Conversations with Patrick King
From horsemanship and classical dressage to training, biomechanics, competition, and the stories that shape a life with horses, Talking About Horses brings some of the equestrian world’s most interesting voices into the conversation.
There are few things horsepeople enjoy more than talking about horses.
We compare notes. We swap stories. We puzzle over problems. We talk training, feeding, riding, breeding, competition, and the horse who taught us something we never expected to learn.
So I am delighted to welcome a new voice, and some wonderful conversations, to The Barngoddess Chronicles.
In collaboration with Patrick King Horsemanship, we will be sharing episodes of Patrick’s podcast, Talking About Horses.
Patrick sits down with riders, horsemen and women, trainers, equine advocates, and thought leaders from across the horse world to explore not only how we work with horses, but what they continue to teach us.
What do they talk about?
Horsemanship. Dressage. Training. Rider problems. Nutrition. Competition. Industry news. Personal stories.
And so much more!
In other words, horses.
What could be better?
About Patrick King
Patrick’s path into horsemanship began, appropriately enough, with difficult horses.
As a young horseman, working with so-called “problem” horses convinced him that he needed something deeper than a collection of training techniques. He began studying the work of horsemen including Ray Hunt and Tom Dorrance, searching for a better understanding of the horse through psychology, emotion, feel, and timing.
That search became a career.
Patrick began starting colts and working with challenging horses and has since started more than 2,000 young horses under saddle. Along the way, he has ridden with, studied under, and collaborated with horsemen and women from a remarkable range of traditions and disciplines.
Among the most influential was legendary horseman Ray Hunt, with whom Patrick had the opportunity to spend extended time. The lessons of feel and timing he encountered there would continue to shape his approach to horses.
But Patrick’s education didn’t stop with the traditions generally associated with natural horsemanship.
His work with Mark Russell, a student of Portuguese classical master Nuno Oliveira, opened another door: the study of equine biomechanics and classical dressage.
The two approaches began to meet.
Understanding the horse inside and out.
Psychologically and physically.
Feel and timing, structure and movement.
Patrick continued his education with teachers including Charles de Kunffy, Luis Valença, and Rafael Soto, among others, while developing horses through advanced in-hand work, Grand Prix movements, and haute école.
He has also earned his USDF Bronze and Silver Medals, demonstrating something central to his philosophy: thoughtful, classical horsemanship and the competitive arena do not have to be opposing worlds.
Today, Patrick teaches riders internationally through clinics and online coaching, but he remains, importantly, a student of the horse.
Our Story
My enthusiasm for bringing Talking About Horses to Barngoddess isn’t based simply on having discovered a good podcast.
I know Patrick.
I have been fortunate to attend many of his clinics over the years, and I can attest firsthand to his extraordinary way with horses.
He even managed to get Denver into crossties for a bath!
Near impossible! :)
I also traveled to Portugal with Patrick’s group to ride at Valença Equestrian, an experience of a lifetime and a story that deserves one of its own.
More about that later!
And now, Patrick’s horsemanship has found its way into another Barngoddess story.
If you’ve been following our Barn Bound series, you already know Pirate and I have a new puzzle to solve. My once-reliable trail horse has suddenly decided that leaving home is, quite simply, not on his agenda.
Is he barn sour? Buddy sour? Afraid? Uncomfortable? Lacking confidence?
Or is there something else he’s trying to tell me?
Rather than jumping immediately to a label or a correction, we’re going to investigate. And one place Pirate and I are starting is Patrick King’s Relax and Reset Challenge, using a series of small groundwork and ridden exercises to slow things down, reconnect, and see what we can learn.
Will Patrick help Pirate and me find our way back down the trail?
We’ll find out together!
That willingness to ask questions rather than simply impose answers is one of the things I have always appreciated about Patrick’s approach to horses.
His horsemanship draws from different traditions rather than remaining confined to one school of thought. He continues to study, question, and learn, and that same curiosity comes through beautifully in his conversations with other horsepeople.
Which is precisely why Talking About Horses belongs here.
Welcome to Barngoddess
Talking About Horses with David Koss
Through Talking About Horses, we’ll hear from accomplished riders, trainers, teachers, advocates, and other fascinating people from across the equestrian world.
Some conversations will teach us something practical.
Some may challenge the way we think.
Some will simply remind us why we can spend an entire evening talking about horses and somehow never run out of things to say.
I know you’ll enjoy Patrick and his knowledgeable guests as much as I do.
So pull up a chair, settle in, and join the conversation.
Welcome to the Barngoddess family, Patrick King!
- The Barngoddess
About Janet Winters
Janet Winters is the writer and rider behind The Barngoddess Chronicles, where a lifelong passion for horses meets history, travel, culture, country life, and the occasional mystery. An equestrian whose pursuits have taken her from the show ring to the hunting field, she is also the author of the Ivy Snow Mystery Series.