Whoa Podcast About Horses Horsemanship

Inspired By Horses ~ Jonathan Field Jonathan at Horsemen's Re-Union On today’s show we have a terrific trainer and horseman Jonathan Field.  I first met Jonathan at Horsemen’s Re-Union in Paso Robles last year.  He was starting colts and one look at easy, smooth moves in the round pen and you knew he was relating to theses young horses.  His story is quite inspirational.   While a young man working in Canada, Jonathan suffered an industrial accident that nearly amputated his hand.  He recovered and was drawn back into the world of horses.  Yes, you could say he was truly inspired by horses. Jonathan has studied under some of the greats in the horse world including George Morris and Pat Parelli.  He has developed his own style and program of horsemanship he calls Inspired by Horses. Jonathan has performed at Road to The Horse, has presented many times at Western States Horse Expo.  He headlines at horse shows and expositions all across Canada including The Mane Event and even produces his own equine conference

Montana Cowgirl Kari Dell Montana Cowgirl Kari Dell has lived around horses all her life.  She comes from a long line of tie-down ropers.  So many in fact, I wondered if there is a specific gene the family has that sends them careening down an arena.  Montana is rodeo country and that's where Kari Dell fostered her love of the sport.  Here father has always favored the Roan Hancock line of Quarter Horses.  Known for, let's say their "spunky" attitude, Kari Dell is very familiar with horses having a lot of personality. Kari Dell has combined her love of rodeo and her experiences with those horses into her first published novel, The Long Ride Home.  Kari Dell is also a columnist for several local Montana papers and she has an easy, friendly writing style.  Kari determination and cowgirl spirit kept her writing until she finally saw her book published.  We caught up to Kari Dell on a cold Montana January morning where she shares a little about her life with horses and the inspiration for her book.  Links Mention

Help For New Horse Owners There's something about the relationship we have with horses.  They are irresistible.  Many of us get a horse - almost as a pet - then realize how little knowledge we possess about the animal.  New horse owners have had to struggle to get the information they need.  Well, now there's help.  Today, we have an old friend on the show. Linda Gordon was on the Whoa Podcast in our very first season way back in March 2012. She is a professional photographer and the Downunder Horsemanship Tour Photographer. Linda travels with the crew to all of the Clinton Anderson Walkabout Tours. On that show Linda talked about photography and she really helped me with tips to improve my photography especially when it comes to horses. Now, Linda along with a couple of friends - Joan Fischer and Karin Roberts, have written a book, You Bought Your First Horse, Now What? While the book has some great practical information for new horse owners, the three authors have another goal, to have fun with with their

Ojai Valley Cowboy School Learning to pack at cowboy school When you come to horses late in life there are too many things you just don't know.  More importantly, you're not left with enough time to learn them through experience.  You think to yourself, "Oh, if there were only a cowboy school".  Well, guess what?  There is.  Husband and wife team, Jeff and Jay O'Haco have teamed up with Vaquero Boone Campbell and Laura Fullilove to create a unique experience at the Ojai Valley Cowboy School.  This is the place for horse lovers looking to expand their knowledge.  The idea for a cowboy school came about for a couple of reasons.  The real-life group of cowboys found themselves with extra time as the drought in California affected the cattle business.  But, they also saw many horse people who could benefit from their knowledge. Cowboys gotta eat. The food was great at Ojai Valley Cowboy School The question became how to present years of experience into easy-to-understand instruction?  Cowboys have a wealth of kno

Equitrekking Talking Travel with Darley Newman Darley Newman has carved out a career we would all love to have.  She travels to exotic and faraway places AND she get to ride horses.  While that sounds like a whole lot of fun and games, there can be some harrowing experiences, like the time she was charged by an elephant!  Today we meet up with travel expert Darley Newman.  Darley is the producer and host of the Emmy award winning Equitrekking show on PBS.  Her program showcases some of the best places to experience horses around the globe.  Her websites Equitrekkingtravel.com and Top20Ranches.com help people find exceptional horse vacations all across the country and around the world. Equitrekking grew out of a love of travel and horses.  Darley maintains a travel blog where readers are treated to her well-written articles about the places she has traveled.  Always full of great horse stories and wonderful adventures, the Equitrekking website can help you find a great place to travel for a unique equestrian e

The Last Buckaroo Mac Hedges Mackey Hedges is a real cowboy.  Mac, as he is know to friends, has spent six decades working on ranches, punchin', branding, roping, and doctoring cows.  As Mac tells it, he may not be the Last Buckaroo, but cowboy-ing has changed substantially during his life time.  Mac has worked on over forty different ranches in the West.  He has some great stories to tell.  Mac has a special insight into what it is like to work on a spread.  He shares what it was like out on the range. In the Spring of 1990, Mac had a terrible wreck.  He tells us exactly what happened and by the way he describes it, the memory is still vivid in his mind.  Told by doctors he would have to change profession and faced with the prospect of never getting on a horse again, Mac turned to writing.  He wanted to make sure his grandkids knew about his life.  The result was The Last Buckaroo.  Told through the voice of a seasoned cowboy as a novel, Mac describes his story of the West.  Helped by Cowboy Poet Baxter Blac

