Paige Jardine is a 5* Australian show jumper whose symptoms started small. Some discomfort, some nausea. But as time went on and she kept pushing through, with doctors providing little insight or treatment, things got worse, until she collapsed at the ingate during an FEI show. 

Paige spent years seeking a diagnosis, and is now speaking out about the power of removing the shame from women's health issues, especially in a sport that is majority female. In this conversation, Paige shares her deeply personal journey through mental health struggles and the diagnosis of endometriosis. She discusses the impact of self-doubt, the pressure to maintain appearances, and the importance of seeking help.

Paige shares with us the power of knowing: the power of knowing your diagnosis, of knowing you're not 'crazy' for feeling the way you do, and the power of knowing your limits along the way. 

If you’ve ever had a horse turn and walk away from you in the field when you’re trying to catch them, or turn away from you in the stall - you are so not alone. That moment can be confusing, annoying - at best it’s inconvenient and at worst it’s dangerous. But we’re going to walk through understanding this avoidant behavior today, give you some perspective on how to understand why your horse is doing it, and then an effective approach on how to address the behavior - and it doesn’t involve force or bribery - this is a proper fix with no shortcuts. 

My guest today is Chelsea Canedy. Chelsea is an event rider who specializes in groundwork and understanding horse behavior - she’s based in Ocala Florida and southern Maine.

Chelsea and I talk about identifying this behacvior when it’s still small and subtle, why it never really comes out of nowhere, how to become a detective about the problem, and then 2 strategies to address the behaviour - one specifically on catching the horse and another on breaking up negative associations your horse might have that is triggering this behavior. And before we start, we do want to underline that pain needs to always be a factor in figuring this behavior out - that can involve your vet, your bodyworker, your saddle fitter, and/or your farrier. 

To learn more about Chelsea, visit her Patreon page. 

This episode is sponsored by WeRideTogether.today. For information from today's episode on Role Plays, go here. 

Today's episode is also sponsored by Antu Creative. To learn more about Jade and her design services, go here, 

Money is a factor in our sport - there's no getting around that. But dang if it isn't encouraging when we hear stories of riders who have made their way without extravagant wealth, by doing it themselves, and while prioritizing their horses' well-being. 

That's the story we have for you today with Skylar Wireman.  Skylar Wireman has been called 'The future of show jumping', but she hasn't let her impressive transition from successful junior to 5* pro stop her from keeping things fun. 

Whether it's camping, riding at the beach and in the ocean, or playing gymkhana-type games on horseback,  Skylar has put her focus on building her village and keeping fun central to her and her horses' training. 

And much of her competitive success has been on borrowed horses, catch rides, or homebred horses that she's developed herself with the help of her mom, Shayne. 

In this episode, Caroline sit down with Skylar to talk about all of this, plus course riding strategy, the balance between being a horse trainer and a competitor, the idea of "reset rounds", how to choose shows when you don't have an unlimited checkbook, and more. 

This episode is proudly sponsored by Connaway and Associates Equine Insurance Services. Listen in around 24 minutes for Laura's discussion on age restrictions on insurance policies in horses and how they may be changing. 

It is also supported by We Ride Together -- because every athlete deserves to train and grow in a safe and healthy environment. 

Have you ever felt like it was hard to find your place in the horse world? Maybe you didn't want to be a pro rider, but you wanted to be involved more than just as a hobby. You didn't feel pulled down the veterinary route, but your grades in biology didn't cut it (Caroline raises hand). 

There are so many ways to be involved, professionally or not, in horses - and Tori Repole is joining us today to help us peel apart the layers of the horse world so that we can all find our little nook. In this conversation, host Caroline Culbertson and award-winning equestrian journalist (turned philanthropist) Tori Repole discuss the importance of accessibility and inclusivity, the beauty of sport that captured Tori's heart, and her personal journey from a non-equestrian childhood to becoming a voice in the industry.

