Ask why before how. Conversations with researchers, vets and trainers, for anyone who cares about horses. Each episode takes a real question about horse behaviour, training, care or welfare and asks what the evidence says. No gurus, just better questions. Hosted by Anna Louise Claydon, produced by Theresa McCaffrey. Follow for each new episode, if you it's useful, a rating helps other horse people find us.
Free newsletter: https://www.curiousequestrian.co.uk/#/portal/signup
Merch: https://curiousequestrian.teemill.com/
Bookshop (affiliate): https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/curiousequestrian
Publisher
Produced by Theresa McCaffrey, hosted by Anna Louise Claydon
Is a walking hack with cake the future of confidence coaching? | Jo Carroll
Riding instructor Jo Carroll set up Cake Club to give adult riders something the equestrian community rarely offers them: a hack at a walk, with her alongside on foot, then coffee and cake. It took her 18 months to open it to horse owners, for fear of what other coaches would think. Now riders who had almost given up horses come along to give it one last go, and a monthly support group for women has grown out of it. Could this be the future of confidence coaching?
In this episode:
Why Jo walks on foot beside the ride, and why she admits she gets a bit scared hacking herself
The 18 months it took to launch Cake Club for horse owners, and what held her back
The yard comments and online judgement that knock riders' confidence, and why Jo thinks the words we use need more thought
The women's support group: speakers, a saddle-fitting demo, and the questions people are too scared to ask professionals
Why nobody shouts about hacking at a walk, when everyone talks up the canter and the jump
What a group walk does for the horses, from unbacked youngsters to horses coming back from rehab
Find Jo Carroll: jocarrollequine.co.uk | Facebook: Jo Carroll Equine Services | Instagram: @jo_anncarroll
Curious EquestrianFollow the show on Spotify so you never miss an episode, and join our free newsletter for the full story behind this episode and the after-hours listener Q&A: https://www.curiousequestrian.co.uk/#/portal/signup (https://www.curiousequestrian.co.uk/#/portal/signup)
1 Nov 2026
Why we still choose carriage horses for life's biggest moments
What is it like to steer magnificent Friesian horses through modern traffic for life’s most poignant milestones? Step onto the carriage with Mike Daniell & Son in Suffolk to see the dedication, skill, and heart behind traditional wedding and funeral carriage driving.In this behind-the-scenes documentary, we visit the Daniell family in Woodbridge to explore why horse-drawn carriages remain such an enduring, emotional tradition. From the split-second decisions required on busy roads to the solemn responsibility of guiding a family's final journey, we uncover the powerful bond between driver, horse, and ceremony.
Connect with Mike Daniell & Son:Facebook: facebook.com/p/Mike-Daniell-Son-Carriagemasters (https://www.facebook.com/p/Mike-Daniell-Son-Carriagemasters-100063631960058/)Join our community:Newsletter & Stories (https://www.curiousequestrian.co.uk)Bookshop (https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/curiousequestrian)Merch (https://curiousequestrian.teemill.com/)
Let us know in the comments: Have you ever experienced a horse-drawn procession, or would you choose one for a milestone?Curious Equestrian:Presenter: Anna Louise ClaydonProducer & Founder: Theresa McCaffrey
10 Oct 2026
How did horse tricks turn a biting rescue horse around? | Noche Miller, Horse Tricks 101 trainer
Noche Miller turned to trick training when Rusty, a young rescue Morgan, bit and walked straight through people. He had been dumped at auction because nobody could handle him, and two or three months of traditional handling had got nowhere. Noche, an instructor with Horse Tricks 101, tells Anna Louise how teaching him to fetch a rubber chicken changed the way she works with horses, and why the same small steps prepare a horse for trailer loading, dental checks and being ridden.
In this episode:
- How fetch is built up from a single nose touch
- Why standing on a pedestal makes trailer loading less of a leap
- Treat manners, and why a good scratch can be a reward too
- Choosing a reward worth working for that doesn't tip a horse into overexcitement
- Scent boxes and grazing boxes for horses with limited turnout
- Why it's fine to own a horse you don't ride
- How Rusty and Ghost the cow each earned a Guinness world record for tricks
Guest: Noche Miller, instructor with Horse Tricks 101
horsetricks101.com, plus Facebook, Instagram and YouTube @horsetricks101
Follow Curious Equestrian on Spotify to hear each new episode as soon as it's out.
Free newsletter, including the behind-the-scenes listener Q&A with Noche Miller: https://www.curiousequestrian.co.uk/#/portal/signup
Support Curious Equestrian:
Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/curiousequestrian (Bookshop pays us a small commission on purchases and a share goes to independent bookshops; it costs you nothing extra.)
Merch: https://curiousequestrian.teemill.com/
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:43 Rusty, the rescue Morgan nobody could handle
07:55 What changed when trick training began
09:21 Building fetch from a single nose touch
13:43 Becoming a Horse Tricks 101 instructor
14:52 Treat manners: from biting to waiting
16:30 Dumped at auction
21:00 Where Rusty's behaviour came from
22:22 Guinness world records for Ghost the cow and Rusty
26:02 Tricks for horses that can't be ridden
27:28 Useful tricks: mounting blocks, trailers and teeth
31:31 Working around a bad start
32:43 Scent boxes and grazing boxes
36:59 The Horse Tricks 101 community
39:07 Over-horsed? Go back to groundwork
41:17 It's fine not to ride
45:09 Changing horsemanship by example
49:01 Does a horse need to be food motivated?
51:45 Choosing the right value of reward
53:38 What trick training does for the human
56:53 Ending the stigma around food
Who has been a guest on Curious Equestrian
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Jennifer Howland-Christensen
Natalie Munir
Ben Longwell
Jack Curtis
Paula Curtis
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
107,173
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
4.5 / 5
6 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 68 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
73
Social presence
0
YouTube
86
Engagement
68
Contact Curious Equestrian
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
