What a perfect way to finish off season 8! This episode with Dr. Barbara Parks was fun, fascinating and fully geeky - my fave. We turned over a lot of stones, discussing clicker training - why many people think it doesn't work, what can go wrong and how to move into a place of understanding and success with this very helpful tool, especially in the realm of body work and other care practices, getting into many of my burning questions about equine body work, from how to set a boundary with a client, to when to have a hard conversation with an owner, to what to do when your treatments aren't feeling like they are working. We traveled far in this conversation and it was a treat! This is definitely a must-listen episode if you are an equine manual therapist or if you have a body worker for your horse(s). 

After this episode we're taking a breather as I launch the Whole Horse Collective, my new communuty membership, based on nine years of the Whole Horse Apprenticeship. Keep your eyes peeled for more details! I'll be back for the start of season 9 in late November 2025 - more awesome horsey guests and mind and heart-opening conversations to come. See you then! 

Dr. Barbara Parks is a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy and Certified Equine Rehabilitation Practitioner who has built her practice around the intersection of evidence-based rehabilitation and whole-horse wellness.

Barbara holds multiple certifications, including NBCAAM-certified Equine Massage Therapist and PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor, and has completed extensive continuing education in equine biomechanics, orthopedic assessment, hoof care, nutrition, and behavior.

Her approach to equine rehabilitation is integrative and guided by a deep respect for the horse’s physical and emotional experience. She specializes in using positive reinforcement training as both a therapeutic tool and a way to improve equine body awareness, movement, and emotional regulation during rehab.

Based in the greater Nashville, Tennessee area, Barbara offers in-person therapy for horse and rider, virtual consultations, online educational courses, and rehab boarding on a track system designed to support natural movement and healing.

Whether she’s working with a high-level performance horse or helping a backyard companion recover from injury, Barbara’s mission is the same: to support long-term soundness and whole-horse wellness through compassionate, informed care.

https://www.drbarbaraparks.com/

We're finishing out this seasons mentorship series with one of my most essential mentors, the one, the only, Dave Collins. Founder of the BC College of Equine Therapy and so much more. 

22 years ago, almost to the day, I arrived at the BC College of Equine Therapy as a student thinking I knew it all. Well, that illusion was about to be lovingly shattered by Dave and the work that he was pioneering in the horse world. And I'm grateful for those two years every single day, even though, as you'll hear in this episode, they were rough! Two months into school I met Diva, my mare of almost 22 years, and two years later I had a business in Equine Sport Therapy I am still proud of, that has gone on to become so much more.

Heck, this podcast probably wouldn't even be a thing without Dave helping me get into my "meat suit", and opening me up to a world of possibilities beyond the tangible. So sit down, grab a cup of tea, and listen in. Dave is something special and this is his first ever podcast - in fact it's rare these days to track this fellow down. To me, he is embodying what it means to be an elder, something you'll hear in our conversation. I'm grateful to know him and grateful he's continuing to learn, grow, teach and help horses (and humans) along the way. May everyone have a Dave in their world. 

Enjoy! 

There's a good reason why I asked hoofcare professional Nicole Jory to contribute her online course Hoof Care Fundamentals to Outside the Box Equine - she knows her stuff!

Nicole is my main hoofcare support for my herd and has been an invaluable resource for myself and my equine community for over a decade and I'm so pleased to be able to introduce you all to her in this episode! 

We cover a lot of territory in one hour: from trimming, to the three main issues she sees with hooves and how to help, to feeding for hoof health, to how to read a hay analysis. Nicole is a wealth of up-to-date information and is one of my favourite humans to geek out with. This chat is a goodie with lots of gems! 

Born and raised on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada, Nicole Jory been a lifetime horse owner and equine nerd. She’s spent years learning the intricacies of their health, with a special focus on their hooves. She became a Hoof Care Professional in 2002, and for over 2 decades has worked with countless equines and their owners, specializing in a holistic approach to hoof care. She is passionate about empowering equine owners to take an active role in the well-being of their equine partners. 

