The Whoa Podcast about Horses and Horsemanship

A few weeks ago I interviewed Keith Swenson of Stone Horse Expeditions, a horseback adventure company operating in Mongolia.  Keith talks about the wonders of Mongolia and how you see them on horseback.  It's a good show, you can listen here: Play Stone Horse Podcast.  I received several emails from people telling me how much they enjoyed hearing about Mongolia.  One listener and friend, John Zeliff, emailed to suggest I interview Tim Finley who competed in something called the Mongol Derby.  While I hadn't heard of Tim or the Derby, I headed to the interweb for a little research.

Wow!  The Mongol Derby is the longest horse race in the world.  One thousand kilometers or 621 miles across Mongolia.  A group called Adventurists, who raise money to help environmental issues organizes the event and want to have fun doing it.  While about 40-50 riders start the race, only a little more than half finish.  They are riding Mongolian horses.  Each horse rides 25 miles.  Each rider picks one of the horses from a string.  We learn the mechanics of the race from Tim Finley.

Tim Finley had a career as an Air Force Captain with a tour in Iraq and was part of the Honor Guard.  As with many servicemen, Tim struggled with PTSD from his experiences.  Because the Air Force is unlike the other armed forces, getting help is more difficult.  Horses turned out to be a great outlet for him, particularly when he found a horse at a killers sale.  Tim worked with apparel maker Nine Line bringing awareness to returning veterans committing suicide after returning home.

Tim is out of the Air Force now and wrote a book he hopes to publish soon about his experience with horses.  And, now he's working on another about the Mongol Derby.  This year he plans to ride in several endurance competitions.

If you're looking to try endurance riding, Tim recommends checking out the American Endurance Riding Conference on Facebook and the AERC Website

There is a "Join Our Email" list at the top of this page.  Signup.  Each week I'll send you something useful you can use to build a better relationship with your horse. Thanks!

We have well over 100 episodes up now and you can find them all for free on iTunes, with our Android App in the Amazon store, and now Stitcher, or wherever podcasts are distributed.  Get the Stitcher app and tell us how it works.  We are on Google Play too!  You can also find every episode and more about the show at whoapodcast.com.  Please take a moment and join our email list. Get in on the conversation with Facebook and Twitter - just look for WhoaPodcast.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast.  We really love getting your feedback.  Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show.  You can email us at [email protected]

Thanks for listening,

Hey, everybody, Ranae retired from her 9-5 job and now we have a little more freedom. The first trip was planned some time ago to Austin, Texas. We heard how Texas was a great place for bar-b-que. We also heard Austin was known for live music. We wanted to see for ourselves.

We learned the Lonestar Polocrosse Club was hosting a match in nearby Coupland, Texas about 40 minutes outside of Austin. We have never seen a polocrosse match, but many of the participants use Australian Stock Horses and had met them at our Colorado Campdraft in 2013. We got to see Kellee Campbell, Kiki Pantaze, and Paul Johnson for the first time in three years. We also met some excellent players at the A level, Garret and Braxton Hamlin. I took my recorder and got a few minutes of audio, but it was extremely windy.

Then the rest of the trip was mostly eating, sightseeing, and walking. We found a little comedy improv club called The Hideout and say a show. We had dinner at the Roaring Fork restaurant. We looked for music at Threadgills. Our tour of the LBJ museum was fascinating. We put a couple of other presidential libraries on our to-do list. In Austin, there are the bats at the Congress St. bridge. That is an amazing site. Seeing 750.000 bats fly out shortly after sunset from such a tiny area was amazing.

All-in-all it was a great kickoff to Ranae's retirement. We'll have more horse stories in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

There is a "Join Our Email" list at the top of this page. Signup. Each week I'll send you something useful you can use to build a better relationship with your horse. Thanks!

