Is a Young Horse Right for You? With Kama Godek

05/11/21 • 51 min

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

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

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

Previous Episode

Your Horse Is a Mirror. Do You Like What You See?

Do you know those riders, trainers, or grooms that horses just love being around? What is it about them that makes horses so drawn to them?

And how do we all become one of those people?

Dr. Sam Fielding coined the term “energetic intelligence” and much of her performance coaching focuses on how your mental state affects your horse. So, how do we become aware of how our nerves, or anger, or distractedness, are affecting our horses? And once we’re aware, how do we fix it?

Host Caroline Culbertson and Dr. Fielding also discuss:

How mares and geldings differ in their mannerisms and energy, and why some people don’t seem to connect as well with mares
Why there’s a lot you can do from home to improve your performance in the saddle
How the same things that get in your way in the saddle, are probably showing up in other areas of your life

Next Episode

Elyse Hart: Horses Saved Me after Addiction Nearly Killed Me

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.