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April interviewed me for the first ever episode of this podcast and I've been meaning to get her back on, which is a feat. I hope you enjoy some husband and wife banter and a peak behind the curtain so to speak. There is some talk about horses that might be of some value also.

I didn't ask her about her work, but April is a very talented and skilled stained glass artist. I'll have a few pics of her work on the webpage, as well as a link to her facebook page, Blue Glass Studio.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087103038678

Here are the links to the two events we talked about:

Bit Classes and Clinic, Big Horse Ranch, Arroyo Grande, Ca, June 13-15 and 16th

https://www.facebook.com/events/1672655893323859/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22calendar_tab_event%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22bookmark_calendar%22%7D]%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3Anull%7D

https://bighorselove.com/#page-3

Clinic at Singing Dog Ranch, Wellington, Co, June 28-30

https://www.facebook.com/events/519028334583507/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22calendar_tab_event%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22bookmark_calendar%22%7D]%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3Anull%7D

The Self-Guided version of The Bit Course:

https://thebitcourse.com/self-guided-home

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I was fortunate to be asked to be on the group discussion podcast, Compass Conversations, and Tik was also in the group. That's how I met him and I'm glad I did. You meet a lot of talented horsemen and women. They're not always people you actually want to spend time around. Tik's fun, enthusiastic, and genuinely wants to see everyone do well. 

He is also a very high level horseman and very competitive guy. Tik was  a part of the National Champion Team in Tetrathalon (running, swimming, shooting, jumping) in 1997, and part of the Canadian Team that won gold in Kentucky in 1998. He was also the Canadian national Champion in Tetrathalon in 2000. 

After pony club, Tik competed full time in the sport of Modern Pentathlon (running, swimming, shooting, fencing, show jumping).  Tik was on the Canadian National Team and won the National Championships twice.  He also competed at multiple World Cups, World Championships, and at the 2007 Pan-Am Games in Rio. He somehow managed to earn a B.A. in History from the University of British Columbia along the way.

Tik is a two-time freestyle winner (2015 and 2018) at the Throughbred Makeover and has also judged the competition (2017). 

Tik serves as an on-line instructor for The Horseman’s University and for the Noelle Floyd Equestrian Masterclass.  He is a regular guest on podcasts, and a contributor to the Practical Horseman, Noelle Floyd, Chronicle of the Horse, Horseman’s Journal, and others. Tik was a columnist for Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine for six years.

Tik is the author of In The Middle Are The Horsemen, published by Trafalgar Square Books, in 2018. 

Tik is married to Sinead Maynard, a USA Three-Day Eventing Olympic Team member, and host of the popular podcast In Stride, by Ride IQ.  Together they have two children, aged 1 and 4. Tik and Sinead regularly teach eventing and horsemanship clinics.

Since 2008, Tik has been training horses full time.  After spending three years as a working student, he became assistant trainer to Anne Kursinski, then the head trainer at Bow Brickhill Stables in New Jersey.  After marrying Sinead Maynard, Tik started his own business, then in 2016, after Tik and Sinead bought Copperline Farm in Citra, Florida, they merged their businesses into one. 

Tik has evented at the Advanced level and been long-listed and short-listed for Canadian National Three-Day Event Team. 

Most recently, Tik has become interested in colt starting, expanding his horsemanship and understanding of the process of gentling and starting a green horse. He’s apparently pretty good at it, winning RTTH in 2024 and he’ll be defending that title this coming weekend at RTTH 2025. 

He writes articles and has authored 2 books, his first one, “In the middle are the horsemen” came out in 2018. He’s also got a new book out on the journey of learning about colt starting, and ultimately, himself through that process. The book is now available for purchase and is called, “Starting in the middle”

You can find Tik and his books and courses at the following links:

https://www.copperlineequestrian.com/

https://noellefloydplus.com/catalog

https://trafalgarbooks.com/products/starting-in-the-middle?_pos=2&_sid=66bb4ed58&_ss=r

https://www.facebook.com/tikmaynardcompany

You can find my online bit course's self-guided version here:

https://thebitcou

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Describing Nahshon Cook is an unenviable task. He's not easily put in a box. His background is in Classical Dressage. He's really more into working with physically broken horses to rehab the mind, body, and spirit. He's highly intelligent. He's a writer of things and organizer of a unique perspective. He's my friend.

Nahshon's been on a meteoric rise over the last several years. So much so that he's taking this year off to recover and process. I'd say he had a lot to get off of his chest during this conversation and if you've been wanting to know more about the man inside the myth this gets pretty personal.

You can find Nahshon only at this facebook page and I've also included a link to his books.

https://www.facebook.com/NahshonCookHorsemanship

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=nahshon+cook+books&crid=OB2Y2MB6JM67&sprefix=nahshon+cook%2Caps%2C363&ref=nb_sb_ss_mvt-t9-ranker_2_12

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Dr. Benjamoin Sykes never intended to be a horse vet and somehow wound up one of the world's leading researchers and experts in Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome. Dr. Sykes attained his BVMS in Australia. He moved to the US and continued his education while teaching. He then moved to Finnland and continued to do research and teach. He even managed to earn a PhD and find a Finnish wife along the way.

Dr. Sykes is listed among the top 1% of researchers in the hard sciences in the world by Stanford University. He was the lead author on the European College of Equine Internal Medicine Concensus Statement on Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in Adult Horses. As you might expect he also spends a fair bit of his time traveling the world as an invited speaker and consulting on cases.

What you might not expect is that Dr. Sykes is a PoloCross player and funny. He's easy to talk to and down to earth. I really enjoyed this conversation with him and I am grateful that he graced this episode with this much of his time and expertise. If you own or lease a horse, you need to listen to this one.

You can find Dr. Sykes at the following links or read some of his research:

https://www.facebook.com/benjamin.sykes.5095

Research Articles:

Can All Behavioral Problems Be Blamed on Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome

Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome: An Update on Current Knowledge

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I don't think that title is enough to describe Lee McLean. She's authored 2 books, "Horse Woman: Notes on Living Well & Riding Better" and "Love & Rules: Life Lessons Learned With Horses". She's trained in just about every discipline you can imagine. She's an accomplished sidesaddle rider and repairer of those old saddles. She's even raced sidesaddle in the Calgary Stampede. 

Noteably, Lee also has the facebook page, Keystone Equine where she posts regular pictures and stories, along with thoughts and quips. She's definitely worth your time to follow. She really doesn't bill herself as a pro trainer, but it's evident in all that she says and does that she absolutely knows her stuff. Lee's also a brave soul who tells it like it is and doesn't cherry pick what she shares. The unvarnished truth and lessons learned from mistakes are a big part of her message. I like truth seekers and honest people, and so I like Lee McLean.

You can find Lee at the following links:

https://www.facebook.com/livingwellridingbetter

https://www.instagram.com/keystoneequine

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Rules-Lessons-Learned-Horses-ebook/dp/B0BWKCN955/ref=sr_1_3?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nUSX9bhLr0OKMXPd_NLiTifZD4u3IH7QvMMBE0AdqFnABKNbabTB_dlDzwAH3NM-qFIixUnOqB6WsXcS50lva_hZFglVCGTIZrHp-6slgNo.nCnCE8tBlOLiXsu7GtLPZuZX0J6TRLRBTxwEpgeHEa8&dib_tag=se&qid=1740838435&refinements=p_27%3ALee+McLean&s=digital-text&sr=1-3&text=Lee+McLean

https://www.amazon.com/Horse-Woman-Living-Riding-Better/dp/1999108752/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7z8IOKpnRtcgSGt95hh1iFo_B8aaUmFWnU0tS6egZr_CD0UaYHEuJigYbOEw0lDfnET7HzFHqoO72gXpJKDKBgpkZEOrThutENsYzw-SAIDQSm_CwY2F_dB9w2Q5v4cFTO8IGYNGZI8H0pDq-9YJ67VogAwUxeQxLi-2KmqVD7k.M1NMwCZRn7ypAfwnrO1A8DXzHvKsnUlgn9dqknb7KFQ&qid=1741007904&sr=8-1

If you might be interested in our online bit course, I'd suggest you get the foamy mouth video and this will also place you on our email list for updates.

https://thebitcourse.com/foamy-mouth

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If you're in the horse world and haven't come across clips of the AMAZING Endo the Blind, you must be living under a rock. Endo is the Appaloosa gelding who is missing both eyes and hasn't been held back at all. He knows all sort of verbal commands, rides obstacle courses bareback and bridleless, and even jumps. Morgan tells the story of his beginnings with her from halter breaking to the loss of his eyes and all that they have accomplished since.

As a blind horse, Endo has achieved Master Level at Working Equitation, he's set 3 Guiness World Records, and he's won the hearts of countless people. Morgan has built a legacy with this special animal that has inspired millions and been an ambassador of our industry that shines a very positive light on what is possible with these beasts we love. 

Morgan's now onto another quest. She's since trained a few blind horses and has started a non-profit 503C-3, The Blind Equine. Her aim is to set up training videos and resources to help other owners and their horses be successful after a horse has lost its sight or setting them up well for the future when we learn that blindness is on the horizon.

You can find Morgan at the following links:

https://www.instagram.com/endotheblind.morgan/

https://www.facebook.com/endotheblind

https://www.youtube.com/@EndotheBlind/

• Donate by PayPal or Venmo to @theblindequine

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I have very little experience with horses pulling wagons, carts, or anything. That can't be said of our guest this week. Brandt has been involved in heavy drafts pulling heavy things his entire life. He's written many articles, been on RFD-TV, and even has a video series produced by Rural Heritage on how to harness and use big draft horses.

Brandt has been a competitor and announcer for the draft pulling contests, and shares with us how those contests are organized and the rules. He talks about the practical aspects of lower impact on sensitive land that logging with horses offers. He also shares some stories about special horses and the general way they are handled and used.

Brandt also has worked oxen. This is truly a lost art and something that I know even less about than the drafts. I was surprised by his answers in several ways, especially the use of dairy breeds as oxen.

Even if this isn't your immediate area of interest with horses, I'd highly recommend you check out their Youtube page. He's got short and long form content and it's pretty easy to watch and appreciate.

You can find Brandt and his family at the following links:

https://www.facebook.com/brandt.rachelle

https://www.youtube.com/@BrandtAinsworth-ik5fm

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Here's our next quarterly Q&A episode with Nicole Schoup. Nicole is a board member of the Best Horse Practices Summit. She also teaches horsemanship classes for THE Ohio State University. 

We talk in this one about things to look for when buying/leasing your first horse. 

We get into building confidence in new riders. 

I give a few tips and strategies on anxious riders or those who are too much in their head when riding. 

As we are both board members of the Best Horse Practices Summit, and I am also a presenter at the Summit coming up in April, we also discuss that event and how special it is and what attendees can look forward to. 

Lastly, we talk about what Nicole is up to in her part of the world and what her horsemanship classe look like. 

If you are interested in getting on the email list for The Bit Course, I'd suggest you follow this link and start with our free video on the foamy mouth. This will automatically get you on the email list. We begin the next MasterClass in ONE WEEK!

https://thebitcourse.com/foamy-mouth

You can find Nicole Schoup at the following links:

https://www.facebook.com/p/Nicole-Shoup-Horsemanship-100091774544130/

https://www.instagram.com/nicoleshoup/

https://www.youtube.com/@NicoleShoupHorsemanship

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We had Kerri on the podcast last year and it was one of those conversations that could have gone on for a long time. So, we had her back! I was also privileged to be a recent guest on her podcast, Compass Conversations. That's a podcast with 6 guests that doesn't begin with a topic until we've all been talking for a little while and it develops organically. That was episode 21 if you care to listen. It was on competition without combat.

If you're into animal communication, intuition, consciousness, and emotional connection with animals, this one's for you. That's Kerri's wheelhouse. I only learned recently that she was/is an animal communicator and I pick her brain on that topic in this episode from start to finish. If you've listened to me at all, you know I'm fairly skeptical about that side of things, being more analytical and literal about things. This is also a conversation between two adults that don't agree completely on everything, but can have a civil conversation about their disagreements, find common ground, and remain friends. I think that lesson is a good one to diplay these days.

Anyway you shake it, this was a cool conversation that I really enjoyed.

You can find Kerri at the following links:

https://www.generateharmony.com/

https://www.instagram.com/generationofharmony

https://www.facebook.com/generationofharmony

We mentioned Leslie Desmond's truck fire and losses. If you'd like to donate to Leslie, you can find her gofundme here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-leslie-desmond-recover-from-a-truck-fire

If you might be interested in my bit course, you can sign up for one of the free webinars here:

https://www.thebitcourse.com/bit-or-bust

You can sign up for our newsletter and get the free foamy mouth video here:

https://thebitcourse.com/foamy-mouth

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Lynn Acton has been certified by CHA (Advanced English / Intermediate Western) since 1994. In addition to conventional lessons, she founded and taught for several years in a therapeutic horsemanship program for at-risk youth that got national recognition. Her diverse interests led her to lessons in jumping, classical dressage, western, Centered Riding, ground work, natural horsemanship, dressage musical freestyle, obstacle training, and clicker training. She's learned from three of Sally Swift’s Centered Riding apprentices who expanded on her work: Wendy Murdoch, Susan Harris, and Mitzi Summers. 

Lynn's current focus is horse behavior, emotions, and learning. Applying her academic background in sociology and systems science, and teaching experience, she translates current research into practical application. Herwork is unique in that she integrates insights from diverse sources, showing how they complement each other, and can guide all of us in improving horse welfare, and the quality and effectiveness of our interactions with horses.

Lynn and I discuss many topics in this podcast. We get into dominance theory, her brand of protector leadership, her experiences that have informed her theories, and much more. I have read and recommend Lynn's book, "What Horses Really Want". It offers her perspectives on how things should go, with many examples and quite helpful pictures that illustrate her points.

You can find Lynn at the following links:
https://www.lynnacton.com/
https://www.facebook.com/lynn.acton.94
https://www.lynnacton.com/Book
https://www.youtube.com/@jerryacton5825/videos