Podcasts by Ride Every Stride | Horsemanship and Personal Growth with Van Hargis

Nothing Beyond the Basics; Stopping of Forward Motion from 2020-07-02T02:31:07

In the most recent previous episodes we discussed The Path of Least Resistance, Forward Motion, The Control of Forward Motion and now it's time to discuss The Stopping Forward Motion.

Let...

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Nothing Beyond the Basics; Control of Forward Motion-Directional&Speed (Part 4) from 2020-05-20T03:13

Last episode we continued a new series titled Nothing Beyond the Basics and spoke about forward motion and the control of forward motion as we talked about establishing aworking relationship by ...

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Nothing Beyond the Basics; Control of Forward Motion-Directional&Speed (Part 3) from 2020-05-11T13:49

Today we will focus on the control of forward movement.

Directional Control- left and right and turns. Turns or change of directions using turns. Inside turns and outside turns. I persona...

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Nothing Beyond the Basics; Forward Motion (Part 2) from 2020-05-04T14:12:51

Today as we progress on the forward motion and obtaining it via the path of least resistance I'd like to address the use of the round pen for a moment. I'm certainly not gonna dog any other cred...

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Nothing Beyond the Basics; The Path of Least Resistance (Part 1) from 2020-04-27T17:06:32

Welcome back to Ride Every Stride. It's been quite a while since our last episode. Thank you all for your patience, continued encouragement and support.

You all may have noticed a change ...

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Herd and Herd Dynamics | Ride Every Stride 078 from 2018-11-04T22:55:12

You’ve probably heard me say this before, “Horses aren’t people.” You may have also rolled your eyes at me, because it seems obvious. Doesn’t it? Yet you’d be surprised how oft...

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Just Letting Go | RES 077 from 2018-10-26T17:32:30

Don’t know what you can do unless you let go of comfort zone. It’s easy to hold onto what we know and stay in one spot, but unless you branch out, you’ll never know what is jus...

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Organization and Horsemanship | RES 076 from 2018-09-28T17:10

This episode wrangles with a topic brought up on Facebook by a great friend of mine, Steve Stevens up in North Texas. Now Steve asked over Facebook if his followers thought tha...

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3 Obstacles to Horsemanship and Humanship | RES 075 from 2018-09-21T17:07

As you all know, we love getting listener questions. By far the most common questions we get revolve around confidence, anxiety, and a slew of other mental barriers that get in...

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Oh Snap! | RES 074 from 2018-09-14T21:03:29

If you’ve been around a while you know I love it when we get listener questions in. Recently, I got a few of the same question back to back—which I how I know it’s time to talk...

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The Practice of Being Positive | RES 073 from 2018-09-07T17:23:32

It’s easy to get wrapped up in negative thinking, even if it doesn’t seem like that big a deal. We might complain about the weather, it being too hot or too cold. We might say,...

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Dreaming of Horses | Ride Every Stride 072 from 2018-08-31T12:22:43

The coming episodes are going to be tackling a trend I’ve seen lately from our listener questions and the clinics I’ve been hosting–and it has to do with the mental side of hor...

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The It Factor | Ride Every Stride 071 from 2018-08-25T00:40

As you should know, we love getting listener questions and feedback on the show. This episode is centered around one of those questions, and it has to do with the “It” factor—m...

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The Controlled Wreck | RES 070 from 2018-08-17T18:09:34

This week we are talking about setting your horse up for success, but really offering them a decision to make and being prepared for the result—be it what we wanted or not. I’m...

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The Older Horse | Ride Every Stride 069 from 2018-08-13T11:11:11

Horses and humans have a lot in common. For instance, aging. Just like we get old, slow down, have back pain, dietary problems, and need to adjust to keep our minds and bodies ...

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Leader vs. Dictator Approach | RES 068 from 2018-08-03T18:50:22

Welcome back to Ride Every Stride—Laura and I know that it has been a while since we stepped behind the microphone, but we’re glad to be back and at it. We’re coming back on th...

