In this episode I talk about Emotional Freedom Tapping with Sarah Louise Lilley and we are also joined by DN Instructor Shawna Lewis who uses EFT for herself and her horses. I think you’ll find this episode really interesting and useful. About the Guest: Sarah Louise Lilley is a clinical Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or “Tapping”) practitioner. A sought after coach and speaker, she helps equestrians overcome fears, blocks and trauma. Known for her holistic and heart-centered approach, Sarah e...
Apr 17, 2026•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 260
In this episode I share a story about the power of accepting praise and contemplate whether to hold on to, or not, the old measures of success. About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from around the world in her clinics and the Dressage Naturally virtual programs. Karen is well known for training horses with a priority ...
Apr 03, 2026•26 min•Season 1Ep. 259
In this episode DN Instructor, Shawna Lewis and I talk about learning in online courses - why so many are disappointing, and what makes it possible to totally transform your riding in an online course. This discussion will help you spend your education money and time more wisely. About the Guest: Shawna Lewis is a Dressage Naturally Licensed Instructor, living in North Carolina. Shawna has been Karen’s assistant at Dressage Naturally since its early years. She has been the Dressage Naturally ‘Co...
Mar 27, 2026•53 min•Season 1Ep. 258
In this episode I talk about the pillars of rehabilitation I use when helping an equine athlete return to a mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy state. And the good news, is you can use these same pillars to train in a way that avoids the problems in the first place. About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from ...
Mar 20, 2026•48 min•Season 1Ep. 257
In this episode I reflect on my recent conference with all the DN Instructors, and share one piece about priorities for teaching. About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from around the world in her clinics and the Dressage Naturally virtual programs. Karen is well known for training horses with a priority on partnership...
Mar 13, 2026•35 min•Season 1Ep. 256
In this episode I explain a way to use the HATS to make better progress while prioritizing your horse’s well-being. It’s a short but hopefully very helpful episode that you can put into practice right away. About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from around the world in her clinics and the Dressage Naturally virtual pro...
Feb 27, 2026•25 min•Season 1Ep. 255
In this episode I talk about when my horse makes the best decisions, and how we need to be paying attention and ready to set aside our egos when that happens. About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from around the world in her clinics and the Dressage Naturally virtual programs. Karen is well known for training horses w...
Feb 13, 2026•30 min•Season 1Ep. 254
In this episode I talk about how we should feel about our horse getting ‘big’ when online or at liberty. Will it make it more likely they’ll leap and buck under saddle? Is it OK or not OK to allow it? About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from around the world in her clinics and the Dressage Naturally virtual programs....
Feb 06, 2026•32 min•Season 1Ep. 253
In this episode I continue my exploration of what we can do to help horses when they are being mistreated. Helping to improve horse welfare isn’t just about taking action in the worst cases, it is about bringing awareness to the smaller moments in a way that creates change. About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from ar...
Jan 30, 2026•48 min•Season 1Ep. 252
In this episode I am joined by the USPC Equine Welfare Task Force, made up of: Dr Stacy Anderson, Heather Bell, Dr Laura Thompson, Christina Keim. In creating this, they are leading the way for education on equine wellness and will have a huge influence on a new generation of horsemen. This is so important and I’m excited to have these wonderful women on the pod. I think you’ll love hearing about what they’ve created and will be left feeling optimistic. About the Guests: Christina Keim, M.Ed., M...
Jan 09, 2026•59 min•Season 1Ep. 251
In this episode I speak with high performance expert Dr Jenny Susser, a self described athlete, scientist, horse lover and people expert. She helps people with high performance, but today I’m going to ask her about embracing contentedness with “low performance”… and what that even means. This talk will get personal as I share some challenges I’ve been having at this point in my life & career. About the Guest: Dr. Jenny has a doctoral degree in Clinical Health Psychology, specializing in Spor...
Jan 02, 2026•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 250
In this episode I am joined by Dr Judith Shoemaker and Dr Karen Gellman. They talk about Postural Rehabilitation and why horses may not respond to treatment. It is often due to underlying imbalances and they discuss different areas you’ll want to look at. Free webinar about Postural Rehabilitation . About the Guests: Judith M. Shoemaker , DVM, is well known practitioner and educator in integrative veterinary medicine and therapy. A 1980 graduate of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary...
Dec 19, 2025•55 min•Season 1Ep. 249
In this episode I talk about your horse’s M.O. Is there a quirk or behavior that continues through as you train? That even if you improve it, it comes back… how do we feel about that and what do we do about it? About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from around the world in her clinics and the Dressage Naturally virtual...
Dec 12, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 248
In this episode I muse about how my horses and I navigate our feelings of ‘wanting to’ do things together (or not). I’ll share some stories of my horses and hopefully leave you feeling a little more free. About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from around the world in her clinics and the Dressage Naturally virtual progr...
Nov 28, 2025•39 min•Season 1Ep. 247
In this episode I talk about how perfect my horses are - not just my horses, but your horses, and all horses! This is not some superficial positive thinking, it’s a context and an attitude that has a tremendous influence on how you train and live with horses. About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from around the world ...
