Best Horse Practices Podcast

Welcome to Best Horse Practices. My name is Maddy Butcher and I produce this podcast. Our show is a space for riders and horse owners of all disciplines to learn best practices and to discover skills, strategies, tools, ideas, and insights for better connecting with their horses, with all horses, and for getting work done. We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is our final episode of the show. Since the middle of the pandemic, when Jec Ballou reached out and asked if I'd like to collaborate, we have produced over 120 episodes. It's been a fun journey, full of interesting presenters, a diverse array of specialists and generalists. Since Jec and I come from different horse places, which is to say, different disciplines and philosophies and approaches, the collaboration has been fruitful for producing short, open-minded segments of education and points of view. Thank you, dear listeners, for supporting us and being in touch. Thanks so much to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. Lucerne has been a title sponsor since our inception and we are so grateful for their commitment to the show. We also would like to thank Renegade Hoof Boots. The team at Renegade has been crafting hoof boots for years and has an excellent customer service reputation. Renegade is the official hoof boot of the Tevis Cup, the renowned 100-mile race in California. Learn more at here (renegadehoofboot.com)  Here are some of our favorite shows: Coaches' Corners On the Fence Daniel Dauphin Therapy Horses, with Josh McElroy and Toby Cross Author Molly Gloss Author JB Zielke You can join me and several podcast guests at the mini Best Horse Practices Summit in Santa Fe in New Mexico. That is happening October 31 through November 2 and includes Katrin Silva, Ben Longwell, Daniel Dauphin, Patrick King, and Jim Masterson. A heckuva lineup! My new project, Awe, Nice! is live. Check it out! Thanks to Redmond Equine for generously sponsoring our show. I'm finding two of my horses really, really love the Rock on a Rope this winter. They are going through it enthusiastically. Considering hanging one on the fence or in the stall. We think they'll love it. Order a box at Redmond equine dot com. That's it. Our final episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening y'all.

We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 8 of Season 5 and in it, Jec interviews Cody Harrison, a horseman specializing in classical dressage and based near Denver. Jec and Cody talk specifics on spurs. It's a really interesting conversation and one I think you will enjoy. Hey, before I get to sponsors, I want to remind you to register for the mini Best Horse Practices Summit, coming up in April in Santa Fe. Visit here for info on the presenters and presentations. Act now and we'll give you a 100 dollar credit at our trade show which has Patagonia WorkWear and Stanley drinkware. Pretty cool! Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. They also make products for your stalls and chickens. Check them out at lucerne farms com We also would like to welcome Renegade Hoof Boots to the show. The team at Renegade has been crafting hoof boots for years and has an excellent customer service reputation. Renegade is the official hoof boot of the Tevis Cup, the renowned 100-mile race in California. You may find that Renegade boots are the perfect pairing with barefoot trimming and many miles.  Speaking of spurs...I think Western spurs can be deceiving. They look severe, but as Cody mentioned, when the rowel has many, many points, the feel of them is actually more gentle than one pointy English spur. Just try rolling them on your hand or leg. The difference is clear. I think I'd rather be a horse feeling a dull, many pointed rowel than a solitary ball or knob.  Thanks to Redmond Equine for generously sponsoring our show. I'm finding two of my horses really, really love the Rock on a Rope this winter. They are going through it enthusiastically. Considering hanging one on the fence or in the stall. We think they'll love it. Order a box at Redmond equine dot com. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening y'all.

This is Episode 7 of Season 5 and in it, I talk with Daniel Dauphin about bits and the upcoming Best Horse Practices Summit. I met this Louisiana man several years ago when we were considering possible presenters for the Best Horse Practices Summit in Lexington, Kentucky. Since then, he's come on the show several times to talk about a range of horse issues. Learn about his bit course. Visit his website and sign up for his newsletter. Most recently, he's stepped up to the Board of Directors for the Best Horse Practices Summit. He will also present at the mini Summit in Santa Fe in April with Katrin Silva, Jec Ballou, and Ben Longwell. All of the presentations will be collaborations – a rare thing in the horse industry nowadays! We'll have panel discussions and even a special presentation on mental health.  Speaking of which! Get yourself registered now before all the spaces fill up. There are just 70 spots available. For more information on presentations, schedule, venue, check out Best Horse Practices Summit for more info and to register.  Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. They also make products for your stalls and chickens. Check them out at lucerne farms com We also would like to welcome Renegade Hoof Boots to the show. The team at Renegade has been crafting hoof boots for years and has an excellent customer service reputation. Renegade is the official hoof boot of the Tevis Cup, the renowned 100-mile race in California. You may find that Renegade boots are the perfect pairing with barefoot trimming and many miles. Thanks to Redmond Equine for generously sponsoring our show. I'm finding two of my horses really, really love the Rock on a Rope this winter. They are going through it enthusiastically. Considering hanging one on the fence or in the stall. We think they'll love it. Order a box at Redmond equine dot com. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening y'all.

Our show is a space for riders and horse owners of all disciplines to learn best practices and to discover skills, strategies, tools, ideas, and insights for better connecting with their horses, with all horses, and for getting work done.  We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 6 of Season 5 and in it, Jec interviews Gillian Higgins, an expert in horse anatomy and biomechanics. She's known internationally for her painting of horses' muscles and skeletal system on the outside of horses. Her programs are called Horses Inside Out and she has a huge amount of online offerings. Oh, and just a heads up if you're not inclined to do the kilo / pound conversion: Gillian mentions a 500-kilo horse. That's an 1,100-pound horse. Check out this short interview with Gillian by the BBC Visit Gillian's website. Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. They also make products for your stalls and chickens. Check them out at lucerne farms com We also would like to welcome Renegade Hoof Boots to the show. The team at Renegade has been crafting hoof boots for years and has an excellent customer service reputation. Renegade is the official hoof boot of the Tevis Cup, the renowned 100-mile race in California. You may find that Renegade boots are the perfect pairing with barefoot trimming and many miles.  My favorite takeaways: that the canter is a good sit-up type of exercise for your horse and that a canter improves the trot for free. Also, that we can be blinded by what we know, an idea which has a lot in common with what we know as confirmation bias.  Thanks to Redmond Equine for generously sponsoring our show. With the turn of the season, make sure to have Redmond's salt available free choice for your horses. We think they'll love it. Order a whole box! And welcome back to Pharm Aloe, the gut and immune support supplement. Did you know that Pharm Aloe products all come from a USDA certified organic farm in Texas? Check out the pellets for horses. They have aloe options for dogs and people, too.  Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. I hope you can check out their long sleeved waffle tee. It is the perfect swap out for a short sleeved t shirt as the weather gets cooler. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win a free Patagonia WorkWear item that we give away every month. Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening y'all.

We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 5 of Season 5 and in it, we welcome back my colleague, Jec Ballou, for her first show of our fifth season. Yay! We've heard from several folks who have suggested discussions on gaited horses and people with expertise around gaited horses, so Jec has done a great interview with Carl Bledsoe, from Talking Rock, Georgia. I was really excited to produce this interview as it's clear Carl has been on a journey, from show ring to clinician, and has the horses' best interests in mind, and isn't afraid to call out less than best practices so that we can get to better places with our equine partners. I think you'll enjoy the talk, regardless of your discipline or horse type. Find Carl Bledsoe Horsemanship here. Check out anatomy of thoracic sling. Before it starts, just one note about something they discuss which is the thoracic sling – that's the group of muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia that connect the front legs to the chest and support the weight between the front legs. Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. They also make products for your stalls and chickens. Check them out at lucerne farms com Thanks to Redmond Equine for generously sponsoring our show. With the warm weather and the turn of the season, make sure to have Redmond's salt available free choice for your horses. We think they'll love it. You can hang the Rock on a Rope on a fence or in the stall. Order a box full at Redmond equine dot com. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. I hope you can check out their hemp full zip sweatshirt. It's probably the softest, yummiest sweatshirt I've ever owned. And it comes in a buttery yellow that makes me smile. Also, check out the tough hemp canvas vest – extremely handy for all seasons but especially fall. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win a free Patagonia WorkWear item that we give away every month. Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening y'all.

We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. We're dedicating another show to horsey intellectualism. Intellectualism roughly means thinking, studying, and/or discussing complicated ideas without getting emotional. I guess what we do on this show is a sort of low-level intellectualism, redneck intellectualism, because we're not consulting great philosophers or significant texts. But we are bouncing around ideas that are complicated and less straight forward than a lot of articles or social media posts seem to make them.  I think owners and riders inevitably come across these ideas in their time with horses. I know I do, sometimes as I'm riding along, sometimes as I'm lying in bed, pondering a life with or without equines. Not much is black and white. There's a lot of grey area to consider when it comes to, well, everything, but in this case, horse care and management. Doesn't it seem like there has been a lot of outrage and side-taking lately? Maybe we could be doing more listening and show a little more curiosity? Anyway, for episode 4, I invited Daniel Dauphin, the Louisiana horseman whose specialty is bit function and design and horse mouth anatomy.  Thankfully, he's not one to shy away from what he calls ‘career suicide' by saying things that might not be in step with the latest money-making trend or attention-grabber. I was happy to bug him for this continuation of a related chat with Nina Fuller last week in which we talked about livestock and our agrarian lives. Daniel and I bounce around the ways in which people perceive the treatment of animals. What does abuse look like? Certainly, it looks different to different people. How is that so? And, what does the horse want and need? Can we decipher that objectively or do we get misdirected by questionable motivations? Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. They also make products for your stalls and chickens. Check them out at lucerne farms com Watch Daniel Dauphin's BHPS presentation.  Visit his website.  Check out his YouTube channel.  As I mentioned in the last episode, horses are livestock. When it comes to laws and policies, that puts them in roughly the same category as sheep and cattle, not dogs and cats. Over the last few generations, however, as an increasing percentage of horses are used for exclusively recreational purposes. In popular culture, barn culture, in a materialistic and consumer-driven world, the species has moved into a fuzzy space between livestock and pets. American laws, for instance, are sometimes at odds with prevailing attitudes. It can be messy. And, yes, we know that the practicality of putting horses together at Olympic events is probably problematic. But why not, for instance, put them in with other horses they know? Seabiscuit traveled with a companion. Rodeo horses are put together. I could be cynical and say it's all about money, but can we think outside the box – even if it is lined with locally sourced shavings? We can't wait to hear from listeners. What do you think about animals in our society? How do we balance old standards of agriculture and animal treatment with where we are now and what we know now and, for us horse owners, what we need and want from our equine partners? It doesn't escape me that Daniel and I live rural existences, maybe more rural and old fashioned than many listeners. Our points of view come from cumulative observation and interaction with land and animals. Your days and interactions are not our days and interactions. That's one reason I'm interested in hearing from your shared or different perspectives. Watch Daniel Dauphin's BHPS presentation.  Visit his website.  Check out his YouTube channel.  Thanks to Redmond Equine for generously sponsoring our show. With the warm weather and the turn of the season, make sure to have Redmond's salt available free choice for your horses. We think they'll love it. You can hang the Rock on a Rope on a fence or in the stall. Order a box full at Redmond equine dot com. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. I hope you can check out their hemp full zip sweatshirt. It's probably the softest, yummiest sweatshirt I've ever owned. And it comes in a buttery yellow that makes me smile. Also, check out the tough hemp canvas vest – extremely handy for all seasons but especially fall. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win a free Patagonia WorkWear item that we give away every month. Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening y'all.

