Stay ConnectedWe are here to go deep with extraordinary horse people who live their lives making the world a better place for horses. Our weekly interviews will entertain and engage as well as educate horse owners who are always learning and want to know more about these incredible creatures.
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This week’s episode is another gem from the 4 days at EQUITANA Australia 2018 where I was the MC for the VIP super ticket holder event. This one is a cracker! On this day I was lucky enough to have Chris Burton who is one of Australia’s best eventers of the modern times. He represented Australia at the 2010, 14 and 18 World Equestrian Games, the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Rio 2016 Olympic games where he won a bronze medal on his young horse Santano II. Stacy Westfall the super decorated western rider is back again. Her bio is in the previous episode so go back and have a listen to the last episode if you’d like to know more about her. Then, there are the Double Dans from Double Dan Horsemanship. Dan Steers and Dan James who conduct clinics all around the world and are also great entertainers. Their show includes horsemanship, trick riding, comedy and a whole lot more. This is one of the moments I will not forget and I will tell this story for years to come. This is the day where one of the top equestrians of the modern times, learned something from a couple of Aussie Cowboys. This shows a strength in Chris Burton and a humbleness to be open to this kind of learning especially in front of a live audience. It also show that no matter who you are, you have value. Another massive thank you to EQUITANA Australia for giving me the opportunity to MC this event and also record it and broadcast it to you all. To see pictures of the day you can go to the blog on my website. How to connectChris Burton – Website, Facebook, InstagramStacy Westfall – Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTubeDouble Dan Horsemanship – Website, Facebook, InstagramEQUITANA Australia – Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
This episode is a little bit different. If you follow me on social media, you will know that I have just spent 4 days at EQUITANA Australia. And I was there to be the MC of the VIP Super ticketholder events. The first event I was fortunate enough to interview Stacy Westfall and Pedro Torres. For anyone who does not know who that is, I’ll give you a bit of the intro from EQUITANA’s program. Stacy Westfall is one of the US’s top clinicians and competitors. She is a specialist in reining but rides most western disciplines. It would take me a long time to list all of her achievements, so I’ll name just a couple, in 2003 she won the National Reining Horse Association Freestyle competition where she performed without a bridle. She went on to win major reining freestyle competition riding bareback and bridle-less. I do also have to tell you how Stacy was the first woman to enter and win, the prestigious Road to the Horse colt-starting competition. Pedro Torres is a world champion Working Equitation specialist who trains using classical Dressage principles and by establishing a respectful and kind relationship with his horses. His name is synonymous in Europe with harmonious classical horse training. It’s a wonderful opportunity to be able to interview people like Stacy and Pedro who are world class in their chosen discipline. It’s so lovely to speak to two people who do different disciplines, and who have more in common that you would think, and it’s lovely how they have so much respect for each other. A massive thanks to EQUITANA Australia for allowing me to record and broadcast this interview here for you all. Here are all the links that you will need to connect with each guest and EQUITANA. Come Along for the Ride Website blog with photos Stacy Westfall Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube Pedro Torres Website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube EQUITANA Australia Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
In this episode I speak with Sandra Poppema from HippoLogic. And no, she does not work with Hippo’s! Her business name is rooted in her history and lineage and it beautifully reflects the work she does in helping horses, by helping their humans. Sandra, like a lot of us, knows that any issues with the horse can usually be traced back to us in some way, and that if she works on the confidence and self esteem of the humans as well as the thought processes in their training, then the horse will respond and perform differently as well. Sandra has a background in animal behaviour, she studied it at university level. It’s so interesting to hear what she learned and how she implements that into her work now. As a special treat for you, Sandra created a special coupon code "Comealongfortheride2018" this will get you get 50% off her eBook "Key Lessons, Your Key to Success in Positive Reinforcement Horse Training" which is valued $27 CAD. Here is the link https://clickertraining.ca/product/ebook-key-lessons-your-key-to-success-in-positive-reinforcement-training/ If you'd like to get to know Sandra a bit better or are curious to experience what online coaching is and how it can help you, then why not sign up for a free 30 minute Discovery call with Sandra. Or you can sign up for her newsletter (same link) and get, a few times a year, free training templates, training tips and discounts nobody else gets. You will also find Sandra on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
In this episode I speak with Dr Lena Clifford from Animal Biomechanical Solutions. Lena studied veterinary science in her homeland of Germany, doing a doctorate there before coming to Australia to be with her now husband Darrell who is an extraordinary horse person in his own right. You will hear how Lena felt the vet world taught her scientific skills but there were holes to be filled, she found a teacher and mentor in Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM and her world changed forever. Lena will get you thinking, if you haven’t already, about why you rug your horse, at what age you might like to think of starting your horse under saddle based on science, how much support foals needs once it is born and so many other interesting topics. This is a insightful conversation and I’m so glad I can share it with you. To connect with Lena you can go to her website or Facebook. You can also go to the blog on my website to see photos of Lena with her horses.
It has taken me 31 episodes but I've finally taken the time to record my story so far. I've told this story a few times in the past weeks to various people so I thought I'd record it as an episode to save my voice from having to say it many more times! This is how my life began with horses. It is how I did my horse journey in the reverse order to most people and why that needed to be. It's about the reason I started this podcast and where we go from here. It also has a treat at the end where I share an email I received last week that lifted me up and I wanted to share it with you. It's the relatively short version of my life so far and it is definitely not the end of my story but I am glad I am able to share it with you.
