Ep 225 Whoa Podcast News
Welcome to the Whoa Podcast about Horses and Horsemanship. There’s no guest today, just me, and I’ve got some important news to share about the future of this podcast. So, saddle up and stick around.
When I began this journey in 2012, I did not know where it would lead. I had come to horses late in life. I hadn’t grown up in the Western culture or in the horse world. I had owned my horse long enough to know how little I actually knew. I needed more. If you’ve listened long, you’ll know I’m a big fan of Clinton Anderson. Clinton says, “If you want it bad enough you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.” You may not know, but I was also a fan of Adam Carolla around this time. While Adam is known for many quotes, I remember him saying, “Figure out what you want, take a nap, then try to get kinda close.” Podcasts were new. I bought a thirty dollar microphone, downloaded the free version of Audacity, and followed the step-by-step instructions on Podcast411.
Now, I had this thing, the podcast, what to do with it. Another quote I like-and by now you know I like quotes- is, “When you don’t know where you’re going, Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see further.” So, I kept going. The famous horse trainer, Doug Williamson not only didn’t know who I was, he had never heard of a thing called a podcast. But, he could see I was interested in horses and wanted to learn more about what he knew, so he invited me to his ranch. After getting to watch him ride a few, we sat in his office surrounded by awards and talked about his amazing life.
I ventured a little farther and found ways to get myself invited to Working Equitation events, Horse Expos, and the Horsemen’s Reunion where I met and interviewed so many good trainers. Not one of them knew what a podcast was. In 2014, I covered a local mustang makeover event, The Vaquero Heritage Trainers Challenge. When the event struggled to find trainers in 2015, I volunteered and got to start my first horse at age 61. I felt like George Plimpton in Paper Lion. (yes, that’s a 1968 reference. Google it).
Doug Williamson
Starting a horse from Scratch changed everything. So many trainers were generous with their time and knowledge. I was exposed to so many facets of the western world I had not seen before. I got to go on gathers, be in the branding pen, and lead trail rides. A highlight for me was riding in the same arena with the Mustang Man Bobby Kerr. I asked him if he would ride my horse and tell me what he thought. I didn’t tell him I was having problems with lead changes. I watched in awe as Bobby did things on my horse I didn’t think were possible.
The podcast wasn’t a money generating endeavor. It was an experience generating one. I’ve told you a little about the guest side, but the listener side is just as amazing. People would help on Patreon, recommend guests, heck, even set up interviews with guests. When I would get stuck and not produce for a while, they would email with encouragement. And, it’s hard to imagine, sitting in my little studio, computer on one side, cat on the other, that anyone was listening at all. But, the emails would come from all over the world. It’s truly humbling.
Our horses have grown up through all this too. They put up with every crazy adventure from Extreme Cowboy Races to Working Equitation to Team sorting and more. I experimented with trainer advice, supplements, and tack. Those guys have seen it all. Our horses are well into their 20s now. They get to just trail ride and graze in the yard.
Friends, I’m putting the podcast on a bit of a hiatus. Nearly 300 episodes. I never thought it would go on this long. I’m so happy it did. It truly changed the direction of my life. Now, before you start wondering, this isn’t a goodbye. It’s more like a ‘see you later.’ I’ve found that I’ve accomplished so much of what I set out to do with this podcast, and the time has come to explore other avenues—especially my growing interest in video and photography. Trust me, my journey with horses is far from over.
I’ll keep the back episodes on Apple, Google, Spotify and other places, up for the time being. If I come across a story I just can’t resist, I’ll publish. The Facebook page will still be around. If you’re interested in what I’m doing with photography, you can check out my Instagram @johnharrerphotography, My videos are on my YouTube channel, JohnHarrerHorses. And, you can always see what I’m up to on JohnHarrer,com
So, one more time, thanks for listening and sharing the podcast with your friends and riding buddies. For Ranae this is John Harrer saying, “Go have some fun with your horses.” Bye bye everybody.
Thanks for listening.
John & Ranae
Episode #225
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