We’ve got an On the Fence segment for Episode 19. That’s where Jec and I meet and interview each other. Weirdly, it’s been one of the most popular features of the podcast. So thanks, y’all!

Here, we continue Gender Gyrations, a series around the topic of gender in the horse community. We’re interested in bringing issues to light and offering tools for improved communication. Since so much of our humanship trickles over to our work with horses, we think that this discussion is in keeping with our podcast mission.

A few notes – first, we want to acknowledge that the world is not as simple as men and women and we know there are elements of gender identity that Jec and I are ill-equipped to discuss. We apologize in advance if anyone feels excluded from this binary-focused conversation.

Second, please visit besthorsepractices.com for some excellent links to TED talks and research articles on gender bias. There are some great tools for advocating for yourself, recognizing dysfunction, and more. We are grateful to Melinda, in North Carolina, who got in touch with us, has been part of the conversation, and has shared some of these resources.

Jec says that the student-teacher relationship is a sacred one and that trust is so important to this deal. I believe this to be true and it has given me pause to think of the student-teacher relationships I’ve been in and witnessed that weren’t so deeply respected and valued.

We welcome feedback so be sure to contact us if you’d like to be part of the conversation.