Whoa Podcast About Horses and Horsemanship

The Whoa Podcast About Horses and Horsemanship is just that - a conversation about all things horse related. Join us, John & Ranae Harrer as we explore this wonder world of equine ownership.

Reckless Korean War Horse Marine Hero

September 23, 2014 by John 3 Comments

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. The book covers the life of Reckless based on extensive interviews with over 60 Korean War veterans. The book is a wonderful read. Janet is a great storyteller and wonderful interview. More importantly, Janet offers background on the Korean War, sometimes referred to as The Forgotten War.

Returning home to Camp Pendleton in California, Reckless attended ceremonies for the Marine Corp. She continued receiving promotions and reached the rank of Staff Sergeant before her retirement. A statue of Reckless charging up a hill stands at the National Museum of the Marine Corp in Virginia.

If you have a soft spot for heartwarming horse stories, you will love the story of Reckless Korean war horse Marine hero.

Links for this show:

Janet Barrett

Order Reckless from Amazon

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National Museum of the Marine Corp

Contact Us

We have well over 60 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 thought, ideas, and suggestions for the show. You can email us at: John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening.

John & Ranae

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Matt Sheridan Horsemanship

July 15, 2014 by John 1 Comment

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 Sheridan

Need help with your horse or want to improve things like your horsemanship, show, or trail skills? Matt has a variety of clinics available every year. Check out his clinic schedule HERE.

If you would like to see what our Clinic Experience was like with Matt Sheridan, check out this video we produced: Matt Sheridan Trail Clinic

Contact Us

Please let us know your thought, ideas, and suggestions for the show. You can email us at: John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening.

John & Ranae

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Horse Rescue Bakersfield Hooves Paws

July 8, 2014 by John 2 Comments

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 homes and assist in horse rescue efforts and rehabilitation.
Help with the medical financial burdens of animals suffering from abuse.
Support local adoptions by donating funds to lower adoption fees, thus reducing the load placed on animal shelters.
Promote a volunteer program that helps people who have struggled with abuse, medical issues, and other personal hardship’s. Their volunteers learn marketing, animal care, particularly horse-keeping, and public relations through fundraising programs.

Funded through donations, sponsorship, grants, and fundraisers Whiskers, Paws, Hooves, and Claws is making a difference as a horse rescue Bakersfield.

Horse Rescue Bakersfield Success Stories

Sampson Today

Sampson Before

Chance when rescued

Chance Today

We caught up with the group’s director, Julie Sugg at a local stable where she boards and cares for the horses that are part of the organization.

No matter where you live there is a group of people working hard to improve the welfare of horses. They can use your help. Look them up. Help them if you can. Maybe it’s money. Maybe it’s a few hours with helping with the horses (is that work? I don’t think so). Maybe it’s donating an old bit, bridle or saddle for a fundraiser. Any way you can help would be appreciated. If you would like to help Whiskers, Paws, Hooves, and Claws head on over to hooves-paw.org and find out how you can lend a hand. Or, better yet, like them on Facebook at Whiskers, Paws, Hooves, and Claws

Contact Us

Please let us know your thought, ideas, and suggestions for the show. You can email us at: John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening.

John & Ranae

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Tommy Thompson Cowhorses

July 1, 2014 by John Leave a Comment

Tommy Thompson Cowhorses

Episode #032

Our visit to Tommy Thompson Cowhorses. I first met Tommy Thompson at a recent campdraft event. When I saw him ride I knew he would be a great guest for our show. He agreed to come on and asked me what I wanted to do. I have been struggling with making a transition from the snaffle to the bridle. While I had never been too concerned with this, the snaffle is easy to ride in and Jessie responds well to it, I wanted to do more sorting and rope work and needed to move to a one-handed set up. Normally Tommy would not tackle such a complicated topic, but he agreed. As it turns out there was a lot of good horsemanship information in this episode.

