Whoa Podcast About Horses Horsemanship

Western Dressage with Jennifer Collman How can western dressage help your horsemanship?  Jennifer Collman has over twenty years experience training horses.  Jennifer is the manager of a training and instruction program overseeing 60 students and 20 horses. Western dressage is so important to her, she uses it as a foundation for her training techniques. In response to a listener email, I sought out an expert in western dressage and came across Jennifer's name.  A quick email and soon we were talking on the phone.  Jennifer is on the Competition Committee for the Western Dressage Association of America.  She also was a founding member of North American Western Dressage, a great source of educational material about western dressage. Much of our conversation is about general horsemanship principles and how techniques in dressage can help the "average" horsemen understand their horse better.  Communication is a two-way street.  Many times we are focused on getting our horse to understand us, but how often are we

The origins of the Whoa Podcast about #horses and how it evolved over the years. 

Brandi Lyons knows how fear can limit your horsemanship goals.  That's one reason why she calls her website Lyons No Limits.  Brandi works in all disciplines. In this conversation, we talk about problems the average riders faces and what they can do to improve their relationship with their horse.

Andy Johnson Horsemanship Andy Johnson lives in Missouri.  While operating a feedlot, he noticed the cows moved easier when he used low-stress cattle handling.  Andy could even use it while on horseback.  Once he had the cows working well, he started working with horses.  Andy Johnson quickly found out how much he didn't know.  He signed up for a three-day clinic at Downunder Horsemanship in Texas.  At the end of the clinic, Clinton Anderson asked Andy if he would like to join his Academy of elite trainers.  Two years later Andy graduated from the Academy. Unfortunately, life has twists and turns and Andy had to leave Downunder Horsemanship.  He's hung out his horse training shingle at his ranch in Missouri with his wife Chrissy.  Andy Johnson travels the country giving clinics, hosts them at his ranch, and brings in outside horses to train.  It's a family affair with Chrissy who is a CHA certified instructor. Andy Johnson has a great story to tell.  He also has some wonderful horse training tips which he sh

Dueker Ranch Horse Therapy Dennis Dueker once thought giving pony rides to disable children was a waste of time.  Then, he got to see the healing power of horses first hand.  It not only changed his mind, it motivated him to establish Dueker Ranch Horse Therapy.  The story began shortly after Dennis retired from General Motors when he was asked by a friend to volunteer at a horse therapy facility in California.  When the Dueker family moved to Arizona, Dennis saw a golden opportunity to establish a horse therapy in his hometown of Payson. Wanting to do it right, Dennis studied and got his accreditation from PATH Intl, the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship.  He also found Horses Help, a horse therapy center in Phoenix where he could volunteer. Through his volunteer work, Dennis noticed that many families in need could not afford the benefits of horse therapy.  He set up Dueker Ranch as a 501c3 charity and provides his horse therapy for free. Links Dueker Ranch GoFundMe Page Dueker Ranch Webs

Bonus conversation

Lindsay McKenna Lindsay McKenna has led a full life, and it's still going strong.  She broke a wild horse at age 12, took flying lessons at 17, and joined the Navy in 1964. And, those are only a few of her accomplishments.  Because of her military service, Lindsay McKenna is sensitive to military experiences.  She writes what she knows, and she knows about veterans and PTSD.  She has written so many novels dealing with military and mercenary subjects, she earned the nickname “Top Gun of Women’s Military Fiction.” Because of her military service, Lindsay McKenna is sensitive to military experiences.  She writes what she knows, and she knows about veterans and PTSD.  She has written so many novels dealing with military and mercenary subjects, she earned the nickname “Top Gun of Women’s Military Fiction.” But Lindsay McKenna knows about horses too.  Her new books, the Wind River Valley series, deal with horses and ranching life.  Because Lindsay has been around horses all her life, has even owned her own ranch

Legacy of Legends Carolyn Hunt & Buck Brannaman The Legacy of Legends, a tribute to the horsemanship principles of Ray Hunt and Tom Dorrance is happening March 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 2017 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth.  The Legacy of Legends was co-founded by Ray’s wife Carolyn and Buck Brannaman. According to an article in Western Horseman, Ray Hunt knew a lot about horses and was a pretty good cowhand by the time he was 30 years old.  As a consequence, he started colts, shod horses, and day-worked ranches in the Hollister, CA area.  But then a horse entered his life that opened his eyes to a new way of thinking. The horse, a 4-year-old gelding named Hondo, had a bucking problem.  Ray was quoted in the magazine article with his dry sense of humor, "I wanted to show him in a hackamore class,” he said, “but about the time I turned a cow down the fence, I'd come back in the saddle bronc event, and you can't show a horse in two events at the same time.  All I knew to fix the problem wa

