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Home » Education » Page 10

Coming Back To Horses Susan Hoskins

May 21, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Coming Back To Horses

Coming Back To Horses 

Women are coming back to horses after raising a family.  There is a lot of life left after your children leave the nest.  Many people use these “Golden Years” to follow their dreams of once again owning a horse.

Long-time listener Susan Hoskins raised eight children.  As they gradually left home to lead their own lives, Susan saw the writing on the wall.  She would need something to fill the void – both of time and passion – that her family left behind.  Coming back to horses is a dream come true.

Challenges

But, things are always easier the second time around.  Mother Nature imposes some physical restrictions on the second half century of life.  While it was not always easy, Susan overcame many of those challenges.  She shares her tips on this episode.

Susan’s Suggestions if You’re Coming Back to Horses

 Susan sent me a great email with many of the items we talked about on the show.  She added this note:  “I am not associated with these companies / organizations, except that I have purchased some of them.”
~ Booma Rein  – https://boomarein.com/
I use this and am weaning off of it.   The owner of this little business started it because she witnessed or knew of a rider that died from an accident involving a horse at high speed that dropped the reins while barrel racing.
~ Horse Holster –https://thehorseholster.com/
NOW I wear my phone on my person!   ha ha   I can still hear my trainer laughing about this with that “told ya” tone about her!   UGH
~ Landsafe –https://landsafeequestrian.com/
This company sells safety equipment.   They also travel around doing clinics on “How to Fall”.   They teach you using a horse simulator with giant, thick mats.  This equips you to fall in a way that potentially minimizes injury.   Also builds confidence from fear of falling.   With  practice you develop muscle memory.
~ Pre twisted / swivel stirrups are a great idea for those with knee-replacement.   Or just knee problems.
~ Cushioned saddles can encourage more time in the saddle.

Join Us on this Journey

I’m not the best community builder.  I will need your help for that.  I’m not the best at conversation. Let’s change it up together.  I hope you will join me.

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

Episode #143

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Filed Under: The Podcast Tagged With: Education, Entertainment, Fun Stuff, horse tips, horseback riding, Horsemanship, Inspiration, Training

Colic Surgery Decision with Listener Alyssa Severeid

May 14, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Decision to Have Colic Surgery

Alyssa Severeid colic surgeryHearing the words colic, navicular, founder, or strangles strike fear into every horse owner.  Colic happens when a horse’s intestinal tract gets blocked.  In most cases a vet can open/dissolve/remove the blockage with a variety of different techniques.  When those fail however, one of the few remaining solutions is colic surgery.  Alyssa Severeid had to make the tough decision about whether to have the vet perform colic surgery on her horse.  The surgery is expensive.  Little did Alyssa know the decision wasn’t just about the surgery.  The after care was not only hard on her physically, but emotionally.  What would you have done in her shoes?  After you hear her story, would you still do the same thing?

About Alyssa

Colic Surgery

Alyssa`s horse during surgery.

While we have never met in person, Alyssa and I have known each other through our podcasts.  She produced and hosted the Earn Your Spurs podcast and She Rides to Win podcast.  From Montana, Alyssa grew up around horses.  Her father is a respected trainer.  She knows horses and gives us insights about her horse and his situation you won’t find elsewhere.  Our interview gets emotional.  It’s easy to see how much this horse meant to Alyssa and why it was important to move forward with the surgery.

YouTube videos of Colic Surgery

This video is short and concise.

 

This one is a little longer, slower in parts, but more recent.

Join Us on this Journey

I’m not the best community builder.  I will need your help for that.  I’m not the best at conversation. Let’s change it up together.  I hope you will join me.

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

Episode #142

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Filed Under: The Podcast Tagged With: Education, Horse care, horse health, Horse-keeping, Inspiration

Lameness and My Mare Jessie

May 7, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Lameness and My Mare Jessie

The topic is:  How do YOU decide medical issues involving your horse.  How much weight do you place on quality of life issues?  How much do you place on usability of your horse?  And, finally, how much weight do you place on the cost of evaluation and treatment?

I want you to tell me about your stories and situations, so here is my story.  My Foundation Quarter Horse mare Jessie means everything.  I got her in 2007, when I was 53.  She was 7 years old, had 90 days of professional training put on her, and had had 2 foals.  She was and is a perfect fit.

