The Parbery Podcast

The Parbery Podcast

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The Parbery Podcast episodes

  • Ep 39: Take the word soft out of the picture

    When a rider in the Gold Program Base Camp huddle said she was going round and round a 20-meter circle thinking "soft, soft, I want to get this horse soft," Brett Parbery stopped her with five words: take the word soft out of the picture.

    In this episode, Nat Foxon puts that Parberyism to Brett, and it unpacks into a full framework for what riders should be thinking about instead.

    Why "soft" and "light" live in the same vague category — feelings you can chase forever and never be happy with.

    How dressage is actually a sport built around developing collection, not softness in the hand.

    What "yield" and "draw" really mean as tangible, yes-or-no training checks, and how they produce the softness riders are chasing as a byproduct rather than a target.

    The supermarket tangent analogy that explains how chasing a feeling drags you off your plan.

    The controversy around connection, roundness, and behind-the-vertical — and why the sport needs to explain it better.

    Where Brett thinks the word "softness" could genuinely be useful: in the bending joints of the hind legs.

    And why balance is the hardest thing for a rider to feel, but the one that makes everything else look easy.

    Chapters

    00:00 The Parberyism: "Take the word soft out of the picture"

    00:22 Context — the Base Camp huddle where a rider was chasing "soft" on a 20-meter circle

    00:48 Why "soft" and "light" live in the same vague category

    02:07 Dressage is about developing collection, not softness in the hand

    05:37 Softness as a reflection of the rider — and why it can be taken too far

    06:09 Suppleness, response to aids, and a more tangible feeling to chase

    07:18 The supermarket analogy: how chasing a feeling drags you onto a tangent

    10:46 Yield and draw — what they actually mean

    12:55 How yield and draw produce the softness riders are chasing

    14:50 The controversy around connection, roundness, and behind the vertical

    17:45 Softness redefined: the bending joints of the hind legs

    19:11 Balance — the hardest thing to feel, the one that makes it look easy

    20:36 Homework: yield, draw, responsiveness, and balance

    Takeaways
    • "Soft" and "light" are feelings you can chase forever and never be satisfied with. They belong in the same vague category that drags riders onto tangents.
    • Dressage is a sport built around developing collection — the whole horse transferring weight back, carrying impulsion, responding to half-halts — not softness in the hand.
    • Yield and draw give you a tangible yes-or-no answer: did the horse relax through the neck and topline onto the bit, and are they reaching forward rather than pulling shorter?
    • The softness riders are chasing shows up as a byproduct of yield, draw, and balance — not as a target you can aim at directly.
    • Tangents in horse training take you nowhere. Chasing a concept like "soft" is the same as walking into the supermarket with a list and ending up in the biscuit aisle.
    • The sport needs to explain connection and roundness better — a horse behind the vertical in a tense topline is not the same as a horse genuinely through and over the back.
    • Where "softness" could genuinely be useful: describing the joints of the hind legs bending and carrying weight, rather than the feeling in the rider's hands.
    • Balance is the hardest thing for a rider to feel, but when you do feel it, everything gets easier — and it's what makes top riders look effortless.

      Mentioned: Gold Program, Base Camp huddle, shoulder fore, shoulder-in, travers, half-pass, yield and draw, collection, impulsion, half-halts, throughness, behind the vertical, Performance Riders (performanceriders.com)

      22 min
    • Ep 38: Laura Graves: What Keeps a Horse Sound in Late Teens

      Mount St John Freestyle was 17 at Aachen. Verdades was 17 in his last season. So when Linda writes in about her rising 15 year old FEI mare, who has a joint supplement and not much else, the real question is what the next five years could look like.

      Laura Graves joins Nat Foxon to answer it, and it turns into a full map of how she keeps horses in work: the crisis she is always trying to head off, why she wants her vet to see the horse on a bad day rather than a good one, where steroids still earn their place alongside IRAP, A2M and stem cells, the farrier as the foundation the whole thing sits on, and the one line item she would cut first if money got tight.

      Plus the training side, because Laura's view is that dressage done properly should be adding years to a horse's career rather than taking them off.

