Episode 1: Tying Trials and Confidence Building with Daniel Dauphin

Listen to Episode 1 Welcome to Season Four!! of Best Horse Practices with Jec Ballou. Our show is a space for riders and horse owners of all disciplines to learn best practices and to discover ways, skills, strategies, tools, ideas for better connecting with their […]

Episode 30: Lee McLean on Versatility and much more

Listen to Episode 30. This is Episode 30, our final show of Season 3. Jec interviews Lee McLean from Alberta Canada. Lee likes to approach horse work with an eye on common sense, pragmatism, and fun. She grew up in a ranching family, but is […]

Episode 29: DIY Projects and a Poem

Listen to Episode 29. This is Episode 29 of Season 3 and in it, Jec interviews Donna-Maria Flood of DMventions. Donna Maria has scores of simple fixes and DIY projects for your horse spaces and equipment. Most are inexpensive and don’t require a year-long carpentry […]

Episode 28: Coaches’ Corner on Round Pens with Amy Skinner

Listen to Episode 28 This is Episode 28 of Season 3 and in it, Jec interviews Amy Skinner for another Coaches’ Corner. This interview concerns the use of round pens and I found it very insightful. Like many of you, I have used round pens […]

Episode 27: Mother’s Day Special Fiction

Listen to Episode 27. This is Episode 27 of Season 3. I decided to do something a bit different with this episode. While I’m mostly a journalist, I have had some fun dabbling a bit with fiction. This story was published in my first book […]

Episode 26: Considering Science with Dr. Sheryl King

Listen to Episode 26. We offer these shows for free. If you think it’s worthy of a small contribution, we sure would appreciate it. This is Episode 26 of Season 3 and in it, Jec and I talk with Dr. Sheree King about science, specifically […]

Episode 25: Breed Bias, Best Practices & More

Listen to Episode 25. Welcome to Best Horse Practices with Jec Ballou. My name is Maddy Butcher. I produce this podcast and I would love to know what you think of our intro: Our show is a space for riders and horse owners of all […]

Episode 24: Jec and Daniel Dauphin discuss Equine Pain

Listen to Episode 24. This is Episode 24 of Season 3 and in it, Jec interviews Daniel Dauphin of Dauphin Horsemanship. He was also a 2022 Best Horse Practices Summit presenter. It’s a great conversation, in part, because in their work Jec and Daniel are […]

Episode 23: Colic and Vision Science

Listen to Episode 23. This is Episode 23 of Season 3 and in it, I’m going to talk a bit about brain science as well as a scary colic incident. You can find articles on vision science here and here. It’s fascinating stuff! You will […]

Bits of a Journey

Editor’s Note: This week, we hear from Debbie Hight. She is a horse owner, a former BHPS board member, and occasional guest columnist for Cayuse Communications. She writes from her home in Maine, where she cares for dogs and horses, especially her lovely Morgan mare, […]