Find her online course Hoof Care Fundamentals at https://outsidetheboxequine.com/hoof-course/

Follow Nicole on IG @the.hoof.fairy or on FB at Nicole Jory - Hoof Care Practitioner

Second lone wolf episode this season! Easy to get inspired sitting out amongst the trees and horses especially when big thigns are shifting here at the farm. This short 20 minute pod is an update on the herd and myself now that we have officially "landed" here and settled in our forever home, as things start to arise to be worked with. Would love to hear your thoughts on how these topics land for you! Enjoy. 

Wow, this conversation with Robin Waugaman truly had my mind crackling with connections and ideas! Her way of drawing the connections between stewardship of land, horses, and her own body and being is powerful, and I had a few big aha's during our chat, as you'll hear, including an epiphany on why we might use force with horses (even if we don't want to), especially in our "pusher" culture. We also get into what she means by regenerative ranching and how it works, how she manages her own nervous system with her horses ranging on 1,800 acres and what lessons she's learned about supporting the land to return to itself more fully. 

Also, show of hands, who wants to go to New Mexico after listening to her description of where she lives? It sounds heavenly! Join us for this mind-opening conversation reminding us that how we do one thing is how we do all the things, and that healthy relationship to land is supportive to all our other relationships, especially with our horses.

Robin serves as the Land and Animal Steward at a regenerative ranch in Taos, New Mexico, where she also work as a horse-human relational facilitator at Taos Equine Connection.

Her work focuses on the collaborative regeneration of 1,800 acres of high desert ecosystem through integrative land management practices that center the roles of equines—horses and donkeys—as active agents in ecological restoration. Grounded in a non-hierarchical, multispecies perspective, her approach draws from a diverse background in ecology, French classical dressage, somatic experiencing, and equestrian sport.

She is particularly interested in the relational dynamics between species and how embodied attunement, agency, and choice contribute to resilience across systems. Her practice weaves scientific inquiry with experiential knowledge to explore new models of interspecies connection, land stewardship, and ethical cohabitation.

Follow Robin @taosequineconnection on IG 

Season 8 has been one of my faves so far - and this chat with Equine Osteopath Allie Plaschka is no exception. As you'll hear at the beginning of this episode with Allie of Triple V Therapy, we found out in real time that we both went the BC College of Equine Therapy! What are the chances? 

In this geeky conversation, filled with coincidences and connections, we chat about equine osteopathy, how her learning at BCET impacted her work now, the bigger ripples of "hidden" injuries like pull-backs, gelding scars, deep adhesions and how to support their healing, and of course, I had to ask some questions about her top horse-keeping strategies to support her work (hint, movement is definitely top of the list!). I also brought up a somewhat controversial and essential topic, namely what age she feels a horse should be ridden - listen in to hear her answer and why. 

Hope you enjoy this conversation with Allie for her very first podcast ever (I don't think it will be her last!). 

Allie is an equine and canine osteopath based out of Enderby, BC, Canada. She has been working with horses in the therapeutic realm for 13 years, with osteopathy being her main focus for the last seven. She is passionate about helping horses and dogs achieve optimum vitality through a whole body treatment approach in addition to education about species-appropriate care. She travels throughout the Okanagan, Kootenays, and beyond and also occasionally accepts rehab cases at her home farm. She is a true horse nerd in every aspect and loves to talk track systems, behavior science, biomechanics and more.

She is steward to two mares, Rayne and Ciri, spending time learning classical dressage as well as dabbling in other disciplines. Learn more about Allie and her work at https://www.triplevtherapy.com/

I spend this episode with my mentor Sandra Wallin riding waves of emotion - as you'll hear in our chat, this is our first time connecting for a good chat in almost a decade and it felt so good to be back in her depth of presence, the very same presence that supported me so essentially during my year as her student almost 20 years ago. What an honour to have Sandra on the podcast and what a pleasure to share her wise self with all of you. 

In this episode we travelled back through time to remember her mare Grace, now walking in spirit, but a very key part of my learning and growth as she was to many, we unpacked some of our time together in her Art of Equus program, and we discussed the value of curiousity, kindness, clarity and following your hunches. We also pulled a card from her co-creation, the Way of the Horse Council Oracle deck. Get your tissues out. This is a goodie! 

Sandra Wallin is a psychotherapist and educator who walks the wild edge where science and psychology meet the wisdom of earth and hoof. Her Chiron’s Way programs offer experiences that invite people to rewrite old stories, reconnect with what matters and take the lead in their lives, often in the company of horses.

