Podcast Archives
EP164: Claim Your Cape
In this episode, I talk about why partnership isn’t enough. It’s time to claim your cape and be your horse’s superhero!
EP163: Should Not
In this episode, I’ll riff off of a student’s question to our FB group where she was wrestling with feeling emotionally and physically dysregulated, and what she ‘should’ do with her horse during those times.
EP162: The Sweet Spot
In this episode, I’ll describe what I call the Sweet Spot of Healthy Biomechanics. It is a key concept in Dressage Naturally. It can transform the way you train, and it is incredibly powerful as a tool for cooperative training of your horse’s posture and way of moving.
EP161: Student Q&A – Resistance To Circling
In this episode, I answer a student question about a horse that resists circling on line. My answer includes a specific exercise, as well as some important psychological nuances about how to do the exercise. It’s not just about ‘getting the horse to circle’ it’s about figuring out how to cause the horse to understand and be motivated to join the circle.
EP160: Technique & Soul
In this episode I’ll share some words from Nuno Oliveira. They are simple yet powerful and something you can apply to your riding starting today. This also dovetails beautifully with principles and methods taught in my Dressage Naturally program.
EP159: Horse School
In this episode, I’ll talk about the different types of sessions we can do with our horses. I’ll share how Math class, Gym class, Recess, and Field Trips all play different and important roles in the well-rounded education of your horse in horse school.
EP158: Needle-Shyness with Dr. Lily Wilson
In this episode I am joined by Dr. Lily Wilson, a veterinary surgeon who has created a new way of helping horse owners take the very best care of their equine partners. Today we will be talking about needle-shyness, and what we can do to make getting injections a better experience for the horse and the handler.
EP157: The Forest
In this episode I’ll talk about beautiful moments with horses and how we can be sure they are beautiful… Who gets to say? If a horse piaffes in the forest and no one is there to judge it, can it be beautiful? Let’s explore that.
EP156: Stop Breaking Horses
In this episode I talk about one of the most unfortunate terms in the horse world: Breaking Horses. Help me eliminate that word, and even more importantly that practice. We don’t want to break horses, we want to prepare them.
EP155: Desiderata
In this episode we’ll take a break from techniques, dressage, and horsemanship. I’ll share one of my favorite prose poems. It is something I read regularly. It’s a powerful piece and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
EP154: Ask Karen Anything: Physical Challenges
In this episode, I answer a student’s request for me to share more about my own physical challenges, and ways I have dealt with them, as well as how age affects our riding.
EP153: Nothing Is Something
When is nothing something? What does the foamy head of a beer have to do with living in possibility? In this episode I’ll talk about one of the most powerful exercises I’ve never done.
EP152: Self Carriage
I’ll talk about my perspectives on self-carriage. It’s not just the result of a perfect half halt, it is a mental, emotional, and physical state of being that can be developed much sooner than you think.
EP151: Suspending Judgment
In this episode I’ll talk about a dynamic of human thinking, how it can help us and how it can hurt us.
EP150:Equine Fitness with Jec A Ballou
In this episode I am joined by equine fitness expert, Jec Ballou. We talk about how to bring a horse back into foundational fitness after a break. You’ll get lots of valuable information you can use. Everyone is going to need this information at some point in their horse journey.
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Y𝗲𝘀, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.
It`s all about 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
It`s been so fun watching Kelly and her horses, especially Anthony, who was given to her because of extreme behavior and trust issues. This year, he did his first Prix St George tests.
Below are some words from Kelly.
If you are wondering how this can work for YOU, the program I recommend the most as a starting point is the 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗔𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 program. It provides a CONCISE overview of how to prioritize, along with key exercises to get started...
𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗞𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆:
"Six years ago, I discovered the Dressage Naturally program online. After completing the Sweet Spot program, joining the Video Classroom, and now training with Karen in person, my understanding of horse training, behavior, and progressing through the dressage levels has grown tremendously.
I spent many years training with respected dressage professionals — including a former Olympian, a high-level judge, and a Gold Medalist — then through Karen’s approach, my partnerships with my horses transformed in a way I had never experienced before.
Through her work, my horses and I became deeply connected. From this new level of communication, everything else improved — relaxation, understanding, and performance.
