Elyse Hart: Horses Saved Me after Addiction Nearly Killed Me

05/25/21 • 56 min

They say that everyone will know someone, love someone, or be someone who struggles with an addiction at some point in their lives. This is an important conversation that isn’t talked about enough.

This week on the Equestrian Voices podcast, host Caroline Culbertson is joined by Elyse Hart, a 31-year-old dressage whose addiction to alcohol and drugs nearly killed her - multiple times. Now, five years sober, she has delved deeper than ever into her riding and horses in order to help maintain her sobriety. Elyse opens up and tells the harrowing story of the darkest years of her life and the perspective she has gained - and how that makes her the woman, mother, and rider that she is today.

Caroline and Elyse also discuss:

Giving yourself grace as you make progress (and how progress is never linear - in horses or in life)
Show ring anxiety and fear, and how to contextualize it
How the horses helped ground her after the most out-of-control times in her life, and why that’s a lesson she’ll always come back to.

They say that everyone will know someone, love someone, or be someone who struggles with an addiction at some point in their lives. This is an important conversation that isn’t talked about enough.

Caroline and Elyse also discuss:

Giving yourself grace as you make progress (and how progress is never linear - in horses or in life)
Show ring anxiety and fear, and how to contextualize it
How the horses helped ground her after the most out-of-control times in her life, and why that’s a lesson she’ll always come back to.

Previous Episode

Is a Young Horse Right for You? With Kama Godek

Have you ever dreamed of, seriously considered, or actually bought a young horse? *Raises hand*

Most of us fall somewhere on that spectrum, enticed by the seemingly infinite possibilities that the unknown of a young horse offers. With low or no “miles”, young horses are exciting because we don’t know what their ceiling is - and it makes us expand our minds on what our limits are, too.

Host Caroline Culbertson (@caroline.culbertson) is joined by 5* show jumper Kama Godek, who works with young horses on a daily basis and also has years of experience pairing horses and riders together. Kama understands what works, what doesn’t, and what young horses require.

In this episode, they discuss:

Main reasons why people seek out young or undeveloped horses (money is a big one!)
Understanding if you have the setup and the skills for a young horse
Kama’s mental exercise of three main things to consider when considering a horse to buy
Pre-purchase exams on young horses and what really matters

Next Episode

'Thin to Win': The Toxic Culture of Body Shame and Diet in Equestrian Sport

[Trigger Warning: This episode discusses disordered eating and eating disorders.] We asked you, the community, whether or not you've experienced pressure around weight, body shame, or witnessed diet culture in action in equestrian sport. The response? Overwhelmingly yes - especially those in hunter and equitation rings, and especially those who were or are competing.

There's a lot at risk here - mentally, physically, and emotionally. We can't usher young participants into this sport and continue to have this toxic paradigm reinforced through trainers, judges, teammates, and beyond. The cost is too high and, as you'll hear in this episode, the effects are lasting. Join host Caroline Culbertson and Natalie Gavi, MS, RDN, as they unpack this topic and why it's so harmful and dangerous for athletes.