We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 3 of Season 5 and we're dedicating the next few shows to some horsey intellectualism. I like to look up words, to make sure I'm saying what I mean. Intellectualism roughly means thinking, studying, and/or discussing complicated ideas without getting emotional. I guess what we do on this show is a sort of low-level intellectualism, redneck intellectualism, because we're not consulting great philosophers or significant texts. But we are bouncing around ideas that are more complicated, less straight forward, say, than which muck rake is best or how hay prices are looking this summer. I think horse owners and riders inevitably come across these ideas in their time with equines. I know I do, sometimes as I'm riding along, sometimes as I'm lying in bed, pondering a life with or without horses. Anyway, for episode 3, I invited Nina Fuller of Lily Brook Farm in Hollis Maine to join me. Nina is a heckuva accomplished woman. About 14 years ago, she got in touch with me and wrote a few guest columns for what was then my new website, NickerNews. She is a farmer and raises sheep. She's an award-winning photographer. But until about 10 years ago, we hadn't met. That was when I was driving cross country, from Utah to Maine. I stopped, off a state highway, in a desolate section of northern Colorado and was just about to let my dogs out for a break when two lambs came rushing up to me. They were very young, maybe a week old, with shriveled umbilical cords, and in the middle of nowhere. I picked them up and searched in vain for a rancher, a ranch, someone or some ewe who could claim them. To no avail. So, they joined me cross country and – long story short – they ended up at Nina's farm. Find Nina on Facebook.  Order her book, "Where's Hope?" from Cayuse Communications.  Listen to the cross-country story here.   So, yes, back then when I called her for help, “What should I do with these lambs? How can I save them?” Nina and I didn't know each other except through email. I'm indebted to her for her kindness, her expertise, and for taking the lambs. I think she has been happy with the lambs, who she named Emma and Pearl and who have given her many lambs over the years. Pearl died last week. Our conversation ties into a broader conversation around pets and livestock, animals in our modern world. Next up, Daniel Dauphin, who has been doing some pondering over the recent hullabaloo with suspended Olympian Charlotte Dujardin. This has gotten Daniel and I and I'm sure many of you thinking about what folks consider wellness, if it belongs in the livestock world, and with what different people consider abuse, horse welfare and wellbeing. Let's just say what Charlotte Dujardin did pales in comparison to what Brett and Alexis Ingraham did at the tragically ironically named Fair Play Farm in Maine – something I reported on years ago. We'll consider the broad spectrum of standards in horse communities, amidst the many disciplines and cultures. Horses, of course, are livestock. When it comes to laws and policies, that puts them in the roughly the same category as sheep and cattle, not dogs and cats. Over the last few generations, however, as an increasing percentage of horses are used recreationally, in popular culture and especially women's barn culture, the species has moved into a grey area between livestock and pets. American laws, for instance, are sometimes at odds with prevailing attitudes. It can be messy. Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. They also make products for your stalls and chickens. Check them out at lucerne farms com We can't wait to hear from listeners. What do you think about animals in our society? How do we balance old standards of agriculture and animal treatment with where we are now and what we know now and, for us horse owners, what we need and want from our equine partners? It doesn't escape me that Nina and I live rural existences, maybe more rural and old fashioned than many listeners. Our choices come from cumulative observation and interaction with creatures, domestic and wild, in our admittedly small spheres of land and animals. That's one reason I'm interested in hearing from your shared or different perspectives.  I like to think we're all mindful to carefully avoiding anyone or anything suffering, but, of course, we can't avoid death. It's part of life. I've been thinking about these things a lot since my mom died and my horse, Barry, died, in quick sequence, less than two years ago. Like so many people in today's world, I'd managed to avoid much interaction with death. On the eve of turning 60, I'm giving it more attention and considering how just like life, death is all around us if we're paying attention. We don't need to be afraid of it or get dark and brooding over it. It just is.  Thanks to Redmond Equine for generously sponsoring our show. With the warm weather and the turn of the season, make sure to have Redmond's salt available free choice for your horses. We think they'll love it. You can hang the Rock on a Rope on a fence or in the stall. Order a box full at Redmond equine dot com. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening y'all.

Our show is a space for riders and horse owners of all disciplines to learn best practices and to discover skills, strategies, tools, ideas, and insights for better connecting with their horses, with all horses, and for getting work done.  We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 2 of Season 5 and in it, I interview J.B. Zeilke, a writer, music video producer, and most of all, a cowboy. JB has cowboyed on six continents and written about it in The Lost Cowboy. This book, with a drawing of a cowboy riding a bucking reindeer on the cover,  recently one two Spur awards, prizes given out by Western Writers of America. He won the Best Contemporary Non Fiction and Best First Non Fiction Book. Find him on Instagram at the.lost.cowboy! He had returned from the awards ceremony in Tulsa, Oklahoma when I talked to him last week. I was so pleased to talk with J.B. but decided to leave the details of his trips for listeners to check out on their own. So, yes, please check it out. You can find it on The Lost Cowboy.com and on Amazon. Read about his making connections, meeting folks, dodging bullets, and trying to get along in Australia, South Africa, Sweden, Argentina, Mexico, and Mongolia. Great stuff!  I thought listeners would love to hear what JB has learned over his many years of travel, specifically things that apply to horsemanship, riding, and partnership building. He does a great job of articulating some essential elements of the horse – rider connection, things he found somewhat universal, across the contients. It's a delightful interview that I'm happy to share. Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. They also make products for your stalls and chickens.  How has your summer been going? As I've returned to podcasting responsibilities, I've been thinking about our title. Best Horse Practices. Do you have any best horse practices that are top of mind lately? Do you have any worst horse practices that are top of mind lately? Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our show. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening y'all.

We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 1 of Season 5.  For this show, I'm speaking on behalf or maybe I should say as half. Half of the interview crew for this podcast. Jec and I have had a hiatus and Jec is still doing her thing and enjoying summer. She'll be back later this season.  I thought I'd make this a short episode to let you know what I've been up to and to ask you what you've been up to. As I mentioned, we love hearing from listeners and, as always, folks who get in touch with us with feedback or suggestions for guests and topics are in the running for freebies. Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. They also make products for your stalls and chickens. Check them out at lucerne farms com Also, a shout out to a clothing company that's putting a trot in our steps lately: Dovetail, a women-owned maker of tough, very horse-rider friendly pants. Try the bootcut jeans – stretchy, durable, and they look good.  Since our last episode for Season 4, I've been working on several projects. I have been day working for a rancher here in Montezuma County. That means I do a bit of everything. Lately, there has been a lot of fencing and moving cows. My go-to gelding, Ray, has an injury, so my younger, greener horse, Table, has been relied on quite a bit. There is a silver lining in Ray's injury, I try to tell myself, because really, as a young horse in training, Table should be ridden a lot.  We have had our circus moments, but mostly I'm very pleased with his progress. He's becoming more patient and confident. And he's able to do more, like open gates, side pass, move through thick brush without freaking out, and ride away from buddies without freaking out. We took a spill the other day when, in the midst of trotting a big circle, we went down in a big gopher hole. I hurt my cheek (it looked like I got into a bar fight) but anyway, I was really pleased that Table trotted a few steps and then waited for me to collect myself. Way better than a few months ago, when I think he would have bolted and headed for the next county. So, even though it was painful and unfortunate, I counted that moment as a win! Table has been behind cows several times and while he's not “cow-y” (like cow-bred quarter horses who pin their ears and love to boss around cattle), he's engaged with what's going on and, surprisingly, is not flustered by the process of moving cows, fetching cows, and all the things you tend to do when handling cattle in open spaces and then smaller confines, like pens and corrals. He does get more stressed and more excited when other horse and rider pairs are involved. I think some of that can be attributed to me getting more amped when there are other horse and rider pairs. You know how that goes, right? Many of us horse owners are also dog owners, so I'll let you know that I'm also bringing up a young dog this year. His name is Chuck. He's mostly border collie and he's eight months old. He's seeing some cows and has come along when we're working them a few times. He knows down. He comes when he's called. And he's pretty excited about the cattle. I've been watching Chuck as he watches my adult dogs work. It's pretty cool to see and be part of this on-the-job training. My job, as I see it, is to keep him safe and give him a long leash, figuratively speaking. That is, to not scold him too much when he does something wrong and to really praise him when he does something right, like staying in a down position even when he'd rather be getting after cows or moving a cow correctly and not overdoing it.   How has your summer been going? As I've returned to podcasting responsibilities, I've been thinking about its title. Best Horse Practices. Do you have any best horse practices that are top of mind lately? Do you have any worst horse practices that are top of mind lately? I'm laughing here because I think very few of us are perfect all the time. I think, in fact, that many of us advocate for best practices, for being safe rather than sorry, for taking our time and doing it right, for being deliberate and intentional. But, at the end of the day, or sometimes, in the middle of the day, when rain has started and you're tired from a fitful night, or stressed by too many things to do, well, we can slump toward worst horse practices. We might cut a corner or do something in haste, something we know better not to do, like tying a horse to something insecure (that would not stay put if the horse pulled back) or, like leaving a gate open because we're coming right back. 9 times out of 10, we get away with it. But then there is always that time when you don't. I mentioned this to my friend, Jessica Munn, who helped me start Table and who I've mentioned before on this show. She had some great ones, which I'll share here as a primer to get you thinking about these oops-y elements of your horse time: - Inappropriate riding attire – like riding in Crocs.  - Riding alone without telling anyone where you're going, when you should be back, or sharing your location. - Using poor tack. Like cheap gear or gear that's been weakened by overuse or weather. This kind of gear will fail you when a wreck unfolds or it might be the reason a wreck unfolds.  - Using treats.  - Tying knots that tighten when they get pulled on. That's what “quick release” slip knots do. Instead, learn how to tie a bowline knot.  - Not training a horse to stand tied for long periods of time.  - Tying a horse by the reins.  - Getting in the trailer when loading a horse, instead of sending him in.  - Drinking alcohol and riding.  - Not putting enough time and practice into a horse and its work and then expecting things to go well.  - Having horses encroach on your personal space.  Thanks for these, Jess! What are your worst horse practices? Send them my way.   Part of my summer this year has been busy with work as producer on Confluence: DogHorseCowHuman. That's the working title of a short film project directed by Beau Gaughran (who, by the way, has filmed all the Best Horse Practices Summit presentations). Confluence tells the story of these four species and their intertwining lives on the range.  It will be a 10-12 minutes short film and we'll be entering it in film festivals this fall. So stay tuned for more news around that.  Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our show. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening y'all.   

We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 27 of Season 4. In it, Jec and I have a fun On the Fence conversation in which we talk some about identity and, mmm, maybe a bit of barn politics and shenanigans that we sometimes see in horse communities. The topic came up when I was listening to an interview that Ezra Klein did with Agnes Callard, a professor at the University of Chicago. Oh, and we also give a nod, or maybe a shake of the head, to the cover art for Beyonce's new country album, which has, of course, a horse on it. Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. They also make products for your stalls and chickens.  Also, a shout out to two clothing companies who are putting a trot in our steps lately: Kuhl and Dovetail. We're trying out a stretchy jean jacket as well as a fleece-lined vest from Kuhl. And we are absolutely loving the boot cut jeans from Dovetail.  It's been a good season! We're one of the top horse podcasts and we consistently rank well in the natural sciences category of podcast. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm, for recommending us to friends, and for being in touch. Jec and I really love the many connections we've made with listeners and appreciate what we see as two-way conversations. Thank you! Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. 

We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 26 of Season 4. In it, I interview Sara Lowe, a horsewoman and police detective from Wyoming. She's a clinician and colt starter, and she participated in the Buck the Trend mental health forum held last month here in southwest Colorado. This is the fourth in a series of interviews around Buck the Trend. You can find links to conversations with BTT therapists and other participants in the show notes. Buck the Trend got its start thanks to a generous grant from the LOR Foundation and with the support of Patagonia WorkWear. Donations have been extremely helpful, too. Big thanks to all who contributed. Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. They also make products for your stalls and chickens. Check them out at lucerne farms com Sara mentioned growth mindset a few times. For those of you who might be wondering what that means, it's roughly when folks believe their talents can be developed through hard work, good strategies, and input from others. This is opposed to a fixed mindset, in which one thinks one's talents are innate gifts. Here's a helpful link.  Sara's website.  Find her on Facebook.  If you're interested in learning more about Buck the Trend, getting involved, coming to the next one, supporting BTT, or joining the conversation, head here.  Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening y'all.

We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 25 of Season 4. In it, Daniel Dauphin is back, not to talk about bits and horse mouth anatomy but to talk about Buck the Trend, the mental health forum held last month. Daniel attended BTT and we have been visiting on the phone about mental health in our horse community since the Best Horse Practices Summit in 2022, which I directed and at which he presented two sessions. This is the third in a series of interviews around Buck the Trend, which is funded in part by the LOR Foundation. You can find interviews with the therapists and with another participant, Dan Flitner here. And next week, I'll post my interview with Sara Lowe, a Wyoming horse trainer and clinician who attended BTT.  Buck the Trend got its start thanks to a generous grant from the LOR Foundation and with the support of Patagonia WorkWear. Donations have been extremely helpful, too. Big thanks to all who contributed. Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. They also make products for your stalls and chickens.  Check out Daniel and his bit course here. Check out his YouTube video on BTT. Check out his Best Horse Practices presentations.  If you're interested in learning more about Buck the Trend, getting involved, coming to the next one, supporting BTT, or joining the conversation, head here to read our posts or hit the contact button to reach out.  Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening y'all.

