Podcast appearances and mentions of randy byers

Brendan Wise and Randy Byers teamed up to represent WEU in Harrisburg Pennsylvania at the Horse World Expo for two great Working Equitation Demos. As you can see in this video Brendan did a great job introducing WE. We have edited the rest of the demonstration video and added it to the obstacle portion of […]

Ever wonder how truckers stay in shape out on the road? Well, truth be told most of them don't. But Jeremy wrote in asking how it's done. He's curious because he's thinking about truck driving as a career and doesn't want to let himself go. He asked me a bunch of questions about truckers and exercise and I do my best to answer him. Links in the intro: TD119: Winter Driving Tips With An Alaskan Trucker was the last show. If you missed it, go back and check it out. It's got some great tips for driving in the snow and ice! My website domains and hosting fees are coming due! If you've enjoyed the show over the last few years, please consider donating some spare change via the donation button in the side bar of the blog. Or if you want to get something for your money, consider purchasing Trucking Life, which includes a free 9.25-hour audiobook version. Check out the free samples wherever you buy your ebooks! If you're a trucker who likes discussing Apple products and services, please consider joining the iTruckers Slack group by downloading the free Slack app and requesting an invite at iTruckers@iCloud.com. If you'd like to join the Trucker Dump Slack group, please send your invite request to TruckerDump@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter The Trucker Dump podcast was named in not one, but TWO lists of best trucking podcasts to listen to. Thanks to both! Trucking Podcasts: Better Than the Radio from AllTruckJobs.com Best Trucking Podcasts to Follow from Kabbage I added a nice list of APU Weight Exemptions By State to my blog post courtesy of TrackYourTruck.com. Special segment from Randy Byers, Executive Director of Shelly Truck Driving School in York, PA entitled Producing A Confident Truck Driver With A Driving Simulator. There is a video to watch too! I have a few comments on a TruckersReport.com article called Watchdog Group: Get Uber Self-Driving Trucks Off The Road. I also comment on Judge Increases Walmart Driver Payout To Over $60 Million which also comes from TruckersReport.com. Believe it or not, a Personal Injury Law firm called Craig, Kelly, and Faultless LLC are trying to raise awareness of the challenges of driving around tractor trailers with a special website. But this time they're on our side! Yay! BeSpecular is a free Android and iOS app I've been using to help blind people see. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I heard about it from the Nosillacast podcast. Links in the blog post: Follow me on Twitter Trucking Life on Kindle TD81: How To Do A Full-Body Workout Inside The Cab Of A Semi HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) Crossfit StayFit fitness from TA and Petro. Check out the map with all the locations. Links in the feedback: Krys bought Trucking Life and wrote in to thank me for it. I find out she's an author too. Check out her role-playing game book called Scrolls of Destiny. Scoobie tweeted me to bring a funny video to my attention. Brad James sings a song to the tune of Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay, called Detention (You Ordered It, You Unload It). Every trucker will totally relate. LOL Zachary writes in to find out the real rules about pre-trip and post-trip inspections. Show info: You can email your comments, suggestions, questions, or insults to TruckerDump@gmail.com You can find me on Twitter @ToddMcCann. Join the Trucker Dump Slack group! Download the free Slack app and email me for an invite at TruckerDump@gmail.com. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast in iTunes? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

After two months of training, this12 year old Appy trail horse went and did his first Western Dressage test. If he can do it so can you!.This test was taken at Donida Farms in Auburn Washington on 6/02/2012. Cheryl Haaren was tested with Dunbar a 12yr Appaloosa gelding. This video is meant to be an educational and inspirational video to show what the judges are looking for in a Western Dressage horse.

am so proud of Blanche Dilleshaw and her mare Gadget. This was not only their first Western Dressage show, but their first show ever. The sad thing was she beat Carbon and I. They took 2nd place. Blanche is a real inspiration to me; I hope she is an inspiration to you too. This team has only been riding about two years. Blanche has done a great job with Gadget, she is a multi talented mare. This test was taken at Donida Farms in Auburn Washington on 4/12/2012.This video is meant to be an educational and inspirational video to show what the judges are looking for in a Western Dressage horse. Thanks again from Randy Byers Western Dressage Team.

