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Horsemanship in Germany

September 17, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Horsemanship in Germany

horsemanship in GermanyI got a very thoughtful email from a listener.  Christian lives in Germany with his wife and three children. It sounds like he has a demanding white-collar job.  He was very complimentary of the podcast – one of his favorites was the episode with cowboy Bill Mooney – He encouraged us to keep producing them. Thanks Christian. I’ve had several emails back and forth with Christian.  His English is very good. Through the emails I’ve learned a little about his life and horsemanship in Germany. He gave me permission to share some of his story.

Horsemanship in Germany is different.  According to Christian,  women and girls dominate the horse industry. Now, I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing, only to show that Christian had a few more hurdles to get to where he is today.  His family was not wealthy, either.  For him to pursue his passion for horses as a teenager was definitively a challenge.

And, when you pursue a dream, sometimes luck has a way of finding you too.  After college, Christian worked for an international company that sent him to their plant in Evanston, Wyoming.  While there he visited a ranch where he found himself on the back of a horse once again.

This is Christian’s story.  I hope you enjoy it.

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 #155

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Filed Under: The Podcast Tagged With: adventure, dressage, Education, Fun Stuff, horseback riding, Horsemanship, Inspiration, trail riding, Training

Safety on the Trail – Learning the Ropes

September 3, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Safety on the trailSafety on the Trail – Learning the Ropes

It’s a bit of a shame that we even have to talk about safety on the trail.  Once upon a time, it was you, your horse, and the countryside. If you did a good job with your horse, you were safe.  Nowadays, there are outside factors.  Besides the usual dogs, as the open areas get gobbled up with developments, it forces many of us to ride in more urban areas.  That puts us into contact with more people who don’t know or care about horses.  As homelessness increases, we encounter tents and encampments.  People come out begging for money.  Or as we ride along the river, they are along the bank bathing or doing dishes.  The site of someone splashing around in the water unsettles many horses.

Thinking About Safety on the Trail

I’ve found that a little preparation goes along way from preventing disaster.  Having a few basic tools at your fingertips can solve many problems.  Pepper Spray is a powerful deterrent for unwanted advances from both people and dogs.  Carrying a $2 whistle helps you alert others nearby that you may need help.  Ensure that your cell phone is on your person and NOT in a saddlebag in case you get unseated from your horse.  And, there are many more “little” things you can do to improve your safety on the trail.

Local Boarding Stable Gets Proactive

Our local boarding stable, Rancho Rio Equestrian Center,  is being proactive about safety on the trail.  They’ve hired trainer Elmo Sheeran.  Elmo is a retired Sheriff Deputy who has trained many mounted police forces.  Teaching civilian rider is quite different.  The main difference, according to Elmo, is civilians need training in moving away from danger.  Law enforcement moves carefully toward danger.  Elmo will teach a class on Safety on the Trail at the equestrian center later this year.

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 #154

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Filed Under: The Podcast Tagged With: adventure, Education, horse tips, horseback riding, Horsemanship, trail riding, Training

Horse Show Preparation – An Amateurs View

August 20, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Horse Show Preparation

horse showWhat does it take to prepare for a horse show?  We’re not sure.  We’re amateurs at this.  But, what we can tell you is how we prepared for our horse show.

Ranae and I work together.  We each have our strengths.  Ranae is better at seeing my mistakes while riding.  She helps me with posture, where my hands are, and keeps me looking good while in the saddle.  I’m good at helping her with the cues she gives Dusty.  If she is clear and decisive with him, he works much better for her.  We have an agreement that whatever we say to each other while practicing stays out on the trail.

Some people are great at horse shows.  They read the rule book, talk to the judges, check their scorecard after every appearance.  I wish sometimes I were more like that.  Reading the rulebook is like reading a software license – it makes my hair hurt.  Judges intimidate me.  And, I always forget to go back and check my scorecard.

Horse Shows Are A Good way to Meet Friends

But, going to horse shows is a good way to meet friends and share good places to take our horses that don’t require filling out a horse show entry.  Are you a horse show person?  Do you like to compete?  If you have any tips or tricks, share them on the show.  I bet there are people out there that would love to hear your story.

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 #153

Support the Whoa Podcast with this Amazon Link.

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Filed Under: The Podcast Tagged With: competing, horse, horseback riding, Horsemanship, Inspiration, Training

The Rabbit Hole Natural Horsemanship

July 23, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

natural horsemanshipThe Rabbit Hole Natural Horsemanship

Do you go down rabbit holes?  Let me explain.  A rabbit hole is where you get an idea or suggestion and when you follow it, it takes you one place, then another, and then another.  Rabbit holes can be fun or a complete waste of time.  And yes, sometimes they can be both.  I’m not afraid to chase them.  Sometimes you can discover or rediscover new things.

Let me tell you about a recent rabbit hole I followed. A notification arrived from YouTube telling me that the Clinton Anderson Channel posted a new video.  Often I don’t have an opportunity to check them out. I spend much of my YouTube viewing time watching audio or video editing tutorials.