Of course, when you are inexperienced like me, you begin to expect every trainer you run into to tell you are doing everything wrong. It goes with the territory. I don’t take it personal. So, when Tommy Thompson said I was doing it wrong, it was no surprise. But like many things, there is more than one way to get the job done. When you go to a trainer like Tommy Thompson you get the value of all of HIS years of experience. He was able to evaluate the tools I had and offer me the best way to reach my goal.

Ride Along With Me

We tried to produce this podcast so you could take it along when you ride. Give it a try. There are a lot of little parts to each maneuver. Having someone in your ear giving you the little adjustments will help you learn faster. There is also a companion video to this podcast. You can see what it’s like for me to get instruction form an experienced trainer and how much we struggle.

About Tommy Thompson Cowhorses

Tommy Thompson has trained and competed in the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity. He has won the Limited Open, Fence Work Open, and Intermediate Open Reserve Champion. Located in Shafter, California, Tommy Thompson is available to train your horse, train you, coach you, or give a clinic. You can reach him at (661)-496-8729 or by email at: CACowhorse@Yahoo.com

Contact Us

Please let us know your thought, ideas, and suggestions for the show. You can email us at: John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening.

John & Ranae

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Finding a Good Roping Horse

June 24, 2014 by John Leave a Comment

Finding a Good Roping Horse

Episode #031

How do you find a good roping horse? While working on an assignment for a future podcast having to do with horse wellness and rehabilitation, I had the opportunity to once again visit with Champion Team Roper Denny Watkins. Denny has been to the National Finals Rodeo 19 consecutive times and has won just about every roping there is. And, he is not done yet. If you want to learn more about Denny, check out our December 2013 podcast, Team Roping with Denny Watkins.

I’m kinda a pain in the ass when it comes to talking about horses, especially a roping horse, with someone more experienced than me (that means almost everyone…yeah, scratch the almost). We finished the conversation on wellness – look for it in an upcoming podcast – and I really wanted to learn about how Denny evaluates a horse. Think about how many horses he’s seen. Think about all the hours and hours sitting in the saddle talking about horses, especially roping horses, between runs. Think about all the great horsemen he has crossed paths with over the last 25 years. Think about this vast wealth of knowledge. Yeah, I wanted to get a piece of it.

I pulled up to Denny’s ranch in northwest Bakersfield around one in the afternoon. He had just finished a morning session with several students. We got comfortable on his back porch with a view of three of his roping horses. One he was bringing along, one he was winning on, and one that was probably on the far side of his career. I talked to Denny about what made this horses special. I wanted to know how he evaluated a roping horse from the first moment he sees it. Denny was gracious enough to give a lesson.

So You Think You Want to Rope

You can’t talk to Denny too long without falling in love with the idea of roping. On a recent weekend my horse and I were exposed to roping. We got a chance to throw at a dummy. Thinking back to Denny’s evaluation of roping horses, I’m not sure if my horse has the best stride for a roper, she’s got a bit of a mind of her own at times, but the one thin she does own is “pretty” – that’s for sure. Yes, I have thought of roping. It is a very exciting sport. It’s fast. It has cows. And, team roping has a handicap system. I like that. A beginner can compete on a somewhat level playing field. Anything I do, I want to try and do well. I wondered how much of a commitment I would need to make. Yes, both financial and time and effort. Geesh!

Denny talks us through the whole process. You know, it’s not that tough. I’ve got me a bit of a used rope. I’m working on a set of cones from the ground. You may just live long enough to hear the tale of me and Jessie catching our first steer.

Links for Denny Watkins Short Instructional Videos:

Denny has a series of short, yet informative, videos that can help you and your roping horse become a better team.

Check out a couple of these links to learn more about Denny Watkins Team Roping: http://vimeo.com/dennywatkins

And his Team Roping Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmgqsDpsQeBt17WKfU0F9cA

Contact Us

Please let us know your thought, ideas, and suggestions for the show. You can email us at: John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening.

John & Ranae

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