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Before You Do, You First Must Try | RES 067 from 2018-05-04T17:32:19

There comes a point in everyone’s life where they hit setbacks. Obstacles enter our path and sometimes they are easy to get around, and sometimes that can bring our lives to a ...

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Respecting the Horse Profession | RES 066 from 2018-04-27T15:20:45

97% of people involved with horses as of today are involved with them as a hobby. That means only 3% make their sole living off horsemanship. It’s something I wanted to touch o...

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Homecoming: Getting Your Horse Back From A Trainer | RES 065 from 2018-04-20T14:07:07

Getting your horse back from a trainer, or bringing a new horse home for the first time is an incredibly important transition. If you listened to episode 064 you heard Laura an...

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Horse – Human Bonds with Trust&Respect | RES 064 from 2018-04-13T16:49:01

I’ve been having some conversations lately around the nature of “bonding” with horses. I hear it all the time, “I can’t wait to get back home and bond with my horse.” Well, wha...

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Working On Your Seat | RES 063 from 2018-03-30T13:38:23

There is a student of mine who has been taking lessons from me for years, and before that, her grandparents plopped her down in a saddle at the age of six. She can ride well. S...

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To Lunge or Not to Lunge – That Is the Question | Ride Every Stride 062 from 2018-03-23T18:12:44

I always used to think that lunging was a great idea for the right reasons, but I have to admit, my attitude towards lunging has changed. It always seemed like a good warmup fo...

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Why vs. How in Practicing Horsemanship | RES 061 from 2018-02-19T05:56:42

I had the privilege of spending a week with Mr. Dorrance, watching and learning how he practiced horsemanship.  One night at dinner I said, “You know what? You’re worse than my...

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Success is a Habit – For You and Your Horse | RES 060 from 2018-02-09T18:37:43

We’re back with episode 60 of Ride Every Stride, our first show back in 2018. We want to thank all you listeners who’ve been nudging Laura and I about getting back to recording...

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All of a Sudden, For No Reason… | RES 059 from 2017-12-01T17:09:30

We travel around a lot to different expos and shows, and what I love most about traveling around is hearing stories from everyone I meet. Sometimes their stories are touching, ...

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Teeth, Hooves&Training | RES 058 from 2017-11-24T13:57:30

Well, we’ve been roughing it through a South Texas winter – which is to say we practically have our bathing suits on in the near 90 degree weather. This week was Thanksgiving here...

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Rescuers vs. Traders | RES 057 from 2017-11-17T16:24:49

I’m in high cotton this week, but the subject we’re bringing up gets me pretty upset. Last week we talked about Hurricane Harvey and evacuating. This week we are going to talk ...

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Hurricane Harvey: What the Wind is Blowing| RES 056 from 2017-11-10T12:19:18

Welcome back to Ride Every Stride! We’ve been on a bit of a hiatus, if you haven’t noticed, but we’re good to jump back in the saddle now. So why have we been gone? We were way...

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Listener Questions - Use your Doomafagie&Face the Gate | RES 055 from 2017-07-21T20:06:49

This week we’re answering questions from two different listeners. Both still had questions after listening to previous episodes, and Laura and I are here to clear the air. Key Takeaways First que...

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Spurs -Why&How to Use 'Em | RES 054 from 2017-07-17T01:59:47

This episode is dedicated to that iconic symbol of all cowboys and cowgirls: the boot spur. Mine never come off my work boots. I check them in my luggage when traveling and as soon as I get to wher...

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Wet Saddle Blankets | RES 053 from 2017-07-11T15:39:18

Welcome back to Ride Every Stride – we’re in the thick of summer now and I thought it’d be good to have an episode about something you all have probably heard. “Oh, that horse just needs some wet s...

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Saddle Up | RES 052 from 2017-06-23T15:19:42

I’m often approached by those who consider me a saddle expert. And yes, I have designed saddles with manufacturers that I’m extremely proud of. However, I’d hesitate to call myself a saddle expert....

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Finding the"Why"of an Aggressive Horse | RES 051 from 2017-06-09T17:46:20

We have another listener question that will be the focal point for this week’s episode. While I like to respond to these personally, sometimes I like to bring them up for episode topics as well. Th...