We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 24 of Season 4. In it, I interview KD Bryant and Joseph Prekup, the two therapists who anchored the development and facilitation of Buck the Trend, the mental health forum held recently in southwestern Colorado. BTT got its start thanks to a generous grant from the LOR Foundation and with the support of Patagonia WorkWear. Donations have been extremely helpful, too. Big thanks to all who contributed. Buck the Trend is a two-and-a-half day, all expenses paid workshop focused on skill-building and elevating the mental health conversation in our community. It's an opportunity to focus on ourselves for a moment, so that we can enhance and improve what's around us, specifically, the well-being of those close to us, humans and non-humans alike, as well as the greater horse community.  Let's give a nod to our sponsors. We welcome Hoka and Skratch Labs the show. Jec and I consider ourselves athletes and we hope you do, too. These folks are centered around helping athletes do great things. Hoka shoes help with the outside, with the best running shoes and Skratch Labs helps with the inside with hydration drinks and trail snacks. Check them out at hoka.com and skratchlabs.com Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. They also make products for your stalls and chickens. Check them out at lucerne farms com If you're interested in learning more about Buck the Trend, getting involved, coming to the next one, supporting BTT, or joining the conversation, head here.  Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening y'all.

We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 23 of Season 4. In it, I interview Dan Flitner in one of several new episodes about Buck the Trend, the mental health forum held recently in southwestern Colorado. Buck the Trend, operated under the auspices of the Best Horse Practices Summit, attempts to address the following issues: -- Our work can be isolating and demanding and there are cultural, logistical, economic, and social impediments to getting help and being well. -- Our mental health and wellness impact not just us, but those around us, including family, friends, coworkers, and, of course, the animals. -- Horses may be “therapeutic.” They can make us feel better. But they can't necessarily help us build skills to navigate interpersonal relationships and feel better about ourselves. Buck the Trend is focused on skill-building and elevating the mental health conversation in our community. It's an opportunity to focus on ourselves for a moment, so that we can enhance and improve what's around us, specifically, the well-being of those close to us, humans and non-humans alike, as well as the greater horse community.   Dan is a rancher in Oregon. He hails from Wyoming and has ranched all his life. Dan got involved in BTT several months ago as a supporter and consultant. His nephew, Luke Bell, a cowboy and rising star in country music, had serious mental health concerns and was found dead in Tuscon, Arizona, about 18 months ago. Mental health has been on his mind and on the minds of his family for some time.  Let's first give a nod to our sponsors. We welcome Hoka and Skratch Labs the show. Jec and I consider ourselves athletes and we hope you do, too. Like they say with horses and hooves, for want of a shoe a horse was lost, for want of a horse, a rider was lost. Well, we think the same goes for happy human feet. When they're not in riding boots, keep your feet happy in Hokas. Also, did you know that Skratch labs offers milk and cookies? They have chocolate milk mix with probiotics, to which you simply add water. And they have cookie mix to which you add butter and things like chocolate chips and nuts. Or whatever you want. Check these new show supporters out at hoka.com and skratch labs .com Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. They also make products for your stalls and chickens. Check them out at lucerne farms com I'll be featuring a few more interviews from Buck the Trend. Next up, KD Bryant and Joseph Prekup, the two therapists at BTT. Stay tuned for that next week.  If you're interested in getting involved or supporting this effort, head here.  Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening.

We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 22 of Season 4. In it, Jec interviews Katrin Silva for a Coaches' Corner. It's always fun when these two get together because they know so much. A bit humbling sometimes because their depth of knowledge is vast. Katrin is an accomplished teacher and trainer based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In this conversation, Jec asks Katrin about book learning and how it weaves into riders' sensibilities. An informative and inspiring talk. We will link to the several books mentioned in the show notes. Also, we welcome Hoka and Skratch Labs to our family of sponsors. Jec and I consider ourselves athletes and we hope you do, too. Like they say with horses and hooves, for want of a shoe a horse was lost, for want of a horse, a rider was lost. Well, we think the same goes for happy human feet. When they're not in riding boots, keep your feet happy in Hokas. Also, did you know that Skratch Labs offers milk and cookies? They have chocolate milk mix with probiotics, to which you simply add water. And they have cookie mix to which you add butter and things like chocolate chips and nuts. Or whatever you want. Check these new show supporters out at hoka.com and skratch labs .com Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. They also make products for your stalls and chickens. Check them out at lucerne farms com Jec and Katrin mention: A Horseman's Notes, Eric Herbermann Riding Logic, Wilhelm Museler The Way to Perfect Horsemanship, Udo Burger Dressage for All of Us, Katrin Silva Ride with Feel, Katrin Silva Books by Jec Ballou Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all.

Our show is a space for riders and horse owners of all disciplines to learn best practices and to discover skills, strategies, tools, ideas, and insights for better connecting with their horses, with all horses and for getting work done.  We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 21 of Season 4. In it, I interview Ben Longwell, who runs True West Horsemanship. This will make a third visit for Ben on the show. In past interviews, he's had great insight to bitless options as well as nervous horse help. Here, we talk about the evolution of horsemanship and different directions people are taking the horse-rider partnership. He often sees the extreme ends of a spectrum but notices a lot of interesting developments in the middle. It's a really nice interview we hope you'll enjoy.   Thanks very much to the folks who have donated to Buck the Trend, the pilot mental health forum I'm directing next week. It is a two-day, all expenses paid learning opportunity specifically for those in our horse community. We have working cowboys, clinicians, ranchers, farriers, and others coming from Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, and elsewhere. Get a great t-shirt and support the cause. Learn more here. Also, we welcome Hoka and Skratch Labs to our family of sponsors. Jec and I consider ourselves athletes and we hope you do, too. Like they say with horses and hooves, for want of a shoe a horse was lost, for want of a horse, a rider was lost. Well, we think the same goes for happy human feet. When they're not in riding boots, keep your feet happy in Hokas. Also, did you know that Skratch labs offers milk and cookies? They have chocolate milk mix with probiotics, to which you simply add water. And they have cookie mix to which you add butter and things like chocolate chips and nuts. Or whatever you want. Check these new show supporters out at hoka.com and skratch labs .com Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. They also make products for your stalls and chickens.  Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. 

We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 20 of Season 4. In it, Jec interviews Julie Goodnight. I feel like this interview has been a long time coming. Jec has admired Julie for years and it took quite a bit of effort to finally coordinate the online meet up. I remember watching Julie at the Equine Affaire in Massachusetts, back in maybe 2008? Julie has an incredible wealth of experience and also perspective as she's been in the midst of educating humans for so long. We're so happy to have her on the show. A few other notes: Thanks very much to the folks who have donated to Buck the Trend, the pilot mental health forum I'm directing next week. Next week! It is a two-day, all expenses paid learning opportunity specifically for those in our horse community. We have working cowboys, clinicians, ranchers, farriers, and others coming from Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, and elsewhere. Get a great t-shirt and support the cause. Learn more here. Also, we welcome Hoka and Skratch Labs to our family of sponsors. Jec and I consider ourselves athletes and we hope you do, too. Like they say with horses and hooves, for want of a shoe...for want of a horse, a rider was lost. Well, we think the same goes for happy human feet. When they're not in riding boots, keep your feet happy in Hokas. Jec loves the Speedgoats and I wear the Mufate. Also, did you know that Skratch labs offers milk and cookies? They have chocolate milk mix with probiotics, to which you simply add water. And they have cookie mix to which you add butter and things like chocolate chips and nuts.  Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. They also make products for your stalls and chickens. Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all.

We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 19 of Season 4. In it, Jec interviews Daniel Dauphin, an accomplished horseman from Louisiana and someone who is steadily gaining a reputation for being the expert on bits, how they function, as well as horse mouth anatomy. He gave two excellent presentations at the Best Horse Practices Summit.  He's developed a new bit course. Watch his Summit video. Free class sign-up here.  We'd also like to direct your attention to our fundraising for Buck the Trend, a mental health forum for those in our horse community. Get a great t-shirt and support the cause. Learn more here. Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain.  A few more nods – one to Skratch Labs, a Colorado-based company making hydration drinks, recovery drinks – I especially love their chocolate milk with probiotics – and energy bars.  Jec and I are on a campaign to get you to start acknowledging that you all are athletes, too. Jec and I both add running to our list of activity loves. What do you do aside from riding? The company, Hoka, has a shoe for it, we're guessing. Check them out.  Aside from the specific bit-related advice shared here, I found myself nodding to the best practices they mentioned about showing your horse different environments and different experiences. I know this not only makes for a healthy and versatile horse, but it also gives her confidence, I think, for handling and being a good partner regardless of the situation. Last weekend, I finally got back to the gym. I warmed up with some running, then did weights, then went swimming. I usually use a Garmin watch, but forgot it. Back home, I entered the workout manually and called it a Magical Mystery Tour. And I thought, geez, I should be doing something like that with my horses, too! What do you do to shake things up? How do you keep the partnership growing and your horse's experiences fresh? Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all.

We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 18 of Season 4 and it's an On the Fence episode in which Jec and I talk about some upcoming goals as well as potential podcast discussions, like horse rescues and social media concerns. We also enumerate some of our favorite past episodes including: Coaches' Corners with Amy Skinner The Large Animal Vet Crisis with Dr. Doug Thal Interview with Molly Gloss Interview with Lee McLean Interview with Lynn Acton Interview with Ann Firestone of Save Your Ass rescue Interview with Alicia Harlov As you all know, Jec and I are athletes and would love to hear that you consider yourself an athlete, too. In that vein, this week, we're giving proper due to Kahtoola, an Arizona-based company that makes traction gear, specifically nano spikes that slip over your boots or running shoes. Excellent if you don't feel like wiping out again on the ice or packed snow.  Also, Best Horse Practices Summit presenter Daniel Dauphin is an expert on bits and horse mouth anatomy and we're lucky that he's developed a new bit course. Watch his Summit video. In the meantime, here is a little bit, so to speak, on the new course:  It's tiresome to sift through all the dogma, misinformation, and people giving unqualified advice. We're all looking to learn so we can execute with best practices for our horses. In this murky world of bits, bit-shaped objects, gimmicks, strong opinions, contradictions, and propaganda put out by bit companies trying to increase sales, how can you trust any of the information? Daniel Dauphin has been on the bit-truth-train for over a decade. He's done his research and consulted people more knowledgeable than himself. His "Bit Video” has been accepted as a teaching resource in the Equine Sciences programs of over 25 universities, including Texas A&M and Colorado State. In his new course, you'll learn about the anatomy affected by bits like the tongue and hyoid apparatus, and about using your hands more effectively. It is not discipline or experience level specific.  Daniel's goal is to empower you to make better choices for your own situation. It includes weekly zoom calls for questions and guest experts.   Free class sign-up here.  We'd also like to direct your attention to our fundraising for Buck the Trend, a mental health forum for those in our horse community. Get a great t-shirt and support the cause. Learn more here. Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain.  Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all.  

 Welcome to Best Horse Practices with Jec Ballou. My name is Maddy Butcher and I produce this podcast. Our show is a space for riders and horse owners of all disciplines to learn best practices and to discover skills, strategies, tools, ideas, and insights for better connecting with their horses, with all horses and for getting work done.  We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 17 of Season 4 and in it, Jec interviews author, teacher, and horsewoman Jenn Currie. She offers clinics which she calls Brain-Centered Horsemanship and has a book for middle school teachers. She is blending what she knows about her teaching experiences with horse behavior in a pretty compelling program.  Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain.  I bet we all know some really good horsemen who are just not effective teachers. I think that most people in the horse world start giving lessons or offering clinics because of their successes with horses. And yet, it's so important to connect well with the human – this means, as Jec and Jen concurred – having the student feel relaxed and safe yet engaged. As Jen said, learning is at its heart is emotional because learning is a journey of discovery. It's precious territory. I worked at the local sale barn last week, riding the pens. First time I'd done something like that. It was fast-paced and involved a lot of opening and closing gates, working cows, calves and bulls, listening to the radio for pen assignments, and moving my horse with agility and quietness. I was lucky and honored to have a few folks, good riders and good humans, bringing me up to speed on how things go there with patience and calm. If it wasn't for them, my horse and I would not have done well. So thank you kindly to AJ and Sheldonna. It takes a lot of investment of time, thought, and energy to become a good teacher and I really love celebrating horsemen and women who excel at both horse and human connections. Sounds like Jen is one of those people. Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all. 