BuckarooGirl Adrian Brannan Last year I was fortunate to cover the Horsemen's Reunion in Paso Robles. The evenings festivities included a concert for a charity and a chance for live music. Adrian, known as the BuckarooGirl came on stage. A girl with pretty blonde hair and a big guitar. She told stories and sang everything from the foot stomping Buckaroo Barbie to the ballad Branding Pen of my Father. When I looked into her background as a potential guest, I was constantly impressed by how much she has accomplished in your youthful twenty-three years. We sat down for an hour and could only cover a portion of her life. She's a wonderful storyteller, full of energy and life. Adrian grew up in the country, lived in Scotland for a time, and has studied opera.  She writes her own songs, has a fashion blog with her sister Lizzie, does YouTube videos, and has a league of followers on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!  We caught up to her on Winter break from college (yeah, she goes to school too!) and she

Earn Your Spurs with Alyssa Barnes Alyssa Barnes is a Montana cowgirl who has a mission to help you find your "Inner Cowboy".  She founded the Earn Your Spurs website to share all things cowboy and Western.  Earn Your Spurs has grown so much, Alyssa has branched out to podcasting.  The Earn Your Spurs podcast has had many great guests and is growing fast.  From movie stars like Alex Cord to magazine writer Lori O'Harver covering the National Finals Rodeo, the Earn Your Spurs podcast is entertaining and informative.  I particularly enjoyed the episode with rodeo clown JJ Harrison.  Growing up the daughter of a horse trainer, Alyssa was exposed to horses from an early age.  And, she has had an opportunity to meet many people in the horse world.  Her interview style is light and conversational, and with the long format of the Earn Your Spurs podcast, Alyssa is able to get some great stories out of her guests. Now Alyssa is expanding the Earn Your Spurs podcast to add a new twist.  Her latest project is Cowboy Q

Contact Us We have well over 70 episodes up now and you can find them all for free on iTunes, with our Android App in the Amazon store, and now Stitcher, or wherever podcasts are distributed.  Get the Stitcher app and let us know how it works.  It's Free.  You can also find every episode and more about the show at whoapodcast.com.  Please join our email list. Get in on the conversation with Facebook and Twitter - just look for WhoaPodcast. Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show.  You can email us at: John@WhoaPodcast.com Thanks for listening, John & Ranae Episode #040

Just a Christmas Quickie It's the 22nd of December and you, like me are probably running around finishing up your Christmas chores and getting ready to relax and enjoy the holiday season with family and friends.  I just wanted to take this opportunity to say "Thanks for Listening".  The Whoa Podcast about Horses and Horsemanship is one of the longest running, independently produced podcasts on iTunes and that's all because of you.  Nowadays, there are literally tens of thousands of podcasts out there - and a quite a few about horses - finding ours is not always the easiest, but you do.  You find and like our Facebook page and, those of you who tweet, follow me on Twitter. We are heard in over 60 different countries.  Thank you so very much.  I know you find this content helpful and I enjoy bringing it to you. We've had a really good year.  If you started listening recently, you may not know that earlier this year we got to talk to the host of the Horse Show Rick Lamb. We've had many trainers on including Mart

Long Rider Bernice Ende When one of our listeners and No Worries Club member, Roberta Carr recommended I interview a long rider for the show I was not sure what she meant.  She told me little about long rider Bernice Ende and referred me to Bernice's website Ende of the Trail. Looking over her site I could see she had ridden a lot.  She started in 2005 and wasn't sure where it would go, but the first ride was 2,000 miles.  Can you imagine?  At age fifty she retired and decided it would be a good idea to pack up her horses and dog and head out across the country.  Faced with a number of challenges and many reasons to stop, she did not.  She kept riding.  After eleven years she has logged 25,000 miles.  Yes, that 25,000.  Now I know what a long rider is - Bernice Ende. Bernice is wintering on the the East Coast.  She will resume her return long ride to Montana by going through Canada from coast-to-coast.  We caught up to her via Skype and she shared her experiences as a long rider. Later in the show I offer a p

Holiday Horse Gifts Okay, you have got the person on your gift list that loves horses.  What do you get them?  Sure, they will always need a new brush or mane de-tangler, but why not get them something useful?  On today's show we take a look at some very useful gift ideas. First, we have Rebecca Didier from Trafalgar Square Books and www.HorseandRiderBooks.com.  Rebecca offers five different books tailored for almost any rider.  The books are: The Art of Liberty Training for Horses How Good Riders Get Good Tex Building a Life Together—You and Your Horse The Riding Doctor Each one of these books his rich in illustration and gives you information about how to be a better horseman and how to improve your riding.  For those cold winter months when you can't be out at the barn, you can still be working on your skills. Do you have someone looking for a little hardware?  Listen in as Ed Jessup from Case Cutlery joins us and talks a little horses and then tells us about the selection of Case pocket knives that woul

