What happens when you look beyond the feed room door?

Across three episodes, this series takes listeners inside Connolly's Red Mills. From the grain stores of rural Ireland to world championship warm-ups, it follows the journey of a brand built on one idea: better performance through better nutrition.

In this episode, top riders including Tom Rowland, Kirsty Chabert, Alex Bragg, Aoife Clark and Sam Watson step inside the mill to see the process for themselves. They talk about clean sport, confidence in testing, the scale of the operation, and what it means to stand behind the product you feed your horses every day. There are surprises along the way, yes, including camel feed, but the consistent theme is attention to detail and a culture built around solving problems for horse performance.

From grassroots riders to five-star champions, the message is the same. Quality matters. Trust matters. And the details count.

• Inside the Red Mills story, from 1908 to today
• Riders reflect on clean sport and laboratory testing
• How nutrition impacts performance at every level
• The scale of a global operation rooted in rural Ireland
• Sam Watson on performance, marginal gains and long-term partnership
• Why attention to detail keeps coming up in every conversation

• Tom Rowland – British international event rider and producer of horses through the levels.
• Cameron Beer – British event rider and coach producing horses and riders through the grassroots and performance pathways.
• Kirsty Chabert – Five-star British event rider with experience producing horses from youngstock to championship level.
• Alex Bragg – International event rider known for producing competitive horses through to five-star.
• Aoife Clark – Irish Olympian and five-star event rider based in the heart of horse country.
• Sam Watson – Irish Olympian, performance analyst and co-founder of EquiRatings.
• Gareth Connolly – Director of Connolly's Red Mills and fourth-generation member of the Connolly family.

Connolly's Red Mills are offering 15% off Foran Equine products to Eventing Podcast listeners! Use the code EquiRatingsPodcast15 to receive your discount. View the full collection here.

Note this does not apply to the already discounted Pre-Fuel & Refuel combo packs.

If you have any other questions regarding feeding click here to ask the Connolly's RED MILLS experts.

It starts with a seed. It ends with a bag. Every stage in between matters.

In Chapter 2 of the documentary series, Nicole Brown steps inside Connolly's Red Mills to follow the full journey from raw ingredient to finished feed. From seed plants and grain stores to laboratories and production lines, this episode shows how consistency is built long before a product ever leaves the mill.

The people behind each stage explain what their roles really mean. Grain is grown with trusted local farmers, tested on arrival, analysed again before release, and tracked through a system designed to remove uncertainty. Technology supports it, but detail drives it. If something does not meet the standard, it does not move forward.

The scale is global. The operation is local. And everything still comes back to the same place where the story began.

• From seed selection to harvest, how the raw materials are sourced
• The intake process that tests every delivery of grain
• Inside the lab screening for nutrients, contaminants and prohibited substances
• Technology that supports consistency across every batch
• The logistics behind supplying more than 80 countries worldwide
• Why full in-house production remains central to the philosophy

• Gareth Connolly – CEO of Connolly's Red Mills and fifth-generation family member
• Martin Bolger – Seed Plant Manager at Connolly's Red Mills
• Mike Shields – Chief Technical Officer overseeing quality and compliance
• Paul Connolly – Project and Systems Engineer
• John Connolly – Chief Operating Officer responsible for operations and logistics
• Jane Davis – Head of Marketing at Connolly's Red Mills

Connolly's Red Mills are offering 15% off Foran Equine products to Eventing Podcast listeners! Use the code EquiRatingsPodcast15 to receive your discount. View the full collection here.

Note this does not apply to the already discounted Pre-Fuel & Refuel combo packs.

If you have any other questions regarding feeding click here to ask the Connolly's RED MILLS experts.

What does it take to build a global equine brand from a small village in rural Ireland?

In Chapter 1 of this three-part documentary series, Nicole Brown sits down with CEO Gareth Connolly at the heart of Connolly's Red Mills in Goresbridge, County Kilkenny. From a bakery in 1908 to a world leader in equine nutrition, this is the story of how a family business evolved through innovation, adversity and a relentless focus on performance.

Gareth traces the journey from canal trade routes and grain monopolies to the chance conversation with Paddy Mullins that changed Irish racing history. There are sliding doors moments along the way. Two world wars. Foot and mouth. A devastating fire. Covid lockdowns. And through it all, each generation stepping up as caretakers rather than owners.

