A place to connect, learn and shop!
I’ve always enjoyed the horse expos. I have made friends over the years and relationships that I treasure. It feels like a family every year when we return to the horse expos. It’s a culture that embraces friendship and supporting each other through the weekends of visitors and people we can perhaps do business with for a long time to come.
Are we losing human touch and connection?
I think one of the things we’re losing is that human touch and connection. With our age of technology we can do more shopping and research without ever leaving home. It makes me sad but I realize we must change with the times to survive. We are learning a new way of connecting with our readers and embracing the online with a very dynamic website where we share all the same articles that are in the magazine.
Parting with what we know and embracing change
I have so many directions I could take NWHS but I admittedly am having a rough time parting with the tried and true. As with anything in life we must step out of our comfort zone to grow, improve and discover new things. So, be watching in upcoming months for new opportunities and programs to grow personally as we journey through life.
What the clinicians have to say about horse safety
I have to say, this weekend was especially fun at the Washington State Horse Expo. We did 3 interviews with some of the clinicians like Stacy Westfall, Steve Rother and Evan Bonner. Check out our YouTube channel or just click on the clinician’s names above for a link to 3 short interviews with their thoughts on “Horse Safety”. By the way, we’re venturing into another website that focuses entirely on horse safety articles, tips and products. Check out www.horsesafetytips.com.
Getting to know Stacy Westfall
Lastly, I love interacting with the clinicians. This year I got to know Stacy Westfall. She is the kindest, passionate and talented person and I loved visiting with her over the weekend. We talked about expos, her gorgeous jackets and even healthy recipes! She embodies a healthy lifestyle, which we all should aspire to. I never realized how much less tolerant my body is to lack of sleep and junk food. As I embark on a journey to regain my health I am excited to be working on a new program called, “Still in the Saddle” for us ladies that want to stay fit enough to ride and be active into our senior years.
Thanks again for supporting our magazine, The Northwest Horse Source, as we come into our 25th year in the horse industry!
Quote: It’s not what you’ve got, it’s what you use that makes a difference.
~ Zig Ziglar – 1926-2012 – American Author
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.
