Every Event is a Unique Experience
By Karen Pickering
It all started with the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo in February. It was very cold in Brighton, Colorado but a great event. We then trekked to Albany, Oregon for the Northwest Horse Fair & Expo. As I write this I’m vacationing for a few weeks with family and then leaving for the Idaho Horse Expo in Nampa. I absolutely thrive on seeing familiar faces; we’re like one big family. Expos breathe new life into my reasons for publishing The Northwest Horse Source. What better place to interact than face to face?
Covid has really changed our world. Horse expos are smaller, but they’re still robust with great shopping and lots of variety. Clinicians are getting back out in the world and there’s nothing like the visibility that expos provide. People can bring their own horses or watch different clinics in person—it’s just not the same online. Even though our expenses for travel and accommodations have increased since we last traveled, the value of seeing it all in person is the best experience. I’ve missed the last few years since moving to Colorado, so it’s been good for me.
As we move into summer, thoughts of riding the trails, seeing new places, and getting out again with our favorite equine partners are exhilarating. I look forward to riding and discovering new places. I do miss riding and seeing some of my friends here in the Northwest. Twinges of homesickness hit me while visiting the Northwest seeing my sister, old friends, and familiar places. Leaving the familiar is always hard. At the time we moved, I needed a change but starting over in a new place has been a challenge at times. A lot has changed in the two years since we’ve moved, but the familiar is always a comfort to me.
This issue we are featuring a beautiful equestrian facility in Oregon under new ownership. Check out our cover story on page 6. We hope you enjoy these issues and encourage you to consider joining our membership program to continue receiving quality, reliable coverage of the horse industry in the Northwest. Your monthly membership continues to bring you the magazine 6 times a year as well as our growing coupon program for members. Join today at: www.nwhorsesource.com/membership.
“Be healthy and take care of yourself but be happy with the beautiful things that make you you.”
Beyonce – Singer-Songwriter-Actress
See this article in the May/June 2023 online edition:
May/June 2023
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.
