Cutting Archives ⋆ The Whoa Podcast

Learning From the Basics

October 1, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Learning From the Basics

Recently I attended a Working Ranch Cattle Clinic and before we began on the cattle, we went over learning basic maneuvers. It surprised me how much I learned reviewing these very basic exercises. While working on the simple things like small circles, yielding hind and forequarters, and backing up, I notice a lot more details. How much pressure was I using? Was I making contact in the same place for every cue? did my horse have a “good” side and a “bad” side.

Yes, I know it sounds simple, Sometimes you have to work at the basics to get better at feel and timing. When we worked the cattle, we had a much better experience. My horse was more responsive, and it was easier to put him exactly where he needed to be.

Join Us on this Journey

We want you to be a part of the show. Tell us about your horse. Share your challenges, triumphs, or just everyday items that make horse ownership unique. Create an audio file using the memo app on your phone. Or, contact me and we’ll set up a time to talk by Skype or phone. Perhaps what you have to share can help someone in THEIR horse journey.

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. Email us at John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening,

John & Ranae

Episode #156

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Doug Williamson Champion Trainer

April 14, 2015 by John 4 Comments

Doug Williamson Champion Trainer

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Reined cow horse and working cow horses have always mystified me. I’ve watched a couple of competitions, even photographed a few. The things these cowboys have their horses do are amazing. In Bakersfield, where this podcast is based, we have a very special trainer. Doug Williamson is 73. He has been around horses and cows his entire life. From riding Thoroughbred racehorses at age 10 to winning the Snaffle Bit Futurity TWICE! Doug Williamson is an AQHA Professional Horseman having trained 42 AQHA Champions. Doug won a million dollars in National Reined Cow Horse and is a Hall of Fame Rider. Although Doug Williamson specializes in Reined Cow Horses now, he has done just about everything you can imagine from the back of a horse. He was a pretty good team roper for quite some time.

When I called Doug Williamson to ask for an interview, he graciously agreed and invited me to his ranch just south of town. Doug has a great facility and a lot of horses in training. Not only did I get a great interview, I got to watch him work three of his prospects. Throughout the whole process, Doug was giving me hints and tips about how to become a better horseman.

Doug Williamson will be featured in an upcoming documentary about Reined Cow Horses called Down the Fence. I sat down with Doug in his office surrounded by wonderful photos of all the champion horses he has trained. He gave us a little bit about the story of his life and I even get him to offer some horsemanship tips.

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 #057

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

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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Moving From Snaffle Bit To Bridle

June 27, 2014 by John Leave a Comment

Moving From Snaffle Bit To Bridle

Are you riding your horse in a snaffle bit? Have you ever wondered how to transition into a bridle? Experienced trainers can make this transition easily. It takes a lot of timing and feel. In moving my horse Jessie from the snaffle bit, I’ve struggled with learning the right cues. The Whoa Podcast head out to find some professional help. We are hopeful this video will give you some ideas on making the transition.

Sure, if you are an experienced horseman, you may have your own ideas. In this video we talk to cutting/reined cowhorse trainer, Tommy Thompson about getting out of the snaffle. You can listen to the full audio podcast at WhoaPodcast.com. Look for Tommy Thompson, Episode #032

Podcast link: https://whoapodcast.com/tommy-thompson-cowhorses/

Our Cutting Horse Experience

March 6, 2013 by John Leave a Comment

Our Cutting Horse Experience

It was part mutual wedding anniversary gift, part something we needed to do, and part something I wanted to do. Watching a ride on a cutting horse is exciting. It’s one of the few disciplines where you have to let the horse do it’s job. Ranae has no desires to do it competitively, but enjoys working around cows. I think it is a great way to “change it up” for my horse. It’s important to try different things so Jessie does not get bored. While she’ll likely never be a professional cutting horse, letting her work on cows gives her a job. As long as I’ve been riding Jessie I’ve used a snaffle and so I also wanted some advice on moving out of the snaffle.

With all that we headed out to a local trainer/manager of a Sundance Feedlot to see just where our horses were in their training. As it turns out, both horses were not nearly where we thought they were. On this episode of the Whoa Podcast we tell you about our back to back lessons with trainer Robert Bias.

Do you think it’s a good idea to see a trainer once in awhile? If so, how do you choose a trainer? Send you suggestions and experiences to john@whoapodcast.com.

Thanks for listening,

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

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