horseback riding Archives ⋆ Page 16 of 19 ⋆ The Whoa Podcast

Long Rider Bernice Ende

December 16, 2014 by John Leave a Comment

Long Rider Bernice Ende

When one of our listeners and No Worries Club member, Roberta Carr recommended I interview a long rider for the show I was not sure what she meant. She told me little about long rider Bernice Ende and referred me to Bernice’s website Ende of the Trail. Looking over her site I could see she had ridden a lot. She started in 2005 and wasn’t sure where it would go, but the first ride was 2,000 miles. Can you imagine? At age fifty she retired and decided it would be a good idea to pack up her horses and dog and head out across the country. Faced with a number of challenges and many reasons to stop, she did not. She kept riding. After eleven years she has logged 25,000 miles. Yes, that 25,000. Now I know what a long rider is – Bernice Ende.

Bernice is wintering on the the East Coast. She will resume her return long ride to Montana by going through Canada from coast-to-coast. We caught up to her via Skype and she shared her experiences as a long rider.

Later in the show I offer a parting shot about the horses of the NFR and why they should get a little more recognition from CBS Sports.

Contact Us

We have well over 70 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 thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show. You can email us at: John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening,

John & Ranae

Episode #040

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Earn Your Spurs Interviews Your Host

November 23, 2014 by John Leave a Comment

Earn Your Spurs Interviews Your Host

When I started podcasting this show nearly three years ago it was to learn more about horses AND to connect with other horse loving people. Imagine my surprise when I get an email from the Host of Earn Your Spurs Podcast and she wants to interview me. Earn Your Spurs, hosted by Alyssa Barnes, is a podcast dedicated to people who are looking to live a life “a little more Western“. It embraces the capital “C” Cowboy lifestyle in dress, ethics, and state-of-mind.

It was quite fascinating to be on the other side of the interview. Frankly, I really didn’t know I had a story to tell – but everyone does – and I am glad I got to tell mine. This is a forty-five minute interview that went by in a heartbeat. Alyssa is a very good host. She asks some really insightful questions. More importantly, it was conversational. To me a good podcast is one that has me eavesdropping on a couple of friends conversation. I walk away knowing them both a little better.

Earn Your Spurs has a great website with a lot of good information on it too. From how to clean your boots to how to be effective on a cattle drive. They even have some great merchandise.

I hope you will give Earn Your Spurs a listen. No, not just because I’m on it. There are a lot of far more interesting guests. J.J. Harrison talks about life as a rodeo clown. Chelsey Stimson talks about how horses can heal heartbreaks. Alyssa even interviews her Dad, a lifelong horse trainer.

Meanwhile, I’m working on some great podcasts for YOU. If you have any suggestions or comments I would love to hear them. Please drop me a line at John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening!

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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

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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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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