At its core, the philosophy remains simple. Put the animal first. Never compromise. And make sure what's on the bag is in the bag.

This is where the Red Mills story begins.

• The 1908 origins of Connolly's Red Mills
• How a bakery became a national feed manufacturer
• The Paddy Mullins moment that shaped Irish racing
• Innovation through adversity, from war to Covid
• Why every product is still manufactured in County Kilkenny
• The meaning behind "no compromise" nutrition

• Gareth Connolly – CEO of Connolly's Red Mills and fifth-generation member of the Connolly family.

Connolly's Red Mills are offering 15% off Foran Equine products to Eventing Podcast listeners! Use the code EquiRatingsPodcast15 to receive your discount. View the full collection here.

Note this does not apply to the already discounted Pre-Fuel & Refuel combo packs.

If you have any other questions regarding feeding click here to ask the Connolly's RED MILLS experts.

A new season. A new host. A fresh start.

Cameron Beer steps in to lead the 2026 Grassroots Show, bringing his experience as a British eventing coach and self-confessed grassroots enthusiast to a series built around practical tools for real riders.

In the first episode of the year, Cameron is joined by fellow coach and five-star rider Jo Rimmer to tackle one of the most important parts of eventing that often gets overlooked - planning. From setting honest long-term goals to working backwards from key events, they discuss how to structure a season, how to cope when plans change, and why developing your own "system" is the foundation of consistent performance.

And this season, you are part of it.

At the end of every episode, Cameron will set a weekly training task for listeners to try at home. This week's jumping exercise focuses on rhythm and control through a simple three-cavaletti line. Try it, post it, and tag your efforts using #GrassrootsChallenge so the team can follow along.

• How to plan a season by working backwards from your goal
• Tactical vs technical skills and how to identify your weaknesses
• What "sticking to your system" really means in competition
• Managing nerves and building mental resilience
• This week's jumping training challenge

• Cameron Beer – British event rider and coach focused on developing riders through the grassroots levels
• Jo Rimmer – Five-star event rider and one of British Eventing's lead regional coaches

Presented by Foran Equine, part of the Connolly's RED MILLS family.

Listen to our last Grassroots Show with Lucy Robinson and Jesse Maye here.

EquiRatings Eventing Podcast: Follow the EquiRatings Eventing Podcast for more data-led insight, top-tier guests, and everything you need to keep up with the 2025 season on Instagram and Facebook.

Don't miss The Red Mills Rider Bursary 2026 — a chance for two amateur riders to receive a year of performance support from the Red Mills team. Head to redmillshorse.com/become-the-2026-red-mills-rider/ for details and to apply.

Valentine's Day on the Eventing Podcast means one thing. Power couples, a quiz, and very little mercy.

We've teamed up with the USEA Podcast for the annual Valentine's Special as eventing couples Ryan and Lillian Wood, and Sam and Brayden Lissington go head to head across general knowledge, eventing trivia, and the questions that really matter, how well they actually know each other. With flags flying for Australia, the USA, Britain, and New Zealand, expectations are low, rules are flexible, and bragging rights are firmly on the line.

For the latest in U.S. eventing—competition highlights, rider interviews, expert insights, and more—follow the USEA and subscribe to the USEA podcast channel to stay up to date!

EquiRatings Eventing PodcastDon't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

After a career defined by volume, grit and longevity, Izzy Taylor sits down to reflect on evolution, perspective and what still drives her heading into 2026. She talks openly about stepping back from being "Busy Izzy", reframing success, and learning when change is not a threat but a necessity.

Izzy reflects on injury, recovery and mindset, the realities of motherhood at the top of the sport, and how experience reshapes the way she trains, competes and builds a team. There's a close look at the horses shaping her season, led by Barrington Alice, and why heart, brain and trust still underpin everything she believes about eventing.

Highlights

• Reframing ambition and stepping away from being "Busy Izzy"
• Injury, recovery and the mental side of coming back
• Motherhood, longevity and evolving priorities at the top level
• Barrington Alice, Bramham and shaping a 2026 campaign
• Why heart and brain still matter more than raw talent

Guest

• Izzy Taylor – British five-star event rider, championship team member, and one of the sport's most experienced producers of elite event horses.