Ernest Forsberg Ernest Forsberg has spent his life around horses.  He is a calf roper, team roper, farrier, and storyteller.  When Ernest Forsberg told his uncle he wanted to be a calf roper, his uncle challenged him to rope 100 cows a day.  At age 12, Ernest accepted the challenge.  Growing up in Southern California gave Ernest Forsberg many opportunities to ride horses and work cows.  And, those 100 cows a day?  Well, those carried him to the National Finals Rodeo four times.  His first visit to the NFR was when he was 20 years old. A January 1964,  Desert Sun (a California newspaper), touted the fact that 20-year-old Ernest Forsberg was returning to defend the title he earned when he was 19.  The 24th annual Palm Springe Mounted Police Rodeo boasted of $7500 in prize money and was held at the Polo Grounds in 1964. Ernest left rodeo to pursue a career as a farrier.  In 1984, Forsberg joined the Senior Pro Rodeo Association.  He continued to dominate in team roping and in 2005 was inducted into the SPRA Hall

The early days at the Emporium. Emporium Western Store On today’s show, we talk to someone in our own backyard, Bakersfield California.  Stephen Goldwater’s Emporium Western Store has been a downtown fixture for over 100 years. While it’s not exactly certain who initially established the store in 1909 - let’s face it, those records are hard to find -my research discovered Abraham Chain and Samuel Cohen owned the store in 1926.   Arnold Rojas in his books about the early Vaqueros talked about the how the early cowhands got paid on a monthly basis and frequently bought a pair of new jeans around payday.  Many of the hard working vaqueros couldn’t afford to have their jeans washed and cleaned.  At the time, denim would shrink when washed and the vaqueros bought the size that fit them.  Then, at the end of the month, they came in for a new pair and threw the old ones away.  If you are not familiar with the Vaquero books, they tell the story of the early cowhands in the central valley.  If you are familiar, y

Bobby Kerr, The Mustang Man Have you  seen Bobby Kerr at a rodeo?  The events at a rodeo happen fast.  From bull riding to team roping, from barrel racing to the saddle broncs.  Because everything happens in the blink of an eye, it’s a tradition at many rodeos to break up the intensity with entertainment.  That’s where the Mustang Man, Bobby Kerr comes in.  First, fans get a chance to catch their breath.  Then he takes it away again with what he does with his horses and dogs.  Performing over 100 times a year, Bobby travels across the country entertaining rodeo fans everywhere. Bobby came to town for the Tehachapi Mountain Rodeo, a PRCA event.  Since Bobby works with mustangs. My friend and rodeo announcer Dal Bunn knows about my experience starting my wild Oak Creek horse, Scratch.  That's why Dal invited Scratch and me to meet Bobby at the rodeo grounds.  I rode with Bobby in the morning.  He gave me some pointers on a few sticky points I struggle with in Scratch’s training.  Later, I sat down with Bobby an

Horse Expo Pomona On the road again.  This time we head out to Horse Expo Pomona for the three-day event held on Super Bowl Weekend.  Horse Expo Pomona had a fantastic lineup of Clinicians including Clinton Anderson, Jonathan Field, Pat Parelli, Craig Cameron, Warwick Schiller, Brandi Lyons, Mary Kitzmiller and many more.  There were seminars and presentations going on at four different venues throughout the day. Kristine Wriding There was live music by Kristine Wriding and three buildings filled with vendors catering to the horse and rider. While I could only stay for the first day of Horse Expo Pomona, I was able to interview some of my favorites.  Jonathan Field talks about a free video series he is introducing on his website, 31 in 13.  Jonathan is an effective clinician and a wonderful interview.  We spent a good 15 minutes talking about my project horse Scratch before we got into a general discussion about his horsemanship.  Check out JonathanFieldHorsemanship.net for more details. Clinton Ander

FJ Thomas, Horsewoman, Author, Entrepreneur I've never met FJ Thomas in person.  Our mutual interest in horses and writing brought us together on the internet.   From the moment our Twitter feeds crossed I knew FJ Thomas was cowgirl I would enjoy meeting one day.  FJ has a "motor".  She's going all the time.  As owner of Fairweather Farms She has many irons in the fire and if she sees a need she works to try and fill it. FJ Thomas noticed how large animals are the last to be helped in natural disasters.  She helped out with a local disaster and then she worked it into a novel that got published.  Lost Betrayal is a story of horses, love and natural disaster.  She's is currently working on getting her children's book illustrated and published for a scheduled release in the summer of 2016.  FJ is also a horse show judge and trainer.  She trains horses and people. FJ has a lot of things on her mind and she says them.  She is an avid blogger with her Musings from the Leadrope and Talking in the Barn blogs. And s

