wild mustang Archives ⋆ The Whoa Podcast

Tom Hagwood More Than Mustang Millionaire

March 20, 2017 by John Leave a Comment

Tom Hagwood More Than Mustang Millionaire

Most people know Tom Hagwood because he won three straight events in Fort Worth including the Mustang Million. But, what many people may not know about Tom is how he came to his first BLM mustang. It was out of necessity. It was 2008 and the economy was in the dump. People weren’t paying to have their horses trained. Tom Hagwood needed to work, but didn’t have a horse. He picked up a little mustang from the BLM. After thirteen rides, he put the horse to work.

The horse not only impressed Tom, but he impressed others as well. When one of Tom’s friends suggested he enter a mustang competition, Tom scoffed. But friends convinced him he was good enough to make some money at it and Tom gave it a try. In a classic story of rags to riches, Tom Hagwood won the Mustang Million on a horse named Merv.

I caught up with Tom at his ranch in Powell, Wyoming with his wife Arianne, and daughter Tommi Jean. We talked about the secrets to winning a mustang competition, horsemanship, and life in general. He also tells me how to perfect his signature turnaround.

Links Mentioned on This Episode

Tom Hagwood Facebook Page

Tom Hagwood on YouTube

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We have well over 100 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 – 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

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Episode #92

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Routine Groundwork Session

January 13, 2017 by John Leave a Comment

Groundwork

A lot of people have asked about groundwork. What do we do? How long do you work? Does it get boring?

All good questions. I use groundwork to build my relationship with Scratch. Being able to move him around on the ground builds respect. Groundwork also gives me confidence in a couple of ways. First, I get to see how he moves. Watching him move from the ground helps me see how he’s going to move under saddle. Secondly, it’s a way of determining if he is paying attention. Having him move off of my cues shows me he is paying attention.

The most difficult part of groundwork is deciding what to work on and in what order. I try to place a few exercises that Scratch knows well at the beginning of the session. Yielding the hindquarters and flexing work well for this. These exercises are easy for him to do, he does them well, and he gets a reward (a kind word and a pet). Then, I put in an exercise he knows but doesn’t like to do. Backing up fits this category. Scratch knows the backup, but it is a little more work and he can sometimes be resentful. For an exercise of this type I try to get Scratch to do it off of a light cue and at the very first sign, I end the exercise. So, if he backs up without resistance on the very first try, we are done with backing for the day.

Once we’ve warmed up, I like to work on lunging. Most of the time it is at the end of a lunge line. What I work on here are transitions. Getting Scratch to move from trot to walk, then walk to trot just off of my body language was a goal of one recent groundwork session. Using my posture, upright with shoulders back to trot, relaxed and shoulders slumped for walk, Scratch was able to follow my cues.

Boredom

Usually, our sessions last no more than 30 minutes unless Scratch needs a little conditioning. I try to vary the exercises enough so he doesn’t know what next. And, I add a new exercise somewhere in the middle of the session to stimulate his brain. The final exercise is something he does well and likes doing. For Scratch, that’s standing still while I swing the stick & string. Scratch loves to stand still and watch me work for a change.

Have fun with your groundwork sessions!

The Life of Mustang Man Bobby Kerr

September 8, 2016 by John 1 Comment

Bobby Kerr, The Mustang Man

We have a good story for you today. Bobby Kerr, the Mustang Man lives his life. Bobby came to town for the Tehachapi Mountain Rodeo, a PRCA event. Since Bobby works with mustangs and has started many horses. I’ve started one, my wild Oak Creek horse, Scratch. My friend and rodeo announcer Dal Bunn knows I’m always looking to learn more and he invited Scratch and me to meet Bobby at the rodeo grounds. I rode with Bobby in the morning. He has smooth hands and works his horses with apparent ease. Bobby was generous with his time and even rode Scratch. He complimented us on the work we had done, then gave me some pointers to help us get better.

Performing over 100 times a year, Bobby travels across the country entertaining rodeo fans everywhere. His act includes both dogs and horses, along with the props for his show. I sat down with Bobby and talked about his journey through horsemanship.

From his first experience with the 4 B Wild West Show, how he ran away at age fourteen, and then how his friend and bit maker, Jeff Payne got him interested in the Mustang Makeover, Bobby Kerr tells the story of his life with horses.

Bobby Kerr makes horsemanship look easy. His horses glide and go wherever he asks. Listening to Bobby tell his story led me to believe there is no secret to his magic. He wanted to be a cowboy and ride a horse since he was twelve. A cowboy gets the job done, some way, some how, often with little money and a lot of imagination and ingenuity. It’s fitting that he is now linked to the American Mustang. The two have survived the harsh environment of the west by making magic together.

About Us

Welcome to the Whoa Podcast about Horses and Horsemanship. I am your host John Harrer. Each week on the show we talk about some aspect of owning a horse. From feeding or supplementation to bits and bridles, tack, or cowboy boots, we cover training problems, or competing in shows. We talk about the Western/ Cowboy lifestyle in movies, books and magazine articles. And, we travel to places we think you would like to take your horse. That’s what the Whoa Podcast is all about.

Contact Us

We have well over 100 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. 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 – 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

I blog at TrainingJessie.blogspot.com and if you want to know even more – and I can’t imagine why – it’s all at JohnHarrer.com

Thanks for listening,

John & Ranae

Episode #79

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Scratch Working in the Sorting Pen

December 13, 2015 by John Leave a Comment

Scratch needs to work cows, so we headed to the sorting pen to try our hand. Trepidation is a good word to describe how I was feeling as we entered. There were horses and trailers everywhere. At this point in Scratch’s training, he was still spooking at objects and people he saw moving about. We still had the problem with going in and out of gates. Those pinch points had Scratch bolting to get through.

The Sorting Pen had its own problems with all the cows and another gate to squeeze them through.

Our partner in the sorting pen asked me to go into the herd on both runs. We were happy to do it. It gave us something to focus on. Videotaping the event is a great way to see where you are making mistakes. It also shows the holes in your horse’s training.

From this video, I could see that my reins would get a bit long and I was micro managing Scratch. Scratch was not moving quick enough, and, when asked to stop, he wasn’t stopping quick enough.

All-in-all it was a good effort for our first time in the sorting pen and I was real happy with the way Scratch handle the situation.

The Competition is Over

October 21, 2015 by John Leave a Comment

The Competition is Over

The competition is over. Scratch and I managed to pull out a 4th place finish despite a few problems. The top three finishers were all professional horse trainers who make a living training horses. Scratch was my first.

There were four phases of the competition. We had to negotiate an obstacle course from the ground, then under saddle. We performed a freestyle routine, where I rode bridle-less and blindfolded. The final phase was to take an untrained colt and gentle it. We had three one hour sessions and were judged on how well we hooked up.

There were many stories to tell from the experience and I hope to share them with you on the upcoming podcasts. The best one is, that at the end of the event the horses were auctioned off. Not every trainer chose to sell their horse. We had to. We own a half an acre with two Quarter Horses. There just isn’t room. The man who bought Scratch manages a 40,000 acre cattle ranch nearby and hired me to continue Scratch’s training and invited me to the ranch so Scratch can continue his education. It looks like Scratch will spend the rest of his life working cows. I really appreciate the vote of confidence the ranch manager gave me too!

Anyway, here are two of the videos we shot of the event. There is more if you want at my YouTube channel. I hope you enjoy them. Feel free to comment.