 Our show is a space for riders and horse owners of all disciplines to learn best practices and to discover skills, strategies, tools, ideas, and insights for better connecting with their horses, with all horses and for getting work done. We love to hear from listeners, we think this might be an episode that fosters a lot of conversation, and contacting us is easy through the contact button on best horse practices dot com. We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 16 of Season 4 and in it, Jec interviews author Mary Ann Simonds. This is a good one because I am at odds with some of what they talk about, which is a good thing. I love that we can have folks on the show that Jec embraces and I don't. Or vice versa. Mary Ann has spent years studying horse behavior and horse-human interaction in competitive show barns and has worked with many clinicians. So, I understand that she comes from a very different world than me.  I think it's important to steer clear of language that attempts to give horses human inclinations. She says, for instance, that horses like to create drama and that horses can be on the autism spectrum. Those are anthropomorphic assessments that give me pause. Mary Ann talks about love and care for our horses as if that were a clear idea. Love and care for someone who keeps her horse in a stall at a boarding facility looks a lot different than how a Wyoming rancher may consider love and care.  Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain.  We thank Sampson Moss and his business, Prairie Wind Hat Works for the generous sponsorship. Sampson makes custom hats from his place in Pincher Creek, Alberta. Order yours and have it for the spring riding season. You will look sharp! Considering love and care and how we make progress with our horses. Wow, what a tough subject. Just like the greater American social world, I can here all kinds of judgment from the recreational or sport community towards the working community or from suburban to rural, from dressage to rodeo on what it means to love, care and make progress with our horses. Years ago, I ran a business taking care of other people's horses in Maine. I was taking care of a woman's horses for a week and she apologized for practicing what she called “affectionate neglect.”  She felt a bit ashamed that her horse routine was so simple. They had the run of the pasture. They were together. They didn't get blankets or stalls or grain. They basically had space and were kept together. My response was, "this is terrific! what are you ashamed of?" Temple Grandin, who has come in and out of fashion over her many years, has been extremely helpful to me. Language, she has said, can get in the way. Even the word “humane” means different things to different people. The assessments that Mary Ann is developing for horses' mental health will be interesting to learn more about.  Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all.

Our show is a space for riders and horse owners of all disciplines to learn best practices and to discover skills, strategies, tools, ideas, and insights for better connecting with their horses, with all horses and for getting work done.  We love to hear from listeners and contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 15 of Season 4 and in it, Jec interviews Dana Schultz, a therapist at Medicine Horse, a therapeutic facility in Longmont, Colorado. So, yes, this episode is a bit out of our purview. But then again, we have been talking about mental health lately and Medicine Horse in particular seems to be an outfit that connects good science with good horse work. So there ya go. Also, if this is the season of gratitude, then this episode is perhaps a good reminder of what we owe our horses. With all the busyness of the season, we could, you know, just stop for an extra minute, or maybe even an extra hour, to just BE with them and perhaps connect in a way that says, ‘thanks.' Also, thanks to you, dear listeners, for buying books and donating to our cause. There is still time to order books from us. Visit Jec Ballou and Cayuse Communications for many fun options. At Cayuse, you can get a free book with every order. I'm recording this on December 15 and there is still time to get books to you by Christmas.  Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain.  We thank Sampson Moss and his business, Prairie Wind Hat Works for the generous sponsorship. Sampson makes custom hats from his place in Pincher Creek, Alberta. Order yours and have it for the spring riding season. You will look sharp! Sounds like Medicine Horse is doing good work and that their horses have good lives. I've always been interested in the impact therapy sessions have on the horses. We know that cortisol, commonly called the stress hormone, is lowered for humans in horse-human interactions. But what about the horses? It's my understanding, from talking with equine therapy folks as well as canine therapy workers, that the animals can only handle a certain amount of this kind of work each day. My mom trained her dogs for therapy work. When 9/11 happened, she told me about the dogs who were called in to work at the centers set up for families to pick up death certificates of those who died in the towers. She said the dogs could only handle an hour before they needed a break. Read this article on a WSU study of kids and equine facilitated therapy.  All to say, it's so good to give our animals jobs, but let's be careful. Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.   

We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 14 of Season 4 and it's a short one. Why? To be blunt and to speak in general terms, I'd say life and death are having their ways with us.  I'm sorry to let you know that Jec lost her mother last month. As you might imagine, that's been pretty trying for her. I lost my mom just over a year ago. While our mother-daughter relationships were very different, we both owe it partly to our mothers for what we do now. Horses would not be so much of our lives or so much of our identity, if it weren't for our moms. That, I think makes the remembering and the grieving process a bit more in-your-face than it might be otherwise. They say there are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. You've probably heard of them. Here at the Best Horse Practices podcast, we are dealing with some of them, or maybe none of them, but with feelings that are related. Or mixtures of them. It's a process. And as one of my favorite singer-songwriters, Del Barber, would say: "there is no straight path." I think the holidays, the shorter days and longer nights can be challenging, too. It can be harder to get out and ride when it's 15 degrees and dark is just an hour away. A cup of hot cocoa or a glass of wine can seem like a much better idea. What are your challenges? How do you make the most of winter riding? What are some winter hacks you have for dealing with ice, snow, cold, and short days? We would love to hear from you! Also, I want to remind you about the mental health initiative that the Best Horse Practices Summit is developing. Thanks in part to a grant from the LOR Foundation, there will be a mental health forum called Buck the Trend taking place here in southwestern Colorado in mid-February, 2024. You can learn more about that here. and help us vote on the logo, too! This is a bit about Buck the Trend that I shared recently: Buck the Trend is a forum for working cowboys, trainers, farriers, clinicians and others in the horse community. It is a pilot project to address the mental health challenges specific to our community. It is founded on the idea that a small, peer-focused group, hosted in a safe, relaxed setting, and led by experienced mental health professionals, is an effective way to nurture conversations, build skills, and affect positive change. A little bit about the why and the how: Many of us have acknowledged that our work can be isolating and demanding and that there are cultural, logistical, economic, and social impediments to getting help and being well. Our mental health and wellness impact not just us, but those around us, including family, friends, coworkers, and, of course, the animals. Horses may be “therapeutic.” They can make us feel better. But they can't necessarily help us build skills to navigate interpersonal relationships and feel better about ourselves. The solution: This forum is focused on skill-building and elevating the mental health conversation in our community. It's an opportunity to focus on ourselves for a moment, so that we can enhance and improve what's around us (specifically, the well-being of those close to us, humans and non-humans alike, as well as the greater horse community). If you would like more information or would like to support Buck the Trend, please contact us. Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain. We thank Sampson Moss and his business, Prairie Wind Hat Works for the generous sponsorship. Sampson makes hats from his place in Pincher Creek, Alberta, and is taking custom orders now. Hey, just a heads up that Jec and I have some great books for your Christmas shopping. Check out Jec's website and Cayuse Communications. Please consider supporting us with a few book buying clicks. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!

We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 13 of Season 4 in which Jec and I have an On the Fence segment.  We are returning to a little theme that has been running through our shows, in which we ask the question (and take stabs at answering it) how are we doing? How is the horse industry doing? How are the trainers and other horse professionals doing? Our hunch is that burnout is real and financial struggles are real and that any alleviation of these difficulties is elusive. We're turning to our listeners for answers, too, and everyone who reaches out is in the running for Patagonia WorkWear. Heck, we're also throwing in stickers, Redmond Equine products and a complimentary book from Cayuse Communications. So let us hear from you! Jec mentions Karen Rohlf and her show interview.  I mention mental health challenges and the mental health forum, taking place here in southwestern Colorado in mid-February, 2024. Learn more about that here and here.  Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain.   Also, check out Chill Angel for luxurious superfine merino wool loungewear. We love their stargazer and reverie tops.  We are really looking forward to hearing from you to bolster this conversation with your experiences. Our colleague Katrin Silva is having a related conversation around what's wrong in the dressage world and the show world. We know it's not just the judges. We know it's not just the trainers. Is it a systemic problem? If so, how can we best address it? Do we all need to be a little bit more knowledgeable and accountable? Sometimes the horse industry seems a bit like a freighter. Very hard to correct its course.  We thank Sampson Moss and his business, Prairie Wind Hat Works for the generous sponsorship. Sampson makes custom hats from his place in Pincher Creek, Alberta. I received a new sage green cowboy hat with a dark green bound edge last month and it's been on my noggin for several rides already. Check out the best horse practices blog post for this show to see pictures. Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. 

We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 12 of Season 4 in which Jec interviews Wendy Murdoch, creator of the Murdoch Method and author of several books. Check out her online Whole Rider course here. Before this marvelous interview, I thought I'd share a few bits on my work with two young horses. It's a departure of sorts, but I hope you enjoy it. We love to hear from listeners. Contact us here. Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain.   Because writing and talking helps me to better synthesize and appreciate experiences (and progress and hiccups and trepidations and failures and successes), I wanted to share some words on my time starting two youngish horses, Tuesday and Table. Tuesday is four or five. She came to me as a free-to-a-good-home, dark buckskin, club-footed quarter horse. Table, who was called Lorenzo until this nickname overpowered me, is a five-year old mustang from the Devil's Garden herd management area in northern California. I acquired him from a gal who seemed afraid to handle him and before that he was with a man who mistreated him, or at least that's what I was told and, based on Table's behavior, I'd say is accurate. Both had been handled very little, had never been ridden, and were overweight. That's where the similarities end. Tuesday had a disrespect for my personal space and was pretty klingy to her herdmates. With work, like creating clear boundaries, testing them, letting her make a mistake and learning from it, those elements of her behavior are improving nicely. She's a sweet horse and I think it can be tempting to invite her in for some rubs and loving. But for now, it's more important for her to learn she can be happy with boundaries. She was unsafe in how she encroached, and it would be easy to make her unsafe again. Table tends to be wary of everything, from a phone that suddenly plays music to me wearing a cowboy hat instead of a baseball hat. And even after lots of good work around tying, he still has a tendency to set back.  While I am a competent rider and have helped several horses who have come from bad situations, I have never started a horse from the ground up. As luck would have it, my friend, Jessica Munn, came to visit for a month. Jess is a colt starter, with a background in dressage as well as cowboying. It hadn't been our plan to dedicate so much time to Table and Tuesday, but I'm so grateful that we were both able to commit to this focused work. Her help has been fundamental to our progress and I am deeply indebted to Jess for the knowledge and encouragement she brought to the pen. Oh, and she relearned me on the bowline knot, which I learned as a kid but had a hard time tying it as a horse-tying knot. If you have a horse that might set back, a bowline is a better knot to tie than a quick release knot.  Over several weeks, we worked every day to get both of them more comfortable with many aspects of this horse-human thing. Like, for instance, being tied for decent periods of time (20 minutes or more), being hobbled, being led, being tacked up, having feet handled and trimmed, and being away from herdmates. That's a broad brush and it's tempting to think this checklist was ticked off in an afternoon. Far from it. Getting these horses to be better citizens was a road full of frost heaves and potholes. We worked every day, for one or two hours with each horse. We built on the previous days' work and almost always revisited what we'd done in days past. There is a great deal of repetition in good horse work. We do this so the horse knows what to expect in the form of boundaries and performance: when I apply pressure, you move away from it. When I tie you, you get to chill. When the other horses go out to pasture, you get to stay here, pay attention, and have fun.  Jess helped me with essential groundwork, which has included lunging and driving, as well as important techniques for riding horses who'd never been ridden, like being able to have them flex when I step up into the saddle. Stepping into the saddle is done from both sides, by the way. There was some learning for me around how to carry the reins more safely and how to sit better on a young horse. She has encouraged me to take time to do everything well. As I have helped the horses become more patient, she has taught me the value of fence-sitting and taking more time with, well, everything. “It's not time-consuming,” Jess reminded me. “It's patience-building.” I have learned some hacks for making progress and being less fearful. Singing, playing ridiculous music, and talking to my horses has helped shake off the brace and elevate my confidence. Taking videos has helped me see my penchant for leaning forward. When it feels like I'm leaning back, I'm actually pretty erect in the saddle. Jess has reminded me to be a confident leader. But what does that look like and how can I relate this to you all, who have different pictures in their heads about what confidence looks like? I see the best results when I am decisive and clear. But being clear means knowing what you're doing, so I have needed help with technique. Being clear is also wound up in confidence and mental habits, too. It's easy to say, “work with confidence and clarity,” but it's harder to do it in a way that is effective for the horses. “Black and white makes light. Be sparingly demanding.” says Jess. Whether with groundwork or riding, it is an everyday challenge to be clear, not vague, to ask succinctly, and not to nag. Our work together, these daily sessions over a month, along with the sitting around, talking about what worked and didn't have helped me a lot in this vein. Now that I'm doing the daily work on my own, I find I have to commit even more diligently: to get out there every day and to stay focused and intentional. Of course, there has been unintentional nagging. Of course, I can beat myself up over tough afternoons. It's all part of the process. We thank Sampson Moss and his business, Prairie Wind Hat Works for the generous sponsorship. You can order one today and have it by the holidays! Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. 

