The Equestrian's Inner Life

Playing Chess at Full Gallop with Glen Gilmore

What do horses spend a lifetime trying to teach us? For Glen Gilmore, horses have been a constant companion throughout life. From growing up in a multi-generational horse family on Queensland's Darling Downs to captaining the Australian Polo Team and competing on the international stage, horses have shaped not only his career, but also the person he has become. Yet beyond the speed, strategy and pressure of elite polo lies a deeper story. In this episode of The Equestrian's Inner Life, Pernille sits down with Glen to explore the lessons hidden within a lifetime of horsemanship. Together, they discuss decision-making under pressure, preparation, leadership, self-awareness and the wisdom that can only come from decades spent listening to horses. Drawing inspiration from his podcast, The Horse That Asked Why, Glen reflects on what horses have revealed about human nature, how our inner state influences performance, and whether the horse has been quietly teaching the same lessons all along. This is a conversation about far more than sport. It's about curiosity over certainty, awareness over reaction, and the lifelong journey of becoming the person our horses need us to be. Whether you're a polo player, dressage rider, horse lover, or simply someone interested in personal growth, this conversation offers a thoughtful reminder that some of life's greatest teachers don't speak with words. Resources: Connect with Glen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glenagilmore/  [https://www.instagram.com/glenagilmore/] Follow The NRG Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/nrg_podcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/nrg_podcast/] Learn more about Mary: www.statenepark.com [http://www.statenepark.com] Connect with us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rramossport [https://www.instagram.com/rramossport] Follow along on the journey: https://www.pernillehogg.com/podcast [https://www.pernillehogg.com/podcast] Music produced by Melissa Parris

Creating a Life You Love with Catriona Rowntree

What does it truly mean to create a lifestyle you love? For more than 29 years, Catriona Rowntree has been a familiar and respected personality on Australia’s iconic travel program Getaway, taking viewers across the globe and into the heart of diverse cultures, extraordinary destinations, and inspiring ways of living. But beyond the travel and television is a woman who has consciously shaped a life aligned with her values — balancing a high-profile career with family life on her farm with her husband and two sons. In this heartfelt conversation, we step into Catriona’s inner world. We speak about how she has sustained a long and successful career in the public eye while remaining grounded, her philosophy on creating a life you truly love and what it takes to maintain it, the realities of balancing motherhood with media, and the lessons decades of travel have taught her about perspective, resilience, and gratitude. We also explore where she goes when she needs to restore her own energy — and what sanctuary looks like for someone who has spent a lifetime exploring the world.   This episode is about more than travel. It is about intention, balance, vitality, and the courage to shape a life that feels deeply your own.   Resources: Connect with Catriona on Instagram: @catrionarowntree Connect with us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rramossport Follow along on the journey: https://www.pernillehogg.com/podcast Music produced by Melissa Parris

The Power of Showing Up with Vanessa Way

Some riders spend a lifetime chasing better results. Others discover that the deeper journey lies in understanding the person behind the rider. This week on The Equestrian’s Inner Life, I sit down with New Zealand Grand Prix rider and coach Vanessa Way for a thoughtful conversation about the inner side of equestrian life. Over decades with horses, Vanessa has produced horses through every level to Grand Prix, earned national titles, and become one of the most respected figures in Australasian dressage. Alongside her competitive career, she has dedicated herself to teaching and mentoring riders through clinics across New Zealand and Australia, helping others develop not only their skills in the saddle but also their understanding of themselves. Together, we explore how awareness shapes performance, the lessons horses teach us about patience and perspective, and why true progress often begins long before we enter the arena. Vanessa shares her reflections on coaching, competition, personal growth, and the realities of pursuing excellence over a lifetime with horses. It is a conversation rich in experience, honesty, and wisdom gathered through years of listening, learning, and continually evolving. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Vanessa Way. Resources: Contact Vanessa Way: vanessaway@xtra.co.nz  Connect with Vanessa on Instagram: @vanessawsydressagenz [https://www.instagram.com/vanessawaydressagenz/?hl=en] Connect with Vanessa on Facebook: Vanessa Way Dressage [https://www.facebook.com/VanessaWayDressage/] Learn more about Mary: www.statenepark.com [http://www.statenepark.com] Connect with us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rramossport Follow along on the journey: https://www.pernillehogg.com/podcast Music produced by Melissa Parris

The Rider That Time Reveals with Mary Hanna

This week on The Equestrian’s Inner Life, I welcome back six-time Olympian Mary Hanna for a Part 2 conversation — one that moves beyond the arena and deeper into what truly shapes a rider over a lifetime. Together, we explore the influence of learning from many different trainers around the world… how each perspective leaves its mark upon us, and why perhaps no single teacher can give us everything we need throughout the entirety of our journey. We speak about the evolution that takes place within the rider over time — how every new level asks something different of us internally… not simply to become better riders, but more aware, more patient, and perhaps more refined human beings. Mary also reflects on the role patience now plays in her riding, and how experience slowly changes the way we respond when things do not immediately go to plan.A conversation about growth, perspective, self-awareness, and the lifelong inner journey that exists behind the pursuit of mastery. So once again, join us as we step a little further into the inner life of an equestrian. Resources: Contact Mary Hanna: Mh.statene@gmail.com Learn more about Mary: www.statenepark.com [http://www.statenepark.com] Connect with us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rramossport Follow along on the journey: https://www.pernillehogg.com/podcast Music produced by Melissa Parris

When the Saddle Holds the Secret with Jochen Schleese

What if one of the most fundamental elements of our riding… has been quietly working against us? In this episode of The Equestrian’s Inner Life, I sit down with Jochen Schleese—a Certified Master Saddler, trained in Germany with Passier, and the youngest to achieve this distinction at the time—who has dedicated his life to understanding the true impact of saddle fit on both horse and rider. Through a deeply personal encounter, Jochen was led to question what many had long accepted as truth. What followed was a lifelong pursuit of answers—one that would take him far beyond conventional thinking and into a completely new way of seeing the relationship between horse, rider, and saddle. Raised between Germany and Buenos Aires, and now based in Canada, Jochen’s journey has been one of curiosity, courage, and innovation. Rather than approaching saddle fit purely as a technical necessity, he began to explore it as a living interface—something that directly influences movement, comfort, communication, and performance. One of his most profound realisations is that men and women are built differently. Our skeletal structure, our physiology, and the way we sit and move in the saddle are not the same—yet for many years, saddles were not designed to reflect these differences. The result? Countless riders unknowingly working against their own bodies… and their horses. In this conversation, we explore what led Jochen to these discoveries, how he began to challenge long-standing industry norms, and how his work now supports both horse and rider in moving, developing, and performing free from pain.  A conversation that invites us to look again—more closely, more honestly—at something we may have taken for granted. Because when the saddle truly supports the body… it allows the horse to move freely, and the rider to meet them there. And in that space, both are cared for in a way that changes everything. Resources: Connect with Jochen: https://schleese.com/jochen-schleese-biography/ [https://schleese.com/jochen-schleese-biography/] Connect with us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rramossport [https://www.instagram.com/rramossport] Follow along on the journey: https://www.pernillehogg.com/podcast [https://www.pernillehogg.com/podcast] Music produced by Melissa Parris