John

The Mustang, The Movie

March 19, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

The Mustang, The Movie

Matthias Schoenaerts stars as Roman Coleman in Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s THE MUSTANG, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Tara Violet Niami / Focus Features

We talk to French filmmaker and director of the just-released movie, The Mustang, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre. If you’re a listener to this show, we know you love horses. However, many of you have had some tough horses to deal with. It doesn’t matter whether your horse is a wild mustang or one of the domestic breeds, one thing we’ve probably all had to deal with is our relationship with the horse. The Mustang takes this relationship to the limit with a prison inmate and a tough-as-nails wild horse.

Back in August of 2017, we interviewed Joe Misner who runs the RCC Wild Horse Program for the Sacramento Sheriff’s office. We talked about the symbiotic relationship between the BLM Wild Horse Management and the prison system. In taking responsibility for the care and training of horses, these inmates learn not only horsemanship, but how their attitude, actions, and body language affects the world around them in both the horse world and the human world. The recidivism rate for inmates in the program is substantially lower than those in other programs. You would think more prisons would take advantage of this.

Exploring the Plot

In the movie The Mustang, a hardened, angry criminal – just looking to do his time and get out – is paired with a wild horse freshly plucked by the BLM and thrown into his own prison system. Now, it might be argued that neither the prisoner or the horse did anything other than what nature taught them to do, but they both found themselves in the same predicament – stuck behind the prison fences. Could they rely on one another to help them work their way through this situation?

Bruce Dern stars as Myles in Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s THE MUSTANG, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Tara Violet Niami / Focus Features

Director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre spent years researching and working on the script for this movie. We sat down over Skype on a recent afternoon and talked about what it was like making this movie. The Mustang was released last Friday and I know you will enjoy watching it. Also, check out the BLM website about their Wild Horse & Burro Program. Far too many horses in this country will spend their entire lives behind the fences of holding facilities.

Show Your Support

The Whoa Podcast is independently produced by John & Ranae Harrer. Show your support and keep us inspired to make more by visiting the Patreon Page . Help defray some of our expenses.

Become a Patron!

Contact Us

Our library contains well over 200 episodes 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 tell us how it works. We are on Google Play too! Find every episode and more about the show at whoapodcast.com. Please take a moment and join our email list. Get in on the conversation with Facebook and Twitter and Instagram– just look for WhoaPodcast.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast. We really love getting your feedback. 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 #139

Support the Whoa Podcast with this Amazon Link.

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Installing a Horse Trailer Camera

March 5, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Installing a Horse Trailer Camera

Okay, before talking to Rebecca Gimenez-Husted of Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue last week, I thought the last thing I needed was a horse trailer camera. Our trips aren’t very long and it’s a horse trailer for goodness sakes. How much trouble could two horses get into? But, you know, I’ve always wondered what goes on back there after we close the doors. How do they handle the occasional quick stop? Do they sway if I take a turn too fast?

The main stumbling block is, as many of you know already, I am incredibly cheap. Horse trailer cameras can run from $150 – $300+. But, as much as I am thrifty, I do love a good bargain or an inexpensive hack and I found one. A search of YouTube revealed a video by Dawn P. For $39 I got the Wish Ring Wi-Fi adapter and for $19.99, a backup camera. You can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/p6ZWOJY2gQI

It took a few hours to install because I wanted to mount in on a piece of wood. If I ever needed to change out the camera, this would make it easier. The camera is a wide angle lens and is supposed to cover 135 degrees. But where to place it so we would get the best view of both horses? I fiddled with this for way longer than was necessary. The first location I tried would have been just as good as the final location I decided on an hour later. Yeah, sometimes I wonder about me too!

I also wanted to hard-wire it into the trailer lights power system. This way my Horse Trailer Camera would come on when I turned my trucks headlights on and I wouldn’t have to worry about power sources.

The final touch was to affix some wire molding to hide the wires and make everything look nice.