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Chasing Change - Slow&Steady | RES 050 from 2017-05-22T16:06:46

There’s a story I’m reminded of just about every day. It’s one that comes to mind when I’m pushing myself and my horses to be the absolute best that we can. Back around when ranch horse versatility...

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Just Use A “Bit” Of Knowledge | RES 049 from 2017-05-12T17:55:41

We’re back from the pacific northwest where we’ve had some excellent clinics and met some great people. I fielded a fair amount of questions on the trip and many of them had to do with bits. When I...

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Can We Know if Our Horses Are Happy? | RES 048 from 2017-04-21T22:18:37

Some of my favorite questions are more philosophical in nature, and recently I’ve been asked an interesting one: How do you know if your horses are happy? Understanding this boils down to the main ...

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Asserting Yourself In The Herd | RES 047 from 2017-04-14T13:09:06

If you’re familiar with our show you’ve heard me talk about horse’s herd instinct. You may have wondered though if that instinct still survives in our domestic horses, and if so, how strong it actu...

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Are You Ready To Buy A Horse? | RES 046 from 2017-04-07T16:10:36

We’re tackling a pretty in depth question this week from another one of our listeners: how do you know when you’re ready to buy a horse? It shouldn’t come as a surprise that horses are large animal...

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Gender Bias | RES 045 from 2017-03-31T18:25:39

We’ve been getting some great feedback about our show and some great questions have been flooding in. So this week we’ll be addressing a listener question that just came in: should we have differen...

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She'll Be Alright | RES 044 from 2017-03-10T12:21:58

As some of you may know by now, I spent some time in New Zealand. While I was there I was fortunate enough to have Laurey McVicar take me under his wing. We worked side by side and I learned a grea...

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Slow Down To Be Fast | RES 043 from 2017-03-03T10:33:39

When I was much younger my sole aspiration was to become a calf roper. The absolute best one I could be. At the end of the day, I’d go practice flanking and tying calves, well, really legging them ...

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Firm Hands Make A Light Horse | RES 042 from 2017-02-24T12:09:58

Many of the questions I get from people can be traced back to a common issue: developing a horse’s responsiveness and respect. Again, I’ll be using a quote I first heard while living in New Zealand...

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All Tied Up | RES 041 from 2017-02-17T06:38:52

Everyone has a tying your horse up story. I’ve heard quite a few recently through online conversations I’ve been having with folks, and some people have claimed things that I’m not sure I totally a...

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Have Faith - Not Hope | RES 040 from 2017-02-10T03:28:06

I get asked frequently why someone's horse does or doesn’t do something. I usually have to answer this the same way every time: “Well, it depends.” You see, the only absolute here is t...

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EAT: Taking It In | RES 039 from 2017-02-03T13:31:46

Sometimes we can find ourselves either overwhelmed or underwhelmed with information and what to do with it. There’s so much advice available to us at the tips of our fingers that it’s ...

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Charting The MAP | RES 038 from 2017-01-27T12:39:35

This week I’m using a little acronym to explore the different ways we go about charting our path through horsemanship, and life in general: MAP. Each letter addresses an aspect of one’s attitude...

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Set It Up To Be Successful | RES 037 from 2017-01-19T22:35:15

Laura and I explore a large intersection with horsemanship and humanship in this episode. It ties in with the idea of “New Year Resolutions.” You know, those things people talk ab...

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Breaking Routine&Getting Rid Of Anticipation | RES 036 from 2017-01-12T19:42:25

I hope you and your horses have had an excellent start to the new year. The holidays are behind us and I’m excited about what 2017 has in store for us. We’re going to start this year o...

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Bend'em To Keep Them Straight | RES 035 from 2017-01-05T11:48:51

This week’s episode focuses on a topic some might find to be controversial. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that we ask a lot of the horses we ride. Often times you’ll hear trainers ye...

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The Horse Is Always Right | RES 034 from 2016-12-28T18:26:33

Anyone who has gone to any of my horse expos knows I love to reference my personal heroes while I work. It’s because I’ve learned a great deal from these horsemen, and some of their wi...

