{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6a537f99a410914b58009c90/6ab7f6c116ca37c5a0ee5a69?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"The Animals Don't Judge: A Lifelong Love of Horses","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/6a537f99a410914b58009c90/1790441105169-1f9b234a-f075-461b-8465-e61f9b95ade3.jpeg?height=200","description":"<h3>How a lifelong love of horses shaped Karen’s whole life</h3><p>Sian talks with Karen about a lifelong, hands-on connection with animals that started when she was three and has carried through horses, dogs, cats, and rescue work. The conversation centers on how animals became family, teachers, and emotional support through moves, motherhood, disability, and retirement.</p><p><br></p><h2>Key topics</h2><ul><li>Karen’s first memory of loving horses: feeding a white horse lettuce in Katherine in the Northern Territory when she was three</li><li>How that early moment shaped a lifelong habit of talking to, watching, and learning from horses</li><li>Her teenage years as a stable hand, where she learned horse body language, stable care, and the basics of horsemanship</li><li>Riding trotters, including what a trotter is and why she was drawn to riding them despite being told she was “mad”</li><li>Her move into more formal riding and dressage in Sydney, including learning from mentor Tom Roberts and his calm, behavioral approach to training</li><li>How horses crossed into her work through disability support, taking children from a respite house to the stables so they could experience horses</li><li>Her broader love of animals, including rescued cats, dogs, and her ongoing commitment to animal care</li><li>The story of Butters, her rescue dog, and how he became a deeply bonded companion and “flop on top of dog”</li><li>How living with multiple sclerosis changed her riding, mobility, and confidence, while animals still helped her keep going</li><li>Why she sees animals as family, emotional barometers, and a responsibility rather than a hobby</li></ul><h2></h2><p><strong>Music : Spring in my step by Silent Player</strong></p><p><br></p><h2><strong>Timestamps</strong></h2><p>00:00 - The childhood moment that sparked Karen’s love of horses</p><p> 01:45 - Why a three-year-old bond with a horse stayed so vivid</p><p> 02:52 - Talking to every horse and the first real horse friendships</p><p> 04:46 - Getting a job as a stable hand at 13</p><p> 05:23 - Learning horse body language and stable work</p><p> 06:51 - What a trotter is and why she rode them</p><p> 07:27 - Saving up to keep her first horse</p><p> 08:14 - Riding through Adelaide and taking her horse to a friend’s garden</p><p> 09:31 - Moving to Sydney and learning finesse, dressage, and kind training</p><p> 11:01 - Tom Roberts and the power of patient, behavior-based retraining</p><p> 12:35 - Bringing children with disabilities to the stables</p><p> 13:57 - Loving all animals, not just horses</p><p> 14:43 - Owning 10 horses over her life</p><p> 16:29 - Riding less often now and adjusting to MS</p><p> 17:27 - How animals helped her push through hard days</p><p> 19:00 - Butters the rescue dog joins the family</p><p> 20:20 - A day in the life with Butters</p><p> 24:06 - Why Butters is a “flop on top of dog”</p><p> 25:13 - Karen’s history of rescuing cats</p><p> 28:37 - Losing her older horse at 31</p><p> 29:58 - What animals mean to her: family and unconditional love</p><p> 30:26 - The biggest lesson animals taught her: be yourself</p><p> 31:04 - Horses as emotional barometers</p><p> 32:25 - The hard lesson she learned about entering a stable with the wrong energy</p><p> 34:21 - Why horses and dogs are non-negotiable in her future</p><p> 35:26 - Why she rescues animals now that she has more time in retirement</p><p> 36:12 - “You’ll never have any money” and why that does not matter</p><p> 38:04 - Meeting her current horse Callie and the instant connection</p><p> 40:09 - Final reflections on animals, care, and companionship</p><h6></h6>","author_name":"Sian Gard"}