We explore the role of photography and writing in shaping public perception, especially during events like the Olympics, and emphasize the need for storytelling that highlights the diverse contributions within the equestrian community. Tori shares her passion for storytelling through her docuseries concept, 'Top Sport,' and the personal growth that comes from hitting play on your ideas. 

Today's episode is sponsored by We Ride Together. Their website has loads of free resources for you to help promote safety for all athletes, including minors, at your barn and at shows. Check out their Athlete Toolkit as mentioned in this episode. 

Today's episode is also sponsored by Nikovian - luxury equestrian training and showing apparel without the luxury pricetag. Size inclusive and made to move with you and enhance your riding, rather than hinder it, this brand is one of our much-loved breech brands in the equestrian space. Use code horseperson15 for 15% off your order at Nikovian.com

'How can I improve my riding outside of the saddle?'  'How can I become a calmer competitor?' 'I only have x hours to ride per week, how can I still make progress?'  While there are tons of resources for horse/riding/training education (hit us up if you need some recommendations!), today's episode is focused on how to become a calmer, more focused, more balanced rider when you DO get that barn time or when you enter into the competition ring. These are areas of focus for life, not just momentary tricks, and this is an episode you'll be able to refer back to time and again when you need to refocus. 

Learn more about today's guest, Aoife Leggett, at her website Three Sixty Coaching. 

Today's epside is sponsored by We Ride Together. Their website has loads of free resources for you to help promote safety for all athletes, including minors, at your barn and at shows. Check out their current events tab to learn more about the prevalence of sexual abuse in sport and see the latest headlines. 

Today's episode is also sponsored by Nikovian - luxury equestrian training and showing apparel without the luxury pricetag. Size inclusive and made to move with you and enhance your riding, rather than hinder it, this brand is one of our much-loved breech brands in the equestrian space. Use code horseperson15 for 15% off your order at Nikovian.com

Lessons from an FEI dressage rider for $5? What's the catch? 

That was my reaction - and the reaction of lots of other riders - when they saw Meghan Laffin's post. But on further investigation, this was an approach to a multi-pronged problem that Meghan identified in the dressage industry: 1) Many riders are feeling the financial strain of pursuing their goals in their sport, 2) Many riders felt alone, or too embarrased to seek help and 3) There's not always a clear path to improvement, let alone success, so having a fresh set of eyes and a professional take on your situation could prove valuable. Besides, Meghan had spent most of her career in horses riding, and wanted to improve her coaching skills. It was a win-win. 

She’s now taught over 100 of these lessons and in this episode shares what she's learned from the wide array of riders that she was able to support over this 4-month experiment.

Meghan Laffin is a 31-year-old dressage rider who is also the assistant trainer for Olympic dressage rider, Kasey Perry-Glass. Meghan has taken Diane Perry’s mare Stina from First Level to I-1 and aims to start doing the small tour in 2025. Meghan also has her MBA from UC-Davis, is a former producer at CBS News, and was a division 1 volleyball player at Coastal Carolina University. 

This is the story of what $5 lessons taught Meghan, and the students who took her up on her crazy offer. Thanks for listening.  

This episode is proudly supported by We Ride Together, a nonprofit organization created to cast light upon the endemic issue of sexual abuse in youth and amateur sports. Their mission is to make the youth and amateur sport environment safer for all athletes. To access the blog post mentioned in this episode, click here. 

This episode is also supported by Nikovian - equestrian riding apparel for home or for shows that feels and performs like luxury, but without the luxury price tag. Use code horseperson15 at checkout for 15% off your purchase. 

The culture of your barn can make or break your experience there. And if you're a trainer, it can attract the clients of your dreams... or your nightmares.

It's time to get intentional about choosing and building culture in our barns and stables. How do we build cultures that are led by the values we choose, instead of the bad habits we fall back on? How do we decide what is most important to us, and find or build an environment that reflects that? 