      Chapters
      • 00:00 Linda's question: what do you actually do for the older equine athlete?
      • 01:24 Freestyle at 17 in Aachen, and whether that is an outlier or available to the rest of us
      • 02:11 "What we do with our sport, when it's done well, should prolong a horse's fitness and soundness"
      • 02:52 Verdades: born 2002, retired 2020, and the lunge line incident that really ended it
      • 04:05 Healthy stock, conformation, and the miles you put on a young horse
      • 05:13 Laura's number one management goal: avoid a crisis
      • 06:29 Why joint injections feel aggressive, and the car tyre analogy that reframes them
      • 06:51 Soft tissue is what you are really trying to avoid
      • 08:07 Building the team: your vet early, and a second set of eyes
      • 09:07 The hardest hire on the whole team is the farrier
      • 09:49 The vet check Laura wants, on the horse's worst day
      • 10:47 Least aggressive first, and why changing too much too soon backfires on a 12 year old
      • 11:52 Steroids: glorious, fast, and genuinely risky
      • 12:19 IRAP, Arthrimed, A2M, stem cells and what the science can do now
      • 13:45 Supplements: what Laura feeds, and how much weight she puts on it
      • 15:05 Balance and symmetry as longevity tools, not just marks
      • 16:46 What Laura most wants Linda to hear
        Takeaways
        • The goal is not treating lameness, it is never getting there. Laura's whole system is built around avoiding the crisis.
        • A horse that always favours one leg wears unevenly, the same way a car out of alignment chews its tyres. Uneven loading is what turns into a strained tendon.
        • Work the horse hard before the vet comes. Laura does not want the vet meeting the horse on its best day.
        • The farrier is the hardest hire and the most load-bearing one. Most soundness starts in the feet.
        • Regenerative options cost more and work slower than steroids, and carry far less risk.
        • Balance and symmetry matter for longevity whether you are chasing 70 percent or hacking for fun.

          Mentioned: Mount St John Freestyle, Verdades, Aachen, Platinum Performance, Adequan, Legend, IRAP, Arthrimed, A2M, stem cell therapy

          18 min
        • Ep 37: Don't Be A Hero

          This episode focuses on how being a good horseperson means looking beyond performance and recognising what your horse needs, rather than simply chasing results or being seen as a “hero” in the saddle. 

          27 min
        • Ep 35: Boyd Martin Eventing Workshop

          Ready to map out your best eventing season yet? In this special workshop episode, join legendary five-star eventer Boyd Martin, Olympic gold medalist Peter Wylde, top Australian dressage coach Brett Parbery, and eventing pro Lillian Heard Wood for a deep-dive into building your 2026 eventing plan. You’ll hear Boyd’s honest take on goal setting (for both rider and horse), the importance of rideability, balancing ambition with reality, and why detailed planning and flexibility are the backbone of every successful season. Peter shares show jumping secrets for eventers, Brett unpacks the dressage fundamentals that underpin all phases, and Lillian gives practical advice on structuring your training—even when facilities or confidence are limited. This episode is packed with actionable strategies, candid stories, and the kind of coaching wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. Whether you’re moving up a level, starting out with an off-track Thoroughbred, or chasing your next big breakthrough, you’ll come away inspired—and equipped—to make every ride count. Join the Boyd Martin Eventing Program at www.performanceriders.com/boyd

          1 hr 18 min
        • Ep 34: Laura Graves Dressage Workshop

          Join Nat Foxon and a panel of world-class experts—Olympian Laura Graves, coach Brett Parbery, and performance psychologist Jonah Oliver—for a dynamic workshop on mapping out your best year in dressage. In this episode, you’ll learn how to: - Reflect on your past year to fuel real progress - Craft a bold, meaningful vision for your riding and life - Build structure and set measurable, motivating goals - Focus on what matters most, even under pressure - Harness the power of community and support Whether your “Olympics” is a national event or a local club day, this episode will help you reverse-engineer your goals and create a blueprint for success, enjoyment, and growth in 2026. You can work with Laura and the team in the 2026 Gold Program, find out more at www.performanceriders.com/2026gold

          1 hr 22 min
        • Ep 33: There's No Collection Without Connection

          Grand Prix Judge Kristen Closson inspired this topic, from her month working with the riders in the Performance Riders Gold Program. Brett Parbery and Nat Foxon discuss what connection really is, how riders are often confused and chasing the wrong feeling, and homework we can all do to improve our feel. Download the free Performance Riders App to use our fun (and super helpful!) AI training tool with Brett.

          28 min
        • Ep 31: Every Champion Started as a Beginner Who Refused To Quit

          Fresh off the plane from the US working with world number one eventing rider Boyd Martin, Brett Parbery discusses with Nat Foxon the Boyd-ism 'Every champion started as a beginner who refused to quit'. Download the Performance Riders app for free training inspiration and our app-exclusive Weekly Hack training segment.

          28 min
        • Ep 30: I'd prefer to watch a well-ridden palomino pony...

          Brett Parbery and Nat Foxon launch into Brett's 'no filter era' with a conversation about how he would prefer to watch a well-ridden palomino pony than a poorly trained fancy imported warmblood, any day! Find out about working with Brett and Nat to upgrade your dressage training, at www.performanceriders.com

          23 min

        About The Parbery Podcast

        From the publisher's feed

        Brett Parbery and Nat Foxon dissect a different 'Parberyism' each week, a concept gleaned from Brett's decades at the top of the sport of dressage.