We have well over 100 episodes up now and you can find them all for free on iTunes, with our Android App in the Amazon store, and now Stitcher, or wherever podcasts are distributed. Get the Stitcher app and tell us how it works. We are on Google Play too! You can also find every episode and more about the show at whoapodcast.com. Please take a moment and join our email list. Get in on the conversation with Facebook and Twitter - just look for WhoaPodcast.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast. We really love getting your feedback. Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show. You can email us at [email protected]

Thanks for listening,

Hey, everybody, Ranae retired from her 9-5 job and now we have a little more freedom.  The first trip was planned some time ago to Austin, Texas.  We heard how Texas was a great place for bar-b-que.  We also heard Austin was known for live music.  We wanted to see for ourselves.

We learned the Lonestar Polocrosse Club was hosting a match in nearby Coupland, Texas about 40 minutes outside of Austin.  We have never seen a polocrosse match, but many of the participants use Australian Stock Horses and had met them at our Colorado Campdraft in 2013.  We got to see Kellee Campbell, Kiki Pantaze, and Paul Johnson for the first time in three years.  We also met some excellent players at the A level, Garret and Braxton Hamlin.  I took my recorder and got a few minutes of audio, but it was extremely windy.

Then the rest of the trip was mostly eating, sightseeing, and walking.  We found a little comedy improv club called The Hideout and say a show.  We had dinner at the Roaring Fork restaurant.  We looked for music at Threadgills.  Our tour of the LBJ museum was fascinating.  We put a couple of other presidential libraries on our to-do list.  In Austin, there are the bats at the Congress St. bridge.  That is an amazing site.  Seeing 750.000 bats fly out shortly after sunset from such a tiny area was amazing.

All-in-all it was a great kickoff to Ranae's retirement.  We'll have more horse stories in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned.

There is a "Join Our Email" list at the top of this page.  Signup.  Each week I'll send you something useful you can use to build a better relationship with your horse. Thanks!

We have well over 100 episodes up now and you can find them all for free on iTunes, with our Android App in the Amazon store, and now Stitcher, or wherever podcasts are distributed.  Get the Stitcher app and tell us how it works.  We are on Google Play too!  You can also find every episode and more about the show at whoapodcast.com.  Please take a moment and join our email list. Get in on the conversation with Facebook and Twitter - just look for WhoaPodcast.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast.  We really love getting your feedback.  Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show.  You can email us at [email protected]

Thanks for listening,

Growing up in Australia a young Warwick Schiller was hungry for horse news and studied Western Horseman magazine like he was cramming for a final. He says that even today if you show him a cover from the 70's he can likely tell you one of the articles inside. Yet he began his working career as a banker. It was on a sabbatical from banking that Warwick came to America and found a job working for a reining trainer. Working with a reining trainer gave Warwick the foundation he needed to become a clinician. Now, Warwick Schiller travels the world giving clinics and demonstrations on his unique style of horsemanship.

I really enjoy talking with Warwick. He studies everything. Philosophy, efficiency, psychology are just a few of the areas Warwick explores to learn more about horsemanship. Warwick Schiller will be one of the speakers at the Best Horse Practices Summit in the fall of 2017. Best Horse Practices explores the principles of Evidenced-based Horsemanship.

Warwick Schiller has a new TV program on Farm & Ranch TV (available on ROKU) called The Principles of Horsemanship. It's here where Warwick talks about the difference between learning techniques and principles. Using these principles, Warwick believes you can develop the techniques that work for you to build your horsemanship.

Links Heard on the Show

Warwick Schiller Website

Warwick Schiller Facebook

Farm & Ranch TV

Principles of Training

Don Murphy Facebook

Evidence-based Horsemanship

Best Horse Practices

There is a "Join Our Email" list at the top of this page. Signup. Each week I'll send you something useful you can use to build a better relationship with your horse. Thanks!

We have well over 100 episodes up now and you can find them all for free on iTunes, with our Android App in the Amazon store, and now Stitcher, or wherever podcasts are distributed. Get the Stitcher app and tell us how it works. We are on Google Play too! You can also find every episode and more about the show at whoapodcast.com. Please take a moment and join our email list. Get in on the conversation with Facebook and Twitter - just look for WhoaPodcast.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast. We really love getting your feedback. Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show. You can email us at [email protected]

Thanks for listening,

Growing up in Australia a young Warwick Schiller was hungry for horse news and studied Western Horseman magazine like he was cramming for a final.  He says that even today if you show him a cover from the 70's he can likely tell you one of the articles inside.  Yet he began his working career as a banker.  It was on a sabbatical from banking that Warwick came to America and found a job working for a reining trainer.  Working with a reining trainer gave Warwick the foundation he needed to become a clinician.  Now, Warwick Schiller travels the world giving clinics and demonstrations on his unique style of horsemanship.