My Learning Curve

We spent our first 3 years working through the Downunder Horsemanship Beginner and Intermediate Series (Riding with Confidence and Gaining Respect and Control on the Ground back then).  With Clinton’s help, I learned most of what I know about horsemanship on Jessie.  We competed in  trail classes and team sorting.  We rode everywhere, and she was a rock star.  She is strong-willed, but I always felt safe on her.  One key moment with Jessie I remember happened in the saddle.  We were loping over some uneven ground and I lost my balance and was way off to one side.  I felt her kind of dip down and move underneath me to keep the situation from getting worse.  She picked me up, and it’s a moment in horsemanship I will not forget.

Medical Issues

lameness

My logbook entry.

On one of our rides she stepped into a gopher hole and bumped her shoulder.  She limped for about a month, but finally improved and we were riding again.  I keep a diary or logbook of sorts for the horses and there is an entry in March 2014 of a “sign of limp @ trot in right front.  Not severe.”  In April I noted a right rear lameness, and by May there were no more notations.

My next entry (for lameness) was in February 2016.  On one of our regular rides on the Kern River we stopped at a local bar for a beer and burger.  It was about a 3-mile ride out.  After standing tied while we ate, we got mounted for the ride home and Jessie was noticeably limping.  The limp got worse, and I gave her Bute as an anti-inflammatory.  After talking with the farrier, we thought she might have a sole bruise.  I applied a sole toughener product to her hooves.

While things improved, she continued with occasional lameness.  In April 2016,  a vet evaluated her situation.   Ultrasound, nerve blocking, and x-rays offered no definitive diagnosis.  The next level of testing was an MRI at a cost of about $2,000.  There was no guarantee it would determine exactly what was going on either.  I declined the additional testing.  The vet recommended modified shoes, Prevocox, and stall rest.  Jessie has never worn shoes and I didn’t take the shoeing recommendation either.  The cost of this exam was around $500.

Swim Therapy

There is a place here in Bakersfield, Equine Spa & Wellness Center, that uses swim therapy.  I had tried to do a podcast with Mia the owner, but I botched the audio and we never got back together.  Then, she sent me a promotional email about a summer special – a month of swimming for $700.  We had two trips planned for late June and early July.  This would be the perfect time to send Jessie to therapy.

They started her off with one minute walking on the first day.  By the end of the month she was trotting underwater for 15 minutes.  She also was on the hot-walker and another device, the Equi-vibe (I think).

Anyway, by the time we got back, she was in great shape.  There was no noticeable limp or any sign of lameness.  I took her on a trail ride in the nearby mountains and she went up and down the grades like a billy goat.

Lameness Returns

After a wet winter, a friend invited us to ride the foothills near her home.  It was January 2019, and a group of us set off and rode for about 2 hours.  It was the first ride Jessie had had in at least a month.  Problems showed up after the first hour and got worse on our way back to the ranch.  She was quite sore the next day.

Over the next few months she would get better, then relapse.  We walked on most of our rides and never far at that.  The limp continued.  Sometimes I saw it on the right.  Sometimes I saw it on the left.  Finally, realizing it wasn’t getting better, I tried another vet.

Another Evaluation

It was a carbon copy of the what the first vet had done 3 years earlier.  First, try to identify the lameness.  Then, block the spot he thinks was lame.  Here, it was the left front.  Once numb, Jessie showed lameness in her right front.  Then there were x-rays that showed healthy navicular bones.  After two hours of examination, The vet said the same as the first.  It looked like navicular, but wasn’t.  However, he would treat it like it was.  We would use the egg-butt shoes, and Bute.  Only instead of stall rest, his suggestion was to work her.

This made sense.  When I looked back over my notes, I noticed all of her lameness episodes showed up early in the year after a layoff.  The work Jessie did at Equine Spa was low-impact but intense.  She got conditioned and improved.

Results

So far it is too early to tell.  The special shoes with the gel insoles were $165.  I purchased 200 grams of Bute for about $100.  The second vet exam was $1,000, but included vaccinations for all of our horses.

The Bute has made her visibly more comfortable and I am happy about that.  We get to ride at least 4 times a week.  Jessie was clumsy on the new shoes at first.  They really change the angle of her feet.  She’s getting better.  More importantly, I am doing something instead of nothing, and I am getting to ride her again.  And I get comfort in both of those things.

Join Us on this Journey

I’m not the best community builder.  I will need your help for that.  I’m not the best at conversation. Let’s change it up together.  I hope you will join me.