The Wi-Fi System

Next, we set up the Wish Ring wi-fi system. The manufacturer had us download a free app to our mobile device. (I put it on both my phone and iPad) Once the system is powered up, the wi-fi signal was easily detected by the device. You add the simple password once and the screen displays the inside of the horse trailer. Frankly, I was a little disappointed at the image quality. We spent a few extra dollars on the camera and I thought that would show through. The important part is that we can see both horses heads. That offers a lot of peace-of-mind. It’s not something that you constantly stare at, but we checked in on them once in a while to make sure everything is going well.

Other Safety Precautions

For the amount of driving we do, we have our trailer serviced annually, We change our tires every three years and there is usually tread still on them. It’s the age of the rubber and its exposure to the elements that wear out tires. We have a first aid kit with bandages and wraps as well as band-aids and NSAIDS for us.

In my conversation with Rebecca, she told me that many injuries occurred to horse owners who pulled over to check on their horse or trailer. They step out of the vehicle focused on the situation at hand and are hit by a passing vehicle. The simple fix: a light-reflective green or orange vest. This was an easy expense at Harbor Freight. We picked up two for less than $10. Then we got one of those orange reflective triangle do-hickies to put behind the trailer to increase visibility.

Also posted in our trailer is the name and number for our veterinarian, along with our emergency contacts. Finally, I have the important health stats that the vet may want to know and the horses’ normal range.

Even if you are not looking to install a horse trailer camera, it’s a good idea to go through a trailer inspection at least twice a year. If you’re prepared for an emergency, you will reduce a lot of the stress if one should happen.

Horse-keeping in the Wet Weather

February 26, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Horse-keeping in the Wet Weather

I like to think I am better at horse-keeping than this, but gosh, I feel terrible. The horses’ pens are a soupy mess! And, they’ve been that way for some time now. The poor guys (and gal) have to slide around in sloppy muck and mud. What do you do this time of year when the rain overwhelms your facility?

We have three horses on our half-acre parcel. Our home takes up a quarter, the horses’ pens take up a third, and the remainder is lawn, hay storage, and garden. We’ve been out here for nearly 40 years and our horses have been on the property most of that time. Their hooves have packed down the ground so it’s not only lower than the surrounding area, it is as hard as concrete. When it rains, it acts like a bowl and fills with water. If the rain comes hard and fast, I can pump it out with my submersible pump. But, when it rains over an extended period like it has the last month, it’s too soupy to pump.

Several years ago, I brought in some decomposed granite to raise some of the areas. It was a difficult maneuver as the delivery person had to negotiate our septic tank and leach line. That helped. Dusty has a space in his pen that is a bit more elevated than the others and he has a dry spot. The other two do not. Then, I learned that decomposed granite isn’t the best. The stone pieces have sharp edges that can put micro-cuts into the horse skin when they lay down. But sand isn’t good either for obvious reasons. So, what do you use?

How to Make a Mare Cranky

I’ve come to learn that there is nothing more that can make my mare cranky than standing in a muddy pen. While we are in this predicament, I am much more generous with the food. We’ve taken to feeding the horses smaller flakes four times a day. That seems to help some…but, with the weather being, well, wet…we haven’t been able to ride much. They are taking in all this energy and not getting to use it. Somehow this seems to me to be a recipe for disaster.

I’d like to let them out on our grassy area, but it is too wet. If history is any indication, they will run around and tear this part of our yard up making it useless for the spring ahead. For now, it’s a situation for sitting tight and hope the rain stops.

Summer will be here soon enough.

Winter Riding Taking It Easy

February 12, 2019 by John 2 Comments

Winter Riding

How is your 2019? Ours has been a bit wetter than normal, but riding is still a top priority. We ride differently in the wintertime compared to other times of the year. We take easy on the horses. The rides are generally walk/trot and geared more to running the dogs than working the horses. Do you have different styles at different times of the year?

As horses age, it gets a bit more challenging to ride like we rode when they were younger. Dusty is 23 and Jessie is 19 years old now. And, of course, Ranae and I are in our mid-sixties, so we are no spring chickens either. We vaccinate regularly, but Dusty came down with a case of the flu. He was off his feed and his temperature was 105! We got him to the vet. He was treated with immune system stimulants, long-acting antibiotics, fluids, and mineral oil. Thankfully he rebounded quickly. In a week or so he was back to his old self.