This test was taking at Donida Farms in Auburn Washington on 6/02/2012. Randy Byers was tested with Carbon an 8yr PMU QH from Canada. This video is meant to be an educational and inspirational video to show what the judges are looking for in a Western Dressage horse. Thanks again from Randy Byers Western Dressage Team.

‎ Let's use a little logic: 2+2=4, 3+3=5. 100% of us can agree that one answer is correct and the other is not. This mutual agreement is because this statement is quantifiable and it is definitive not subjective. Dressage is "subjective" not "definitive". The USDF has done a great job trying to standardize the meaning of correct training and a correct horse. They have made it more definitive by quantifying it through tests, but it is still subjective. The word "correct" is "not" subjective, it is "definitive". The word "correct" is undeniable not arguable. It is black or white. If you video tape a horse in a test and send it to 5 different USDF judges, you will receive 5 different scores because it is open to argument. A correct horse would receive 100% of 100% judges that judged that particular horse 100% of the time. To my knowledge, this has never happened and probably will never happen, because there is no such thing as a correct horse. If there were a correct horse, we would have an example of how to train a correct horse. So Western Dressage is "not" how "correct" your horse is trained or the movement of, it is the method of how well the "quality" of the training is. You are judged on the degree of "quality" , not "correctness" and judging is a validation of how well you are communicating with a non human being. Here is an example of measurement of degree of "quality" not "correctness". It is probable 100% of the dressage world would agree that this horse and rider are not correct, because they are only 68.3% correct. Face it, the rider has terrible equitation and the horse and rider make mistakes, who cares because it's not about "ego", its about the "partnership" of the team. Right or wrong, it is what it is. On April 14th, 2012 Randy Byers performed a Western Dressage test at Donida Farms in Auburn Washington. He received a 68.3 on USEF Primary Western Dressage test 4

On April 14th, 2012 Randy Byers performed a Western Dressage test at Donida Farms in Auburn Washington. He received a 68.1 on USEF Basic Western Dressage test 1

A little Northwest rain and mud puddles never stops us from riding our horses. This was Carbon's best test ever! Carbon felt amazing that day. Other than a the circles not perfect, I could not ask for a better ride. I though he would balk at the mud puddle, but he did not miss a beat. This test was taken at Donida Farms in Auburn Washington on 6/02/2012. Carbon is an 8yr PMU QH from Canada. This video is meant to be an educational and inspirational video to show what the judges are looking for in a Western Dressage horse.

W.E. First Phase (Dressage) On Labor day weekend 2013 Carbon and I had the opportunity to drive up to Lexington Virginia from North Carolina to attend the Eastern Region Andalusian Horse Club's (ERAHC) annual Classic horse breed show. You may ask why would I take a Quarter Horse to an Andalusian breed show? The answer is simple, to compete in Working Equitation. Right now, WE is relatively a new sport here in the USA and most participants are Spanish horse breed shows. Yes, Carbon and I enjoyed riding with all those fancy Iberian horses. We are very thankful that this was an open opportunity class, meaning any type of breed was welcome to come and play WE. As you can see in the video below, the first phase is very similar to Western Dressage. WE's first phase is judge much like dressage in the aspect that you are scored 1-10 based on the quality of movement. Because of this similarity, we were very attracted to this new sport.. Remember that this is the first of phases of three in Working Equitation; so keep an eye out for the others. In my next video will show the other two phases (EOH and Speed). This was level 4 under USFWE rules and test. If you are unfamiliar with Working Equitation, Here is a link to a little more information about WE. We hope you enjoy this video as an inspiration to WD and an educational opportunity for WE. Unlike some of the other Western Dressage videos that we have posted, this test is a little more advanced with a 15m working canter, walk canter depart, turn on haunches, and a whole bunch of flying changes. If you look closely you will see some mistakes, but we included Carbon's scores and the judges remarks to help you understand what is expected at this level. On a side note, we had the opportunity meet the president of the world association of working equitation from Portugal "Joao Ralao Durarte". What a great learning opportunity and treat that was.. We would like to give a special thanks to Carol Havelka... Videographer and let's not forget: Bruce Harbin... Photographer Jeane Bond... show committee Wayne Hipsley... Judge Joao Ralao Duarte... co-judge from Portugal USFWE.... Rules/tests USAWEA...Membership ERAHC... Show Org.

