The Grassroots Show: Building Your Team from the Ground Up

In this Feed Room episode, Spike The Vet is back with Red Mills nutritionist Louise Jones to tackle a question that comes up again and again, especially through the winter months: how do you get energy from horses that already carry plenty of condition? They talk through good doers, honest workload assessment, body condition, forage choices, and why simply adding more feed is rarely the answer. There's also an important look at equine metabolic syndrome, including how it can affect competition horses as well as natives, and how feeding needs change depending on the job, from eventing to dressage. Practical, clear, and grounded in real-world experience. HIGHLIGHTS Why good doers can be harder to feed than poor doers The impact of excess weight on energy and performance Simple ways to monitor body condition over time Equine metabolic syndrome beyond the "fat pony" stereotype Feeding low-starch diets without losing performance When targeted starch can help add expression and power The role of forage in managing energy and condition GUESTS Spike The Vet — equine vet and regular voice on the Feed Room series Louise Jones — equine nutritionist with Red Mills, specialising in performance and metabolic management 📲 Stay Connected This episode is brought to you by Connolly's Red Mills. For expert advice, forage analysis, and feeding support, visit redmills.com or connect with their nutrition team directly. Proud partners of the podcast, Red Mills are here to help you feed your horse with confidence.

This episode is exactly why Strawmax Stable Chats exist. Adam Short pulls up a chair and we cover everything from championship pressure to jalapeño margaritas, dream dinner parties, and the horses in Tom McEwens yard who know they're the stars of the show. A brilliant glimpse into the person who keeps the whole operation ticking. HIGHLIGHTS The elite-sport job he'd choose outside horses Kris Jenner, Adele, Alan Carr and Serena Williams at his table The biggest main-character energy in Tom's string Why one-on-one trips create the "special ones" The portaloo incident he can't undo GUEST Adam Short, head groom to Tom McEwen. EquiRatings Eventing Podcast: Follow the EquiRatings Eventing Podcast for more data-led insight, top-tier guests, and everything you need to keep up with the 2025 season on Instagram and Facebook. To find out more about Strawmax bedding and how it could work in your yard, head to: https://www.strawmax.co.uk

Eventing is full of brilliant days and tough ones, which is why the people you bring with you matter just as much as the horses. In this episode of the Grassroots Show, we look at how friendship, shared experience and the right support crew can shape your confidence, your progress and your enjoyment of the sport. Lucy Robinson, glowing, pregnant and still full of sharp humour, joins the show alongside her long time partner in crime, Jess Maye. From early yard meetups to shared show jumping disasters, team chasing memories and event day rituals, the pair talk about how they have built their community and why it has made the sport better at every level.  Highlights How Lucy and Jess first connected and the moment the friendship stuck The role of motivation, FOMO and healthy competition in moving up the levels Why shared lessons, shared lorries and shared disasters build real confidence Tips for eventing alone, from organisation to safety to asking for help How social media creates genuine community for grassroots riders The reality of juggling horses, work and children and how to make it manageable Guests Lucy Robinson -  Red Mills ambassador and the rider behind Footluce Eventing Jess Maye - Creator of Life on the Buckle Presented by Foran Equine, part of the Connolly's RED MILLS family. EquiRatings Eventing Podcast: Follow the EquiRatings Eventing Podcast for more data-led insight, top-tier guests, and everything you need to keep up with the 2025 season on Instagram and Facebook.

Chris Stone has been part of some of the most memorable chapters in modern eventing. Five star winners, a homebred hero, and one of the sport's most fascinating breeding stories. He and his wife Lisa also helped shape the Event Rider Masters era, bringing a new audience into the sport and raising the bar for how eventing was showcased. In this episode, Chris takes us through the journey. From the early days of Harry the Hunter and a birthday surprise that became Chilli Morning, to the emotional rollercoaster of William Fox-Pitt's comeback, and the creation of a breeding programme that now includes three clones of a five star winner. It is eventing through the eyes of an owner who has lived every high and every heartbreak. And the next chapter is already unfolding. Highlights The story behind buying Chilli Morning and how he became Lisa's birthday present Navigating the London 2012 Olympics cycle and the lessons learned William Fox-Pitt's recovery and the road to Badminton 2015 Bicton 2021, the homebred triumph and a career milestone for Gemma How and why the Chilli Morning clones came to be The realities of ownership, the heartbreaks, the breakthroughs and the people who make it possible What the sport needs to thrive in the future and lessons from the ERM years Guest Chris Stone, five star owner, breeder and long-time supporter of innovation in eventing   This episode is powered by EquiRatings Horse Sales,the data-driven way to find your next superstar. From performance metrics to potential and price, EquiRatings helps take the guesswork out of buying and selling horses. Find out more here. EquiRatings Eventing Podcast: Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

VOTE HERE: https://equiratings.typeform.com/ERHOTY-QF There's something wonderfully chaotic about Horse of the Year season. Everyone arrives certain they know exactly who should make the list… right up until the episode actually starts. Then the memories flood back, the numbers begin to nudge opinions, and suddenly even the panel isn't quite as sure as they thought. fischerChipmunk FRH. Lordships Graffalo. London 52. The heavyweights are here, the tactics are real, and the rules… well, let's just say they evolve by the minute. Nicole is joined by Diarm, Catherine, Spike and Annie for a full house and as they try to whittle the season down to eight. There are stats, strong opinions, rogue nominations, and one or two tactical plays that nobody is pretending to be subtle about. Settle in. Highlights The five automatic selections and why the top three were never really in doubt Annie's case for fischerChipmunk FRH and the moment in Kentucky that changed her mind Catherine's pitch for Lordships Graffalo and why no one even bothered to argue Spike's "not tonight, I'm saving the spice" approach… until he wasn't D's fully tactical masterstroke that blindsided the rest of the panel The wildcard chaos: Cartania, Cavalier Crystal, Kiarado d'Arville, Commando 3, Qantas R The tightest tally we've ever had on the show, with three horses tied until the final vote The official quarter-final draw Guests Diarmuid Byrne Catherine Austen Spike Milligan Annie Bishop Vote now for your EquiRatings Horse of the Year🐴 