We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 11 of Season 4 and in it, Jec interviews Dr. Doug Thal, owner of Thal Equine, a veterinary practice and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Doug was tapped to present a great topic at the Best Horse Practices Summit one year ago, but came down with Covid just prior to our event. He and I have had a lot of conversations around what vets need to know, especially around horsemanship, and, what horse owners need to know to be better owners and to be able to communicate best with their vets. I was so looking forward to his presentation but here, in this interview about the vet shortage crisis, Doug gets into this a bit. Check out his app, Horse Side Vet Guide. Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain.  Check them out at lucernefarms.com. Also, thanks to Skratch Labs, makers of hydration drinks and snacks for athletes. I especially like their chocolate milk, which is great after a hard, long ride. Yes, heat it up and make hot cocoa, by all means. Use besthorse25 for 25 percent off your order.  Whenever I see horses on TV, handled by newbies, most in the Netflix show Sex Education, I cringe. But then I think about the enormous learning curve that people have coming to horse work, horsemanship. And there is always more to learn. When I think of how little I knew when I was riding and taking care of horses as a girl, I'm astonished more bad stuff didn't happen. In working with my young horses now, I'm astonished at how much more I need to learn and be confident about. Do you have stuff in your truck? Have you had moments of steep learning curves? Tips for fellow horse owners? We would love to hear from you. Here are articles to check out: Ownership First Aid Essentials First Response Tips We thank Sampson Moss and his business, Prairie Wind Hat Works for the generous sponsorship. Sampson makes custom hats from his place in Pincher Creek, Alberta. I am extremely excited to receive a hat I ordered a few months ago. It's sage green, has a three and a half inch brim trimmed out with dark green bound edge. When I get it, I'll post pics. You can order one today and have it by the holidays.  Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Patagonia just came out with a hemp tool bag that is awesome for tack and barn stuff, from hoof picks to brushes, sprays, and hobbles. It is reversable so the many pockets can live on the inside or outside. The hemp was grown in the US and the bag was sewn in the US. AND...we are giving away two of them! Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. 

This is Episode 10 of Season 4 and in it, Jec holds a Coaches' Corner with our frequent and friendly guest, Amy Skinner. The two horsewomen discuss body work and as well as other services that can be hired and provided to your horses.  What do you think? We've had Jim Masterson, founder of the Masterson Method, present at the Best Horse Practices Summit twice. The evidence is certainly strong for this kind of body work helping horses. And Jim is a wonderful, generous presenter who has put hands on thousands of horses and mentored scores of Masterson Method providers. BHPS 2022 presentation. BHPS 2021 Presentation.  But Jec and Amy are on to something when they talk about the possible red flags or, say, caution flags, when it comes to body work, chiropractic work, acupunture, as well as supplements, and other extra-care type elements of horse ownership. Are they worth it? Is there another reason you might be subscribing to it? I was listening to a podcast about self-care. Actually, it was about the industry of self-care, of all the stuff you can buy to care for yourself, of music to listen to, of essential oils to smell, of chairs and sunglasses, and, well, stuff! When really, though, self-care isn't about stuff at all.  Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain.  Check them out at lucernefarms.com. Also, thanks to Skratch Labs, makers of hydration drinks and snacks for athletes. I especially like their chocolate milk, which is great after a hard, long ride. Yes, heat it up and make hot cocoa, by all means. Check them out at skratch labs com Use besthorse25 for 25 percent off your order.  Dr. Sherry King, in an article for Best Horse Practices, wrote that horses may not want or need the stuff Amy and Jec mentioned. She said: When we misinterpret our relationship with our horse, when we move beyond the role of caring steward to treating the horse like an extension of ourselves and our family, we err to the detriment of the horse. We end up loving it badly. The next time you catch yourself doing “something special” for your horse, stop. Think. Are you really doing this for your horse, or are you doing it for you? If it is really for you, is it also good for the horse? Beware false prophets of equine welfare – what they preach may actually be bad for horse's health. This is not a clarion call to stop all the extra stuff you're doing for your horses. But maybe cast a critical eye on it? Oh, I mentioned the podcast on self-care: The two women kind of dissected the self-care industry as appealing to our consumerist nature, that if we can just buy something that someone assures us is comforting and soothing, then we will be comforted and soothed. But, they pointed out, the ultimate comfort comes from turning inward not outward. It is doing the things that don't cost anything but time and effort. Like maybe meditation or really thinking about life priorities and then consciously shifting your days to better represent what you want and what you need. Like maybe riding more or giving your horses' more exercise since we know that's almost always of great benefit to the horses. We thank Sampson Moss and his business, Prairie Wind Hat Works for the generous sponsorship. Sampson makes custom hats from his place in Pincher Creek, Alberta. You can order one today and have it by the holidays.  Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Patagonia just came out with a hemp tool bag that is awesome for tack and barn stuff, from hoof picks to brushes, sprays, and hobbles. It is reversable so the many pockets can live on the inside or outside. The hemp was grown in the US and the bag was sewn in the US. AND...we are giving away two of them! Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.   

We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 9 of Season 4 and in it, Jec welcomes back Lee McLean to our show. It's a great interview in which the two horsewomen discuss observations around domestic versus wild horse lives and the possible management practices around them. They get into their observations, which are insightful, as well as weighing in on the sometimes problematic online side-taking around this issue. This is a compelling topic. At the Best Horse Practices Summit, the board and I talked a lot about how best to cultivate best practices – and by that we mean practices that are in the best interest of the horse -- through Summit presentations. Horsekeeping involves making decisions around space, diet, hoof care, your horse's socialization, riding. As Jec and Lee mention, we can get pretty tribal about what we think is best – that's a shame because in my observation, the tribalism is often distinct from horses' actual experiences. After listening to Jec and Lee, maybe you can take a critical look at how you keep your horses and what improvements might be made for their sake. We'd love to hear from you.    Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends. A great addition or substitute for your hay or grass and way better than grain.   Also, thanks to Chill Angel, a Colorado company that makes luxurious superfine merino wool sleepwear, perfect for these cooler nights.  It's true – horses in the wild can appear to be doing just fine and we should remember that humans have done a great job of wrecking horses' feet, nervous systems, temperments and confirmation as we have domesticated them for our purposes. Of course, we have elevated their lives, too. As Lee mentions, wild horses have tough lives and a lot of the not-so-pretty events are never witnessed. Also, the various governments and agencies charged with managing wild horses have not done a stellar job here, nor have they used science to roll out optimal policy. It's a political mess, also known as, yep, tribalism. If we zoom out, we see that the swing from wild to domestic can be smooth or startling, depending on what lens we look through, what year, what culture, what eduation, what motivation folks have. A lot of people, especially on properties with more acreage (especially, on acreage with diverse topography), keep their horses naturally (air quotes here) with great success. People with less space have gotten creative with hacks to improve their horses' mental  and physical well-being – I'm thinking of pasture design and footing as well as group housing. Here are articles: Wild Horse topics Dr. King: Horses want fewer gifts, better care Care  Ownership Last week, after 15 years and 700 newsletters, I suspended the Cayuse Communications newsletter. It was a good stretch and thanks to all those who subscribed. While a page has turned, you can still find great articles on the Cayuse Communications sites, which include HorseHead, NickerNews, BestHorsePractices, and HighCountryOutsider. And, as ever, we have great books available at the Cayuse Communications library. We thank Sampson Moss and his business, Prairie Wind Hat Works, for the generous sponsorship. Sampson makes custom hats from his place in Pincher Creek, Alberta. You can order one today and have it by the holidays.  Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.  That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!  

We love to hear from listeners and this week would especially love to hear about your horse work journeys, your comfort zones and stretching of them. Contacting us is easy through the contact button on best horse practices dot com.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 8 of Season 4. It's an On the Fence show and in it, Jec and I talk about what it means to be an expert, the need for a beginner's mind and the benefits of expanding the aforementioned comfort zones. Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds, extremely handy and healthy bales of alfalfa, timothy, and grass blends.  They also make Koop Clean chicken bedding. Check them out at lucernefarms.com. Also, thanks to Chill Angel, a woman-owned, Colorado company that makes luxurious superfine merino wool sleepwear, perfect for combatting hot flashes.  Jec mentions Kevin Haussler of Colorado State University.  A related website is here. She also mentions Adam Till. In a Facebook post, he writes: "So many people just care about how good a horse is to ride and barely make an effort to make sure training holes are filled....Make sure a six year old kid you don't know can handle your horse." I'm reminded of something Randy Rieman told me years ago: If you're not expanding your comfort zones, you're shrinking them. That's true for humans and horses alike. In the newsletter this week, we have a great guest column about the Pony Express Re-Ride, a relay event that covers all 1,800 + miles of the historic trail. And, as ever, we have great books available at the Cayuse Communications library. We thank Sampson Moss and his business, Prairie Wind Hat Works for their generous sponsorship. Sampson makes custom hats from his place in Pincher Creek, Alberta. You can order one today and have it by the holidays. That's at prairie wind hat works.com Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.  That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!  

We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 7 of Season 4, and in it, Jec talks with Trish Lemke, a Colorado horsewoman who leads amazing horse-riding trips across the globe and is a certified Equine Interactional Professional in Education and certified Martha Beck Life Coach. Find her website here and her Facebook page here.  This conversation is a great one to wedge into a series of episodes in which we're talking about, not just mental health, but our comfort zones, expanding our comfort zones, and being aware of our place in horse-rider partnerships. Expanding comfort zones can mean all kinds of things, whether its skills or geography, new horses or new disciplines. Here, as Jec and Trish discuss, it often comes back to the ‘why.'  What is your intention? And speaking of horses and mental health...Many of you already know that our horse vets are facing a real crisis. It is a stressful job and there's a vet shortage, especially in rural areas. Vets have high suicide rates. Daniel Dauphin aired a lengthy interview with Dr. Mallory Preston about all this which you can listen to here.  And we are teaming with Patagonia WorkWear to show our support. If you know of a vet who could use a lift, contact us here.  Thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds. Those bales of alfalfa and timothy and other blends are great for taking with you on comfort-expanding horse camping trips, by the way. Also, thanks to Chill Angel, a Colorado company that makes luxurious superfine merino wool sleepwear. Use Cayuse20 for a 20 percent discount. And thanks to Skratch Labs, which makes fantastic drinks and snacks for our athletic endeavors. Use BestHorse25 for a 25 percent discount.  We thank Sampson Moss and his business, Prairie Wind Hat Works for their generous sponsorship. Sampson makes custom hats from his place in Pincher Creek, Alberta. Design your perfect hat and place your order to have it on your head before the holidays.   Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.  Hey – Fall is in the air here in Colorado. The geese are gathering and setting up, it seems, for their long migrations south. What are your fall plans? We'd love to hear from you. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!  

We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 6 of Season 4, and in it, Jec talks with Kerry O'Brien, a Colorado trainer who is competing in the Meeker Mustang Makeover. Kerry has been on the show before in which she talks about using positive reinforcement as a training method. We're glad to have her back! First, thanks to many of you who connected with us to offer feedback from last week's show and the mental health initiatives we are talking about. Second, thanks to our title sponsor, Lucerne Farms, Maine producers of quality forage feeds.  But did you also know that they make chicken bedding. It's called Coop Klean and it's not your everyday chicken bedding. Also, thanks to Chill Angel, a Colorado company that makes luxurious superfine merino wool sleepwear, perfect for combatting hot flashes. I was really glad to hear about the Meeker Makeover. Some of you who follow Best Horse Practices or get the Cayuse Communications newsletter, might have heard WiseAssWallace talk about colt starting competitions. A lot of times, Wallace says, it is not set up for the success of the horse. And that's a shame. Seems like Meeker and Kerry have the horses' best interests at heart. So good to hear! We thank Sampson Moss and his business, Prairie Wind Hat Works for their generous sponsorship. Sampson makes custom hats from his place in Pincher Creek, Alberta. Here he is talking about some regional distinctions. He starts when I ask him to consider with Alberta and hat preferences there. But then he expands on the preferences of certain parts of the US. I'm coming to know that what's true with horses is also true with hats: the more you learn, the more you realize there's a lot to learn. Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!

