adventure Archives ⋆ Page 9 of 10 ⋆ The Whoa Podcast

What’s Next? – Looks Like Horse Training

August 14, 2016 by John Leave a Comment

Well, honestly, I don’t know. Trying to create a podcast – get the guest, interview the guest, edit the podcast, post to the website – as a one-man show, is a challenge. It’s not impossible. It’s just that I have lots of other things I can do, mainly ride my own horses.

I have people asking me to help them with their horses. While I’ve never thought of myself as a trainer, I’ve come to realize I have a good amount of knowledge, a lot of it gleaned from doing the podcast, that will help many novice horse owners. They are willing to pay for it. The podcast has not generated any income.

Oh, don’t give me that. It’s not all about the money. But, I’ve got to buy gas and tires for my truck. I’ve got to buy feed for my horses. There is a certain amount of satisfaction that comes from getting paid for the work you do. I realize I’m not the most charismatic podcast host and that is likely the reason it’s not been profitable. I’m semi-okay with that. I’ll keep working on my storytelling skills and I’m hopeful they will improve.

Meanwhile, I am paying to keep all the podcasts episodes available. You can still get them from iTunes and Stitcher.

And, if you have any suggestions, I’ll listen.

For the next few months, I’ll work on building a clientele and see how this horse training endeavor goes. If you need a good coach for your groundwork, or you have a problem with trailer loading, I’m your guy. Drop me a line.

Cavalia Odysseo Orange County Preview

February 9, 2016 by John Leave a Comment

Cavalia Odysseo Orange County Preview

Cavalia Odysseo has arrived in Irvine, California. We missed the Cavalia performance when it was in Southern California 9 years ago so when the publicist for Cavalia Odysseo invited us to media day and a preview of the show, Ranae and I jumped at the chance. The 125′ Big Top was set up in an open field in Irvine in Orange County. The show had taken this open field and transformed it into a state-of-the-art facility. Stables for 65 horses plus all the feed, pellets and bedding, a kitchen that prepares 600 meals a day, plus the gift shop, food concessions, and stage which includes a 3 story “hill” the horses make their grand entrance.

We got to check out the grounds and meet the horses and trainers and grooms. Everyone at Cavalia Odysseo is proud of the work they do and very welcoming to guests. The patiently answered all our questions and showed us where the horses warm up and how some of the backstage mechanisms operated.

An Intimate Performance

Four or five days later the place was ready for a performance. We got front seats in a truncated but very exciting show. There were gymnasts, urban stilts, and horses, lots of horses. An amazing performance of liberty using nine horses. Yes NINE horses. No whips or crops or anything other than hand signals and voice commands. This was the highlight of the show until, near the end of the performance, the flood the stage and create a lake. For the next 10 minutes we watch a high level dressage performance. Horse and rider were one. There were even flying lead changes through the water.

If you live in the Southern California area, you won’t want to miss Cavalia Odysseo. Tickets are affordable and the show is so fabulous you will be talking about it for months. You can find out more at the Cavalia Odysseo website.

Interested in Helping the Show?

It takes a lot of time an money to put on the podcast. I’ve been willingly footing the bill on both for four years now. My equipment is wearing out. My travel budget is shrinking. If yo want to help, there is a simple way to do it. I’ve partnered with Patreon. You can contribute any amount. Anything you would care to send along would be greatly appreciate. Thanks.

About Us

Welcome to the Whoa Podcast about Horses and Horsemanship. I am your host John Harrer. Along with my wife, Ranae, each week on the show we talk about some aspect of owning a horse. It could be feeding or supplementation. It could be bits and bridles, tack, or cowboy boots. We cover training problems, or competing in shows. We talk to farriers and horse chiropractors. We talk about 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 90 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 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 I have a new blog about my Louisiana Leopard Catahoula puppy named Buster at BusterBrownDog.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 #76

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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.

Meetup with the Downunder Brumbies

June 9, 2015 by John Leave a Comment

Meetup with the Downunder Brumbies at the Bar SZ

It was a meetup with the Downunder Brumbies at the Bar SZ Ranch in San Benito, California. This was our second time with the meetup group of Downunder Horsemanship Brumbies. A meetup group is just a lot of horse owners who share and interest and love of Clinton Anderson’s Downunder Horsemanship Method. About 40 people gathered for this meetup over Memorial Day weekend at the Bar SZ Ranch. As a special treat, Certified Downunder Horsemanship Clinician Jeff Davis came out to California to help us with our horses.

The Whoa Podcast has done shows with the Brumbies and also on the Bar SZ. (We’ve even done a video). This year I worked less and enjoyed my wife, horse, and dog a little more. Yes, we took Buster. He had a great time. On this show I’ll give you my impressions of the meetup and how things went with my horse Jessie. The event was a great success and the Brumbies are already planning the 2016 Bar SZ meetup. You can check out things at http://2016springequestrianretreat.yolasite.com/ Also, if you are looking to start your own meetup group, contact the Brumbies on Facebook. They can give you tons of help.