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Excepting What You Can’t Control | Ride Every Stride 033 from 2016-12-08T00:11:57

In this week’s episode, I’m going to tell a bit of a tale. It’s got a little humor in it and bit of negativity too. Not to mention a snow storm, a hot tub, and some toilet paper. ...

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How To Set Your Internal GPS | Ride Every Stride 032 from 2016-12-01T10:20:12

TIn today’s episode Laura and I discuss how to set your internal GPS and sit back until it starts giving you directions. In previous episodes I’ve discussed how to set your horse ...

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Dare Your Horse to be Good - RES031 from 2016-11-03T20:28:43

The one thing you’ll hear me say over and over again, is let it go! Set your horse up to do something and then let ‘em at it. You learn the most from when things go wrong, and if you’r...

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Path of Least Resistance from 2016-10-28T18:34:56

I’m often approached by people that want to know how to make training easier for their horses. This brings to mind a memory of my mother working a sorting gate as we rushed our cattle ...

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Where You Release is What You Teach from 2016-10-22T02:44:53

Years back I found myself at a horse expo in Idaho and made a point to really investigate what the trainers and clinicians there had to say. While I can’t remember this trainer’s name,...

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Biting and Biting - RES 028 from 2016-10-13T23:06:34

This week’s episode was inspired by our podcast’s editor and producer, John Bukenas. John’s daughter and sister both spend a lot of time around horses, and his sister has been finding...

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Reward the Thought - RES027 from 2016-10-06T11:47

In this week’s episode of Ride Every Stride, I want to discuss the importance of “Rewarding the Thought”. What I mean by Rewarding the Thought, is all about rewarding the positive tri...

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He Who Waits The Longest Is The Trainer - RES026 from 2016-09-29T11:25

I’ve gone over the broad strokes of being a patient trainer in last week’s episode, and now I think it’s time to go into the more practical side of patience. This brings to mind anoth...

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Everything comes to he who waits, so long as he who waits works like Heck while he waits - RES025 from 2016-09-22T11:22

The message of this episode comes from a quote I encountered during my childhood: Everything comes to he who waits, so long as he who waits works like Hell while he waits. While this ...

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Mom Will Tell You But The Horse Will Teach You - RES024 from 2016-09-15T11:11

I’m often asked how I know when the time is right to address certain horse behaviors. It makes me think back to one of my favorite quotes: “Mom will tell you but the horse will teach ...

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Horse and Rider Safety Is The Ultimate Prize – RES023 from 2016-09-08T05:00:47

In 43 years of riding I’ve won plenty of awards, trophies, and belt buckles. But my proudest accomplishment is the safety record I maintained in 42 of those years. This episode covers the two injur...

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Where Are You Going? – RES022 from 2016-08-31T21:46:35

It’s Good to Be Back! I’d like to send a big thank you out to all of you who encouraged Laura and me to cut our microphones back on during the break. Your support and encouragement has helped us sh...

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Training Your Horse to Stand Still for Mounting – RES021 from 2015-07-28T19:01:30

As part of my ongoing focus on safety, I want my horses to stand absolutely still to be mounted. Let's talk about how I accomplish that, and how you can too

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Every Good Horse Anticipates, But Every Great Horse Waits – RES020 from 2015-07-20T21:23:12

One of my favorite quotes is this: every good horse anticipates, but every great horse waits. In this episode we talk about some of the techniques I use to achieve that goal of a great horse. I als...

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Mama Will Tell You, but the Horse Will Teach You – RES019 from 2015-07-14T08:40:09

No matter how well trained our horses are, they're still horses, and they're going to act like horses, doing things horses do. Having a safe, productive, and fun life with our horses demands that w...

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Trailer Loading with Confidence – RES018 from 2015-07-06T19:48:06

If you sometimes have trouble getting your horse loaded onto a trailer, you're going to like our conversation about how to do it safely and without undue stress on you or your horse.