Our show is a space for riders and horse owners of all disciplines to learn best practices and to discover skills, strategies, tools, ideas, and insights for better connecting with their horses, with all horses and for getting work done. We love to hear from listeners and often incorporate listener questions or suggestions for topics and guests into our podcast. So, let us hear from you. Contacting us is easy. We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 5 of Season 4, and it's a good one. We have Jec and Amy talking about trail-riding preparation in their Coaches' Corner. When I saw this topic, I was doubtful. I mean, What's to know? What's to prepare? Out here in rural Colorado, where the closest arena is 20 miles away, my horses and I would definitely experience more trepidation heading to the fairgrounds and an arena, than heading out on National Forest. There, we travel on gravel roads and dirt paths. We often bushwhack across country. We meet bikers, hikers, trucks, cars, dogs, and other horses. Last weekend, as I was ponying my young horse, we rode through cows and stopped to cool off at a pond. But Jec and Amy's conversation gave me a whole new insight to what's involved in successful trail rides. It pointed out some holes in my training and areas where I could definitely make improvements. Regardless of your riding routines, I think you will love it. Check out Amy's Six Weeks to Calm, Forward, and Straight. First, though, I'm following up on last week's mention of mental health and horse work. Recently, the LOR Foundation, a philanthropic organization serving the mountain west with an office here in Cortez, awarded the Best Horse Practices Summit a small grant to help with a two-day mental health forum for working cowboys and horse professionals. This project has been on my mind for a few years. I've been wanting to organize a gathering like this and am excited that the LOR Foundation recognized the purpose and the niche need. Being awarded the grant is a huge step forward. We hope to offer this forum, (all expenses paid to attendees thanks to LOR!) to a small group of working horse professionals  this winter. Interested? Contact us here. For some thoughts on how horses, horse work, best practices, and mental health weave together, read more here. Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  It's hay season, the rain has let up for a while, and the James family is busy in the fields of northern Maine. That's where they're cutting, tedding, and baling alfalfa and timothy. The forage, wrapped tightly in plastic, is perfect for traveling to competitions or horse camping vacations. Thanks to Chill Angel, maker of superfine merino loungewear and sleepwear. Love their jammies! We thank Sampson Moss and his business, Prairie Wind Hat Works for their generous sponsorship. Sampson makes custom hats from his place in Pincher Creek, Alberta. In our next show, we'll talk more with Sampson about the finer points of ordering and, for him, making a custom felt hat. We'll talk about regional preferences for hat wearers, brim size and shape, crowns and creases. Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.

We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 4 of Season 4, and in it, I talk with Pete Reinholz. Maybe this is a departure of sorts. Pete does not have a website or a book or anything to sell. He does write songs. He sings and plays guitar, and that's the context in which I met him several years ago in Elko, Nevada. Pete graduated from Montana State University with a degree in Natural Resources and Rangeland Ecology. Since then, he's been mostly horseback, working in southern Montana and northern Wyoming. But last year, he made the leap to the showjumping world as a trainer. To me, that seems like a big, interplanetary leap, so I was happy to talk with him for a bit. I think it takes a lot for a cowboy to step out of jeans and away from big country and pull on a pair of breeches and work in an arena. Pete was pretty philosophical when I asked him about it.  "Being a more refined and versatile rider never screwed anybody up," he said. Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  It's hay season, the rain has let up for a while, and the James family is busy in the fields of northern Maine. That's where they're cutting, tedding, and baling alfalfa and timothy. The forage, wrapped tightly in plastic, is perfect for traveling to competitions or horse camping vacations.  We also thank Chill Angel, makers of superfine merino loungewear, and Prairie Wind Hat Works, where Sampson Moss crafts custom-built, felt hats to your specifications.  After I stopped recording, Pete mentioned that, oh, by the way, he played polo for three years at MSU. Turns out Sheridan, Wyoming, not far from where he lives now, has quite the polo scene. Riders have been playing there since the 1890's, he said, making it the oldest polo venue west of the Mississippi.  Hey, in past seasons, we have talked a bit about mental health and how it may or may not interfere with our horse work. We know there is a connection with wellness and the therapy horses offer us. But I'd be the first to admit that horses aren't there to magically solve our problems. Horse pros and working cowboys, along with horse vets, can be strained and stressed by their work. I'm guessing you know of a friend, or a friend of a friend in your horse circles who has struggled with substance abuse and/or suicide. While Jec and I want to steer clear of discussions around aromatherapy or crystals, we would like to be open to ideas and conversations and strategies for improving the mental health situation in our horse communities. So, if you have any thoughts in that vein, hit us up with an email here.  Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.  That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!

We love to hear from listeners and often incorporate listener questions or suggestions for topics and guests into our podcast. So, let us hear from you. Contacting us is easy here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. Hey, it's hot out there and I wanted to direct your attention to an article I wrote about dogs, horses, and us managing heat. How to help. What to be aware of. With comments from a Harvard dog expert and an accomplished endurance rider. Read more.   This is Episode 3 of Season 4, and in it, Jec talks with Lynn Acton, author of “What Horses Really Want.” Lynn and Jec discuss the behavioral and physical consequences of weaning early and how healthy weaning should go. Even if you don't have or aren't thinking of acquiring a young horse, I think this show will still interest you. We try to steer clear of any anthropomorphizing, but you'll hear that sometimes Lynn and Jec refer to horses in a human-y manner, which makes the topic more approachable without being romantic or inaccurate. Weaning how-to's are closely associated with an article I wrote on imprinting. That's a technique that some misguided professionals, including Dr. Robert Miller and Clinton Anderson, performed and advocated in what I sincerely hope are gone-bye days.  After that segment, we hear from Sampson Moss and his business, Prairie Wind Hat Works, as he discusses the finer details of crafting a custom hat. Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  It's hay season, the rain has let up for a while, and the James family is busy in the fields of northern Maine. That's where they're cutting, tedding, and baling alfalfa and timothy. The forage, wrapped tightly in plastic, is perfect for traveling to competitions or horse camping vacations. I have written a lot about the power of a good start and the hazards and pitfalls of a bad start. Mostly, I've talked about my experiences with restarting horses who have been in bad homes or with neglectful or abusive owners or trainers. But this weaning conversation gives us a whole new perspective on what good and bad starts can mean. Dr. Sheryl King, professor emeritus at Southern Illinois University and a perenial favorite Best Horse Practices Summit presenter oversaw many weanings and had this to say: “At the University we weaned at about four or five months and did so by removing one mare from the mare/foal pasture at a time until there were finally no adults in with the foals. After trying a number of weaning methods, this seemed to be the one that worked best for us and created the least stress for the foals." Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.  That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!

This is Episode 2 of Season 4, and in it, Jec and I reconnect after some time off and have an On the Fence chat in which we talk about some summer projects, those of our listeners, and personal pet peeves, specific to our horse worlds: "analysis paralysis", group rides, not having rider etiquette, and underestimating our equine partners, for examples. (Oh, but we have more ;) Did you know? Jec has a great shop here, where you can find the fantastic exercise and conditioning books she's written.  Cayuse Communications has a library full of great books, too, by Yours Truly as well as Amy Skinner, Katrin Silva, as well as a terrific, horse-y mystery series by Mark Stevens.  Check out listener summer plans and projects here.  After that segment, we hear from Sampson Moss and Prairie Wind Hat Works. In upcoming episodes, we'll feature snippets from an interview I did with Sampson and you can learn about all the many aspects of hat making and what goes into crafting the perfect custom hat. Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  It's hay season, the rain has let up for a while, and the James family is busy in the fields of northern Maine. That's where they cut alfalfa and timothy for their products. The bales, wrapped tightly in plastic, are perfect for traveling to competitions or horse camping vacations.  And thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.  That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!

Welcome to Season Four!! of Best Horse Practices with Jec Ballou.  Our show is a space for riders and horse owners of all disciplines to learn best practices and to discover ways, skills, strategies, tools, ideas for better connecting with their horses, with all horses and for getting work done. Our shows are short and concise, or, at least, shorter and more concise than many shows out here in the digital universe. We love to hear from listeners and often incorporate listener questions or listener suggestions for topics and guest into our podcast. So, let us hear from you. Contacting us is easy through the contact button here.  We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. In this Episode, I chat with Daniel Dauphin, a trainer in Louisianna, a Best Horse Practices Summit presenter, an expert in horse mouth anatomy and bits. We talked about setting back, pulling back, and trials with tying. It's a quick topic that I think you will really enjoy. Also, we have a new sponsor in Sampson Moss and his business, Prairie Wind Hat Works. Sampson makes custom hats from his place in Pincher Creek, Alberta. In upcoming shows, we're going to talk with Sampson about the details and finer points of ordering and, for him, making a custom felt hat. We'll talk about regional preferences for hat wearers, brim size and shape, crowns and creases. Check out his beautiful hats on Instagram or at Prairie Wind Hat Works . Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  It's hay season, the rain has let up for a while, and the James family is busy in the fields of northern Maine. That's where they cut alfalfa and timothy for their products. The bales, wrapped tightly in plastic, are perfect for traveling to competitions or horse camping vacations.  So, listeners, thank YOU for all the summer news on plans and projects and progress. Some great goings-on and we were excited to hear about them all, notes from horsewomen in Canada, Michigan, Washington, and elsewhere. Check them out here.  As mentioned during the segment, I have been working with my young gelding, Lorenzo, but probably not as diligently as I should. We have been ponying, packing, day grazing on National Forest. I trim his feet. We work on little things and big things. He's making progress and is being handled in one way or another every day. I try to be cognizant of how I'm being when I'm with him – what am I bringing into the dry lot when I halter him? What kind of behaviors and energies and I sending his way? What am I conveying? How can I help him trust me and gain confidence? I think he's coming to understand that I am not going to throw anything at him that he can't handle and that he can know me as a level-headed partner. But. My subconscious and my partner, Shane, gave me a pretty hilarious perspective the other day: First, the dream. I am a trainer and walk into my astroturfed arena that's full of riders and horses, ready for my tutelage. Apparently, I have instructed them to all recline with their steeds and there they are – horses and riders all lounging on the astroturf. One guy is wearing flipflops. One brought his St. Bernard. Because he didn't have a horse? I remember thinking, in my dream, what the heck am I going to teach these folks? I woke up. Shane said: You? Teaching people how to relax? Yeah, I have my own personal challenges with being present and calm and I don't exactly see myself as a zen-ish instructor. We are all works in progress.   Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.  That's it. Another episode and another season in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!

Hi there, this is Maddy Butcher, producer of Best Horse Practices with Jec Ballou. We're taking a little break before launching our fourth season, but we wanted to say "Thank You" to our listeners and to our sponsors.  It's been a great 90-show journey in which we've talked about hooves, brain science, property management, parasites, gender gyrations, fitness, and much, much more. We're pretty pleased with our content. We're also excited that so many listeners have reached out to make suggestions or even sometimes become part of the show. It's great to be engaged with our audience. So, yes, thanks for your emails. Coming in Season 4, we plan to continue with listener suggestions, and tackle topics we haven't discussed, and return to some popular subjects. As usual, our conversations will have a heavy helping of common sense approaches to riding and horse work, supported by science, and devoid of the niche-y-ness that can so often contaminate horse spaces. We all love horses, so let's focus on that and on trying to optimize what's in horses' best interests. While we move on Season 4, we hope that you might consider dropping a tip in the proverbial tip jar. Yes, we have some support from sponsors and are grateful. But shows take a lot of effort to produce. There are platform fees, equipment, software, and most of all, time. And as they say, time is money. Thanks again and stay tuned for Season 4. It's going to be great!

Jec interviews Lee McLean from Alberta Canada. Lee likes to approach horse work with an eye on common sense, pragmatism, and fun.  She grew up in a ranching family, but is savvy in side saddle, dressage, and other disciplines. While there was probably no end to topics for Jec and Lee, they picked one that I think we can all relate to, that is, how to nurture well-being for our horses in a holistic way, in a way that conjures athleticism and good movement without the snootiness and specificity that folks say is plaguing our circles. Can you ride and do yoga and play tennis or soccer? Well, your horse could and should be versatile like that, too. I really love the idea of mixing it up with our horses. Trying new things. Asking them to do something, as Lee says, outside the box. Especially outside the sandbox of an arena. You know, for me, the arena is actually the novel space. So, this interview reminded me to get our butts down to the fairgrounds for some exploratory time there. And, yes, Lee, I will make it fun! Check out her NickerNews guest columns here: 10 Hard Truths and Riding as We Get Older. Visit her website or Facebook page. Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  It's hay season and the James family is busy in the fields of Aroostock County, Maine. That's where they cut alfalfa and timothy for their products. The bales, wrapped tightly in plastic, are perfect for traveling to competitions or horse camping vacations. Oh, before signing off for a few weeks, I want to remind you to check out the links in the show notes for discounts on Chill Angel, Bobo's, and for reviews on Duckworth, Patagonia, Hoka, Helle and Kershaw knives, and more. Thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. Enjoy your summer! We hope to hear from you. Stay tuned for Season Four in a few weeks.