Sponsors:

Connolly's Red Mills are offering 15% off Foran Equine products to Eventing Podcast listeners! Use the code EquiRatingsPodcast15 to receive your discount. View the full collection here.

Note this does not apply to the already discounted Pre-Fuel & Refuel combo packs.

If you have any other questions regarding feeding click here to ask the Connolly's RED MILLS experts.

EquiRatings Eventing Podcast:

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

The first big preview show of 2026 is here, and it's all about the US horses you might not be talking about yet. Nicole is joined by Annie Bishop and Diarmuid Byrne to dig into the four-star pipeline, the age profiles that matter, and the combinations quietly putting their hands up as LA edges closer.

From familiar names with depth in their strings to genuinely under-the-radar horses flagged by the data, this is a season-setting conversation about where US eventing is heading and why now is the moment to start paying attention.

How Paris Proved the Power of Data in Eventing: Lessons for LA 2028: https://news.equiratings.com/stories/how-paris-proved-the-power-of-data-in-eventing-lessons-for-la-2028

Highlights

• Why four-star is the proving ground for future championship horses
• The age groups that historically point toward Olympic success
• Under-the-radar US combinations with standout data profiles
• East Coast and West Coast storylines worth following
• How the US Equestrian Open is changing the way fans track form

Guests

• Diarmuid Byrne, EquiRatings co-founder
• Annie Bishop, producer and US eventing specialist

EquiRatings Eventing Podcast:

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

The Eventing Podcast inbox has been overflowing, and since we couldn't get to them all during the last episode, here's a full listener-powered question episode for you. From season plans and LA 2028 predictions to Badminton memories, German dominance, and the rising stars reshaping 2026, nothing is off-limits. It's opinions, insight, and a few unfiltered tangents from the people who see every side of the sport.

Highlights

• What 2026 could mean for the world number one battle
• Who the team are backing for LA (and why the case isn't straightforward)
• Early-season plans for Rocket, Goldman, and the horses coming through
• The British vs German storyline heading into Aachen Worlds
• Rising nations, U25 strength and the next generation of medal contenders
• The big events they'd actually choose to spectate this year
• Plus a few listener curveballs… from profile pictures to strange foods

Guests

• Diarm Byrne, co-founder of EquiRatings and data analyst for elite sport
• Sam Watson, five-time senior championship rider for Ireland
• Spike Milligan, FEI team vet with decades of championship experience
• Hosted by Nicole Brown

EquiRatings Eventing Podcast:

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

The A-Team is back and somehow January already feels long. Between Diarm's medical misadventures, Spike's family odyssey to Cape Town and Sam getting ID'd at 40, it's a suitably unhinged reunion… before we finally get to the sport.

From why flag penalties moved from 15 to nine, to what really separates a championship horse from a five-star horse, to Ireland's new high-performance era under Sam Griffiths, it's a state-of-play start to 2026 with perhaps more questions than answers...

Listeners sent in plenty of those questions, so this is Part One - the Q&A show follows next!

Guests

• Nicole Brown (Host)
• Sam Watson, five-star rider and EquiRatings co-founder
• Diarm Byrne, EquiRatings co-founder
• Spike Milligan, FEI team vet with decades of championship experience

EquiRatings Eventing Podcast:

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

On today's episode of When Nicole Met, supported by Bedmax, we sit down with five-star rider and producer Kate Rocher-Smith to unravel a career built as much in the sales yard as in the start box. From a first Badminton to eight- and nine-year-olds at Aston le Walls and a stable full of rising prospects, Kate explains how Dassett Eventing has become one of the sport's most influential pipelines for top horses and top riders.

Highlights

• Badminton 2025 and the first-five-star learning curve
• How Dassett Eventing reshaped the sales + production model
• The traits that matter most in young horses today
• Why team culture drives performance and longevity
• Ones to watch for 2026 and the next generation

Guests

• Kate Rocher-Smith, five-star rider and founder of Dassett Eventing
• Hosted by Nicole Brown

This show is kindly supported by Bedmax, purpose-made, natural horse bedding designed to protect respiratory health, support hooves, and provide a clean, comfortable stable environment.