The Equestrian Connection

Martha Cook is the managing director of Trafalgar Square Books, a publishing company serving the horse industry with beautifully illustrated, well-written books to supplement the growth and development of horse people. Martha runs the daily operations of Trafalgar Square Books, as well as handling contracts, print buying, rights, and promotion and marketing.

Trafalgar Square Books believes that, with the help of their authors, we can all learn to ride better; teach our horses to perform better; feed them and house them more in accordance to their needs; care for them when they fall ill and help them recover from injury; and above all, treat them in a fair and just manner, as they deserve.

On this episode, we’re chatting all about books and the publishing of education materials to support the growth of the horse industry.

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Cheryl Eriksen is an author, blogger, horse midwife, and eternal student of the horse-human connection.

While earning her MSW from Western Michigan University, Cheryl took a special interest in the effects of trauma on the developing brain, and she applied that learning, along with her personal experiences as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, into her memoir, Follow Me, Friend.

Additionally, Cheryl has spent decades as an equine professional and extensively studied equine behavior and how it is influenced by what the human brings to the relationship. Through her work in the field of equine assisted psychotherapy and learning, Cheryl has seen and experienced firsthand the healing power of the horse-human relationship. Her books (current and upcoming) and her blog explore this powerful relationship.

Cheryl has also developed and taught continuing education courses on Equine Assisted Psychotherapy as a viable adjunct therapy, and on Trauma, Resiliency, and Horse Sense for social workers.

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Steven Wilde travels the world to talk about horse sport. He grew up in the sport of show jumping with his mother, an international rider, and began equestrian sports commentating in 2001. Steven has had great success organizing shows as well. With a long list of events on his resume, Steven has commentated at many shows including multiple Olympic Games, European Championships, World Championships, over 100 World Cup Qualifiers, and over ten years on the Longines Global Champions Tour. His voice is a staple at WEF and other shows in the US and abroad.

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Over two decades ago, Amber started a successful business focused on helping performance horses with behavioral issues. However, she soon realized that a major part of the horses' problems stemmed from the humans, and at that time, no one was addressing how to support the human side of things. While Amber knew there was a disconnect, she wasn't sure what to do about it, so she continued to train horses to be safe for humans instead of also working towards making humans safe for horses.

Years later, Amber experienced a life-changing moment that helped her understand the power of energy. It inspired her to bridge the gaps that she observed throughout her career working with horses.

Connect with Amber & find out more about The Art of Equine Alchemy event:

Website: https://www.amberlydic.com/

Lauren Maas is the executive director of Canter California and Canter USA, non-profit organizations providing retiring Thoroughbred racehorses with opportunities for new careers by helping to place, rehabilitate, and retrain these amazing athletes.

It began leasing her first love, a 1985 OTTB gelding named Sunny, just before her eleventh birthday. Lauren’s love of thoroughbreds has continued and grown ever since.

After holding multiple volunteer positions throughout the years, Lauren became the executive director of 501c3 thoroughbred aftercare organizations CANTER California and CANTER USA, which has placed more than 25,000 OTTBs in a new home. Lauren has been hard at work to revamp the adoption and listing program and plans to continue to grow CANTER’s presence and place an even greater number of OTTBs into their forever homes.

Amongst all that, Lauren is now also a first-year veterinary student at the Royal Veterinary College in England.

Connect with Lauren & CANTER:

*Important to note: This podcast episode was originally recorded in June 2024 in German for the wehorse podcast. We used translation software to dub the episode for our English podcast, The Equestrian Connection. Please excuse any imperfections in the conversation as a result.

Richard Vogel is a German rider who started riding horses at the age of four, following in the footsteps of his family who have always had a strong passion for horses. He began competing at the age of seven and since then has has achieved numerous national and international successes.

After a riding apprenticeship and valuable years of training with Ludger Beerbaum starting in 2015, today Richard Vogel is the No. 1 German show jumper and sits at No. 10 in the world rankings.

Currently, Richard continues to compete internationally and represents Germany in various equestrian competitions. At the same time, he runs a business together with Sophie Hinners and David Will; a sports and sales stable in Hesse with two locations, known for the first-class training of show jumpers.

Richard's philosophy can be summarized by his motto "The more you work, the luckier you get."

In this podcast episode, Richard Vogel tells host Christian Kröeber how he worked for his success from an early age, why his business partners rarely compete in the same competitions as he does, what he thinks makes a good rider, and what he thinks needs to change if we want to still be able to experience equestrian sport in 20 years.

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The purpose of EquUSCAN is to engage equestrians (specifically in the US and Canada, though everyone is welcome) in social justice work and global activism. EquUSCAN is a resource hub, highlighting and amplifying important humanitarian causes around the world and providing actionable avenues through which you can get involved and contribute to making a difference, help those who need it most, and reduce harm and suffering for vulnerable and targeted populations. EquUSCAN believes that your voice matters and they want to empower you to use it for the greater good!

Founders Kait Miller and Elsie Reford truly believe that aligning equine advocacy work with social justice and global activism is the next evolution of the horse-human partnership and they are excited to be creating a platform that intentionally fosters the merging of those spheres.

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Rebekka Klubien graduated from Roskilde University in 2021 and started working at the public broadcast tv station TV2 in 2022. Currently, she holds the position as a TV producer in the investigative journalism department.

In 2023, Rebekka went undercover as a groom to see firsthand the daily operations at the Danish base of Helgstrand Dressage, which also has locations in Germany and Florida. Inside the barn, Rebekka found horses with welts from whips, mouth sores that were not given time to heal, and spur marks that were disguised with shoe polish when customers visited. She also filmed Helgstrand riders riding aggressively in training sessions with tight draw reins and the use of rollkur.

Later that year, the documentary “The Secrets of the Horse Billionaire” aired on Danish national televisions station TV2, resulting in the indefinite suspension of owner Andreas Helgstrand from the Danish National Dressage Team.

These stories are becoming all too common, and is a very important topic of discussion within the industry. On this episode, we chat with Rebekka about her experience, the welfare issues within the industry, the future of the sport, and her advice on speaking up.

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Connie Flores is a certified Equine Nutrition Advisor and the owner of 17 Hand Equine Nutrition.

Her goal is to help horse owners understand the purpose behind every ingredient in their horse’s diet and to help develop a personalized feed program specific to the horse as a unique individual. Connie works independently of any feed company and provides unbiased feedback and recommendations, as well as keeps the owner’s goals in mind.

On this episode, we discuss Connie’s why behind empowering owners to understand their horse’s nutrition, advice for both hard and easy keepers, hay testing, and so much more.

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Mary Ann Simonds has worked as a researcher, educator, coach and consultant for over 40 years in the fields of human and animal behavior, communication, consciousness and ethology. Lecturing and consulting nationally and internationally primarily on horse-human interactions, her work blends the application of science with intuition integrating cultural issues and finding solutions for the well-being of people and animal. She has produced numerous educational materials including videos and books and has a new book “A Horse by Nature” recently out.

Currently living in Wellington, FL, Mary Ann has retired from a rigorous teaching with the Institute of Integrated Sciences and the Whole Horse & Equestrian Science Institute to focus on writing and speaking. Her pioneering work has focused on stress management in animals and how humans influence animal behavior both in the wild and in captivity. Integrating a whole systems approach to interspecies psychology, Mary Ann has worked with governments, communities, businesses, non-profit organizations and universities.

On this episode, we discuss signs of stress in horses, horse personality assessments, skills of a good horseperson, welfare, and the future of the sport.

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