This is Episode 29 of Season 3 and in it, Jec interviews Donna-Maria Flood of DMventions. Donna Maria has scores of simple fixes and DIY projects for your horse spaces and equipment. Most are inexpensive and don't require a year-long carpentry apprenticeship. Make it in 10 minutes, for less than 10 bucks is more like it. This episode may require you to do some visualization, and, if you're interested. Check out Donna-Maria's website for instructions and videos on many of the projects. We also have a few DIY projects on NickerNews, for saddle racks and headstall hangers. Oh, one more thing: This is a busy time of year for trying out gear and getting more active. For instance, Jec and I are trying out some new styles of Hoka running shoes. The best brand, in our humble, for trail running. Also, Duckworth and Chill Angel are two fantastic brands using fine wool and making clothing in the US. We like wool because it's more durable and a whole lot less body odor-y than other fabrics. I'm wearing Duckworth's hooded henley in spruce green. Like Chill Angel's sleepwear, it is warm when I need it to be and cool when I need it to be. Kind of magical. Head here for giveaways and discounts. Also, I want to mention Helle knives, made in Norway and perfect for your horse camping or glamping set up. Oh, and stay tuned after Jec's interview for another poem by Sampson Moss, our Canadian friend, working cowboy, and occasional rodeo competitor who runs Prairie Wind Hat Works in Alberta, Canada. Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  Forage is chopped, packaged hay. Sometimes it's alfalfa, sometimes timothy, sometimes blended, and sometimes with a touch of molasses. Always scrumptious. After hay and grass, it's pretty much the best alternative and a great way to supplement feed for your hard keeper. And thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets which you can simply sprinkle on your horse's feed and Redmond's Rock on a Rope which you can simply hang on a fence. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it. That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!

This is Episode 28 of Season 3 and in it, Jec interviews Amy Skinner for another Coaches' Corner. This interview concerns the use of round pens and I found it very insightful. Like many of you, I have used round pens for working my horses. It was especially a go-to place years ago. I feel like I knew less and had images of several roundpen-using clinicians in my head. So I was, like, yeah, of course, I'm headed to the round pen to do some fundamental ground work. Like ya do. Turns out, like so many things, what you do in a round pen and even IF you use a round pen, needs much more consideration. Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  Forage is chopped, packaged hay. Sometimes it's alfalfa, sometimes timothy, sometimes blended, and sometimes with a touch of molasses. Always scrumptious. After hay and grass, it's pretty much the best alternative and a great way to supplement feed for your hard keeper. We have a new sponsor in Chill Angel! Chill Angel is a Colorado-based company that makes luscious, super-fine merino wool sleepwear and loungewear. Jec's trying out the Essential Tank and says it's super comfortable, “like I'm wearing a soft, little cloud.” More on Chill Angel in upcoming shows. Big thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets and Redmond's Rock on a Rope. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Check out the all season vest or the light and soft but tough ranch jacket – two great tops for this time of year. Both are made of hemp which has an already-broken in feel while also being super durable. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.  That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!

This is Episode 27 of Season 3. I decided to do something a bit different with this episode. While I'm mostly a journalist, I have had some fun dabbling a bit with fiction. This story was published in my first book A Rider's Reader. You can find it exclusively in the Cayuse Communication library. Scroll to the bottom.  I think it's a good one for Mother's Day. If you enjoy it, let me know. A few notes from sponsors: We have several discounts going on. Check out Best Horse Practices sister site, NickerNews, for codes to stuff, including: Bobo's Bars for your saddle bag. Zealios for your glamping. And Chill Angel, for your apres ride. Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  Forage is chopped, packaged hay. Sometimes it's alfalfa, sometimes timothy, sometimes blended, and sometimes with a touch of molasses. Always scrumptious. After hay and grass, it's pretty much the best alternative and a great way to supplement feed for your hard keeper. Big thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets and Redmond's Rock on a Rope. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Check out the all season vest or the light and soft but tough ranch jacket – two great tops for this time of year. Both are made of hemp which has an already-broken in feel while also being super durable. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.  That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!

This is Episode 26 of Season 3 and in it, Jec and I talk with Dr. Sheree King about science, specifically equine research. But it's also a conversation of how to consider science in today's world of scholarly access, social media, and, quite frankly, the troubling politics around scientific information. For most of my life, I have embraced science, research, the power of the scientific method, putting ideas out there and testing them. I've conducted research and I've assisted others with research projects. In case you were noodling on just what science is --  it is the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation, experimentation, and the testing of theories against the evidence obtained. I am happy to approach my horse work with a critical eye nurtured, I think, by my science-y background. Do you consider your horse work like this? We would love to hear from you. Dr. King is a founding board member and a keynote presenter at the Best Horse Practices Summit. We wanted to chat with her about how horse studies can influence riders and horse owners, how equine research can inform or, unfortunately, mislead folks, and how as information consumers, we really need to have an open mind and a critical eye towards horse studies. We talk specifically about a Equine Guelph study involving 20 ponies and their ability to "read facial expressions" of humans. Here is the study and here is a YouTube video with the studies' author, Dr. Katrina Merkies. We also talk about how to tell good science from, well, less good science. Check out some Best Horse Practices articles calling out sketchy science here and here. A few notes from sponsors: We have several discounts and reviews on our web pages, so head to this page  to grab the codes and check out reviews on some great new products: Bobo's oat bars area made here in Colorado. They are gluten free and use non-GMO ingredients. Also, Zealios makes makes sunscreen, anti-chafe, and shower products especially for athletes. Chill Angel makes deee-lightful sleep and loungewear and Camelbak has outstanding options for saddle bags and road trips. Check 'em all out here. Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  Forage is chopped, packaged hay. Sometimes it's alfalfa, sometimes timothy, sometimes blended, and sometimes with a touch of molasses. Always scrumptious. After hay and grass, it's pretty much the best alternative and a great way to supplement feed for your hard keeper. Big thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets and Redmond's Rock on a Rope. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Check out the all season vest or the light and soft but tough ranch jacket – two great tops for this time of year. Both are made of hemp which has an already-broken in feel while also being super durable. Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.

Welcome to Best Horse Practices with Jec Ballou. My name is Maddy Butcher. I produce this podcast and I would love to know what you think of our intro: Our show is a space for riders and horse owners of all disciplines to learn best practices and to discover ways to better connect with their horses. Plus, we like to feel safe and have fun. Fitness, of mind and body, the ability to think critically about our horse work as well as embracing a beginner's mind, are all parts of this lucky equine equation that Jec and I hold dear.  So, yes, let me know what you think. We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 25 of Season 3 and in it, Jec and I have an On the Fence discussion around a number of topics, including a great question sent in by a listener. We talk about breed bias and the stories we tell ourselves, we talk about best practices within a barn's lesson program, and more. As always, reach out if you would like a question answered or to give us feedback. A few notes from sponsors: We welcome Bobo's Bars to the show. Bobo's are oat bars, made here in Colorado. They are gluten free and use non-GMO ingredients. My fav is peach, but consider stashing peanut butter chocolate chip or cranberry orange in your saddle bag or glove compartment. Use “BESTHORSEVIP” for 20 percent off your order at EatBobos. Speaking of good items for your saddle bag or glove compartment, Jec and I will be reviewing products from Zealios soon. Zealios makes sunscreen, recovery, anti-chafe, and shower products, especially for athletes. They have zinc sunscreen without the white, chalky mess. Check them out at TeamZealios and use the code ‘besthorsepractices' for 20 percent off.  Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  Forage is chopped, packaged hay. Sometimes it's alfalfa, sometimes timothy, sometimes blended, and sometimes with a touch of molasses. Always scrumptious. After hay and grass, it's pretty much the best alternative and a great way to supplement feed for your hard keeper. Here's the Washington Post op-ed.  An important point that Jec has brought up is exercise and how, really, that should be prescribed more than drugs or injections or whatever. If you need more convincing, check out her books here. I have several books, too, and you can find them here.  Big thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets and Redmond's Rock on a Rope. We think you'll love ‘em. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Check out the vest or the ranch jacket – two great tops for this time of year. Both are made of hemp which is soft and already broken in while also being super tough. Barbed wire resisant! Give us feedback, suggest a topic or guest, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.  That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!

This is Episode 24 of Season 3 and in it, Jec interviews Daniel Dauphin of Dauphin Horsemanship. He was also a 2022 Best Horse Practices Summit presenter. It's a great conversation, in part, because in their work Jec and Daniel are not seeing the same clients or the same horses. At all. Jec is in California and works with dressage and endurance riders. Daniel is in Louisiana and his students are mostly Western riders.  They talk about pain – what it means to the horse and what it means to the horse owner. As it happens, I've written about pain and thought a lot about how we interpret or fail to interpret representations of pain in our animals. For generations, I feel like many owners did a pretty good job of ignoring signs of pain in their horses. Now, especially in quarters dominated by women, the trend is toward being overattentive around pain. Injections, supplements, even blankets and body massage appointments are all efforts to limit or avoid possible pain for our beloved equines. We can be guilty of killing horses with overcare, overkindness – that is, treating them with things when what they really need is movement and a herd, forage, and more movement. Both Daniel and Jec cite examples of horses' problems being solved with more movement. Motion is lotion. We will link to several articles on Horse Head and Best Horse Practices. There's an article on the grimace scale, an attempt by a team of international researchers to delineate pain through facial expressions. And there is an article about components of pain for us humans – like anticipation, distraction, and how pain becomes chronic. Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  Forage is chopped, packaged hay. Sometimes it's alfalfa, sometimes timothy, sometimes blended, and sometimes with a touch of molasses. Always scrumptious. After hay and grass, it's pretty much the best alternative and a great way to supplement your winter feeding. Check them out here or at your local feed store. I imagine that you have reactions around this interview and the points Jec and Daniel hit upon and I would be happy to hear them. It just so happens that I have been thinking a lot about how different people, with different backgrounds, effect change for horses. Daniel brought up the legislation around soring and how, because of the crafted language, it had the potential to bring into question every aspect of horse keeping – right down to whether or not we should be riding. This spring, here in Colorado, we had a state legislative effort around horse slaughter. You might be thinking – horse slaughter is bad, any legislation around horse slaughter is a good thing. But I read the legislation. It was absurd and had the potential, I think, to have the opposite impact that the authors intended. More suffering, instead of less. Consider the horse Daniel inherited as a total loss, after spending years isolated and in a stall. And how his stiffles healed with turnout. I was thinking about this on my drive to town, during which I drive past a horse, who has been wearing a blanket the entire winter. That horse has had a blanket on since November, in zero degrees and on this day, 50 degrees and sunny. Its human, I'm sure, feels she's doing good. But I don't know. I felt really bad for this horse. Certainly, I think, we need to acquire and use as much knowledge around horse behavior, horse anatomy, horse physiology to take care of them well. But we also need be extra mindful of killing them with kindness. Overfeeding, overindulging, and basically replacing their simple needs with our more complicated, material, and immediate-gratification oriented mindsets. Read more about the Care Continuum.  Read Dr. Sheryl King's articel on Care. Big thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets and Redmond's Rock on a Rope. We think you'll love ‘em. We want to introduce Bobo's Bars to our show. Bobo's are oat bars with simple ingredients – chocolate chip, apple, coconut, dark chocolate, sea salt and almond, and my favorite, peach. Use the code BestHorseVIP to get 20 percent off your first order. Just head to here and drop in that code. Also thanks to Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Comment, suggest a topic or guest, let us know how we're doing, or make a donation and you'll be automatically entered to win one of two free Patagonia WorkWear items that we give away every month. Also, don't forget that Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. Also, everyone who donates is automatically entered to win our monthly Patagonia Workwear giveaway. We give away two items – jackets, shirts, vests, pants – every month to folk who engage with our podcast. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.  That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!

This is Episode 23 of Season 3 and in it, I'm going to talk a bit about brain science as well as a scary colic incident. You can find articles on vision science here and here. It's fascinating stuff! You will learn about place cells, grid cells, boundary cells, and more. Did you know? Place cells – some of the hundred billion neurons in the brain – are individual neurons that fire when an animal is in a specific location. The rate at which certain neurons fire depends on the animal's location. One cell may fire when an animal is on the corner of a particular space; another may fire when it is along a boundary. Those cells fire again only when the animal returns to that specific location. Place, according to horses' brains, is largely determined by what they see with their eyes. But it is also framed by their movement (which is embodied by distance and direction). Smell and touch matter less but also can play a role in place cell firing, especially if vision is compromised. Learn more at HorseHead. About colic: As we heard from Dr. Sheryl King at the Best Horse Practices Summit, there are several specific factors that can put horses at lower or higher risk for colic. It follows the three F's: friends, forage, freedom. In other words, don't isolate them, feed them hay or grass and try to limit or even eliminate grain, and let them move. Don't keep them in a stall. Those are rules I've followed consistently for about 20 years. And yet. Read more about colic. Take the Equine Guelph colic risk calculator quiz. Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  Forage is chopped, packaged hay. Sometimes it's alfalfa, sometimes timothy, sometimes blended, and sometimes with a touch of molasses. Always scrumptious. After hay and grass, it's pretty much the best alternative and a great way to supplement your feed, especially for harder keepers. Big thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets and Redmond's Rock on a Rope. We think you'll love ‘em. Redmond Equine sends a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty nifty and a $15 value. We thank Kate's Real Food and Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Also, all donors are automatically entered to win our monthly Patagonia Workwear giveaway. That's where we give away two items – jackets, shirts, vests, pants – every month to folks who engage with our podcast. You don't have to donate. You can also suggest an interviewee or a topic or just let us know how we're doing. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation.