The title of this video caught my eye, it was something like Natural Horsemanship vs Real or competitive horsemanship.  I’m not sure why, when I went to check on the exact title for this podcast, it was no longer available less than a week later. (https://youtu.be/H37xLVxINQQ ) In it Clinton was comparing natural horsemanship to the horsemanship you need to have in the competitive arena.  Now, he wasn’t running natural horsemanship down, but he wasn’t talking about it in glowing terms either.  This series of videos that Clinton produces I believe is meant to inspire and I think he was trying to motivate his followers, of which I am one, to step up their horsemanship.  This wasn’t the first time I had heard the term natural horsemanship used as almost a negative term.

When I thought about this, I could not remember where I first heard the term.  It had to be around 2005 when my cable service picked up RFD-TV and they had a two-hour block of horse training shows.  I remember, thinking highly of the term natural horsemanship.  I didn’t know what it meant, except perhaps working with what came natural to the horse.  But, I knew it was approaching the horse differently, and I very much needed a different approach.

More Investigation of Natural Horsemanship

From Clintons video, I went to Google and typed in the term.  There was a slew of articles about the topic.  One trainer stating emphatically her method was NOT natural horsemanship.  I read her reasoning, and it kinda made sense.  I won’t try to explain it here, I’ll just muck it up.  If you would like to read her explanation go here: The Willing Equine

There was a link to Wikipedia.  I read on.  The complaints about natural horsemanship are:  It is not new or unique.  True, people have been using the techniques for a while.  It is  over-marketed.  Again, that’s true.  As with anything being sold, let the buyer beware.  I was thankful the term came along because it lead me to believe there was another way.  That there was a better way to communicate to the horse what I needed him to do.  It was a starting point to learn from.  It was a suggestion that much more could be gained than I was getting from my horse.

I hung around this search page for a while reading different opinions, when I came across an article written by Tom Moates, The Myth of Natural Horsemanship.  Now, here was a name I recognized.  Tom had been on the show.  It’s a good one, I recommend you listen.  Here’s the link:   Tom Moates on the Whoa Podcast.

Tom Moates on Natural Horsemanship

In his article, Tom says natural horsemanship casts a wide net that at most means very little and likely means nothing at all.  Parelli coined it in a book he wrote (although I doubt that is the first use of the term) and the public latched on.  Tom breaks down the main issues he has with the term natural horsemanship one by one and does a fine job of supporting his hypothesis.  He concludes “that natural horsemanship is if anything a shift in the language of horsemanship. How people change the language of horsemanship at large and share ideas as an attempt to impart ways of improving the horse/human relationship is where some consistency may be found under this heading.  But the frequent application of the term “natural horsemanship” to all kinds of people and methods muddies the waters.”

The term has been around for a long time now.  I am thankful it came around and got me thinking about different ways to interact with my horse even though I may not have been able to tell you exactly what was natural about what I was doing.  Terms – labels- of any kind, if one tries to define them exactly, can be extremely confining and limiting if you keep them that way.  For me, natural horsemanship, is just one of the many stepping stones I needed to learn to get me across that river of knowledge dealing with horses.

Anyway, it finally lead me to Tom’s book, A Horse’s Thought, which I got in the Kindle format, and reading it has given me some new things to work on.  This rabbit hole was worth it.

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 #151

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Filed Under: The Podcast Tagged With: Horsemanship, Inspiration, Training

Get to the Horse Show Advice from Kim Kelly

June 18, 2019 by John 2 Comments

Show Your Horse – Advice from Kim Kelly

Horse showWhoa Podcast listeners are great!  I asked you to share your experiences and you come through again and again.  A few weeks back, I got an email from listener Kim Kelly.  Kim had always wanted to enter a horse show, but fear and insecurity held her back.  She kept chipping away at her goal, however, taking little steps and this year entered her first horse show.  It was a challenge she overcame, and she has some tips for those with similar aspirations.

Tips from Kim

Find the right horse.  Kim worked with the horse she had.  The stress of training and conditioning revealed the horse had a navicular problem.  In her search for another horse, Kim enlisted the help of her trainer.  Together they found the right horse for Kim to take to her first horse show.

Get yourself in shape.  Training takes physical effort from both horse and rider.  By her own admission, Kim was 30 lbs. overweight.  Over the winter to prepare for the show season, she shed those 30 lbs. making it easier for both her and her horse.

Go to a horse show.  Before she competed, Kim went to two horse shows.  She got the feel of the show arena, watched the competitors, and felt the energy generated at a horse show.

Know the rules.  Kim read the rules for the classes she was competing in.  This prevented her from making “silly” mistakes such as petting your horse during the competition.  There are basic patterns she would see in the show pen and, by reading the rules, she could practice those patterns.

Give yourself plenty of time to fill out paperwork. Face it.  We all hate to fill out paperwork.  But, it has to be done to enter a horse show.  Kim suggests getting your paperwork and membership applications in early.  There is nothing like the panic of not knowing whether you are qualified to compete.

Ranch Horse Associations

To learn more about Ranch Horse Shows check out:

American Ranch Horse Association

To hear about our experience with Working Equitation Working Equitation Training

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 #147

Support the Whoa Podcast with this Amazon Link.

 

 

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Filed Under: The Podcast Tagged With: adventure, competing, Education, horse tips, Horsemanship, Inspiration, Training

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