Learning about horses doesn't only happen in the arena. On the drive to the stable, while grooming, or on the way to a competition, a podcast fits neatly into the time you're already spending on your horse. The range on offer has grown considerably in recent years, in both Dutch and English — but the shows differ widely in topic and tone. This guide lists the best-known titles and helps you choose what fits your particular question.
Dutch Podcasts
- Horses Podcast — the podcast from Horses.nl and De Paardenkrant: background on news from the horse world and interviews with riders, breeders, and other people in the sport. Useful if you want to follow the sport without checking the sites every day.
- De Paardenpodcast (Rianne Dekker, Horse in Mind) — conversations with experts on horse welfare and behavior, supplemented with owners' experiences. A calm pace, with plenty of depth per episode.
- De Paardenkantine (Bianca Hildebrand van Alderwegen) — topics from the horse world with an emphasis on correct riding and biomechanics. For anyone who wants to understand why an exercise works, not just how.
- Two Happy Athletes Podcast (Miriam Vree-van Straten) — knowledge and concrete tips for approaching both rider and horse as athletes: physically, mentally, and in how they work together.
- Winner's Mindset Show (Anne Loosveld) — on confidence and mental preparation for competitions. Ties in directly with managing competition pressure.
- Amazones met een Missie (Jolanda Adelaar, Romy Huisman, and Fenna van Dam) — three horse-loving friends discuss their views on horse welfare, accessible and without technical jargon as a barrier.
- Ontspannen buitenrijden en wandelen met je paard (Hester Stasse) — practical episodes on calm and enjoyment during trail rides and hand walks, for anyone who wants to trade the arena for the woods now and then.
English-Language Podcasts
For anyone who doesn't mind English, a much bigger library opens up. A selection of shows that have been running for years:
- Dressage Radio Show — the official podcast of the American dressage federation USDF and the longest-running dressage podcast, made by Grand Prix riders: interviews, book reviews, and dressage news.
- Train Your Own Horse with Stacy Westfall — on training your own horse yourself, from groundwork to riding. Westfall answers listener questions step by step; useful alongside the choice between training yourself or sending your horse to a professional trainer.
- Horse Training in Harmony (Karen Rohlf) — progressing in dressage without losing sight of your horse's welfare and your relationship with it.
- Horses in the Morning — a daily talk show about everything to do with horses. Light in tone, broad in subject matter.
- That's Lame (Joanna Thurman-Baker and Evelina Shrieve) — two professional dressage riders and best friends talk without formality about the sport and stable life.
- Because of Horses — interviews with a wide range of guests from the horse world, from scientists to top riders, about the role horses play in their lives and work.
How to Choose a Show That Fits You
| What you're dealing with | Start here |
|---|---|
| Just started riding, lots of questions about handling and welfare | De Paardenpodcast · Amazones met een Missie |
| Own horse, training and caring for it yourself | Train Your Own Horse · De Paardenkantine |
| Competing, staying on top of nerves | Winner's Mindset Show · Two Happy Athletes |
| Deepening technique and biomechanics | De Paardenkantine · Horse Training in Harmony |
| Following the sport and the news | Horses Podcast · Dressage Radio Show |
| Relaxation and trail rides | Ontspannen buitenrijden en wandelen met je paard |
Two practical tips. Don't start a new show with its newest episode; instead find an episode on a topic you're dealing with right now — that way you'll immediately notice whether the tone suits you. And connect what you hear to your own riding: taking one idea per episode to your next lesson or training session sticks better than ten episodes back to back. A training log is a good place for that.
Where to Listen
Nearly all the shows mentioned are on Spotify and Apple Podcasts; searching by name is enough. Some also appear as video on YouTube — including Horses Podcast, De Paardenpodcast, De Paardenkantine, and Amazones met een Missie — which is nice for episodes where something is demonstrated or shown. Episodes are free; some creators also offer paid courses or extra material, but that's separate from the podcast itself.
In Short
- The Dutch offering covers welfare (De Paardenpodcast, Amazones met een Missie), riding technique (De Paardenkantine), mindset (Winner's Mindset Show, Two Happy Athletes), trail riding (Hester Stasse), and news (Horses Podcast).
- English-language shows like Dressage Radio Show, Train Your Own Horse, and Horse Training in Harmony offer depth that's scarce in Dutch.
- Choose based on your own question right now, not on popularity — and take one idea per episode with you into the arena.
- Everything is on Spotify and Apple Podcasts; some also as video on YouTube.
See also: Managing competition pressure · Keeping a training log · Training yourself versus sending your horse to a trainer · Glossary · Level: Just Starting Out