It's good to remind listeners of our mission once in a while. Here it is: Our show is a space for riders and horse owners of all disciplines to learn best practices and to discover ways to better connect with their horses. Plus, we like to feel safe and have fun. Fitness, of mind and body, the ability to think critically about our horse work as well as embracing a beginner's mind, are all parts of this lucky equine equation that Jec and I hold dear. We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 22 of Season 3 and in it, Jec interviews Lynn Acton, the author of What Horses Really Want, for Coaches' Corner, to answer a listener question. Our listener, Ann, writes about her recovering-from-injury mare and the vet's guidance of slowly getting back to more exercise. The concern is around Ann's horse being too exuberant, rip-roaring to get back to exercise and movement that might compromise her careful rehab. What options and strategies does she have? It's an interesting conversation and I admit that there are things I would not have thought of. But there are also things that I thought of that aren't mentioned. For instance, ponied the rehabilitating horse. Or jogging with her. Stay tuned for the outro as I have a question for you! Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  Forage is chopped, packaged hay. Sometimes it's alfalfa, sometimes timothy, sometimes blended, and sometimes with a touch of molasses. Always scrumptious. After hay and grass, it's pretty much the best alternative and a great way to supplement your winter feeding.  There were a few minutes that were edited out because of audio quality. But during that time, Jec and Lynn talked a bit about music and how incorporating it into your horse work can be helpful and engaging to the horse. Jec has found, for instance, that horses she has trained for musical freestyle work can learn to cue to the music. There is some research around the effects of music on horses, but in my opinion it is more click bait than good science and it has been frustrating to see that kind of work get a lot of unmerited attention.  Anyway, I put it to you: What are your thoughts around music and horses? Big thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets and Redmond's Rock on a Rope. We think you'll love ‘em. We thank Kate's Real Food and Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. Also, everyone who donates is automatically entered to win our monthly Patagonia Workwear giveaway. We give away two items – jackets, shirts, vests, pants – every month to folk who engage with our podcast. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.  That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!  

This is Episode 21 of Season 3 and in it, Jec is back and interviewing Kristen Vliestra, who runs Saddlery Solutions in California. Jec and Kristen have talked before about saddle fit and in this episode, Jec asks some particular questions that have been bugging her for a while.  As I found out while recruiting Kristen for the saddle fit elective at the Best Horse Practices Summit, she knows a lot. A lot about how people ride. A lot about horse anatomy. A lot about saddle construction and the consequences of an ill-fitting saddle.  Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  Forage is chopped, packaged hay. Sometimes it's alfalfa, sometimes timothy, sometimes blended, and sometimes with a touch of molasses. Always scrumptious. After hay and grass, it's pretty much the best alternative and a great way to supplement your winter feeding.  Lots to consider here in this interview, especially as it's spring and a lot of us are starting back up with our equines, after a long time off. It's good to remember that you can't just jump on as if it were September. And it's good to consider fitness – not just your horse's but yours, too. Read articles on Rider Fitness.  And what do you think about bareback riding? I ask because I spent several years when I was a girl just riding bareback. My pony was over 14 hands and I was about 120 pounds. She never got lame. Maybe I just got lucky? Maybe I was light and athletic enough so that my weight didn't aggravate her back? Anyway, I credit all the time bareback riding for giving me a bit better balance and feel than I think I would have had. Let us know if you have any thoughts around bareback riding.  And big thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets and Redmond's Rock on a Rope. We think you'll love ‘em. We thank Kate's Real Food and Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.  That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!

Please accept my apologies as we initially uploaded an erroneous file for this great episode. Sorry times ten! We offer these shows for free. If you think it's worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is episode 20 of season 3 and we have the second and final installment of Summit storytelling! These stories were recorded at the Best Horse Practices Summit, the conference that I direct.  Last week on the podcast, we featured Josh Nichol, Katrin Silva, and Nahshon Cook. Today, it's Daniel Dauphin, Patrick King, and Amy Skinner. Our storytelling sessions are roughly based on the following parameters: stories must be around 10 minutes or less. They must be true and told in first-person. They must not be a rant of any kind. I think you will agree that these stories help us appreciate that even very successful horsemen and women, people who may be our role models and mentors, are still human, with their own paths and struggles, successes and failures. It's nice to take a break from our typical podcast fodder, I think, and dive into the stuff that has shaped who these clinicians are at this point in their lives and careers and how they got there. You'll also here board member Marika Saarinen in this recording, as she served as our emcee. Oh, and stay listening after the storytelling as we have another poem by Sampson Moss, a talented horseman and hat maker from Alberta. He'll recite his poem, Fixin' Fence.   Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  Forage is chopped, packaged hay. Sometimes it's alfalfa, sometimes timothy, sometimes blended, and sometimes with a touch of molasses. Always scrumptious. After hay and grass, it's pretty much the best alternative and a great way to supplement your winter feeding.  Sampson Moss is a cowboy, cowboy poet, hat maker, and heavy duty mechanic. He majored in agribusiness in college and was raised in southern Alberta, Canada. Did I mention he makes beautiful hats? For information on ordering a custom hat, head over to Prairie Wind Hat Works.  Read Sampson's poem, Fixin' Fence. Big thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets and Redmond's Rock on a Rope. We think you'll love ‘em. We thank Kate's Real Food and Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. By the way, Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.  That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all.

We offer this podcast for free. If you find it worthy of your support. Please contribute here. This is Episode 19 of Season 3 and it's another special detour of sorts, this time to the storytelling that was featured on Saturday night at the Best Horse Practices Summit at Spy Coast Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, late last year. The storytellers are Josh Nichol, Katrin Silva, and Nahshon Cook. Also featured at Spy Coast that evening were Daniel Dauphin, Patrick King, and Amy Skinner. You'll hear their stories on another upcoming show. Our storytelling sessions are roughly based on the following parameters: stories must be around 10 minutes or less. They must be true and told in first person. They must not be a rant of any kind.  I think you will agree that their stories help us appreciate that even our heroes and role models are still human, with their own paths and struggles, successes and failures. It's nice to take a break from typical podcast fodder and dive into the stuff that has shaped who these clinicians are at this point in their lives and careers.  Apologies for the challenging audio quality. The files came to us from video recordings. You'll also here board member and emcee Marika Saarinen in this recording. Oh, and stay listening after the storytelling as we have another treat. Sampson Moss, a talented horseman and hat maker from Alberta, will recite his poem, Heirlooms.  Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  Forage is chopped, packaged hay. Sometimes it's alfalfa, sometimes timothy, sometimes blended, and sometimes with a touch of molasses. Always scrumptious. After hay and grass, it's pretty much the best alternative and a great way to supplement your winter feeding. Check them out at Lucerne Farms.com or at your local feed store. Sampson Moss is a cowboy and hat maker I met over the past year or so. He writes: The first time I started playing around with felt hats was in 2015 when I began reshaping them for myself and friends in my college dorm kitchen. This eventually developed into rebuilding hats for folks all around North America.  At the start of 2020, I drove down to Newcastle, Utah, to apprenticed under Chaz Mitchell, who runs Chaz Mitchell Custom Hatz. It took me about a year to get my ducks in a row with tools, suppliers, and materials. In January of 2021, I produced Number One of Prairie Wind Hat Works. Since then, each hat I make has an accompanying serial number and my client's name stamped into a goatskin sweatband.  Aside from being a hatmaker, I'm also I'm also a dayworking cowboy, cowboy poet, a musician, and heavy duty mechanic. I majored in agribusiness in college. I was raised in southern Alberta and am currently situated near Pincher Creek. For information on ordering a custom hat, head over to Prairie Wind Hat Works.  Read more about Sampson Moss and his poetry.  Big thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets and Redmond's Rock on a Rope. We think you'll love ‘em. We thank Kate's Real Food and Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. By the way, Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.  That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!

We offer these shows for free. If you think they're worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it.  This is Episode 18 of Season 3 and it's an On the Fence segment in which Jec and I discuss a prompt from Art, a listener in Michigan. It concerns how best to introduce a non-horse-y person to the horse experience. I think we have some good starting points and will look forward to any suggestions you all might like to add.  Just a humble disclaimer here: I finally got Covid. Or, should I say, I have finally run into the energy-sapping, isolation-requiring wall that is Covid. It's had me sleeping half the day, coughing up a fit, and it has robbed me of brain cells I thought I had. I'm starting to feel better, but, boy, it's been a haul. I sure hope you all are healthy and staying warm this winter.  Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  Forage is chopped, packaged hay. Sometimes it's alfalfa, sometimes timothy, sometimes blended, and sometimes with a touch of molasses. Always scrumptious. After hay and grass, it's pretty much the best alternative and a great way to supplement your winter feeding. Check them out here.  Big thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets and Redmond's Rock on a Rope. We think you'll love ‘em. We thank Kate's Real Food and Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. By the way, Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.   That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!

This is Episode 17 of Season Three and it's time for another Coaches' Corner with Jec and Amy Skinner. They answer a listener question from Lisa, who asks about proper lunging practices. It's a great back and forth, short and to the point. Or I should say points, because there are several.  Before I get to sponsor mentions, I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about a few things I've been up to and pondering. Last week, I traveled to Elko, Nevada, as I've been doing for each year for over a decade. I attended the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, met up with a bunch of horse folks, checked out the great gear shows – where they sell everything from wild rags to ropes to four thousand dollar saddles. This year, a group called the Outside Circle Show held a panel discussion around mental health and substance abuse in the cowboy community. As far as I know, it's the first time this community has done something like this. Panelists told their stories of addiction and pain and the struggle to get help. It's a topic that's dear to me and something I've written about, so it was great to see the conversation get started. So, maybe you are saying, wwaaiitt a minute, Maddy, this sounds like the very warm and fuzzy kind of topic you disdain. What's up with that?  Warm and fuzzies, as we mentioned in Episode 10 of this season, are strategies, practices, ideas, methods, marketing, and proclamations that may indeed serve the human and her need to feel connected and in a relationship, but, in fact, don't serve the horse one bit. Or, even worse, they confuse or neglect the horse. Mental health and substance abuse challenges matter because unwell owners and riders affect their horses in myriad ways. And not everyone is able to leave their stuff, their bad mojo, their violent tendancies, their pain, their reactivity in a handy paddock mailbox before they get with their horse. (My reference is to a fun video that Best Horse Practices Summit presenter Daniel Dauphin shared, in case you're wondering.) If we can become a more supportive, a more listening, a more resourceful community, I think the horses would be better off. So hats off to those starting the conversation. It's overdue, for sure. One more little item -- just a vernacular clarification regarding the use of the term ‘motorcycling' that Amy and Jec mention. That's when a horse falls through a turn. The horse is out of balance and dropping the inside shoulder. Direction and speed become difficult when a horse is motorcycling, Amy described to me.   How to fix it? That's a topic for another upcoming Coaches' Corner and not addressed here. Our title sponsor is Lucerne Farms, producers of quality forage feeds.  Forage is chopped, packaged hay. Sometimes it's alfalfa, sometimes timothy, sometimes blended, and sometimes with a touch of molasses. Always scrumptious. After hay and grass, it's pretty much the best alternative and a great way to supplement your winter feeding. Check them out at Lucerne Farms.com or at your local feed store. Big thanks to Redmond Equine and Pharm Aloe – for generously sponsoring our podcast. Check out Pharm Aloe's aloe pellets and Redmond's Rock on a Rope. We think your horses will love them.  We thank Kate's Real Food and Patagonia WorkWear for their continued support. And this just in – Redmond Equine is sending a complimentary syringe of Daily Gold Stress Relief to everyone who drops a tip in our donation jar. Pretty cool and a $15 value. If you get something of value from our podcast, please consider making a donation. We sure would appreciate it.   That's it. Another episode in the can and out of the barn. Thanks for listening, y'all!