After interviewing the Nor Cal Downunder Brumbies coordinator Michael Canfield for our Whoa Podcast and hearing about a Memorial Day gathering at the Bar SZ Ranch in San Benito, Ca. we immediately…

The Australian sport of campdrafting came to Kiowa, Colorado last August as the newly formed US National Campdraft Association held its first every Clinic and Competition.  Campdrafting is an exciting sport that involves speed, cows (beasts the Aussies call them), and, of course, good horses.  If you haven't heard or seen a campdraft, you really need to check it out.  I'm sure you will enjoy it.

I covered the event for The Australian Stock Horse…

Two Man Sorting

Last Sunday, after a good ride on Saturday morning, we took the horses out for some two-man sorting at Rancho Rio Stables by the Kern River.  In this iteration of calf work, the cattle are numbered zero to nine and there are two pens about 40 feet across with an opening between the two.  The cows are settled into the far end of one pen.  Our job is to go in and, once we cross into the occupied pen we are given a number, then we start with that cow and…

For the last two months I've been working out from 7:15 to 8:15 four times a week trying to get back into shape. I use a local physical therapy office that has a "health for life" program, so I am trained under the watchful eyes of trainers and PT's who have a real education in the mechanics of the body and will make sure (I hope) that I don't hurt myself. Why? So, when this time of the year came I would be ready to…

This video is very short.  When you go out riding alone there is no one to take pictures of except yourself and your horse - Sorry.  We played with the self-timer and multiple exposures and generally just had a relaxing time.

Ranae was off were her friends for the weekend so I decided to take Jessie out to the river for a solo ride.   First, we…

Or, Are our horses really broke?



The Gather



A little more than a month ago we had an opportunity to go on a "gather". I knew we would likely not be much help to the real cowboys, but it would be a good experience for both me and Jessie.



It was an early morning wake up, followed by an hour trailer ride and then, I wasn't really sure what to expect. As it turned out, we got to this nice little flat…

This week it is the second part of our visit with Matt Sheridan.  In this segment Matt tells us the story of the Extreme Mustang Makeover and his experiences with Luna, the BLM American Mustang.  Matt explains how he worked Luna fo 90 days and got her prepared for the competition.  Here's Matt's ride on Luna at the Western States Expo : http://youtu.be/qqwW1owM9Oc  And, his James Bond routine at the Mustang Smackdown: …

Quite a few horsemen and trainers have stories to tell.  Not many of them tell those stories as eloquently and with purpose as Matt Sheridan.  Matt is a 5th generation horseman, a successful showman in almost every discipline, and an effective clinician.  Oh, and just a darn nice guy. 

Matt stopped by our downtown studios about an hour away from his ranch, Matt Sheridan Performance Horses.  In part one of this…

Do you have a routine before you get on your horse? C'mon, you don't just walk out there and toss the saddle on, cinch up and go do you? On today's show we tell you about the routine we follow and how it works for us! We think it is important to gauge your horse's attitude before you get on. Like any creature they are going to have days where they feel better than others. You need to know where there head is at. It can give you a great insight to the type of…

My wife and I started a podcast.  In case you are not familiar with podcasts, they are a essentially a radio show you can play on your computer or mobile device.  Podcasts cover every topic imaginable.  I have an ipod and subscribe to many different podcast, some for education some for entertainment.  When I look around for one on horsemanship there were few to choose from so we decided to make our own.

We call it the Whoa Podcast About Horses and Horsemanship and it comes…