In this episode I speak with Karine Vandenborre from Horsefulness Training. Karine has, over the years, put mindfulness and horsemanship together. The thing I love about Karine is that she has a breadth of experience in horses, and it’s her choice to always put the horse first and see what fits for them, that makes her a great trainer in my eyes. When I ask her about why she rides bitless, she says it’s simply because all the horses she rides prefer it that way. Even though she’s trained in biomechanics and could probably give me scientific reasons as to why she prefers to ride bitless, she still puts the horse first. I love this! Karine also had the chance to be anything she wanted when she was younger and her teachers and parents all tried to talk her out of working with horses. Can you believe it! Luckily for us, Karine followed her heart and we can now have access to her wisdom and online courses. To connect with Karine you can go to her website or Facebook page. You can also find Karine's 3 podcast episodes on her website.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the impact that we have on horses as their owners and riders and I wanted to highlight that in this episode. So I’ve gone back over the interviews I have done since the beginning of this podcast and I’ve selected what I believe are some pearls of wisdom. The main reason I want to do this is to get you thinking more about the impact we have on horses. Like I said before, I’ve been pondering it A LOT and wanted to open the conversation with you guys. As I know you are on the same path as me. This is about how we as a humans influence horses in their body and function. This is not even in our training methods or feed or where we house them so to speak. This is about us directly, how does our body and emotions effect the body and emotions of our horse. In this episode my intention is to not make it too long, not talk too much myself or go into my own story. These incredible horsepeople say it so beautifully, my hope is that these words will stay with you and really get you considering these things they speak of. Please let me know what you think. You can reach me on my website, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. The trainers I have referenced from previous episodes are as follows. The links on their names will take you to their main page. Anna Blake Relaxed and ForwardDonna Anderson One Horse Life Australia and New ZealandAndrea Datz Integrative HorsemanshipTanya Bevilacqua Mindfully Mounted and FitAngela Davison The Horse HerbalistMel Fleming Connecting with Horses Riding with SynchronicityMosie Trewhitt Liberty Horsemanship
In this episode I speak with AJ Millions from Leading the Way International. AJ does one of my passions, she has an experiential horse facilitated learning centre. AJ works with people of all ages and from many different walks of life. Her experience in life is extraordinary. It began on a large ranch in Canada with her Grandfather, learning how she did NOT want to train horses. You will hear how AJ worked with first Canadian elders in a womens correctional centre where she assisted in an equine program to help rehabilitate women into society without reoffending and entering the cycle of corrections. AJ has worked with so many amazing horse people in her life so far, one of which was Ray Hunt when she was only 18. AJ has also been lucky enough to study with Linda Kohanov who brings such wisdom to any horse assisted therapy work. AJ’s passion is working with at risk youth and you will hear stories of how she facilitates change with her incredible herd, for these kids who do not fit the current education system. AJ also has a passion for making sure her horses are well taken care of in every way. Healing work can have a big impact on horses as well and we speak about the way Aj is able to care for her herd to make sure they do not have any negative responses or setbacks from this work as well. To connect with AJ you can go to her website or Facebook page. Here is a link to the book that she speaks of in the interview, written by Yvonne Johnson, one of the Women in the correctional centre in Canada.
This interview is with Dr Tauri Simone an Aboriginal woman who has spent years writing a thesis on Aboriginal Stockwomen; Their Legacy in the Australian Pastoral Industry. Tauri is not only an incredibly well-educated woman, she is also a stockwoman, who lives in the outback of western Australia on a property that is 1.3 million acres. She musters cattle, no longer on horseback, but she used to. She lives a privileged life compared to the women she writes about. In this interview you will hear how it is for a stockwoman now and how it was for those who came before her. It’s a fascinating story for any horse lover to hear how these women trained and rode horses to round up cattle and jump off their horses and spear tackle cattle! Taurie is a brave woman choosing to tell this story, her legacy is that she is telling the story as something for aboriginal people to be proud of. She leaves out most of the atrocities as the trauma does not need to be opened again, but the story of these unbelievably resilient and capable women, must live on. I believe, this is the type of story that we need to keep telling to begin the healing of colonialism and to move forward as one people. To read Dr Tauri Simone's full paper you can go to this link and download the pdf and have a good read. please have a read, let's all keep these stories that matter circulating so they can't be lost. This episode was brought to you by EQUITANA Australia.
In this episode I am playing for you a live interview that I did at a local horse expo, this was put on by a wonderful charity called Equine Action Qld. It is an annual horse expo where they bring in speakers of such a high quality to talk about all things horses. I was lucky enough to interview Dr Jennifer Stewart from Jenquine. I only had 20 minutes with Dr Stewart so you will her the interview for 20 minutes and then you will hear her wonderful talk on big head, or as she would now like it referred to as osteoporosis for horses. To find out more about Dr Jennifer Stewarts extensive work with horses for to her Jenquine website. You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. You can learn more about Equine Action Qld and the expo on their website. This weeks show is brought to you by EQUITANA Australia. Equitana is happening from the 15th to 18th November this year in Melbourne. There is so many amazing things to see at Euqitana this year. Steve Halfpenny teaching vaquero horsemanship, elaine hughes will be talking about therapy horses, dr nerida Richards can help you feed your horse for longevity, Kim hagon will be teaching kids horsemanship skills. Steven cox will be teaching about horses for movies and tv. Please go and have a look at the program. It’s so comprehensive and there is something there for everyone. You can all of these events with your day pass. To get your tickets go to equitana.com.au I hope to see you there. Make sure you say hi if you see me!
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