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

Episode #141

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Filed Under: The Podcast Tagged With: Downunder Horsemanship, Education, Horse care, Horse-keeping, Horsemanship, Training Jessie

Let’s Change it Up Whoa Podcast 2.0

April 30, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Whoa Podcast 2.0 – Let’s Change It Up

Yes, I miss producing the podcast.  Sure, I have other things to do to fill the time (like riding my horse).  But, it simply got to difficult to schedule guests, record the interview, edit the interview, put together the open and close, publish it to the Stitcher, Spotify, iTunes, I Heart Radio, Google Play, and all the other places these go, then promote it on social media.  So, let’s change it up.

let's change it upI’m calling this new version Whoa Podcast 2.o.  We’ll still talk horses and horsemanship, but the podcasts will be more frequent.  If I can work it out with an expert or trainer or other interesting horse person, I will certainly have them on the show.  The regular version, however, will be shorter.  You may ask, what will we talk about?

There are hundreds of decisions we have to make as horse owners.  What to feed? When do you change the bit you’re using?  What sport do I want my horse to do? Where do I keep him?  What happens when they get too old to ride?  When will I know he’s too old to ride?

Most of the time we fumble our way through these decisions.  then we wonder if we made the right choice.  This is the stuff I want to talk about.  I want to share with you the choices I make with my horse, but more importantly I want you to share what YOU do with YOUR horse.  What criteria do you use?

Participation is Essential

Of course, you need to take part for this will work.  We can use the Whoa Podcast Facebook page to communicate.  You can always email me at john@whoapodcast.com.  And, if you want to share your thoughts, talk about your horse and share your knowledge, we can connect on Skype, I record our conversation and play it on an upcoming podcast.  My Skype name is JohnJHarrer.

Here’s What’s Coming Up

This was a big deal for me.  My 19-year-old mare, Jessie. came up lame after a ride earlier this year.  It was not the first time.  We performed a lameness exam in 2016 which was inconclusive.  What would be your course of action?  While I don’t want to bring economics into the picture, there is not an endless supply of money.  Do you have an emergency horse medical budget?

Next week I’ll give you Jessie’s full story with all the details.  I’ll tell what we did and give you an early progress report.  If you have had a mysterious health issue with your horse, I would love to hear it.  Get in touch with me.

The following week, let’s talk about conditioning your horse.  It’s been a long, cold, wet winter in many parts of the country.  How do you bring your horse back into riding shape?  Do you feed them more or are they fat from a winter of inactivity?  Let me know.

Join Us on this Journey

I’m not the best community builder.  I will need your help for that.  I’m not the best at conversation. Let’s change it up together.  I hope you will join me.

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

Episode #140

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Filed Under: The Podcast Tagged With: Education, horse, Horse-keeping, horseback riding, Horsemanship, Inspiration, Whoa Podcast 2.0

The Mustang, The Movie

March 19, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

The Mustang, The Movie

Mustang

Matthias Schoenaerts stars as Roman Coleman in Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s THE MUSTANG, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Tara Violet Niami / Focus Features

We talk to French filmmaker and director of the just-released movie, The Mustang, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre.  If you’re a listener to this show, we know you love horses. However, many of you have had some tough horses to deal with. It doesn’t matter whether your horse is a wild mustang or one of the domestic breeds, one thing we’ve probably all had to deal with is our relationship with the horse.  The Mustang takes this relationship to the limit with a prison inmate and a tough-as-nails wild horse.

Back in August of 2017, we interviewed Joe Misner who runs the RCC Wild Horse Program for the Sacramento Sheriff’s office.  We talked about the symbiotic relationship between the BLM Wild Horse Management and the prison system. In taking responsibility for the care and training of horses, these inmates learn not only horsemanship, but how their attitude, actions, and body language affects the world around them in both the horse world and the human world.  The recidivism rate for inmates in the program is substantially lower than those in other programs. You would think more prisons would take advantage of this.

Exploring the Plot

In the movie The Mustang, a hardened, angry criminal – just looking to do his time and get out – is paired with a wild horse freshly plucked by the BLM and thrown into his own prison system. Now, it might be argued that neither the prisoner or the horse did anything other than what nature taught them to do, but they both found themselves in the same predicament – stuck behind the prison fences.  Could they rely on one another to help them work their way through this situation?

Bruce Dern stars as Myles in Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s THE MUSTANG, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Tara Violet Niami / Focus Features

Director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre spent years researching and working on the script for this movie.  We sat down over Skype on a recent afternoon and talked about what it was like making this movie. The Mustang was released last Friday and I know you will enjoy watching it. Also, check out the BLM website about their Wild Horse & Burro Program. Far too many horses in this country will spend their entire lives behind the fences of holding facilities.

 

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Our library contains well over 200 episodes 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!  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 and Instagram– 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

Episode #139

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Filed Under: The Podcast Tagged With: Education, Entertainment, Fun Stuff, Horsemanship, wild mustang

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