I really enjoy talking with Warwick.  He studies everything.  Philosophy, efficiency, psychology are just a few of the areas Warwick explores to learn more about horsemanship.  Warwick Schiller will be one of the speakers at the Best Horse Practices Summit in the fall of 2017.  Best Horse Practices explores the principles of Evidenced-based Horsemanship.

Warwick Schiller has a new TV program on Farm & Ranch TV (available on ROKU) called The Principles of Horsemanship.  It's here where Warwick talks about the difference between learning techniques and principles.  Using these principles, Warwick believes you can develop the techniques that work for you to build your horsemanship.

Links Heard on the Show

Warwick Schiller Website

Warwick Schiller Facebook

Farm & Ranch TV

Principles of Training

 Don Murphy Facebook

Evidence-based Horsemanship

Best Horse Practices

There is a "Join Our Email" list at the top of this page.  Signup.  Each week I'll send you something useful you can use to build a better relationship with your horse. Thanks!

We have well over 100 episodes up now and you can find them all for free on iTunes, with our Android App in the Amazon store, and now Stitcher, or wherever podcasts are distributed.  Get the Stitcher app and tell us how it works.  We are on Google Play too!  You can also find every episode and more about the show at whoapodcast.com.  Please take a moment and join our email list. Get in on the conversation with Facebook and Twitter - just look for WhoaPodcast.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast.  We really love getting your feedback.  Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show.  You can email us at [email protected]

Thanks for listening,

Do you have a bucket list? Have you ever thought of taking a horseback expedition? How about a desire to travel to exotic places? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ride a Mongolian horse? After all, the Mongols were one of the first horse cultures.

When I began doing this podcast I never dreamt it would go around the world. Through the internet, the show has downloads in over 80 different countries. It is amazing and, just between you and me, I hope some of those listeners aren't trying to learn English from me.

When Keith Swenson emailed me from Mongolia wanting to talk about his horse expedition rides I was immediately captivated. I'm not sure what your picture of Mongolia is, but mine was a cold, dark, barren place I had seen in a "b" movie. After talking with Keith and visiting his website and YouTube Channel I had a totally different picture. I really needed to know more about his company, Stone Horse Expeditions. Stone Horse has expeditions to Gorkhi Terelj National Park, Mongolia Wilderness, Khan Khentii Mountains, as well as excursions to the Gobi Desert.

If you are exploring using the Trans-Siberian Railway you can take advantage of their Train to Ger and experience authentic Ger hospitality and culture.

Stone Horse Expedition Website

Stone Horse on Facebook

Stone Horse on Instagram

Stone Horse on Pinterest

Stone Horse on Twitter

Stone Horse on YouTube

There is a "Join Our Email" list at the top of this page. Signup. Each week I'll send you something useful you can use to build a better relationship with your horse. Thanks!

We have well over 100 episodes up now and you can find them all for free on iTunes, with our Android App in the Amazon store, and now Stitcher, or wherever podcasts are distributed. Get the Stitcher app and tell us how it works. We are on Google Play too! You can also find every episode and more about the show at whoapodcast.com. Please take a moment and join our email list. Get in on the conversation with Facebook and Twitter - just look for WhoaPodcast.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast. We really love getting your feedback. Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show. You can email us at [email protected]

Thanks for listening,

Do you have a bucket list?  Have you ever thought of taking a horseback expedition? How about a desire to travel to exotic places?  Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ride a Mongolian horse?  After all, the Mongols were one of the first horse cultures.  

When I began doing this podcast I never dreamt it would go around the world. Through the internet, the show has downloads in over 80 different countries. It is amazing and, just between you and me, I hope some of those listeners aren't trying to learn English from me.