Her work weaves together the psychology of transformation, the biology of belief, and the mythic terrain of the heart through which change becomes less about force and more about listening – deeply and reverently to what already knows how to grow.

A teacher of teachers and a lifelong student of the horse, Sandra brings warmth, depth, and a fierce Grace to every conversation. In this episode of the Whole Horse Podcast, she reunites with Alexa Linton to explore how real change happens … through relationships, gentle noticing, and a willingness to get your boots a little muddy along the way.

To learn more about Sandra, along with her new cocreation, The Council of Horses Wisdom Cards and Guidebook, go to https://www.sandrawallin.com or join her on Instagram at https://instagram.com/chironsway

This is a short and sweet episode and it's just me, which I haven't done since the very beginning of season one! In this episode, I sit out with the herd and share the story of how this space and land came to be for us, the horses and our other animals, as it definitely was a miracle how it all came together. I also go into our hopes and dreams for this space (hint: it involves you!)

It's just 20 minutes long, have a listen and let me know what you think of our new farm name which I share publicly for the first time in the episode. Enjoy! 

If you'd like to follow our journey here as we land here and create cool stuff make sure to follow my IG @alexalinton

As we continue this season's mentorship series, this conversation with one of my current mentors was as potent as I had imagined. Carmen Spagnola has been a support, guide, teacher and esteemed colleague for over 12 years, and I have benefitted greatly from her depth of presence, attunement, clarity and nuance. She has spent time with my mares Diva and Raven, and has recently, and excitingly, become the steward of two geldings. Her love and care for horses (and humans) spills forth in this conversation and in her many offerings. 

In this conversation, we unpacked the concept of attachment theory, and specifically how secure attachment in any relationship can be facilitated by understanding and prioritizing contact nutrition, essentially nourishing ourselves and others through presence, attunement, co-regulation, safe touch, and empathy. How we interact with our horses, as fellow mammals, and their nervous systems, impacts the quality of our relational experince, and their sense of feeling safe, secure, and soothed. There are so many nuggets of goodness in this hour and it reminded me once again why I am so grateful to have Carmen in my life! Grab a tea, some chocolate, a shedding comb, or a manure fork, and enjoy this sweet chat. 

Carmen Spagnola is a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef turned trauma recovery practitioner, clinical hypnotherapist and kitchen witch. Carmen has taught intuition development and earth-based spirituality to hundreds in her online mystery school, The Numinous School, from 2013 - 2021, as well as retreats and workshops.

Carmen's work cross-pollinates themes of attachment, animism, myth and justice, supported by extensive training, certification, supervision and mentorship. Carmen has hosted The Numinous Podcast since 2014. She is author of Spells for the Apocalype: Practical Magic for Turbulent TImes (2025) and The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes & Rituals for the Wheel of the Year (2022).

Welcome to the first of my mentorship series. where I have conversations with some of my most important mentors, allowing you to access some of the goodness and wisdom that I was so supported by on my journey.

The first in this series is my teacher and friend Sabina Pettitt, who is the founder of Pacific Essences, a company here on the west coast of Vancouver Island that makes vibrational remedies. Many of us have heard of Rescue Remedy, which is the most commonly used flower remedy, but have perhaps not looked too much further into what it is and how it works. If you are curious about what a vibrational remedy is, how they work, and how they relate to horses, this is the episode for you!

Sabina shares all about why she founded her company almost 40 years ago, how vibrational remedies work, why every being, including every horse, can benefit, and how she became the first person to make a sea essence. This is a true "teaching" episode, and I'm truly grateful that I met Sabina almost 20 years ago - she is a remarkable human and has dedicated her life and her work to supporting others. Hope you enjoy this chat and learn a thing or two! 

Sabina Pettitt is the founder of Pacific Essences® and a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

As well as introducing the first sea essences in the world Sabina has spent over 40 years building a system based on TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) that explains how essences work to the prevailing allopathic model. Essences balance and harmonize our energy anatomy and energy physiology and promote optimal well-being.

She is committed to assisting humans to understand their deep and constant connection with Mother Nature, the energy template of their human form and how to work with energies to stay healthy, and the possibility that each of us came here with “a mission” and that essences can assist us to discover and fulfill that mission.

Learn more at https://pacificessences.com/