Horseman’s Corner Radio

Gary Kirchoff Interview

Now here's an interview with the late Howard Hale and Kansas breeder Gary Kirkhoff.

I've seen some horses that have been drilled so much on the ground that they get to the point doing the same thing over and over where they basically have the handler tuned out. That's dangerous isn't it?

Yeah, that's very dangerous because you need that horse to be looking to you for direction. And when it's kind of zoning you out, it's on the borderline of self-preservation there. And if something goes wrong, you're maybe not the first choice it's going to have. Sometimes some of that can be overdone. Repetition's good, but it's really about, you can't do it day in and day out because the horse, some days he's in a different frame of mind. Maybe there's an owl hooting all night or something, he didn't sleep good. So you got to adjust to where he is that day. That was a big key I found in getting along with the horses. You can't go out there with a pre-described deal in your head that, well I'm going to get all this, I'm going to get my right lead master today and my left spin because he may not be there, you know, quite ready to absorb that.

That's Kansas Horseman Gary Kirkoff on the Horseman's Corner.

Thinking vs Reacting with Jim Hicks

The Horseman's Corner is an original production of Howard Hale Broadcasting on the air since 1994 with over 7,000 episodes with people involved in the world of horses. I'm Howard's son Brian and we welcome you to the Horseman's Corner.

Are you in the cattle business?

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Utah Horseman Jim Hicks on how he trains his horses to handle the situations that might be uncomfortable for them.

I want to create thinking horses that respond, that learn to think their way out of the problem versus horses that react and check out. And so what I have found for myself is that in doing that I need my horses familiar with the things that I'm going to expose them to so that when I expose them to things that they're unfamiliar with, that they'll work with me and we can work through it in a positive way.  This was a valuable lesson that I learned on the horse that I took to Tom Dorrance was is when you allow the horses curiosity to work for you, it's more powerful and more potent for the horse because what happens is you go out in the pasture and you intend to catch the horse, you might just sit there and look at the tail end up because you're trying to catch them. But if you walk out in the pasture with a bucket of tools and you set them down and you start doing the job, the horses curiosity will draw them in.

That was Utah Horseman and clinician Jim Hicks. That's going to do it for today's Horseman's Corner. Thanks again for listening and may God bless. I'm Brian Hale.

Jim Hunt Interview

Today we have a special treat from another equine podcaster. Mantz Creek Horse's very own Kevin Meyer has his own podcast called Morning's on Horseback. He recently interviewed AQHA President Jim Hunt.  But Jim turned the tables on him and asked him a question. Let's listen in.

Well, Kevin, tell me a little bit about your podcast. What's your coverage? I'm just curious.

Well, my podcast is called Morning's on Horseback and it really kind of started out during COVID when everything was kind of shut down. We couldn't get horses in or out. A lot of our business comes from out of state for riding horses. We couldn't really gain anything in or out and I'd kind of been writing some stories anyway of my misspent life. I just thought, well, shoot, I've always kind of listened into podcasts, so let's do that. I started just telling stories and then it kind of turned into, I thought, well, here's a great opportunity for me to talk to some people.
You and I grew up hearing stories about long dead heroes. Some first-hand stories, but we never recorded them and maybe a few people wrote them down. But here is our opportunity with the technology we have that we can get all this stuff down on tape. And I know a lot of the people I listen to are in the horse business more recreationally. And that's really where the horse business has turned, as you well know. And yeah, that was great to have an opportunity to talk to someone such as yourself. Tune in tomorrow for the other side of that conversation with Jim Hunt, a QHA director and Kevin Meyer from Morning's On Horseback.

On The Air for 30+ Years

We're talking to Hugh McLennan, Spirit of the West, Ranch and Radio Show.

The horses and cattle and our western lifestyle and the romance that lives with it. As you know, Dave, it's always been a passion of mine. I just grew up with that. We've been trying to build a small herd of cows and I was driving truck long hours to try and finance that. Starting colts at the same time when I was on the board of the BC Cattlemen's Association. At that time we're still fighting a lot of negative publicity about the industry that is not based in fact. I was in broadcasting before this and I felt with my background in the media and my lifestyle and the people I know, maybe I could put all of this together in a weekly hour long episode that would talk about the real things that make this way a life so great. Not just the business of the cattle industry, but the cowboy poets, the western musicians, the western artists, the soloists, the leather workers and all the rest of it. Because I don't know of any other industry that has such a wonderful connection with the arts as western life and cowboy life has. So we're in our 33rd year now.

Hugh McLennan from the Spirit of the West Radio Show.

Hugh McLennan - Spirit of the West

Ranching Stories and Western Lifestyle: Hugh McLennan discusses the Spirit of the West Ranch and Radio Show, highlighting his lifelong passion for Western culture, horses, cattle, and the challenges faced in the ranching industry. McLennan shares insights from his background in media and his aim to use his radio show as a platform to counter negative publicity against the cattle industry by celebrating cowboy poets, Western musicians, and artisans. The conversation reflects on the struggles and joys of ranching life, the legacy of family traditions, and the importance of connection to Western arts.

Baxter Black and Legacy of Broadcasting: The dialogue revisits memories with the late Baxter Black, a notable figure in the Western community, emphasizing his contributions to the Spirit of the West and his impact on audiences. The discussion mourns Black's passing, reflecting on his humor and storytelling that resonated with country folks, while revealing the challenges encountered in broadcasting, such as technical difficulties and loss of recordings.

Cal Middleton on Safety

Bitmaker Tom Balding

Balance is the Key