Karen Pickering

Owner/Publisher Karen’s lifelong love of horses began at a very early age when she wore out a couple of rocking horses before convincing her parents to get her the real thing. That ill-tempered bay gelding, Brandy, was a challenge for the young horsewoman, but it drove her ambition to become a horse trainer. After attending Canyonview Equestrian College’s Horsemanship Program, Karen realized she needed work that was a little more lucrative than training, so she took a job with Customs Brokerage to pay the bills. There, she discovered an affinity for computers and a talent for creating informative, entertaining newsletters. The Northwest Horse Source began as such a letter in December 1995, with a distribution of 1000 copies for its 12 black and white pages.  Now 29 years later, it's an online magazine and website with a reach of over 10,000 per month and growing! Not bad for the results of one woman’s dream to work with horses! Today, Karen remains involved with every aspect of the magazine and treasures the community of thousands who share a common passion.

Gratitude is Free

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Gifts to Be Thankful For by Karen Pickering   November is a favorite time of the year for me. I love fall in the Northwest and always dive into the upcoming holiday season with great anticipation. Tight budgets have forced all of us to be a little more creative with …

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Fall Into Something New

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Enjoying Your Horse in Every Season by Karen Pickering   Fall is a special time of year. There’s a crispness in the air each morning and beautiful colors begin to emerge all around us. It’s a time to prepare for winter and think about our winter horse housing. Perhaps you’re …

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Time to Learn

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Choose the Resources that Further Your Education by Karen Pickering   Our educational opportunities issue is here at last! Sometimes we need fresh insight on different aspects of our horsemanship or horse care. With so many ways to get information, it can be difficult to know where to look and …

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Performance Horse Challenges

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Help Your Horse Be the Best He Can Be by Karen Pickering   What is a performance horse? Normally we think of racehorses, 3-day event horses or any horse performing at high levels of exertion. This would qualify most of our English or Western performance events. Even a trail horse …

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Gear Up!

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The Care and Keeping of Your Horse’s Tack by Karen Pickering   It’s time to break out the saddles, bridles and equipment so we can ride! This issue focuses on tack and equipment and in a lean economy it’s wise to focus on taking better care of the tack we have. …

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Nothing Like a Little Fresh Air

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Spring Expos help Prepare for Summer Riding by Karen Pickering   I look forward to spring and summer as this is the time of year to get out on the trails, go camping and enjoy the outdoors. It’s a chance for our horses to stretch their legs, too, especially if …

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Equine Events

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Horse Activities in Full Swing by Karen Pickering   I lost my mom over a month ago; she was 93 years old. These recent expos bring back fond memories of traveling to equine events with her. She was my biggest supporter over the years and a big part of the …

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A Dream Come True

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On Choosing an Equine Lifestyle by Karen Pickering   It was summer of 1995 when I decided I wanted to create a magazine. Decisions are sometimes difficult and life choices are not easy, but I believe the magazine is what I was meant to do. I’m privileged and lucky to …

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It’s Out of My Control!

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50 is Frustrating and (with a bit of fun) Fabulous by Karen Pickering   I’m doing too much. Since I just turned 50 I feel kind of like a senior—my brain wants me to do all these things, but my body just can’t keep up! Frustrating. Life has been a …

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Gifts of Time

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Enjoy Every Minute This Holiday Season by Karen Pickering   As I write this piece for our November gift issue I’m preparing for a weekend of trail riding at Washington State Horse Park in Cle Elm, Washington. The last several weeks have been a whirlwind of activity for me and …

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