The Whole Horse Podcast with Alexa Linton

Alright my geeky horse people, this one's for you! No season would be complete without an episode with Elisse Miki of Equilibria Therapeutics. We promised to do a podcast on each of the osteopathic principles, and it may take us a minute but we're going to make it happen.  Elisse came for a visit to the farm and we just had to sit down for a conversation unpacking the osteopathic principle of auto...

After meeting on a horse track tour and realizing that we shared a common passion and vision, I couldn't wait to chat with Katrina Chapman of Lovas Equestrian about her work, her saddles and what drew her to thinking outside of the box about equine environments and more. Katrina is a trailblazer, as you'll hear, starting as a saddle fitter and moving into creating her own custom saddles after seei...

Celebrating our 150th episode with this awesome chat with Dr. Lizzie of Empowered Equine! I happened upon her work recenty and was so grateful to find someone laying out emergency preparedness for horses in the online space. Ever since moving further out of town I have felt the need to upgrade my "tool-kit" and make sure I am up to date with my knowledge and skills and I think many horse owners ar...

In this illuminating episode we're back with Elisha Edwards to shine more light on the often confusing topic of metabolic disorder, laminitis and hyperinsulinemia. As I share, I'm usually a pretty quick study but this stuff gets my brain all twisted in knots - and am I ever grateful to have someone like Elisha to break it down for me. As many of you know, the topic of insulin as it relates to dise...

Season 9 just wouldn't be complete without an epic conversation with Shannon Beahen of Humminghorse, this time about the rollercoaster ride that is recovery from a significant health event in our horses. Both Shannon and I come to this conversation with very real and personal experience of this rocky road in our own bodies, and with members of our herds. As you'll hear, I've been in the stressful...

This episode with artist Nica Quinn was a long while in the making, as you'll hear in this chat when we both share our stories of synchronisities and, quite frankly, miraculous happenings and path crossings. We've never met in person, but it always fascinates me when one path impacts another profoundly, and creates a new reality altogether. Isn't that so often the way with horses, especially, as w...

Is there a better way to start a brand new season then a chat with the amazing Elsa Sinclair? I think not! We start season 9 with this rich conversation, broaching the big hot topic of pressure - what is it, how do we apply it (consiously or not) with our horses, how can we do "pressure" well, and where does not wanting to use it actually ironically mean more of it - how getting older and wiser is...

What a perfect way to finish off season 8! This episode with Dr. Barbara Parks was fun, fascinating and fully geeky - my fave. We turned over a lot of stones, discussing clicker training - why many people think it doesn't work, what can go wrong and how to move into a place of understanding and success with this very helpful tool, especially in the realm of body work and other care practices, gett...

We're finishing out this seasons mentorship series with one of my most essential mentors, the one, the only, Dave Collins. Founder of the BC College of Equine Therapy and so much more.  22 years ago, almost to the day, I arrived at the BC College of Equine Therapy as a student thinking I knew it all. Well, that illusion was about to be lovingly shattered by Dave and the work that he was pioneering...

There's a good reason why I asked hoofcare professional Nicole Jory to contribute her online course Hoof Care Fundamentals to Outside the Box Equine - she knows her stuff! Nicole is my main hoofcare support for my herd and has been an invaluable resource for myself and my equine community for over a decade and I'm so pleased to be able to introduce you all to her in this episode!  We cover a lot o...

Second lone wolf episode this season! Easy to get inspired sitting out amongst the trees and horses especially when big thigns are shifting here at the farm. This short 20 minute pod is an update on the herd and myself now that we have officially "landed" here and settled in our forever home, as things start to arise to be worked with. Would love to hear your thoughts on how these topics land for...

Wow, this conversation with Robin Waugaman truly had my mind crackling with connections and ideas! Her way of drawing the connections between stewardship of land, horses, and her own body and being is powerful, and I had a few big aha's during our chat, as you'll hear, including an epiphany on why we might use force with horses (even if we don't want to), especially in our "pusher" culture. We als...

