As the race heats up for the NCHA World Finals, it is not uncommon to scan the lists of top 15 riders across all weekend classes and determine that a large majority are coming from one barn, Mike Wood Performance Horses in Scottsdale, Arizona. The barn churns out a record amount of world finalists every year, and for the last three consecutive years, the 2,000 Limit Rider World Champion has come from their barn. This year, it seems that Mary Penner is going to be able to cont

I could tell you a Cinderella story, the trainers kid on her beloved aged event horse wins one of the biggest aged events in Canada, The Calgary Futurity Non Pro Classic. Yet I think it’s the struggle that makes the Cinderella stories all that more magical in the end, wouldn’t you agree? Emma Reinhardt and Miss Smoke Is Smooth had a year of ups and downs, and through the process learned what it means to become a team, stepping up to the plate, and what it takes to be a champi

A couple of firsts today! Raelene Paradis contacted me with a piece she had written about a topic pretty near and dear to my own heart, being a loper. I recently told someone that if I could lope, but ya know still pay my bills and buy my own property, I probably would for the rest of my life. I've never had a true guest post before, but I thought, heck - what's a better topic to have as a guest post than the ins and outs of being a loper in the cutting horse industry! Then I

The nature of working for a horse trainer can often by physically, and emotionally, taxing. Physically, you're riding horses, you're cleaning stalls, you're on the road and often, you're far away from home. However, today this post is about the emotional side that I think every trainer, trainer's assistant, or loper has had to deal with atleast once in a life time... and that's saying goodbye to a good horse. What I mean by this is when a horse leaves your barn - it may be to

Tao is a Chinese word signifying 'way', 'path', or 'route', or sometimes more loosely, 'doctrine' or 'principle'. Within the context of traditional Chinese philosophy and religion, the Tao is the intuitive knowing of "life" that cannot be grasped full-heartedly as just a concept but is known nonetheless through actual living experience of one's everyday being. So what does an ancient Chinese philosophy have to do with cleaning the stalls of horses? After many hours spent tryi

Heading into the pen in Jackson, loaded down with bridles, boots and ponies. There's a whole world at work under any arena light, The big wins, tremendous stunts, and smaller moments just out of sight. I used to revel in the 3 am texas air, Where the only souls awake were the ones that truly cared. There is much to do before the big show must go on, Some horses go to practice pens, other hand walked on the lawn, The lopers are in their morning uniforms of hoodies and tennis s