Shut Up and Ride

What happens when you completely rethink what a competition can look like?

This week on Shut Up and Ride, we’re diving into history as we chat with Mia Rodley, the founder of the UK's first ever bridleless competition at Merrist Wood in the UK.

Simon is missing this one (he’s off on a hen do!), but stepping into the co-host seat is the wonderful, brilliant, and ever-handsome Ben Atkinson — and together we get into the story behind this groundbreaking event.

Mia shares what it took to bring the competition to life, the challenges of creating something that had never been done before, how the day actually unfolded, and what this moment could mean for horses, riders, and the future of equestrian sport around the world.

We also get to know Mia’s incredible journey and career, the passion behind her vision, and why this isn’t just about removing equipment — it’s about asking bigger questions about trust, communication, partnership, and what’s possible when we put the horse first.

A super fun episode with some huge conversations. You don’t want to miss this one

Watch the whole shut up and ride tour here on vimeo vimeo.com/ondemand/suartour26

CONTACT US : shutupandridepodcast@gmail.com

FOLLOW US : Instagram

This Podcast is sponsored by Charles Owen - https://www.charlesowen.com

  https://www.streamz-global.com/   Discount Code SHUTUP10

Pod merch found  - https://superxcountry.co.uk/

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Sharp Ride: Let's Talk
(00:00:33) - He's On A Hindu Holiday In Corfu
(00:01:02) - Meet Ben on the Podcast
(00:02:22) - Mia Rodley's story about her Arabian
(00:04:24) - Mia competed in a British dressage competition without a bridle
(00:10:47) - How to Canter Your Horse
(00:11:46) - The Dressage Exhibition
(00:15:47) - The Dress Code Bridalist Competition
(00:22:28) - Dressage: Should you send a video of yourself before competing
(00:29:17) - The Dressage Reboot: A Positive Change
(00:34:52) - Lynn McLeod on Dressage
(00:38:26) - The Bridalist Competition
(00:44:41) - Bitted Horse Riding
(00:46:37) - Riding Without Reins For Bridal
(00:47:44) - Lynn's neck rope
(00:52:52) - How to Train a Top-Level Horse
(00:56:07) - A little more horsemanship on the Olympic Games
(01:01:57) - Ben Atkinson on Teaching Horsemanship
(01:03:58) - When is the right time to take off the bridle?
(01:06:46) - What Are the Most Important Aid For Bridalists?
(01:11:49) - How To Ride When You're 55
(01:15:23) - Bollywood Riding Lessons
(01:20:43) - Ollie and Romeo Try Liberty With Their Horse
(01:22:31) - "What's Annoying You?"
(01:24:05) - Benjamin On Being Annoyed By His Job
(01:28:41) - A Dog Attempts to Bite My Son's Dog
(01:31:57) - A Dog Mauls His Owner's Dog
(01:34:31) - The Horse and Country Love Horse
(01:39:08) - The Fight for Autism

This week it’s just Jenny and Simon behind the mic — and Jenny is in FULL rant mode. From horsey frustrations to the things currently driving her up the wall, absolutely nobody is safe from the fire

Meanwhile, Simon reflects on his recent stage success and what it’s been like stepping into the spotlight, before the pair dive into all the drama, excitement, and controversy surrounding the latest bridleless competition at Merrist Wood.

Expect strong opinions, plenty of laughs, and the usual chaos from the Shut Up and Ride crew.

Watch the whole shut up and ride tour here on vimeo vimeo.com/ondemand/suartour26

CONTACT US : shutupandridepodcast@gmail.com

FOLLOW US : Instagram

This Podcast is sponsored by Charles Owen - https://www.charlesowen.com

  https://www.streamz-global.com/   Discount Code SHUTUP10

Pod merch found  - https://superxcountry.co.uk/

SHUT UP AND RIDE

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Shut Up and Ride
(00:01:07) - Simon Grieve
(00:02:30) - My Dream Has Been Gone
(00:05:32) - milo on Roald Dahl
(00:08:43) - How to Act Like An Elephant
(00:09:49) - The Horse Almost Saved My Sister's Life
(00:13:23) - First aid at the horse race
(00:17:11) - The Horse's Head Injuries
(00:20:17) - Ben on Being Annoyed By Cycling
(00:23:42) - Ben in Lycra Against Cycling
(00:25:48) - Braidless Eventing
(00:29:17) - Simon on Serena Cullich's
(00:32:45) - Simon at the Horse Trials
(00:34:27) - Simon Greave on His Horse
(00:36:24) - What's Annoying You?
(00:37:55) - Simon Greave: I'm Sad That No One Recognizes Me
(00:42:25) - Wonders of the World
(00:46:30) - The WhatsApp Group For Parents
(00:49:38) - A Bit About Venting My Anger
(00:52:22) - James McAvoy Does His Scottish Accent
(00:53:19) - Riding With James Sharp

Australian trainer and legend Caleb Degen joins the Podcast crew for what might be our most high-octane episode yet. We dive deep into liberty horsemanship, training philosophy, and the often misunderstood conversation around negative reinforcement vs positive reinforcement.

Caleb shares stories from his life, his training journey, and what it takes to build real connection and trust with horses. From the Australian Outback Spectacular to eagles, dogs, helicopters and everything in between — this episode goes completely off the rails in the best possible way.

We also recorded this the morning after

Packed with laughs, honest conversations, horse training gold, and pure chaos — this is one you don’t want to miss.