The Journey to a USA National Working Equitation Championship Nothing like a little adversity to build character I always say. "We all know the toughest journeys have the sweetest rewards."~Patty Carlson. Well said Patty because the journey was a tuff one, let me explain: As I rode Carbon into Watt arena in Fort Worth Texas for the EOH phase, the gate keeper kindly said, "Good luck Randy." I turned to look at her with a crooked smile and replied, "It was not luck that got me here." To play at this level it takes: planning, preparation, talent, tenacity, heart, try, desire, a support team, money, time, blood, sweat, tears, drive, patience, etc, etc… It would cheapen the win if it was all due to chance. Little did she know that I have been training Carbon for the last five years and worked the last six months practicing specifically to win this championship, but that is just part of the journey. Three days earlier, I was stuck in a little town in South Carolina looking for a mechanic to repair my truck. The short story is that it took $1,000 and 48 hours to figure out that the catalytic converter was clogged and the water pump needed to be replaced. As you can see by the picture, Carbon supervised the mechanic to make sure the truck met all safety requirements. Now that I spent my mad money, the question was, do I have enough money to make the 3,000 mile and 10 day journey to get to TX and back home? Well we said our good byes to the mechanic and drove straight through to Forth Worth. With eight exhibitors in level 4, we had our work cut out for us. All the exhibitors were excellent riders and had great horses. We were pretty much on pins and needles the whole time. At this point I trusted in Carbon's training and rode what I brought to the show. I knew he was better than he was a few months ago, but I was not sure if the other fancy horses would kick our butts. We placed 2nd in the dressage phase and I thought we received a 3rd place in speed. After knocking down two polls in the EOH phase, I thought for sure the best we could do is reserve or 3rd place. Carbon and I had no idea we had won until they announced it at the awards. Well the rest is history and if it was not for Sierra Nevada Lusitanos prize money, we would not have made it home. So you could say that Carbon earned his ticket home. I want to give a special thanks to all of Carbon's fans that watched us on live streaming provided by AndalusianWorld.com. Don't miss the video of our EOH below. We made some mistakes, but Carbon was in good form.. Special Thanks to: Sierra Nevada Lusitanos... Sponsorship Andalusianworld.com... Videographer Moonfyre... Photographer Amy Star... Show Chair Susan Watkins ... Scribe Joao Ralao Duarte... Portuguese judge USFWE.... Rules/tests USAWEA...Membership Ellen Ziemer Rougemont Sport Horse.. Sponsorship