On today's episode, host Caroline Culbertson is joined by performance coach, culture-building expert, and author of 'You Are a Contender' and 'Ride Big', John Haime. In this episode, Caroline and John discuss: 

• Why values must come before culture
• How to observe your barn's culture
• Why sometimes unexpected or 'unusual' values bring about the best competitive results
• How culture informs the horsemanship habits that will be carried forward in future generations
• What a strong culture looks like vs a weak one
• How to implement culture in your own barn
• John ends with a self-awareness quiz for you to take at home

This episode is proudly supported by We Ride Together, a nonprofit organization created to cast light upon the endemic issue of sexual abuse in youth and amateur sports. Their mission is to make the youth and amateur sport environment safer for all athletes. To access the blog post mentioned in this episode, click here. 

This episode is also supported by Nikovian - equestrian riding apparel for home or for shows that feels and performs like luxury, but without the luxury price tag. Use code horseperson15 at checkout for 15% off your purchase. 

Today’s episode is a special one for me as I sit down with long-time friend and my former boss, Noelle Floyd. This episode might sound a little different, and that’s because we had the really lovely opportunity to sit down together at Equine Affaire in Massachusetts and record this conversation live in the expo center. And that’s exactly what this episode is - an honest, unscripted conversation.

Noelle Floyd is the visionary behind NF+, the ultimate streaming platform for horse lovers. Noelle has built a global community centered around better horse care, ethical training, and empowering riders to rewrite the rules of their own journey. Together, we’re here to talk about how to learn, grow, and create a sense of community that’s meaningful and inclusive.

We discuss: 

- How horses have showed up in our lives differently during different points in our lives - Noelle on asking for help when it's been extremely uncomfortable - feeling like outsiders in the equestrian industry - meeting preconceptions that others have about you  - how to build community in an "individual" sport and an individualistic society - Noelle on the risk/reward of setting out on the road. The unforeseen challenges and gifts of that.  -Caroline on the risk/reward of leaving a full time career, decoupling her self worth from her work, re-entering the podcasting scene and how seeing her kids and her horses bond has reminded her of being a little horse girl herself

This episode is proudly supported by We Ride Together, a nonprofit organization created to cast light upon the endemic issue of sexual abuse in youth and amateur sports. Their mission is to make the youth and amateur sport environment safer for all athletes. To access the blog post mentioned in this episode, click here. 

This episode is also supported by Nikovian - equestrian riding apparel for home or for shows that feels and performs like luxury, but without the luxury price tag. Use code horseperson15 at checkout for 15% off your purchase. 

At this point, we collectively know and acknowledge that nearly everyone who rides horses will experience fear at some point - it's the cost of doing business with 1000lb+ creatures who are strong, fast, and have their own instincts. For some folks fear might be momentary or fleeting, and for others, fear may become an unwanted, consistent passenger that seems to take over their experience with their horse. I wanted to learn a bit about how we can take the big, overwhelming problem of fearing our horses and trace it back to smaller, less overwhelming, and more addressable pieces. 

Who better to walk us into that interconnectedness than Luke Gingerich, who appears in these big “spooky” night time shows with his horses bridleless or his horses at liberty in exhibitions and clinics all over the country, where simply controlling the horse through fearful situations with contact is not an option. 

Luke specializes in Performance Liberty Horsemanship, inspiring and educating people to better connect with and understand their horses, while empowering them to reach their goals together in many different disciplines and pursuits. 

In this chat, we discuss: 

-Your personal responsibility to your horse and to yourself - How luke “diagnoses” or identifies a fear problem between a horse and rider, even if he doen’t know the horse and rider - Some practical relationship and riding strategies when fear enters the picture either suddenly or in a more longstanding, chronic way. 

And finally - we end with a bit of hope. Fear isn’t something to “overcome” because fear is useful and serves a purpose, but it is something that we can get some context and control around. Luke and I talk about the gift on the other side of fear and why it can forge a deeper bond with your horse in the end, than if you’d never had it. 

This episode is proudly supported by Nikovian - high-performance, size inclusive, flattering equestrian apparel that feels like true luxury . Use horseperson15 to get 15% off of your purchase of ANY item on their website.

We're proud to be 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.

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! [email protected] 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.