Everyone talks about training. Almost nobody talks about why it doesn't show up on the day.

Kirsty Chabert has just won the Nations Cup at Bicton on Classic VI, and she's admitting something most riders won't: she's terrified of heights, still can't walk to the edge of a drop fence, and has spent years working through it. If a five-star rider with that record still fights her own nerves, what does that mean for the rest of us walking into the startbox?

This episode of the Grassroots Show goes straight at that gap between the arena at home and the ring at a show. Kirsty breaks down what she actually leans on when the pressure's on, why competing above your level in schooling matters more in jumping than dressage, and why she disappears the week before a big event instead of riding.

Highlights

• Managing nerves at every level
• Training above the level you compete
• Building pressure into schooling at home
• Reading your own competition honestly
• The trot-to-walk transition that matters most
• A cross-country warm-up challenge to try

Guests
Kirsty Chabert, five-star event rider and coach, Nations Cup winner at Bicton on Classic VI.

Presented by Foran Equine, part of the Connolly's RED MILLS family.

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This week's Cup of Tea is with Sam Lissington, and she's arrived with news that's still sinking in: her first senior call-up, earned inside a fortnight that could easily have gone the other way.

Second at Bramham with Sooty, then the setback nobody saw coming when he came home from the vet with an injury that ended his season. So how do you show up for the next horse when everything feels uncertain?

Sam talks us through the whiplash of that stretch, a horse bought on a hunch in a Finnish indoor, the mistake she owns at Bilton without excuse, and the phone call that made all of it worth it.

Highlights

• Bramham high, then a career low
• Performing on Lucas Stone under pressure
• Buying a horse in a Finnish indoor
• Owning the mistake at Bilton
• A stressful vet check day
• What success at Aachen looks like

Guests

• Sam Lissington – New Zealand event rider, newly selected for her first senior World Championships

This series is supported by Carr & Day & Martin, globally trusted equine care products since 1765 and now proudly part of the Connolly's Red Mills Group. Learn more about their full range at: https://www.carrdaymartin.com/

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For many horse lovers, becoming a professional rider is the dream, but it's far from the only way to build a fulfilling career in eventing. In this episode of the USEA Official Podcast, host Nicole Brown is joined by organizer and licensed official Emily Holmes, championship groom, organizer, and former USEA President Max Corcoran, and Eventing Nation co-publisher Sally Spickard to discuss the many careers that help keep the sport running.

Together, they share the winding paths that led them to where they are today, the lessons they've learned along the way, and the advice they would give to anyone hoping to turn their passion for horses into a profession. From media and event management to officiating and grooming, this episode is a reminder that there's more than one way to make your mark in the sport of eventing.

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