The Need for "Speed" The Journey to a USA National Working Equitation Championship. Nothing like a little adversity to build character I always say. "We all know the toughest journeys have the sweetest rewards."~Patty Carlson. The need for "SPEED"! I have to admit that when I first learned about Working Equitation, I was not crazy about the speed phase. When I look at all the YouTube videos of WE, I see a lot of horses that appear that they are on the muscle. Don't misquote me; those horses are very talented and great athletes, but I think some of them can use some suppling. Up to this point of Carbon's training, it has been all about going slow and correct with our own style. Now, I am asking him to go fast, but trying not to lose that softness and style I have worked so hard to maintain. I have a few a personal goals. I said to Carbon: "If we ever do this WE thing, I want you to be noticeably soft and supple." I don't want us to look like a European doing WE. I want to bring to the table the American working cowhorse style. Well after two regional shows on the East Coast and 6 months of hard work, we have made lots of improvements. If you look at Carbon's progress, I think you will agree that he is getting better with time, but we still have a ways to go. Our next goal is to go overseas and compete internationally. It would be nice to be the first American to compete overseas. I expect that a trip to Europe will be a big learning opportunity. We went into this phase not really knowing how we stood in the standings. After placing 2nd in the dressage phase and stumbling over two obstacles in the EOH phase, I thought our chances were very slim of pulling off a championship. Carbon's best phase is the dressage and his weakness is the speed, but he gave me his best and that is all I could ask for. This little adopted Canadian PMU horse, has lots of try and heart, what a rockstar he is. Enjoy the video. I think this is one of his best runs to date. On a side note, pay attention to the gate obstacle. Boy! Carbon has struggled with this obstacle all year. He has made big improvements on this obstacle, he rocked it this time. I personally need to work on the lance more. I have yet to get the ring in competition, luckily you do not lose points for not getting the ring. Special Thanks to: Sierra Nevada Lusitanos... Sponsorship Andalusianworld.com... Videographer Moonfyre... Photographer Amy Star... Show Chair Susan Watkins ... Scribe Joao Ralao Duarte... Portuguese judge USFWE.... Rules/tests USAWEA...Membership Ellen Ziemer Rougemont Sport Horse.. Sponsorship

W.E. Second Phase "Ease Of Handling" (EOH) On Labor day weekend 2013 Carbon and I had the opportunity to drive up to Lexington Virginia from North Carolina to attend the Eastern Region Andalusian Horse Club's (ERAHC) annual Classic horse breed show. You may ask why would I take a Quarter Horse to an Andalusian breed show? The answer is simple, to compete in Working Equitation. Right now, WE is relatively a new sport here in the USA and most participants are Iberian horse breed shows. Yes, Carbon and I enjoyed riding with all those fancy Iberian horses. We are very thankful that this was an open opportunity class, meaning any type of breed was welcome to come and play WE. As you can see in the video below, this is the second phase (EOH) of Working Equitation. If you missed the first phase (Dressage), here is the link to see the video. What attracted me to this new sport, is that this is the practical application of Western Dressage. This is the whole reason we do this. I find that a lot of Dressage folks forget why Classical training was first used. WE was founded on Classical principles which requires riding one handed to use the free hand to work cows or fight wars. Western Dressage was based on the same principles of teaching a western ranch horse to be guided by one hand while performing ranch duties. WE is the European equivalent of an American working ranch horse. If you are now doing Western Dressage, this is the next step in your evolution. On a side note, we had the opportunity meet the president of the World Association of Working Equitation (WAWE) from Portugal "Joao Ralao Durarte". What a great learning opportunity and treat that was.. Keep your eye out for obstacle #3 "livestock pen" Carbon was not sure about that little toy horse sitting in there. You will see him give the toy horse the eye. Note: None of the horses had ever seen these obstacles until they entered the arena. Remember that this is the second of three phases in Working Equitation; so keep an eye out for the last one (Speed). This test was level 4 under USFWE rules and test. If you are unfamiliar with Working Equitation, Here is a link to a little more information about WE. We would like to give a special thanks to Carol Havelka... Videographer and let's not forget: Bruce Harbin... Photographer Jeane Bond... show committee Wayne Hipsley... Judge Joao Ralao Duarte... co-judge from Portugal USFWE.... Rules/tests USAWEA...Membership ERAHC... Show Org.