There's something wonderfully chaotic about Horse of the Year season. Everyone arrives certain they know exactly who should make the list… right up until the episode actually starts. Then the memories flood back, the numbers begin to nudge opinions, and suddenly even the panel isn't quite as sure as they thought. Fisher Chipmunk. Lordships Graffalo. London 52. The heavyweights are here, the tactics are real, and the rules… well, let's just say they evolve by the minute. Nicole is joined by Diarm, Catherine, Spike and Annie for a full house and as they try to whittle the season down to eight. There are stats, strong opinions, rogue nominations, and one or two tactical plays that nobody is pretending to be subtle about. Settle in. Highlights The five automatic selections and why the top three were never really in doubt Annie's case for fischerChipmunk FRH and the moment in Kentucky that changed her mind Catherine's pitch for Lordships Graffalo and why no one even bothered to argue Spike's "not tonight, I'm saving the spice" approach… until he wasn't D's fully tactical masterstroke that blindsided the rest of the panel The wildcard chaos: Cartania, Cavalier Crystal, Kiarado d'Arville, Commando 3, Qantas R  The tightest tally we've ever had on the show, with three horses tied until the final vote The official quarter-final draw Guests Diarmuid Byrne Catherine Austen Spike Milligan Annie Bishop Vote now for your EquiRatings Horse of the Year🐴 The quarterfinals are open and your pick shapes the competition. 

The Feed Room is open and Spike has questions. Louise Jones from Red Mills is back and this time we are getting into the real nuts and bolts of feeding. Balancers, complete feeds, how they actually work, and when each one makes sense. If you've ever wondered whether a scoop of chaff and a balancer is really enough, or why some yards swear by mixes while others live by cubes, this is the episode that clears the fog. Louise breaks down what a complete feed technically is, how the equine world uses the term differently, and why protein and amino acids matter more than people realise. There is even a moment where Spike learns feeds are cooked, and it changes his entire worldview. A genuinely useful conversation with plenty you can take straight back to the yard. Highlights What a complete feed actually is When a balancer works and when it simply does not Why protein and key amino acids often get overlooked The hidden calorie gap in low bucket feeds Mixes versus cubes and how they are made Guest Louise Jones, Red Mills Senior Nutritionist, here to make feeding horses make sense. 📲 Stay Connected This episode is brought to you by Connolly's Red Mills. For expert advice, forage analysis, and feeding support, visit redmills.com or connect with their nutrition team directly. Proud partners of the podcast, Red Mills are here to help you feed your horse with confidence.

The end of a season always brings that odd mix of relief, exhaustion, and the moments you can't quite shake. And 2025 gave us plenty of those. The highs that made you grin. The heartbreaks that stopped you in your tracks.  And then the moments that shifted the sport itself.  It's the washing machine of emotions you only get in eventing, and we're diving straight into the ones that defined the year. Settle in. There's plenty to talk about. Highlights The Kentucky win that became Annie's moment of the year, and the Morven Park rail that broke half the media tent. Badminton's razor-thin margins and how Cooley Rosalent nearly rewrote the script. The cross-country moment that convinced Dee that Lordships Graffalo is something we haven't really seen before. Boyd Martin's world number one milestone and why that 26.0 in the rain changed everything. Harry Meade, inside the time, and the long road to the top spot. The emotional backdrop of Ros Canter's season and why Badminton meant more than just another title. Guests Diarmuid Byrne, EquiRatings Co-Founder Annie Bishop, fresh from the US Open circuit with the stories you didn't see on camera.

In this special episode, Nicole is joined by Dr. Jim Chiappetta, equine vet, inventor and president of Achieve Equine, for a look at the story and science behind Flair Strips. Jim shares how the idea began, why nasal support matters for every horse and what decades of research have taught him about airflow, recovery and performance. They talk through the early testing, the disciplines now using the strip, the welfare focus behind the product and the new innovations Achieve Equine are working on. Highlights: How Flair Strips first came to life Why nasal collapse affects performance and recovery What riders notice across jumping, eventing and western The research behind the strip and its welfare benefits New product developments in the pipeline Guest: Dr. Jim Chiappetta, president of Achieve Equine. Flair Strips support healthy breathing, reduce airway resistance and help horses perform and recover more comfortably. Learn more or explore the full range at flairstrips.com.

In this episode of When Nicole Met, Nicole catches up with a rider who has enjoyed one of the most memorable breakthrough seasons of the year. Katie Magee reflects on her Badminton debut, two British National Championship titles and the partnership with Treworra that has grown into a genuine five star force. From rebuilding after injury to the steady guidance of Nicola Wilson and the realities of running a busy yard in the North, it is an open look at what it takes to keep moving forward. Highlights: Badminton first timer experience and a top twelve finish Producing Treworra into a confident, consistent five star campaigner Returning from a heavy fall with renewed focus How Nicola Wilson has shaped her programme and mindset Life in the North with a full yard and family in the mix British Open victory and standing alongside world class combinations Early thoughts on 2026 with Badminton and Burghley on the horizon Guests: Katie Magee, a British five star rider based in the North of England, winner of two British National Championship titles and best first timer at Badminton 2025. This show is kindly supported by Bedmax, purpose-made, natural horse bedding designed to protect respiratory health, support hooves, and provide a clean, comfortable stable environment.