Senior Horsemanship - Tips to Help Us Enjoy Better Years with Horses and More of Them
The podcast name is changed to Senior Horsemanship and I’ll be building the senior horsemanship website over the next few weeks.So why the change? Probably the most important reason is that I’m certainly a senior horseman at age 71 with three horses. I’m very interested in riding, caring for, and training my horses as long as I can. I’m also very interested in making as long as I can to be as long as possible.That’s my goal in horsemanship. I don’t have any goals in the competitive arena, Not that competition is bad, but I just want to enjoy my horses. If you compete, then I hope you do it for the joy of working with your horse.So what will we talk about? How about the following.I’d like to talk about horse training, first because a well trained horse makes life safer and makes our time with our horse more enjoyable. A well trained horse also has better prospects for a good home if for some reason, we can’t continue to keep our horse. So for the good of ourselves and our horses, horse training for seniors is a great topic.I’d like to talk about horse care. I care for my horses myself and I’ve learned some things in the process that I’d like to share. I also hope to learn from others about ways to make horse care better and easier as we grow older.I’d like to talk about riding fitness and safety around horses. I’ve lost about 40 pounds over the last year and a half and it’s made riding easier for me and my horses. But with the weight loss has come a loss of some strength. I’ve also suffered from my share of horse-related injuries over the years including a broken arm, broken ribs, several concussions and most recently broken toes. What can we do to be safer with our horses. I’m not as nimble as I once was.I’d like to talk about the mental aspects of horsemanship because we need to rely on the mental more than the physical as we get older. When I was younger, there were ways of handling horses that could be characterized by “make them do it” and “don’t let them get away with it”. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that there are better ways and I’ll talk about them.Finally, I’ll talk about how horsemanship can be much more than riding a horse. I’ve been a volunteer with Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society here in Texas for a number of years and there are some volunteers who could be examples for all of us. Several volunteers can’t ride anymore, but they foster horses and give them a great start on a new path in life. Other volunteers work on the admin side to give the organization the ability to help as many horses as possible. All of those activities count as horsemanship. We’ll talk about those and more.Again, I appreciate all of the topic ideas I’ve received from members of the Equestrian Seniors Facebook group. I appreciate your interest in the podcast. And I hope to continue to provide information that interests you in the days ahead.Thanks for listening.
Senior Horsemanship - Tips to Help Us Enjoy Better Years with Horses and More of Them
The Evolution of This Podcast in Horsemanship
The Second Half Horsemanship Podcast has its roots in much earlier efforts. About 12 years ago, I launched a Yahoo group and a website called Mature Riders which was intended for horse people in middle-age. I was in my late fifties so the timing seemed about right.
Then in 2015, I launched a website called Saddle Up Again for riders in midlife and beyond. That attracted some interest, but it seemed to be targeting a group that didn't identify itself as midlife and beyond. That made it a marketing challenge.
So earlier this year I launched the Second Half Horsemanship Podcast, again to focus on horsemanship issues for those of us in the second half of life. There are some very significant changes in mental abilities that occur in our forties and fifties. And there are fundamental changes in our metabolism that occur in our early sixties.
For many of us, there are also changes in our outlook on life. There's a move away from career and toward a vocation that's based on our interests and abilities, more than salary and status. These are changes that might reward more mind than muscle in our horsemanship journey.
However, I'm getting older. I'm certainly a senior citizen. I'm 71 and well past the start of the second half of life. I've concluded that it would be best to rebrand the podcast to focus on those of us who call ourselves seniors.
Delle, a friend of mine, suggested that I check a Facebook group called equestrian seniors. I found that there are more than 60,000 members of this group. I also found that some horse loving friends from years ago were also members of the group. This is a lively, highly active group of horse lovers. And it has convinced me that I can rebrand the podcast to serve those of us who proudly identify ourselves as seniors and continue to be interested in topics associated with horsemanship.
So I've applied to the Texas Secretary of State for a new assumed name for the podcast and a website. Hopefully by next weekend, I'll have an approval for the name I've requested. If so I'll announce it on this podcast next weekend.
I appreciate all the topic ideas I've received from members of the equestrian seniors Facebook group. I appreciate your interest in the podcast. And I also hope to continue to provide information that interests you in the days ahead. Thanks for listening.
The evolution of this podcast in horsemanship. Welcome to the Second Half Horsemanship Podcast. Where we talk about using your mind more than your muscles on the path to better horsemanship in the second half of life. I'm your host, Paul Sherland. The Second Half Horsemanship Podcast has its roots in much earlier efforts. About 12 years ago, I launched a Yahoo group and a website called Mature Riders which was intended for horse people in middle-age. I was in my late fifties so the timing seemed about right. Then in 2015, I launched a website called Saddle Up Again for riders in midlife and beyond. That attracted some interest, but it seemed to be targeting a group that didn't identify itself as midlife and beyond. That made it a marketing challenge. So earlier this year I launched the Second Half Horsemanship Podcast, again to focus on horsemanship issues for those of us in the second half of life. There are some very significant changes in mental abilities that occur in our forties and fifties. And there are fundamental changes in our metabolism that occur in our early sixties. For many of us, there are also changes in our outlook on life. There's a move away from career and toward a vocation that's based on our interests and abilities, more than salary and status. These are changes that might reward more mind than muscle in our horsemanship journey. However, I'm getting older. I'm certainly a senior citizen. I'm 71 and well past the start of the second half of life. I've concluded that it would be best to rebrand the podcast to focus on those of us who call ourselves seniors. Delle, a friend of mine, suggested that I check a Facebook group called equestrian seniors. I found that there are more than 60,000 members of this group. I also found that some horse loving friends from years ago were also members of the group. This is a lively, highly active group of horse lovers. And it has convinced me that I can rebrand the podcast to serve those of us who proudly identify ourselves as seniors and continue to be interested in topics associated with horsemanship. So I've applied to the Texas Secretary of State for a new assumed name for the podcast and a website. Hopefully by next weekend, I'll have an approval for the name I've requested. If so I'll announce it on this podcast next weekend. I appreciate all the topic ideas I've received from members of the equestrian seniors Facebook group. I appreciate your interest in the podcast. And I also hope to continue to provide information that interests you in the days ahead. Thanks for listening.
