Podcasts I'm listening to
Do you listen to podcasts? I started a couple years ago and these days it seems like everyone and their brother has a podcast. Here are some I find interesting for one reason or another, really in no particular order:
Equiosity by Alexandra Kurland - Alex provides enough great points and deep thoughts in every episode so reliably that I am willing to overlook her wobbly voice. She’s clearly a thought leader and tremendously accomplished, and her co-podcaster friend Dominique Day, formerly of Cavalia, does a great job of asking questions and prompting great conversations. Alex doesn’t just spew words, though sometimes she could truncate her intro’s. She really wants to help people understand clicker training. I appreciate that.
Connection Training by Hannah Weston - this podcast is not available in your podcatcher (at least, not yet, as far as I know). Even so, it’s worth seeking out and listening to because it’s Hannah Weston after all, and she’s uniquely gifted at supporting everyone who is trying to improve their skills while clicker training horses. Hannah has a whole video library teaching clicker training, very active forum, presents clinics, helps rescues, and probably does a whole host of other things I’m not even aware of, all in the name of making horses and people happier and more connected.
Ride With Your Mind by Mary Wanless - this is a brand new podcast, but of course Mary has been speaking to audiences for years so she has a fantastic delivery in her classic British accent. No time wasters here. Just pure RWYM (Ride With Your Mind) speak explaining how to be a better rider, which is still amazing to me, even though I teach it myself! Hands down the best place to learn the foundations of good riding for free - straight from the leading world-class expert on the subject.
Learning About Dogs by Kay Laurence - I just discovered this one, and even though I’m currently dog-less, I love it. Kay is so entertaining, maybe it’s the dry British humor but she kills me as she sighs and snorts while explaining things to the producer (whose name I’ve forgotten) who is also a trainer but still learning. She’s one that doesn’t mince words, and can explain something complex with a simple real life example, without going on and on (I wish I had that skill!). So funny, so succinct, so educational - I love it. The species is less relevant to me than the actual process of clicker training, so this is golden ear magic for me.
Equine Clicker 101 by Shawna Karrasch - I love Shawna’s enthusiasm! And she explains things so well. Her podcast is interesting because she actually wants you to practice the clicker training in the middle of her podcast, like a learning lab. Before having you do it (it being whatever clicker skill she’s chosen for that day) she walks you through it as she does it with a horse in real time. It’s a little rough around the edges to begin with, but there’s no one else out there with this format (if you know of anyone, let me know!) and I think she’s doing a great job, considering the challenges of recording and explaining a clicker session while also training a horse. Fantastic for beginners and more advanced c/t’ers alike.
Drinking From the Toilet by Hannah Branigan - This is not for the faint of heart - it’s by far the most technical and easily loses me sometimes when discussing complex clicker training concepts. It’s one where I have to rewind and then listen again, because I am still at a fairly beginner level of clicker training. Branigan teaches other clicker trainers, and her interviews with her clicker trainer friends often go straight over my head. Plus it’s dog oriented; often dog sports are mentioned and since I’m not into that I have no idea what they are talking about. Oh and the episodes are LOOOONG so be prepared for info overload. I like it anyway though because it’s planting seeds that eventually might grow into something I can understand :)
Dog Talk by Nick Benger - Another Brit! You might think I enjoy the British… and I do. Anyway this one is super new so I have only listened to a few, so I think it’s too soon to pass much judgement. Nick asks good questions of the people he’s interviewing, but he’s kind of awkward and still sorting out being a podcaster. He is probably a good dog clicker trainer. I don’t like it as much as Kay Laurence’s or Hannah Branigan’s, but maybe the later episodes are better. That seems to happen a lot with podcasts. Learning curve. It’s normal. I’ll update this if it turns out to improve over time.
The Willing Equine by a lady in Texas - so interesting to me that this woman doesn’t introduce herself at the beginning of the show. It took me a LOT of searching on her own website to find her name, but then I promptly forgot it so - sorry, maybe I will look it up again for you when I have time. This podcast is a ramble. Kind of literally - she’s a clicker trainer who likes to go on about the clicker training with horses that she does for a living, while she is driving to (or from or both?) the ranch where she works. But she’s kind of new to it as a NH convert, and so a lot of what she says (full disclosure, I have only listened to the first few) is very familiar and at the same time doesn’t feel very relevant to me. The fact that she is speaking to no one in particular (she never acknowledges the audience, if I’m not mistaken) is a little odd. She seems nice, but I promised Mary (my business partner) I would listen to 10 episodes before I throw in the towel on this one.
So after typing that all up, I just realized that all these shows are about clicker training EXCEPT ONE. Anyone want to hazard a guess as to where I feel like my education is lacking? LOL. I have tried listening to “horsey” podcasts before, but they just are too cheesy (horse clip clop sounds and fake whinnying for every intro and outtro drives me insane). Or they are too light on useful information and heavy on all the things I’m not keen on in the horse world. That’s another topic, so I’ll stop there.