Learning is a Valuable Tool
March is one of my favorite times of year. There are two horse expos that I enjoy attending and participating in: The Northwest Horse Fair & Expo in Albany, Oregon, March 21-23 and the Idaho Horse Expo in Nampa, April 4-6. Both expos are a chance for me to connect with many of you which is something that really feeds my soul. At expos I get feedback on how we’re contributing to the horse industry and if we’re meeting the needs of our community.
If I could ask one magic question of our readers it would be, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the quality of the Northwest Horse Source Magazine’s service to the horse community?” While I realize it might be hard to answer this question for fear of hurting our feelings, it’s an essential part of business and life. I struggle to not let my feelings get hurt and understand that good information will arm us with the knowledge of where I need to work on something. Feedback is essential for us to improve as humans, whether in business, training horses, or giving/taking lessons. We all need a coach. Horses are great teachers because we can measure the results of our training. They’re honest, so we can rely on their feedback to give us good information on our training.
After doing the NWHS for over 30 years I hope to impart some of my knowledge to my community. I’ve had to learn some hard lessons in the last three decades; one of them is to pay attention to what’s working and what isn’t. Our world is always changing, and clinging to the familiar isn’t the answer to growth. It’s funny, but the older I get, the less I feel I know.
2025 is a year to embrace new adventures, new challenges, and use feedback to our advantage. I encourage you to share any life lessons you’ve learned with others and help us continue to bring you a valuable resource. Honestly, I couldn’t do this without my team to which I owe a great deal of gratitude. We’ve worked together many years, and I’m blessed. Enjoy this issue as we bring you details about the Northwest Horse Fair & Expo.
“Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.”
– Eileen Caddy (1917–2006)
See this article in the March 2025 Online Digital Edition:
March 2025
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.