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Fear, Trust,&Confidence – RES017 from 2015-06-30T08:02:25

If fear interferes with your achievement of your horse-related goals, you're not alone. In this episode we begin a conversation about overcoming fear through developing relationships of trust, whic...

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Which Leg Cue Should I Use? – RES016 from 2015-06-22T21:48:25

After a brief update on my condition following an incident on a young horse, this episode is our response to a common question about which leg cues to use to get the desired response from a horse.

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One Wrinkle or Two? More on Bits – RES015 from 2015-06-15T22:05:51

Following up on our conversation in episode 14 about bits, we're going to talk about which bit to choose, how to adjust it (should you have one wrinkle in the corner of the horse's mouth? two wrink...

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Bits and Bitting – RES014 from 2015-06-08T20:43:07

I get a lot of questions about bits, which is understandable because of the wide variety of styles and types of bits sold in the horsemanship market. In this episode we talk about the different typ...

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The What, Why,&How of Collection – RES013 from 2015-06-01T21:12:19

Collection is a common buzzword in the horse industry, but how many people truly understand it? In this episode we'll discuss what collection is, why it matters, and how to achieve it.

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Getting the Proper Lead – RES012 from 2015-05-25T18:59:26

Listen to our discussion about the things you need to understand and do to get your horse into the proper lead.

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Runaway! Handling the Horse that Bolts - RES011 from 2015-05-18T21:37:35

While it may be fun to ride a loping horse, there's nothing fun about being on the back of a horse that's startled and bolted and is running out of control. A listener asked for some tips on how to...

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Why Horses Buck or Rear, and What to Do About It - RES010 from 2015-05-11T21:47:15

Over the years I've heard a lot of questions, but high on the list of the most frequent questions are things like, "Why does my horse buck?" and "How do I get my horse to quit rearing up?" These ar...

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Working with the Herd-Bound Horse - RES009 from 2015-05-04T22:09

What are the reasons why a horse becomes herd bound, and how do we address and overcome those tendencies? In this episode we address a listener’s question about the herd-bound horse.

...

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The 4 Important Questions - RES008 from 2015-04-27T21:53:57

What are the 4 questions we should ask ourselves each time we work with our horses, and how can they help us become better horsemen and horsewomen? (And these questions are incredibly useful in...

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Off The Track Thoroughbreds - RES007 from 2015-04-20T21:24:10

Could a retired Thoroughbred racehorse be the right horse for you? In this episode we consider some things you should consider in deciding whether to buy or adopt an off the track Thoroughbred. ...

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Groundwork Basics - RES006 from 2015-04-12T07:36:04

Though we may own horses for the pleasures of riding them, most of our time with them is spent with our feet on the ground. Every minute you spend with your horse you're training him. Remembering t...

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What About a Horse that Pulls Back When Tied? RES005 from 2015-04-06T21:41:48

A clinic participant asked a great question: “What do you do about a horse that ‘sets back’ when tied?” In this episode we talk about this from the perspective of safety ...

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Stopping Forward Movement (The ABCs of Horsemanship, Part 3) - RES004 from 2015-03-29T16:44:38

We've been talking about the ABCs of Horsemanship, laying a foundation for what's to come in future episodes. Picking up where we left off last time, in this episode of Ride Every Stride we're talk...

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Control of Forward Movement (The ABCs of Horsemanship, Part 2) - RES003 from 2015-03-22T19:10:24

In the early episodes of Ride Every Stride we’re working on laying a foundation for what comes later. As I’ve said many times over the years, when it comes to horsemanship (and maybe...

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The ABCs of Horsemanship Part 1 - Forward Movement - RES002 [podcast] from 2015-03-15T21:25:32

As I’ve said many times over the years, when it comes to horsemanship (and maybe life?), there’s nothing beyond the basics. For horsemanship, those basics are what I call the Absolut...

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Welcome to Ride Every Stride! - RES001 from 2015-03-08T11:04:10

It’s been months in the planning, but we are excited to finally launch Ride Every Stride, a podcast about horsemanship . . . and more. In episode 1 we share a little bit about who I am, wh...

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