Howdy Folks,
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| Bobbie Jo & Flite |
Bobbie Jo
Lieberman, managing editor of Trail Blazer Magazine, has a devotion, a mission,
to teach better ways to care for our horses' physical needs – nutrition, hoof care,
exercise – and to make life interesting, varied and "nonhabitual" for
our horses. As she explains, horses are thinking, sentient creatures who need
mental stimulation, just like we do, for optimal health. Whether it's learning
to step up onto a pedestal, walk through a labyrinth, or experience true
"connection" with his person, horses are capable of much more than
many people realize. The results of working with horses in such creative ways,
and sharing insights with others, is one of the things most rewarding to Bobbie
Jo.
Through her
career in equine journalism, spanning an impressive forty-plus years, Bobbie Jo
has had the privilege of working with many people who are shining a light in
understanding how horses learn. People like Linda Tellington-Jones, Peggy
Cummings and Suzanne De Laurentis.
Her journey began
as a child with an imaginary horse named Bright Angel. As a young girl Bobbie
Jo and Bright Angel would compete in races, shows and even start a breeding
farm. Finally at 13 and after much persistence, she "convinced" her
parents to buy her a pony, Little Stormy. Stormy taught her much and together
they won their first trophy. After Stormy came Flip, a half-Arabian who
excelled at barrels and poles. Only during her college years did Bobbie Jo go
horseless. Then, in her senior year, she found Khabur, an Arab colt.
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| Annakate & Bobbie Jo flying |
Khabur never put
much stock in any, "in the ring stuff" and one day, Bobbie Jo flung
open the gate and across the fields, up and down hills they flew. It was Khabur
who started Bobbie Jo on a lifelong love affair with Endurance Riding.
Endurance riding is the sport that most closely mimics the lifestyle of horses
in the wild—covering long distances in the course of a single day at moderate
speeds. "Endurance will teach a rider more about equine physiology than
any other horse sport, and developing fit equine athletes is very
rewarding," says Bobbie Jo. It was Khabur who first planted the seed in
Bobbie Jo to share that knowledge with the world for the sake of the horse. Later,
she would write a column called "Equus the Foal," continuing that
real-world focus on learning and growing.
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| Rushcreek Caribou & Bobbie Jo |
When she went to
work for EQUUS as the founding Editor in 1977, Bobbie Jo met Medical Editor,
Matthew Mackay-Smith, DVM, who was already in the endurance riding American
Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) Hall of Fame. Bobbie Jo had done one
competitive trail ride in Minnesota in the early 70s with Khabur (they were
having so much fun that they missed a trail marker and ended up in Wisconsin!)
so was already intrigued with long-distance riding. Matthew and his wife Winkie
became her friends and mentors in the sport. Those were the days of burgeoning
knowledge in equine sport science, and Matthew was a pioneer in the “gate into
hold” concept that is still in use in AERC. The defining distance was 100 miles
in one day, and the supreme test in the East was the Old Dominion 100. Bobbie
Jo and her mare Rushcreek Ingrid, finished 5th on their first Old Dominion and
third that same year on the Vermont 100. She's logged over 5,000 AERC miles so
far and hopes to ride many more.
EQUUS’ early
motto was “the voice of the horse,” and that is the banner Bobbie Jo has always
carried in her heart. She's emotional when it comes to the care and treatment
of any animal. She's an advocate for holistic therapies for horses, barefoot
horsekeeping, minimal vaccinations and training methods that honor the
intelligence of the horse.
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| Teammates Perle & Bobbie Jo |
One of the most difficult moments in Bobbie Jo's horse history
was losing her beloved mare Perle to the bite of a green Mojave rattler in
2006. Perle had been the focus of a series in EQUUS and proved to be a
challenging horse to train—meaning she had many lessons to teach. She emerged
from her early trials as a willing trail partner and had just completed a
series of competitive trail and endurance rides when tragedy struck. It took
Bobbie a long time to come to grips with losing her and ultimately discover Perle
as her spiritual guide. Years after the event, Perle’s full sister Permynta
“found” Bobbie from across the country and came West to live with her,
bringing them all full circle in the journey of love and life.
For as long as
Bobbie Jo can remember, she wanted to write about horses. Opportunities to do so
were slim in the early 1970s. For the first decade or so of her working life,
she was a newspaper and sports editor and wrote feature stories about horses
whenever she could. Bobbie Jo's first two freelance articles appeared in Hoof
Beats magazine and Western Horseman during her university years. Then, in 1977,
she was invited to become a founding editor of EQUUS—the first magazine devoted
to the health and care of the horse. EQUUS was a breakthrough in equine
journalism…. In fact, it defined the genre for many years.
Later she would
spend a decade as Editor & Publisher of Modern Horse Breeding, a journal
written for breeders, veterinarians and farm managers. As managing editor of
Trail Blazer magazine for the last four years, Bobbie Jo plays a major role in
shaping the editorial direction. Trail Blazer's publisher, Susana Gibson, was a
highly successful endurance rider back in the day as well as the manager of the
legendary Race of Champions. They were both “students” of Matthew Mackay-Smith,
and his wit and wisdom continues to inform and inspire their efforts.
Bobbie Jo has
coauthored two horse books: “The Ultimate Horse Training and Behavior Book:
Enlightened solutions for the 21st century,” with Linda Tellington-Jones, and
“Connect with Your Horse From the Ground Up: Transform the way you see, ‘feel,’
and ride with a whole new kind of groundwork,” with Peggy Cummings. Both books
were the result of years of writing, refining and experiencing the work with
each author. She writes these books to give people a way to work with horses
that is safe, effective, stress-free and honors the individuality and
intelligence of the horse.
She also
coauthored a human-health book called “Heart Sense for Women,” with Steve
Sinatra, MD and Jan Sinatra. Bobbie Jo and her husband, Kenny Weber, are also
working on a book right now featuring a fun, sassy, easy approach to healthy
nutrition.
Bobbie Jo
Lieberman has devoted her life to giving horses a voice. Her efforts as a
writer and editor extraordinaire have helped spread the word of a better way to
live with, take care of and have fun with our horses. Join her on Facebook and
get to know one wonderful woman.
For more
information:
Dutch Henry