When Keith Swenson emailed me from Mongolia wanting to talk about his horse expedition rides I was immediately captivated. I’m not sure what your picture of Mongolia is, but mine was a cold, dark, barren place I had seen in a “b” movie.   After talking with Keith and visiting his website and YouTube Channel I had a totally different picture.  I really needed to know more about his company, Stone Horse Expeditions.  Stone Horse has expeditions to Gorkhi Terelj National Park, Mongolia Wilderness, Khan Khentii Mountains, as well as excursions to the Gobi Desert.

If you are exploring using the Trans-Siberian Railway you can take advantage of their Train to Ger and experience authentic Ger hospitality and culture.

Stone Horse Expedition Website

Stone Horse on Facebook

Stone Horse on Instagram

Stone Horse on Pinterest

Stone Horse on Twitter

Stone Horse on YouTube

There is a "Join Our Email" list at the top of this page.  Signup.  Each week I'll send you something useful you can use to build a better relationship with your horse. Thanks!

We have well over 100 episodes up now and you can find them all for free on iTunes, with our Android App in the Amazon store, and now Stitcher, or wherever podcasts are distributed.  Get the Stitcher app and tell us how it works.  We are on Google Play too!  You can also find every episode and more about the show at whoapodcast.com.  Please take a moment and join our email list. Get in on the conversation with Facebook and Twitter - just look for WhoaPodcast.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast.  We really love getting your feedback.  Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show.  You can email us at [email protected]

Thanks for listening,

Most people know Tom Hagwood because he won three straight events in Fort Worth including the Mustang Million. But, what many people may not know about Tom is how he came to his first BLM mustang. It was out of necessity. It was 2008 and the economy was in the dump. People weren't paying to have their horses trained. Tom Hagwood needed to work, but didn't have a horse. He picked up a little mustang from the BLM. After thirteen rides, he put the horse to work.

The horse not only impressed Tom, but he impressed others as well. When one of Tom's friends suggested he enter a mustang competition, Tom scoffed. But friends convinced him he was good enough to make some money at it and Tom gave it a try. In a classic story of rags to riches, Tom Hagwood won the Mustang Million on a horse named Merv.

I caught up with Tom at his ranch in Powell, Wyoming with his wife Arianne, and daughter Tommi Jean. We talked about the secrets to winning a mustang competition, horsemanship, and life in general. He also tells me how to perfect his signature turnaround.

Tom Hagwood Facebook Page

Most people know Tom Hagwood because he won three straight events in Fort Worth including the Mustang Million.  But, what many people may not know about Tom is how he came to his first BLM mustang.  It was out of necessity.  It was 2008 and the economy was in the dump.  People weren't paying to have their horses trained.  Tom Hagwood needed to work, but didn't have a horse.  He picked up a little mustang from the BLM.  After thirteen rides, he put the horse to work.  

The horse not only impressed Tom, but he impressed others as well.  When one of Tom's friends suggested he enter a mustang competition, Tom scoffed.  But friends convinced him he was good enough to make some money at it and Tom gave it a try.  In a classic story of rags to riches, Tom Hagwood won the Mustang Million on a horse named Merv.

I caught up with Tom at his ranch in Powell, Wyoming with his wife Arianne, and daughter Tommi Jean.  We talked about the secrets to winning a mustang competition, horsemanship, and life in general.  He also tells me how to perfect his signature turnaround.

Tom Hagwood Facebook Page

Have you heard of the Bar Bar A Horsedrinker? While it's been a wet winter here, it's been a terribly cold winter in many parts of the country. Yes, we've had to deal with muddy stalls, but we haven't had to deal with frozen water pipes or icy water troughs. In rambling through the world wide web, I came across the Bar Bar A Horsedrinker and it got me to thinking how good we have it most of the time here in California.

The Bar Bar A Horsedrinker has a cool design that allows livestock to drink, then drains the water away. The result is cooler water in the blazing hot summer months and no frozen tanks or water lines and warmer water in the winter months. As the rest of the country starts to thaw out, I thought you might want to check this out. I contacted the makers of the Bar Bar A Horsedrinker, who then connected me with Buck Strayhorn, horsemen, trainer, and spokesman for the company. Buck was kind enough to talk with me from his home in Northern Utah.