Season 8 has been one of my faves so far - and this chat with Equine Osteopath Allie Plaschka is no exception. As you'll hear at the beginning of this episode with Allie of Triple V Therapy, we found out in real time that we both went the BC College of Equine Therapy! What are the chances?  In this geeky conversation, filled with coincidences and connections, we chat about equine osteopathy, how h...

I spend this episode with my mentor Sandra Wallin riding waves of emotion - as you'll hear in our chat, this is our first time connecting for a good chat in almost a decade and it felt so good to be back in her depth of presence, the very same presence that supported me so essentially during my year as her student almost 20 years ago. What an honour to have Sandra on the podcast and what a pleasur...

This is a short and sweet episode and it's just me, which I haven't done since the very beginning of season one! In this episode, I sit out with the herd and share the story of how this space and land came to be for us, the horses and our other animals, as it definitely was a miracle how it all came together. I also go into our hopes and dreams for this space (hint: it involves you!) It's just 20...

As we continue this season's mentorship series, this conversation with one of my current mentors was as potent as I had imagined. Carmen Spagnola has been a support, guide, teacher and esteemed colleague for over 12 years, and I have benefitted greatly from her depth of presence, attunement, clarity and nuance. She has spent time with my mares Diva and Raven, and has recently, and excitingly, beco...

Welcome to the first of my mentorship series. where I have conversations with some of my most important mentors, allowing you to access some of the goodness and wisdom that I was so supported by on my journey. The first in this series is my teacher and friend Sabina Pettitt, who is the founder of Pacific Essences, a company here on the west coast of Vancouver Island that makes vibrational remedies...

This conversation with Dr. Tomas Teskey blew my mind in the best possible way, as he shared about what veterinary care looks like for him (and truly, what I would love to see much more of) - as he puts it, examining every square inch of a horse and what's impacting their health, including hooves, teeth, environment, feed, supplements and more. Tomas opens up about what a typical day looks like for...

Season 8 of the Whole Horse podcast is here! To start us off right, I chatted with my friend and colleague Brittany Ashworth of Sacred Echos and we headed right into some wild and wonderful territory. Rewinding back almost 12 years, Brittany shared about how she met her horse Duke, after never being a horse person, and how his presence and his story changed her path in a potent way. We reflected o...

In this episode, marking the end of season seven of the podcast, I spoke with Dr. Karen Gellman. What an incredible journey she has been on, culminating in her dedicating her life and veterinary practice to the study of equine health as it relates specifically to postural mechanisms, as well as sharing this body of knowledge with others.   During our conversation she shares some of the keys to sup...

In this episode with Holly Barnett, I learned all about the new style of breathwork she created called InteroBreath, which is a way of working with the breath that focusses on our sixth sense, interoception.  Holly walks us through the definition of this breathing practice, including what interoception is, how she developed it, why it's so powerful for our health and well-being, and the impact pra...

As we wrap up season 7, I was honoured to sit down for a conversation with the artist Kim McElroy. As you'll hear in this episode, I met Kim in 2007 through a series of synchronistic events, and was struck by her presence even then. I then had the opportunity to be inspired by her art as I regularly pulled cards from the Way of the Horse, her collaborative deck with Linda Kohanov.  In this episode...

This conversation with the wise and wonderful Lori Halliday certainly touched into some tender places! Lori offered her perspective on the fall from grace of a notable rider this past summer, which led us into a powerful discussion on the personal responsibility we all hold to be accountable for our history and allow it to inform our present-day actions. She shined a light on how trusting our intu...

Today on the podcast, I had Lucie Klaassen back on for the first time since Season 1 (!) and we had a chance to catch up on all the ways her work has evolved since that first conversation.   Lucie's new book,  Wired 4 Connection: Transform your Horse Training with the Polyvagal Principles , just came out over the weekend, and I was excited to ask her about how this new body of work came to be.   T...

In this episode I was joined by classical horse trainer Belinda Bolsenbroek for an amazing conversation about the way she merges scientific study with historical, artful ways of partnering with horses.   I had the pleasure of auditing a clinic of Belinda's awhile ago, and it was great to be able to sit down together to talk about her latest work doing equine dissections and the wealth of knowledge...