A Whole Lot of Everything
During the production of this issue, I snuck away from my office for a day to spend time in the arena with Shali Lord, a National Finals Rodeo barrel racer and jockey to the great Freckles Ta Fame—known as CanMan in barrel racing circles. Shali has mastered the art of consistency that’s so required of horsewomen at the most elite levels, and her ability to stay at the top of the sport over two decades is a testament to that.
Shali made a three-hour trek to film to Bennett, Colorado’s dreamy Bar Double J Arena for our Horse&Rider OnDemand (Ondemand .HorseandRider.com) platform, our year-and-a-half-old venture that connects our premium subscribers with unlimited access to hundreds of videos that, if studied and applied, will dramatically change your horsemanship. Shali’s series—an introduction to barrel racing horsemanship that anyone from trail riders to professional barrel racers can apply to their day-to-day riding—reaffirmed my less-is-more foundation to barrel racing and empowered me to spend more time away from the arena and out riding my horses.
Meanwhile, Managing Editor Nichole Chirico got some killer gym-time in with Colorado’s cowgirl fitness guru, Kelly Altschwager, producing dozens of videos that will transform your health and your riding through strength and conditioning. It’s a one-ofa-kind series with one of the horse industry’s elite personal trainers, so it’s our honor to include her on Horse&Rider OnDemand and in future issues of the magazine.
Shali and Kelly will join original Horse&Rider OnDemand trainers Brad Barkemeyer and Bud Lyon on the platform. This talented team—paired with a few others we’re thrilled to add this fall—is helping our staff with our core vision: to bring you the information you need, wherever and whenever you need it, to maximize your Western horse life.
This magazine is our first love, and everyone’s efforts are evident in these pages. But we’ve spent years spreading our wings, honing our skills for Horse&Rider OnDemand, The Ride podcast and HorseandRider.com, and I sure hope you’ll stop by for a visit to see all of the content we create, day in and day out, to make your horse life better than ever.