W.E. Third Phase "Speed" On Labor day weekend 2013 Carbon and I had the opportunity to drive up to Lexington Virginia from North Carolina to attend the Eastern Region Andalusian Horse Club's (ERAHC) annual Classic horse breed show. You may ask why would I take a Quarter Horse to an Andalusian breed show? The answer is simple, to compete in Working Equitation. Right now, WE is relatively a new sport here in the USA and most participants are Iberian horse breed shows. Yes, Carbon and I enjoyed riding with all those fancy Iberian horses. We are very thankful that ERAHC and USFWE made these classes open opportunity classes, meaning any type of breed was welcome to come and play WE. As you can see in the video below, this is the third phase (SPEED) of Working Equitation. If you missed the first phase (Dressage), here is the link to see the video. Here is the link to the second phase (EOH) if you missed that one too.. What attracted me to this new sport, is that this is the practical application of Western Dressage. This is the whole reason we do this. I find that a lot of Dressage folks forget why Classical training was first used. WE was founded on Classical principles which requires riding one handed to use the free hand to work cows or fight wars. Western Dressage was based on the same principles of teaching a western ranch horse to be guided by one hand while performing ranch duties. WE is the European equivalent of an American working ranch horse. If you are now doing Western Dressage, this is the next step in your evolution. If you are not familiar with WE speed test, it is a simple concept. Unlike the other previous phases, you are not scored on correct or proper movement. It is 100% on the clock. The fastest time with the fewest penalties is the winner of this phase. You may notice in this video that speed is not Carbon's strongest phase, but still pulled the fastest time. This was only Carbon's second WE show and he had some issues with picking up the correct lead after the jump. On a side note, we had the opportunity in meeting the president of the World Association of Working Equitation (WAWE) from Portugal "Joao Ralao Durarte". What a great learning opportunity that was. As in most of my videos, this is an educational video. We hope this will inspire you to improve your horsemanship and come and play WE with us.. If you are unfamiliar with Working Equitation, Here is a link to a little more information about WE. We would like to give a special thanks to Carol Havelka... Videographer and let's not forget: Bruce Harbin... Photographer Jeane Bond... show committee Wayne Hipsley... Judge Joao Ralao Duarte... co-judge from Portugal USFWE.... Rules/tests USAWEA...Membership ERAHC... Show Org.

W.E. First Phase (Dressage) On Labor day weekend 2013 Carbon and I had the opportunity to drive up to Lexington Virginia from North Carolina to attend the Eastern Region Andalusian Horse Club's (ERAHC) annual Classic horse breed show. You may ask why would I take a Quarter Horse to an Andalusian breed show? The answer is simple, to compete in Working Equitation. Right now, WE is relatively a new sport here in the USA and most participants are Spanish horse breed shows. Yes, Carbon and I enjoyed riding with all those fancy Iberian horses. We are very thankful that this was an open opportunity class, meaning any type of breed was welcome to come and play WE. As you can see in the video below, the first phase is very similar to Western Dressage. WE's first phase is judge much like dressage in the aspect that you are scored 1-10 based on the quality of movement. Because of this similarity, we were very attracted to this new sport.. Remember that this is the first of phases of three in Working Equitation; so keep an eye out for the others. In my next video will show the other two phases (EOH and Speed). This was level 4 under USFWE rules and test. If you are unfamiliar with Working Equitation, Here is a link to a little more information about WE. We hope you enjoy this video as an inspiration to WD and an educational opportunity for WE. Unlike some of the other Western Dressage videos that we have posted, this test is a little more advanced with a 15m working canter, walk canter depart, turn on haunches, and a whole bunch of flying changes. If you look closely you will see some mistakes, but we included Carbon's scores and the judges remarks to help you understand what is expected at this level. On a side note, we had the opportunity meet the president of the world association of working equitation from Portugal "Joao Ralao Durarte". What a great learning opportunity and treat that was.. We would like to give a special thanks to Carol Havelka... Videographer and let's not forget: Bruce Harbin... Photographer Jeane Bond... show committee Wayne Hipsley... Judge Joao Ralao Duarte... co-judge from Portugal USFWE.... Rules/tests USAWEA...Membership ERAHC... Show Org.