Cavalia Odysseo Orange County Preview Cavalia Odysseo has arrived in Irvine, California.  We missed the Cavalia performance when it was in Southern California 9 years ago so when the publicist for Cavalia Odysseo invited us to media day and a preview of the show, Ranae and I jumped at the chance.  The 125' Big Top was set up in an open field in Irvine in Orange County.  The show had taken this open field and transformed it into a state-of-the-art facility.  Stables for 65 horses plus all the feed, pellets and bedding, a kitchen that prepares 600 meals a day, plus the gift shop, food concessions, and stage which includes a 3 story "hill" the horses make their grand entrance. We got to check out the grounds and meet the horses and trainers and grooms.  Everyone at Cavalia Odysseo is proud of the work they do and very welcoming to guests.  The patiently answered all our questions and showed us where the horses warm up and how some of the backstage mechanisms operated. An Intimate Performance Four or five days la

Sharing the Earn Your Spurs Interview When she heard of my experience in the Vaquero Heritage Trainers Challenge she invited me on her most excellent podcast the Earn Your Spurs podcast.  Alyssa's podcast is all about "Unleashing Your Inner Cowboy".  Through her show, Alyssa interviews many of the most exciting people in the rodeo and cowboy industry.  To be asked to participate in her show is really an honor.  She released her Earn Your Spurs Interview with me last week and now gave me permission to share it with my listeners.  You get to hear about my experience training Scratch, my wild horse, from Alyssa's perspective.  Her questions and easy going interview style is what makes her show so popular.  Please check out Earn Your Spurs in iTunes and on Facebook.  If you have time, please leave a comment on Alyssa's Earn Your Spurs page to let her know you heard the show.  And be sure to check out the Earn Your Spurs Group on Facebook. About Us Welcome to the Whoa Podcast about Horses and Horsemanship.   I am

Trainers of the VHTC There was a lot more coverage of this year's Vaquero Heritage Trainers' Challenge.  Several local newspapers and photographers had some great pieces and photos of the event.  One reporter, Key Budge, covering the event for the Tehachapi News produced several audio interviews of the trainers of the VHTC.  Key was kind enough to supply me with those interviews so I could share them with you.  The interviews were conducted early in the competition and the trainers of the VHTC have some wonderful insights about the horses and competition. We used seven of Key's interviews for this show.  He talks to David Jeffers, the winner of the event.  Erika Underwood came in second and talks about the challenges of training the new colt.  Shaula Carboni is from Italy and has worked for a mustang rescue organization.  Steve Perron is a two-time competitor of the event.  Shane Flanigan traveled from Utah to get an Oak Creek Horse and participate.   Dal Bunn watched all three days of the event as the emcee/

MARE Therapeutic Riding Center M.A.R.E is an acronym for Mastering Abilities Riding Equines.  MARE Therapeutic Riding Center has been helping people with special needs and disabilities for 25 years!  Recently, I heard the facility was hosting a big 25 year celebration event.  Then, I realized this very special place is right in my backyard and I have yet to visit the place.  I contacted Debra Durkin and she agreed to give me the history and tour of such a fantastic facility. They have a wonderful set of horses and even a more dedicated staff.  MARE has a huge staff of volunteers and offers therapeutic riding sessions 44 weeks a year. Celebrating 25 Years The organization is celebrating 25 years with a huge gala called Diamonds to Denim happening on the grounds of the MARE Therapeutic Riding Center.  The event happens on Saturday, October 24th, 2015 at 5 PM.  Headlining the event will be equestrian demonstrations in both dressage and reining.  There will also be dinner served, along with a silent auction, live

A Quick Update on Our Progress Scratch and I have been working hard. We've ridden almost every day. We are working on a liberty routine that I don't think will be ready, but we'll keep trying. On today's show I give you a quick update and talk about next week's show. Thanks for your support! What do you think of this? Storytelling has always fascinated me.  History, particularly oral history, fascinates me too.  What better way to hear a story than from the person telling it?  While I know I'm not the best storyteller, I have an idea for another podcast (or transform this show into something else) and I would like your help.  There are many great old stories cowboys tell.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to hear them as a podcast?  A storytelling show takes a bit more effort than an interview show, however, and I wonder if there is anyone out there who would like to collaborate on such an adventure.  I explain the rough concept in this show.  If you are interested, I hope you contact me at john@whoapodcast.com. Lin

Halfway to the VHTC           We are 2 months in to the competition and Scratch is making progress.  It has not been without its ups and downs.  Get an update on Scratch's progress and hear what happened at the Tehachapi Mountain Festival Parade. We are working hard to make a decent showing at the event.  There are many very good trainers.  I hope if you are near the southern California area, you will consider stopping by and cheering us on. What do you think of this? Storytelling has always fascinated me.  History, particularly oral history, fascinates me too.  What better way to hear a story than from the person telling it?  While I know I'm not the best storyteller, I have an idea for another podcast (or transform this show into something else) and I would like your help.  There are many great old stories cowboys tell.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to hear them as a podcast?  A storytelling show takes a bit more effort than an interview show, however, and I wonder if there is anyone out there who would like t