Using the Dressage Naturally principles, I’ve been able to help them— and now help clients horses — with both behavioral challenges and dressage training, always keeping the horse’s experience at the center of the process.
Karen teaches in a way that brings clarity not only to the rider, but to the horse as well. That dual understanding is what truly changes everything.
Feb 6
🎤 NEW POD 💥 EP253: EXUBERANCE OR TROUBLE?
Enjoy this short excerpt
For the FULL episode go to: https://dressagenaturally.net/podcast/
Or search for Horse Training In Harmony Episode 253 wherever you listen.
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?
.
.
#dressagenaturally #karenrohlf #horsetraininginharmony #horsepodcast #horses #myhorseisperfect #ilovemyhorse #horsemanship #happyhealthyhorse
Feb 6
OK I did a not-directly-about-horses thing!
This is a true story told in words and photos about appreciation and the purpose of life. It is about noticing the beauty all around us… and the messages I received about myself and the world when I started doing that.
You can search for it on Amazon.
And if you love it please leave a review on Amazon! 🤗🤗
#findingbeauty
Jan 31
🎤 NEW POD 💥 EP252: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU SEE MISTREATMENT
Enjoy this short excerpt
For the FULL episode go to: https://dressagenaturally.net/podcast/
Or search for Horse Training In Harmony Episode 252 wherever you listen.
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.
.
.
#dressagenaturally #karenrohlf #horsetraininginharmony #horsepodcast #horses #myhorseisperfect #ilovemyhorse #horsemanship #equinewelfare #happyhealthyhorse
Jan 30
Y𝗲𝘀, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.
It`s all about 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
It`s been so fun watching Kelly and her horses, especially Anthony, who was given to her because of extreme behavior and trust issues. This year, he did his first Prix St George tests.
Below are some words from Kelly.
If you are wondering how this can work for YOU, the program I recommend the most as a starting point is the 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗔𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 program. It provides a CONCISE overview of how to prioritize, along with key exercises to get started...
𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗞𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆:
"Six years ago, I discovered the Dressage Naturally program online. After completing the Sweet Spot program, joining the Video Classroom, and now training with Karen in person, my understanding of horse training, behavior, and progressing through the dressage levels has grown tremendously.
I spent many years training with respected dressage professionals — including a former Olympian, a high-level judge, and a Gold Medalist — then through Karen’s approach, my partnerships with my horses transformed in a way I had never experienced before.
Through her work, my horses and I became deeply connected. From this new level of communication, everything else improved — relaxation, understanding, and performance.
Using the Dressage Naturally principles, I’ve been able to help them— and now help clients horses — with both behavioral challenges and dressage training, always keeping the horse’s experience at the center of the process.
Karen teaches in a way that brings clarity not only to the rider, but to the horse as well. That dual understanding is what truly changes everything.
Feb 6
🎤 NEW POD 💥 EP253: EXUBERANCE OR TROUBLE?
Enjoy this short excerpt
For the FULL episode go to: https://dressagenaturally.net/podcast/
Or search for Horse Training In Harmony Episode 253 wherever you listen.
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?
.
.
#dressagenaturally #karenrohlf #horsetraininginharmony #horsepodcast #horses #myhorseisperfect #ilovemyhorse #horsemanship #happyhealthyhorse
Feb 6
OK I did a not-directly-about-horses thing!
This is a true story told in words and photos about appreciation and the purpose of life. It is about noticing the beauty all around us… and the messages I received about myself and the world when I started doing that.
You can search for it on Amazon.
And if you love it please leave a review on Amazon! 🤗🤗
#findingbeauty
Jan 31
🎤 NEW POD 💥 EP252: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU SEE MISTREATMENT
Enjoy this short excerpt
For the FULL episode go to: https://dressagenaturally.net/podcast/
Or search for Horse Training In Harmony Episode 252 wherever you listen.
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.
.
.
#dressagenaturally #karenrohlf #horsetraininginharmony #horsepodcast #horses #myhorseisperfect #ilovemyhorse #horsemanship #equinewelfare #happyhealthyhorse
Jan 30




