Nov 14, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 246
In this episode I’ll be talking with Scott Beckstead of the Wild Horse Refuge in Colorado. We’ll talk about how he is helping wild horses who have been rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management return to a life of freedom. About the Guest: A lifelong student and admirer of horses and all equines, Scott Beckstead grew up with horses on his family’s farm and spent much of his childhood and youth on horseback in the mountains of Idaho. After receiving his bachelor's degree from Utah State Univers...
Oct 31, 2025•43 min•Season 1Ep. 245
In this episode I talk with Elsa Sinclair of Taming Wild. I invite her to discuss her opinion on pressure, escalating pressure, and freedom. She offered a unique and nuanced opinion about pressure and how it fits into her Freedom-Based training techniques. About the Guest: For ELSA SINCLAIR , horse training has been a lifelong pursuit, but her career took a turn when one day a student asked her if horses really enjoyed being ridden, and more importantly, if they knew they had a choice in the mat...
Oct 24, 2025•57 min•Season 1Ep. 244
In this episode I talk about the power of narration. It’s a technique I use to build confidence, gain clarity, minimize fear, and to stay in the moment. About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from around the world in her clinics and the Dressage Naturally virtual programs. Karen is well known for training horses with a ...
Oct 17, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 243
In this episode I have some fun with numbers, starting with a loose calculation of how much time I’ve spent practicing with horses, then somehow I move on to balance, connection, and resistance. About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from around the world in her clinics and the Dressage Naturally virtual programs. Karen...
Oct 03, 2025•29 min•Season 1Ep. 242
In this episode I talk about a disturbing situation where some professionals are actively making students feel bad about themselves in the name of caring about horses. I’ll share my thoughts and how you can avoid falling into this trap. About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from around the world in her clinics and the ...
Sep 26, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 241
In this episode I talk with Tik Maynard, professional event rider, author, and two-time winner of The Road To The Horse colt starting championships. About the Guest: Tik Maynard is a renowned equestrian from Canada. He is a trainer, and author of 2 books: In The Middle Are The Horsemen, and Starting in The Middle…. He is known for his expertise in horsemanship, eventing, and colt starting, notably winning The Road To The Horse colt-starting competition twice. He represented Canada in Modern Pent...
Sep 19, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 240
In this episode I talk about energy; not the kind that has to do with bigger gaits, or stronger aids, but the kind that effects how we are doing what we are doing. About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from around the world in her clinics and the Dressage Naturally virtual programs. Karen is well known for training hor...
Sep 12, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 239
We’re taking a little summer break from the pod. See you in September!
Aug 22, 2025•4 min•Season 1Ep. 238
Often we who want harmony and lightness can tend to focus on doing less, asking for less, and being as invisible as possible. In this episode I talk about how sometimes we want to do more, ask for more, and be more obvious in our requests. About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from around the world in her clinics and t...
Aug 15, 2025•33 min•Season 1Ep. 237
In this episode I speak with Christina Keim, author of Unwanted, The Causes and Effects of America’s Horse Population Crisis . This is a book every horse lover needs to read, and I’m so happy to share this with you. It’s a subject that is uncomfortable to look at, but necessary. About the Guest: Christina Keim, M.Ed., M.F.A. is an award-winning equestrian journalist and professional horsewoman with over 25 years experience in the industry. Her written work has appeared extensively in top equestr...
Aug 01, 2025•55 min•Season 1Ep. 236
In this episode we’ll meet my newest DN licensed Instructor, Niki Wilde Broadhead from Utah. She has a background in foundational horsemanship and a passion for cowboy dressage and teaching. About the Guest: Niki has a strong background in foundational horsemanship, foal handling, and problem horses. She is a cowboy dressage endorsed clinician and a cowboy dressage level 3 judge with distinction, and has spent many years advancing adults and children. She is a really dedicated and enthusiastic h...
Jul 25, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 235
This episode is a reintroduction of one of the most important concepts I teach, the Happy Athlete Training Scale. This is the framework for ethical training with a prioritization on your horse’s well-being. This training scale is ALWAYS in the back of my mind as I assess my horses and make my day-to-day and moment-to-moment training decisions. It’s simply my best, most simple description (so far) for explaining how to make those decisions. About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dress...
Jul 18, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 234
In this episode I give you a simple technique you can use in many different situations to improve what’s going on between you and your horse. About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from around the world in her clinics and the Dressage Naturally virtual programs. Karen is well known for training horses with a priority on...
Jul 11, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 233
In this episode I talk about some of the challenges of being a horse professional for many decades, how things change, and perhaps a more positive way to navigate it. About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from around the world in her clinics and the Dressage Naturally virtual programs. Karen is well known for training ...
Jul 04, 2025•28 min•Season 1Ep. 232
In this episode I talk about how to keep track of all the things we need to keep track of when we’re doing stuff with our horses, and how do we know if it’s us that need to change or our horse? About the Host: Karen Rohlf, author and creator of Dressage Naturally, is an internationally recognized clinician who is changing the equestrian educational paradigm. She teaches students of all disciplines and levels from around the world in her clinics and the Dressage Naturally virtual programs. Karen ...
Jun 20, 2025•29 min•Season 1Ep. 231
