Russell is incredibly passionate about applying the huge volume of research he has undertaken, and this really came across in our podcast with him.  With a PhD in Equine Biomechanics and a really fun, friendly open personality, he has a great blend that makes you feel you can ask any question about this relatively complex subject.

We discover more about about his work, through his company Centaur Biomechanics, and how he helps riders and horses of all levels to understand and make positive changes in their position and equipment, to benefit the horse's comfort and way of going.

As ever we also find out about the person behind the expert, and Russell is really frank and open about his dyslexia and challenging school days, when horses gave him an escape and ignited his passion for riding and working with them.  From a cheeky-Shetland (aren't they always) to competing at a high level in dressage, following his dreams, learning from mistakes, his positive philosophy on life is infectious!

Russell will be running a webinar for the HorseFest membership community HorseTribe on 30th September and you can keep in touch with the expert content on our website here.

The highs and lows, pressures and stresses of life and horse-ownership can impact equestrians in different ways at different times.  This week we spoke to Liz Daniels, from Riders Minds, an organisation dedicated to supporting all equestrians with mental wellbeing.

Riders Minds was formed in 2019, the brainchild of 5* event rider Matt Wright and his wife Victoria, Director of Caunton Manor Stud.  Matt openly shared his mental ill health struggles, regularly blogging about his experiences to raise mental health awareness and understanding. Sadly Matt lost his battle and died away earlier this year.

His legacy is never more important as we raise the profile of mental well-being in Mental Health Awareness week.  Liz is candid and open about the range of mental well-being challenges that equestrians feel and offer plenty of advice, top tips and places to find help, through the Riders Mind online resources and 24 hour, FREE, confidential helpline.

Her message is clear - don't suffer in silence, there is someone who can help you at Riders Minds.  To find out more about the help they can offer, no matter how large or small your challenge, click HERE. To donate to Riders Minds and support their cause you can donate HERE.

1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental issue at some point in their lives - it's a must listen to understand where you can go for support either for yourself, or others you care for.

Clare Poole is based in Gloucestershire and is a 'go to' producer and re-trainer of ex-racehorses for many trainers.  She also supports and mentors other riders, to transition these wonderful horses to happy new careers, after their time on the track is over.  In this episode we hear where Clare's burning passion for ex-racehorses was lit and how she came to love and be very successful in showing, reaching HOYS many times. 

We also touch on both the challenges she's had to work through, which has helped her develop a 'process' that really works to transition ex-racehorses successfully.  She shares her highs and lows, with her being turned away from HOYs one year and of course the funny side when a riding judge got a LOT more than he bargained for on one of her ex-racers!  

Clare is incredibly knowledgeable and relatable - listen out for her top tip for our HorseTribe and join the HorseTribe FREE to access her webinars later this year.  Here's the link to JOIN and if you'd like to see what webinars are coming up click HERE.

Jay Halim, famous for being an international showjumper, event rider, breeder, trainer and exceptional party animal, talks to Jonty Evans about his training philosophy and what he will bring along to HorseFest in 2022.  

Trainer to both Laura Collett and 7 year old clients, Jay is adaptable, relatable and huge fun! He shares memories of a demo with a horse that was an "utter, utter nightmare" on one day, plus an insight to his background and journey as a horse trainer, competitor and rider.   

Jay is one of the headliners at HorseFest, Weston Park 22-24 July 2022. For more info visit www.horsefest.org and join the tribe!

From her early horse-owning memories with Shetland mayhem and a family horse that went onto great things, Bea covers how her passion for horses developed through a long career as a qualified master saddler (QMS). She talks through the detail that a QMS will go into, to support finding the best saddle for a horse owner, and some of the funny moments along the way! 

Look out for Bea’s article on saddle fitting on our website soon at www.horsefest.org. It will be available to read for members of our membership community HorseTribe, which has a FREE membership option - join here www.horsefest.org/register/free and receive 15% off HorseFest tickets for our festival this July.

Jonty Evans chats to Charlie Unwin - performance psychologist and Gillian Higgins - anatomy and biomechanics specialist from 'Horses inside out'. They share their joint passion for sharing relatable learning and how they will pass on their experience and knowledge to the HorseFest festival in July at Weston Park.  How does an understanding of anatomy and biology help us improve the way we ride, train and manage our horses? How does defining what success looks like, help manage nerves and confidence in riders? It's all touched on in this episode with 2 of the equine industry's foremost experts - as well as hearing what they are looking forward to most about this "Glastonbury with horses"!

For more information about HorseFest the festival at Weston Park 23-25 July 2021, visit www.horsefest.org and join our FREE membership group today for 15% off entry tickets by the end of April 2021.

Dee is an energetic force in the equestrian world - passionate about supporting horse & rider combinations to be the best the can be, through her combination of performance analysis and rider / horse strength and conditioning work, she works with some of the top partnerships in the UK.

In this episode, Dee tells us about her global experience, working with horses from Mozambique to London 2012. She shares where her love of horses all started and an insight to her philosophy in treating riders as athletes, plus a funny story about being lost in France (careful who's listening!) and her top tip for our HorseTribe.

Dee will be sharing her energy and expertise at HorseFest the festival this July - remember there's 15% off tickets if you join our HorseTribe FREE here https://horsefest.org/register/free and buy your tickets before the end of April - we hope to see you there!

We love our listeners to get to know our experts as people, hearing about their passion for horses their career journeys, the funny stories they have collected along the way and their relatable top tips for our HorseTribe. In this latest episode we talk to world renowned vet Dr Sue Dyson, who is legendary for her work, in particular helping horse owners identify sources of discomfort or pain that may be causing lameness or performance issues.

Listen and get to know Sue with us, as we chat about her obsession with horses from a very young age, cantering her pony 'Poppet' through Epping forest, all the way up to her proudest 'horsey moment' - selling a home produced horse that 2 weeks later competed at the Seoul Olympics. 

We cover her career as a vet , her biggest challenge in that career and Sue tells us about her desire to share her research widely and help more horse-owners.  From galloping with zebras to jumping out of start boxes - there's a lot to listen to!

Sue will be delivering a series of online learning sessions for our HorseTribe - starting on April 22nd at 7.30pm GMT - with this first session focussed on how to recognise what is 'normal'. How should a 'normal' horse look in terms of it's posture, muscle development and it's movement - in order to identify when a horse is 'abnormal', therefore recognising and being able to take action at the earliest possible stage for your horse. 

Join the HorseTribe membership FREE at https://horsefest.org/register/free to get a 15% discount on HorseFest festival tickets purchased before 30th April and to book onto the online-learning session with Dr Sue Dyson for the special member's price of £5.95, we look forward to seeing you there!