean riding in circles. If this conversation challenges you, share it with a horse friend, subscribe, and leave a review so more riders can rethink what good competition should look like. Image of tack neck strap https://www.facebook.com/photo.php? UK competition https://youtu.be/t3ksAJgtc64?is=tffNVDNGqtcXFNwy Bridleless Wyatt http://offtrackthoroughbreds.com/2014/04/08/bridleless-wyatt-is-a-racetrack-wonder/ Brendan Wise Horse Radio Network podcast https://youtu.be/SzFxEAtDO5w?is=e_lmz2X1bNnv01Ej Unbridled Wings https://youtu.be/WWZae7C4peg?is=OQyaH1FssvMdeU19 emmajenkinsondressage@gmail.com https://youtube.com/@emmajenkinsondressage?si=Zt9ma9vtpMK2iZV7

  7. May 12

    Inside A Vermont Horse Breeding Farm Internship Gone Wrong

    Send us Fan Mail We talk with Vivian about her winter internship at Friesians of Majesty in Vermont and how a promised training opportunity turned into isolation, unsafe work, and constant pressure to push through. We compare her memories with Emma’s similar experience and pull out practical red flags young horse people and parents can use before committing to a barn. • the farm’s public image versus day-to-day reality for interns  • recruitment hype and exaggerated praise used to hook eager riders  • isolation without transportation, limited phone service, and dorm-style housing  • unsafe horse handling “tests” and being put in danger early  • overcrowding signs, back pasture concerns, and uneven care  • sleigh rides in brutal weather and risk normalization  • injuries followed by blame and public shaming  • missing lessons, minimal riding, and training promises that never happen  • low stipends, late pay, and staff turnover  • how to research an internship and what parents should verify  https://vtdigger.org/2025/07/06/fourth-seizure-of-horses-from-townshend-farm-highlights-animal-welfare-systems-ongoing-gaps/ https://www.benningtonbanner.com/local-news/dozens-of-horses-seized-from-friesians-of-majesty-in-townshend/article_e74021b5-e197-4f4a-894e-612c4a5f5030.html https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2024-09-26/legal-troubles-continue-for-townshend-horse-breeder https://equiery.com/gentle-giants-draft-horse-rescue-takes-in-31-friesians-seized-in-vermont/ emmajenkinsondressage@gmail.com https://youtube.com/@emmajenkinsondressage?si=Zt9ma9vtpMK2iZV7

  8. Feb 19

    How Virtual Horse Shows Are Opening Doors For Riders Of All Ages

    Send us Fan Mail Hauling at dawn, juggling ring times, and watching fees stack up used to feel like the only route to a real scorecard. We sat down with Alexandra of Thistle Run Equestrian Events to unpack a smarter path: online horse shows that keep the thrill of competition while stripping out the barriers of time, travel, and cost. From para riders who need extra hands to millennial riders with careers and kids, this conversation maps a practical way to stay in the game and keep improving. Alexandra shares why a personal health challenge sparked her move from in-person organizing to a full virtual series, and how that pivot elevated the learning experience. Judges can pause and rewind rides, deliver line-by-line comments, and bring cross-credential expertise from WDAA and USEF pathways that riders rarely access at schooling shows. We talk arena logistics that actually work—cones and buckets for letters, measured spaces without fancy setups—and how riders still qualify for online points while focusing on skill-building at home. We also dig into the emotional side: privacy settings for nervous adults and protective parents, the reality that multiple takes still reflect true ability, and the joy of big, beautiful ribbons that keep motivation high. With a clear calendar—April through September monthly shows and festive winter events—entries are simple, recognition runs deep, and the on-ramp to in-person showing gets smoother. Most of all, this is a story about gratitude and access: honoring the mentors who opened doors by opening more of them, for more people. If you care about equestrian sport staying vibrant and inclusive, you’ll love this one. Listen, share it with a barn friend, and tell us what’s your biggest barrier to showing today. And if this helped you, subscribe and leave a quick review so others can find it. emmajenkinsondressage@gmail.com https://youtube.com/@emmajenkinsondressage?si=Zt9ma9vtpMK2iZV7

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About

Emma Jenkinson and Isabeau Solace discuss the state of the equine industry with guests.

Information

  • Creator
    Isabeau Solace
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Equestrian Tea Time
  • Show Website
    Equestrian Tea Time