Chris Cagle Country Music Singer and Horseman If you know anything about our podcast, you know I'm a big Clinton Anderson fan. I have been for a long time. I watch, listen, and read most everything he produces. I also love music. I was a weekend DJ at a country music station back in the 80's. In looking for something a little different for the podcast, I remembered the episodes on RFD-TV that Clinton did with Chris Cagle. I thought Chris would make a great guest on the show.   Chris seemed to struggle with many of the challenges of learning about horsemanship as you or I.  He is a regular guy.  He entertains thousands of people for a living. Of course, I really didn't think a big country music singer like Chris Cagle would have time for our podcast, but I looked up Chris' agent and fired off an email. They were very nice and said they would forward my request to Chris. About a week later, I got an email from Chris' road manager looking to arrange the interview. As luck would have it, Chris was playing in my h

Vaquero Heritage Trainer Challenge Podcast You've heard the pre-show episode.  You've seen the video.  Now, you get to hear the in-depth interviews with the folks from the Vaquero Heritage Trainer Challenge.  Each trainer had a horse in training for 3-4 months.  Then, during the event, they had a young horse to work with. We speak to Diana Palmer, care-taker of the Wild Horses of Oak Creek and learn more about the horses and their history - or what's known about them. Dave Lemley, rides with the Search and Rescue civilian side of the LAPD.  As a trainer, we catch up it Dave right after leaving his young horse on Day 1.  Dave talks about his goals in horse training and how he accomplished them.  Next up is Amber McGee, a local gal new to horse training.  Amber is involved in The Life Savers Wild Horse Rescue in Tehachapi.  she talks about what is like learning her craft and working with feral horses.  She also credits Whoa Podcast friend and trainer Matt Sheridan with helping her learn so much about horsemansh

Vaquero Heritage Trainers Challenge Photo by Diana Palmer The Vaquero Heritage Trainers Challenge is happening October 10th, 11th, and 12th at the Sterling Arena in Tehachapi.  Using the feral horses of the Oak Creek Canyon Ranch, five trainers are working ten horses.  The first horse each trainer will show is one they received from Oak Creek back in June.  They have been able to work with the horse, create a bond, and will be showing off their talents. The second horse they will be seeing for the first time at the Vaquero Heritage Trainers Challenge.  They will have three days to build a relationship and put a start on the horse.  The horses of Oak Creek Canyon are believed to be descended from Morgan horses that were turned loose or escaped from some early Morgan horse breeders in the area.  With California in the midst of a severe drought, the feral herd has taken its toll on the land.  In an effort to bring the land and the horses back in balance, efforts are being made to more effectively manage the herd

Reckless Korean War Horse Marine Hero Episode #035 Have you heard the story of Reckless Korean War Horse Marine hero?  Janet Barrett has written a wonderful account of a Jeju pony "drafted" by the U.S. Marines Fifth Regiment's Recoilless Rifle Platoon. From the racetrack of Korea, Reckless grew into a real-life hero of the Korean War.  On today's show Janet joins us to share some of the stories about this amazing little horse. We get to know about the background of the men who took a chance on Reckless.  We also gain some insight into how Reckless returned that trust. Janet's has written the book, They Called Her Reckless - A True Story of War, Love and One Extraordinary Horse.  It  is a fascinating true story of how a horse bonded with her Marine "herd" to become an integral part in the Battle of Outpost Vegas of the Korean War. Janet not only tells the story of Reckless' war heroics, but she also paints a wonderful portrait of her personality that endeared her to  generals, officers,  and enlisted men alike

Matt Sheridan Horsemanship Episode #034 Horse and people trainer Matt Sheridan stopped by the Whoa Podcast studios in 2011.  We were there to plug his appearance on an RFD-TV show, but the best part of a sit down with Matt Sheridan is the stories he tells.  Oh, and he has a lot of them.  Matt Sheridan is a fifth generation horseman and I think, if it has been done on a horse, Matt or someone in his family has done it.  Matt's been an extra in the movies.  He's taken a Mustang through the Mustang Makeover project, and he is an AHCA judge.  This is a fun little interview, but we pass - well Matt passes - along some great horsemanship advice.  Matt tells us about his early years in horsemanship. You can find out more about Matt Sheridan Performance Horses by visiting his Facebook Page.  You can find his five steps to body control on YouTube.  Matt also has a website, Matt Sheridan Performance Horse,  with lots of great stuff and chronicles his training of Luna, a Mustang. Get a Lesson - Attend a Clinic with Matt

Horse Rescue Bakersfield Hooves-Paws.Org Episode #033 Our show is dedicated to a Horse Rescue in Bakersfield.  I have always admired people who actively seek out horses or other animals in need, then help them out.  While there are probably hundreds of these organizations across the country, there is always a need for more.  On todays show we take a look at a local organization here in Bakersfield helping horses.  Affectionately known as Whiskers Paws Hooves and Claws, the group’s website is hooves-paws.org and is a 501c3 non-profit.  Hooves and Paws helps in a number of ways - Whether it’s rescuing horses from an abusive relationship or educating new owners of the basics of horse husbandry.  They started out as just a group of people who saw a need.  They knew they could make a difference.  As an organization, the group soon realized they needed to have a concise and focused mission statement to guide them.  Their mission statement is simple, yet effective: They want to: Supply financial support to foster h