Luke, the donkey, has hit the jackpot in terms of finding a forever home at our trail riding facility in Missouri.  He will have the task of being loved by children and adults during birthday parties and being kissed by brides that want to have unique wedding photos.  It is a pretty good gig that is...

Adventures at Von Holten Ranch is a book series consisting of six books with each book featuring a different horse or mule from Von Holten Ranch in Mora, Missouri!  Book number two and six, bring a mule to the spotlight for different character development lessons.  Book number two, Adventures at Von...

Tracking your time in the saddle or driving your mule can be exponentially beneficial.  Using a tracking system can be fun and rewarding.   Let’s explore reasons to track your time and the effects of your efforts, either intentional or unintentional.   

Goal Setting

To accomplish something, you ne...

I remember thinking my mom was the best horseback rider in the WORLD.  If my Shetland pony would not let me catch him, she would catch him by his tail.  If my Welch pony ran away with me, she would ride him and make him mind.  My mom always took the worst horse and I never remember seeing her hit th...

The Illinois Horse Fair was held in Springfield, IL March 2-4, 2018!  Amongst all the excitement from vendors, clinicians, and spectators, a huge draw was to the breed show.  The breed show showcased around twenty different acts from sidesaddle, Appaloosas, trick riders, American Saddlebreds, Mustan...

Bullying is something kids do and adults grow out of, right?  Wrong.  In fact, I feel that it even gets worse as some age.  The high school clicks that you were sure would dissipate as more important parts of our lives develop seem to show their nasty face in the equine world in age groups that shou...

Equifest of Kansas is a three-day expo put on yearly by the Kansas Horse Council.  It is a big deal for the equine industry in Kansas and Missouri.  Equifest is vital to our trail riding facility.  We only close three times per year; Christmas, deer hunting season, and Equifest of Kansas. 

2019 was...

How many times have you said, “I should do that one day”, knowing good and well that you will not even give it a second thought?  Or have you ever wanted to sign up or enroll into a class or a competition and just did not do it.  Why?  Are you afraid of failure?  Are you lazy and do not want to put ...

This is a podcast transcription of an interview between Brandy Von Holten and her brother Gary Vaughn, Jr. about the loss of Gary's daughter, Kaytlynn.  If you would like to hear the podcast, the podcast is Country Tough with Brandy Von Holten.  Gary is episode #33.  The photo with this blog is Gary...

Fear of failure is my choice of personal fuel right now.  Is this fear real?  If it changes my choices in a day, then I would say YES!  Is it a bad thing?  I will let you decide.

There are three things that have me fearful in my life right now:  doing well at a large equine expo, negative opinions ...

 Sarah Leonhard

Wed, Aug 09, 2023 10:19AM • 46:43

SPEAKERS

Sarah Leonhard, Brandy Von Holten

 Brandy Von Holten 

Welcome back to Big Boss Mare with Brandy Von Holten. Today I have a special guest Her name is Sarah Leonhard. And she is here with Purina. She actually has two job titles with Puri...

 Chris Groves and Mike Hammerly Phantom V

Wed, Aug 09, 2023 10:37AM • 1:03:19

SPEAKERS

Chris Groves, Brandy Von Holten, Mike Hammerly

 Brandy Von Holten 

Welcome back to Big Boss Mare with Brandy Von Holten. Today I have two guests with me. I have someone by the name of Chris groves. And I hav...