The culture surrounding equestrian sport is, by and large, not generally welcoming to conversations about mental health, nor is it accommodating for participants who need to seek help + resources for mental illness or hardships.

There are barriers for those who struggle with mental illness that are particular to our community and to its customs and beliefs - in some cases, the culture not only impedes mental wellness, it can even degrade it. If you're part of the equestrian community, we suspect that you can personally identify one or more aspects of equestrian culture that could exacerbate mental turmoil or illness in riders, grooms, vets... you name it.

In this live roundtable discussion recorded during Equitana USA, Equestrian Voices host Caroline Culbertson is joined by four special guests to summarize those particular challenges. Then, they look to uncover actionable ways that we can shift culture and in turn, begin to remove the barriers to help and recovery.

GUESTS: Dr. Jenny Susser Shawna Karrasch Carleigh Fedorka, PhD Mikhail Proctor