Finding a Good Roping Horse

How do you find a good roping horse?  While working on an assignment for a future podcast having to do with horse wellness and rehabilitation, I had the opportunity to once again visit with Champion Team Roper Denny Watkins.  Denny has been to the National Finals Rodeo 19 consecutive times and has won just about every roping there is.  And, he is not done yet.  If you want to learn more about Denny, check out our December 2013 podcast, Team Roping with Denny Watkins.

I'm kinda a pain in the ass when it comes to talking about horses, especially a roping horse, with someone more experienced than me (that means almost everyone...yeah, scratch the almost).  We finished the conversation on wellness - look for it in an upcoming podcast - and I really wanted to learn about how Denny evaluates a horse.  Think about how many horses he's seen.  Think about all the hours and hours sitting in the saddle talking about horses, especially roping horses,  between runs.  Think about all the great horsemen he has crossed paths with over the last 25 years.  Think about this vast wealth of knowledge.  Yeah, I wanted to get a piece of it.

I pulled up to Denny's ranch in northwest Bakersfield around one in the afternoon.  He had just finished a morning session with several students.  We got comfortable on his back porch with a view of three of his roping horses.  One he was bringing along, one he was winning on, and one that was probably on the far side of his career.  I talked to Denny about what made this horses special.  I wanted to know how he evaluated a roping horse from the first moment he sees it.  Denny was gracious enough to give a lesson.

 So You Think You Want to Rope

You can't talk to Denny too long without falling in love with the idea of roping. On a recent weekend my horse and I were exposed to roping. We got a chance to throw at a dummy. Thinking back to Denny's evaluation of roping horses, I'm not sure if my horse has the best stride for a roper, she's got a bit of a mind of her own at times, but the one thin she does own is "pretty" - that's for sure.  Yes, I have thought of roping.  It is a very exciting sport.  It's fast.  It has cows.  And, team roping has a handicap system.  I like that.  A beginner can compete on a somewhat level playing field.  Anything I do, I want to try and do well.  I wondered how much of a commitment I would need to make.  Yes, both financial and time and effort.  Geesh!

Denny talks us through the whole process.  You know, it's not that tough.   I've got me a bit of a used rope.  I'm working on a set of cones from the ground.  You may just live long enough to hear the tale of me and Jessie catching our first steer.

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John & Ranae

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Doug Payne - Riding Horse Repair Manual

Doug Payne - Riding Horse Repair Manual

Episode number #030

Doug Payne is one of the lucky people who started riding at a very young age. Doug has been profiled in and contributed to magazines such as Practical Horseman, US Eventing Magazine, The Chronicle of the Horse, Eventing Nation as well as a number of other regional and national publications and media.  Along with Jim Wofford, Doug produced the acclaimed 'the Rider's Eye' instructional DVD.  Doug's latest effort is the book, The Riding Horse Repair Manual, an instructional guide to developing confident and competitive horses. The book not only gives you tips on better riding and horsemanship, but also teaches you how to deal with bad behavior in your horse.

Doug Payne might be best known in the discipline of Eventing.  Doug has won countless national and international competitions from Beginner Novice through Advanced.  In Dressage he has had international success through FEI Intermediate I.  Aside from Dressage and Eventing, Doug has extensive experience in jumping.  He has ridden multiple horses from the lowest levels through Grand Prix with many top placings at national competitions.

Crown Talisman

If you stopped by the Doug Payne Equestrian Sports webpage you will quickly discover just how busy Doug stays.  He rides sometimes ten or twelve  horses a day.  When he is not training he is competing.  We managed to catch up with Doug at his new place in North Carolina.  We learn a little bit about his early history with horses and his plans for the future.  Doug and his wife Jess had just returned from the Saumur CCI 3 star in France.  As part of a grant from Land Rover  Doug Payne competed on Crown Talisman, his 17.1 dark bay Thoroughbred-Holsteiner cross gelding.

There is also a pretty cool "helmet cam" video of Doug on Talisman making their run in France.  You can find it here and check out Doug Payne's Youtube Channel.  And if all that is not enough, you can find training videos online from Doug Payne.

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We have well over 60 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 let us know how it works.  It's Free.  You can also find every episode and more about the show at whoapodcast.com.  Please join our email list. Get in on the conversation with Facebook and Twitter - just look for WhoaPodcast.

Please let us know your thought, ideas, and suggestions for the show.  You can email us at: John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening.

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Horse's Immune System and Digestion with Dr. Smith

Horse's Immune System and Digestion with Dr. Smith

Are you looking for natural ways to improve your horse's immune system?  We are re-broadcasting our first show with Dr. Russell Smith about the benefits of Karbo Comb +.  Dr. Smith has been a veterinarian for over forty years.  He has worked with all sorts of livestock.  Based on the work he has done and his experience in the dairy industry, Dr. Smith created Karbo Combo +.  Karbo Combo + is combination of pre-biotics and probiotics.  These friendly organisms help your horse's immune system by creating a friendly environment in the digestive tract.  They also prevent the bad guys from getting a foothold.

I find it fascinating just listening to Dr. Smith explain the properties of his product.  In particular the ionophore properties and how they help your horse's immune system function at a much higher level.  More importantly, how ionophores can help reduce our dependence on antibiotics which many pathogens are becoming resistant to.  Dr. Smith also explains why using a supplement like his can reduce worming applications.  Have a horse with EPM?  Many people have gotten excellent results with Karbo Combo+.

Thanks to Courtney over at TheXtraScoop.com for setting this interview up back in 2012.  Dr. Smith has a wealth of knowledge and I am happy to have had the pleasure of speaking with him.  You can also find out more about all the products Gomers makes at Gomersinc.om

Ride into the Sunset

Later in the show I'll give you my commentary on loping your horse and riding like you are twelve.  Sometimes you just gotta do it.

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Kickin it with the Brumbies on the Bar SZ Ranch

The Bar SZ Ranch

The Bar SZ Ranch was once the home of legendary American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame stallion, Doc Bar.  As part of an event of a No Worries Club West Coast Group, the Nor Cal Downunder Brumbies, we participated in a weekend long stay at this famous ranch.  While Doc Bar died in 1992 he is still buried on the Bar SZ Ranch under a walnut tree just outside the mare barn.

The Bar SZ Ranch was sold to the artist Thomas Kinkade in 2001.  The Bar SZ Ranch has a main house, a guest house, and an art studio apartment.  Located in San Benito, California, once a stagecoach rest stop between Fresno and Monterey, the property is under the guidance of the Kinkade Foundation.  The Bar SZ Ranch managers are Tim and Michelle Borland who also happen to be part of the group.

Nearly thirty people participated in the group activities.  Meals and cleanup were shared between the attendees.  The only thing we had to worry about was taking care of and having fun with our horses.  There were a ton of things to do around the ranch.  We had a large open arena, a covered arena, a couple of round pens, several different trail courses to ride on, and cows.  One session was on ranch sorting, where participants got to try their had at moving cows.  Another was roping and we had some mechanical devices to rope.  For each event, the Bar SZ Ranch brought in a knowledgeable neighbor to help instruct.

When we were not with the horses we spent an ample time hiking or just lounging around enjoying the company of our new friends in a gorgeous setting.

If you would like to read more about our trip, check out this blog page.

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Stay in touch.  It is easy.  Just put your name in the newsletter subscribe box at the top of the page.  As always, we are very interested to hear what you have to say about this episode.  You can email us at: john@whoapodcast.com And, if you have any comments or suggestions for future shows, please pass them along. Thanks for sharing these podcasts.  Our numbers are really growing and we owe it all to you, our loyal horse loving listener-ship.  You guys are the best!

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