Watch the whole shut up and ride tour here on vimeo vimeo.com/ondemand/suartour26

CONTACT US : shutupandridepodcast@gmail.com

FOLLOW US : Instagram

This Podcast is sponsored by Charles Owen - https://www.charlesowen.com

  https://www.streamz-global.com/   Discount Code SHUTUP10

Pod merch found  - https://superxcountry.co.uk/

SHUT UP AND RIDE

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Simon on the Shower Ride
(00:01:02) - Simi's Badminton Triumph
(00:04:13) - Caleb Reveals How He Got Into Horse Training
(00:07:01) - I Do Strange Stuff With Horses
(00:11:56) - What is your greatest passion in riding and training horses?
(00:14:06) - Simon Cowell on The Liberty Horse
(00:18:41) - Criticising Yourself on the Horse
(00:20:27) - Simon on His Mistake
(00:23:59) - How to Fail
(00:24:35) - How to Fix Your Mind
(00:26:00) - How To Get Out Of A Tired Cycle
(00:28:33) - Liberty on the Horse
(00:33:40) - Caleb on Negative Reinforcement Training
(00:38:05) - Positive Reinforcement vs Negative Reaction Training
(00:43:18) - The future of equestrian training
(00:45:35) - Ben on His Horses
(00:49:41) - Simon Cowell On His Horse
(00:52:38) - Jonas on His Second Job
(00:56:39) - Go For It!
(00:58:53) - Simon on His Hidden Talent
(01:00:17) - Caleb At A Talent Show
(01:01:57) - Caleb On The Liberty Horses
(01:04:01) - What Annoyed You Most About Cyclists
(01:08:36) - The Ridiculous Things That Annoy Me
(01:11:47) - Caleb On His Australian Tour
(01:13:08) - Caleb the Singing Dog

This week on the Shut Up & Ride podcast, Simon, Ben, and Jenny unpack all the drama, chaos, and unforgettable moments from this year’s Badminton Horse Trials.

From Simon questioning whether the grassroots course was secretly a five-star track, to Ben surviving his very first Badminton experience (while accidentally causing absolute mayhem on the cross-country course), there’s plenty of laughter and behind-the-scenes stories from one of the biggest events in the equestrian calendar.

Jenny is back on presenting duties and quickly discovers that apparently anyone with a microphone and a blazer gets mistaken for Clare Balding. Add in eventing gossip, memorable fan encounters, and a few questionable decisions along the way, and you’ve got an episode full of classic Badminton madness.

Whether you were there in person or watching from home, this is your unofficial debrief from a weekend at Badminton Horse Trials you definitely won’t forget.

Watch the whole shut up and ride tour here on vimeo vimeo.com/ondemand/suartour26

CONTACT US : shutupandridepodcast@gmail.com

FOLLOW US : Instagram

This Podcast is sponsored by Charles Owen - https://www.charlesowen.com

  https://www.streamz-global.com/   Discount Code SHUTUP10

Pod merch found  - https://superxcountry.co.uk/

SHUT UP AND RIDE

Chapters

(00:00:09) - Simon At Badminton
(00:02:54) - Badminton for Simon Grief
(00:06:51) - Simon On Being Hypnotized
(00:10:53) - Simon on His HRT Journey
(00:16:03) - Simon Grieve
(00:20:08) - Simon Cowell's First Horse Test
(00:23:30) - Ben on the Badminton
(00:27:46) - The Lorraine Interview
(00:28:34) - The Dressage Event
(00:32:19) - Simon Green's six-course walk
(00:33:09) - Ben Got To Meet His Horse Fan Girl
(00:34:08) - Simon at Super Cross Country
(00:36:18) - Ginny Elliott at the Horse Trials
(00:39:25) - An Old Lorna Clark Turns Up at the Badminton
(00:42:11) - Ben's Cross Country Morning
(00:42:26) - The Big Day
(00:49:22) - Harry's first clear round Badminton
(00:54:09) - Simon on the Horse
(00:58:13) - Buster's first ever cross country
(01:03:09) - Jumping my first horse since ACL surgery
(01:08:02) - The Horse Show:
(01:11:07) - Simon Cowell on The Big Event
(01:15:33) - Simon's Voice
(01:17:07) - Simon Grieve
(01:19:24) - Harry Mead at the Horse Trials
(01:23:04) - Simi Goes Around the Course
(01:23:40) - Jenny Talking To A Corgi
(01:27:06) - "That's not acceptable!"
(01:29:18) - Simon on the negativity on social media
(01:36:46) - Simon's Dressage

Live from the lake at the legendary Badminton Horse Trials, the Shut Up and Ride Podcast team are back together for one of the funniest episodes yet — and this time, they’ve brought Olympic gold medallist Laura Collett along for the ride.

With a HUGE crowd gathered lakeside, the gang dive into the madness, magic, and mayhem of one of the biggest weeks in eventing. Simon is in full competition mode as he takes on Badminton himself, while Ben experiences his very first 5* event — and quickly discovers there’s absolutely nothing normal about it.

From behind-the-scenes stories and Badminton chaos to Laura’s top-level insights and plenty of questionable banter, this episode has everything: laughs, nerves, crowd heckling, and the unmistakable atmosphere of eventing’s greatest stage.

Recorded live by the lake. Loud, unpredictable, and completely unfiltered.

Watch the whole shut up and ride tour here on vimeo vimeo.com/ondemand/suartour26

CONTACT US : shutupandridepodcast@gmail.com

FOLLOW US : Instagram

This Podcast is sponsored by Charles Owen - https://www.charlesowen.com

  https://www.streamz-global.com/   Discount Code SHUTUP10

Pod merch found  - https://superxcountry.co.uk/

SHUT UP AND RIDE