Having a Spare Horse

A reoccurring, nagging injury plagues Jessie, my 19-year-old mare. It’s one of those very frustrating types of injuries. It first appeared 3 or 4 years ago as a mild lameness. A workup and evaluation by one of the top vets in our area came to no definitive conclusion. After stall rest and a month of hydrotherapy (swimming on a treadmill), she bounced back nicely.

In early January we rode with a group in the foothills. The terrain was a lot of up and down and the footing was a bit rocky. Yep, you guessed it. The lameness came back.

Scratch, the Tehachapi mustang, is a blessing. During Dusty’s illness, my wife rode Jessie. When Jessie was down, Scratch stepped in.

So other than keeping the horses healthy, it’s been a challenge keeping the pens dry. Here in central California, rain and dry weather alternate. Just about the time the pens dry out, another storm arrives in to dump more water. It’s good for the countryside and the farmers. I’m not complaining. It just takes a little more diligence on our part to keep the horses comfortable.

The Podcast and Other Projects

Producing new shows is challenging. Currently, I’m enrolled in two classes at Bakersfield College. I’m trying to improve my storytelling skills by taking a video production class. A woodworking class helps maintain my sanity. All the back episodes are still available through iTunes and on the website. I could use your help. For years learning more about your horse and horsemanship was the focus of the show. Do you think that is still a valid area to focus? Many people get their information from a local trainer, online program, or barn mate. There are stories about horses and horsemanship I want to tell. They take a little more work to uncover. Not everyone wants to talk to a guy with a microphone, but I’m trying.

If you have an idea for a story please pass it along. Thanks again for hanging out, and go have some fun with your horses!

Self-Defense For Trail Riders

November 13, 2018 by John Leave a Comment

Self-Defense For Trail Riders

Sadly, the world we ride in is changing. We need to take precautions to be safe when we ride. It’s called self-defense for a reason. It’s up to us to take responsibility. Dogs, pedestrians, automobiles, or people with problems can be a menace on the trail. Do you know how to handle a troubling situation?

Many years ago at an equine expo I saw a program by Scott Hanson about safety on the trail. A 90-minute session on what to do if someone tried to attack you while you were horseback. At the time I didn’t think there was much chance of that. Then, a couple of years ago we encountered someone who released their dog on us. It came from completely out of the blue. He released his dog in our direction, then rode his bicycle in the opposite direction. Ranae and I had practiced some of the principles we learned from the class. I had pepper spray. Ranae knew to get in head-to-tail tight to me and my horse, Jessie. I sprayed the dog in the face. He turned and ran after his owner. Had we not prepared, who knows what could have happened?

Be Prepared!

When I saw a flyer for another Self-Defense for Trail Rider class scheduled at our local Rancho Rio Stables, I wanted to cover the event. Elmo Sheeran, the instructor, trains many mounted law enforcement officers on how to protect themselves and their horses in police situations. Elmo offers some great advice. If you ride on the trail, get yourself a $12 can of pepper spray and a $2 whistle. Believe it or not, these two simple, inexpensive items take care of most situations you come across. But, don’t just put them in your cantle bag and forget them. Take them out and practice once in a while. A little preparation goes a long way.

Check out the Self-Defense for Trail Riders video on YouTube

I produce a short video of the event for my YouTube Channel. You can see it HERE

Show Your Support

The Whoa Podcast is independently produced by John & Ranae Harrer. You can show your support and keep us inspired to make more by visiting the Patreon Page and helping defray some of our expenses.

Become a Patron!

Contact Us

We have well over 200 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 tell us how it works. We are on Google Play too! You can also find every episode and more about the show at whoapodcast.com. Please take a moment and join our email list. Get in on the conversation with Facebook and Twitter and Instagram– just look for WhoaPodcast.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast. We really love getting your feedback. 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 #138

Support the Whoa Podcast with this Amazon Link.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS