Earn Your Spurs: Exploring the Cowboy, Horses and All Things Western

When I ask my guests at the end of each episode what they think is the most important quality for any good cowboy to have, I get answers like, "integrity," "kindness," "honesty," and "grit." Never once have I heard, "the ability to rope two feet every time they throw their loop."

Being a great cowboy is so much more than knowing how to ride a horse or rope a steer.

Today's guest, Kent Noble, of The Center for Cowboy Ethics talks about how his organization is teaching people to live more like the cowboys of the silver screen and follow the Cowboy Code established by the organization's founder, Jim Owen.

In this episode, I speak with equine clinician Tim Hayes. Tim never rode a horse until he was 48 years old, but was fortunate enough to learn with some of the greatest horsemen to ever live. Today he travels the country giving his own clinics and he recently came out with a book, Riding Home: The Power of Horses to Heal.

He explores the power of horses to act as a catalyst for healing and rehabilitation in prisoners, military personnel and people with disabilities. Some of the profound transformations that take place are downright remarkable.

This week's episode features the president of American Hat Company, Keith Mundee. He shares some helpful information about how hats are made, how to judge the quality of a hat, and what the "kids" are wearing these days. And if you are a connoisseur of fine hats yourself, Keith shares an amazing tip about treating hats as family heirlooms and what he is doing for each of his grandkids.

Andrea Otley is a health and fitness coach who specializes in helping riders reach their goals. As a barrel racer and reined cowhorse competitor, Andrea understands firsthand how developing your fitness can be a huge asset for having more success with your horses and better results in the show pen. She is also a mother of three and knows that getting and staying fit takes work.

The Cowboy Champions Virtual Summit features top horsemen and rodeo athletes sharing their expert knowledge about what it takes to be a champion. The sessions will boost your confidence and help motivate you to push yourself to the next level. In this episode of the podcast, I share some previews from a few of the speaker sessions. Register for Free at www.cowboysummit.com.

Today's episode features Brand Manager for Olathe Boot Company, Steven Kahla. We talk about fit, function and fashion of the modern-day cowboy boot. And I can almost guarantee you will learn something new (I know I did!)

Bret Beach is a multiple time NFR qualifier and the founder of totalteamroping.com. He loves to rope and he loves teaching newcomers how to get started and how to win. In this episode, Bret offers some great advice to those looking to get into the sport of team roping on roping, riding and finding the right horse.

Laura Jean Schneider is one half of a young ranching couple, neither of who grew up with any experience in ranching. Her husband, Sam, is a Yale architecture grad. We talk about how they were able to get their cattle business started, what it's been like learning the tricks of the trade, and what it is really like living in a solar-powered camp trailer.

If you listened to the Christmas episode of the show, you already met my brother Bryce. But I wanted to have him back on in a more "official" capacity. So today's episode is all about what he does as the assistant rodeo coach at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. It's a great episode for anyone who wants to get into college rodeo or just wants to learn how rodeo and higher education collide.

Today is a special bonus episode of the Earn Your Spurs podcast where I am going to introduce you to my friend, John Harrer of the Whoa Podcast. If you love the Earn Your Spurs podcast, you have to check out the Whoa Podcast. And this is a special episode, because the Whoa Podcast wasn't always the Whoa Podcast. It actually started out as the Downunder Horsemanship Podcast, inspired by John's journey with Clinton Anderson and "the Method" video training series. And this is the 100th episode of the Whoa Podcast featuring the man himself, mister Clinton Anderson. Enjoy.