The World Seems Better from on Top of My Horse
This picture of me and April was taken about 15 years ago and depicts how happy I am when I’m on my horse. Though April died a few years ago, I still cherish every moment I spent with her. She gave me the most connection and enjoyment of any horse I’ve owned. She was a loving mare who always did her best to please me. In life’s darkest moments I’d escape on her back and savor our connection.
I got April at a horse auction when she was a yearling. Her calmness and curiosity hooked me. Even my dear riding buddy, Si Kingma, realized what a find she was. Early on, I dragged her to all the reining shows I went to with my other mare, Dawn. She stood patiently tied to the trailer while I competed and was always good at any event I took her to.
I showed her at AQHA before she was old enough to ride and she did well in halter classes even though she was performance bred. We showed reining, cow horse, and then got into competitive trail where she won me a couple of buckles. She wasn’t spectacular, but she was fun to ride, responsive, and loved cattle work. We did sorting in her later years which was fun for both of us.
As time went on, I got busy. Life happens and I didn’t ride as often as I wanted. Priorities were work and keeping the business afloat. I would often go out and brush her for some quiet time to just chill. We did volunteer work, and she let special needs children ride her. In 2014, I took her to Yellowstone to ride—a memorable experience with good friends.
It’s the moments away from phones, work, responsibilities and hectic schedules where I find my peace. Now that I have a new horse, we’re working on getting that connection. It’s not the same, but the world still feels better on the back of my horse.
I’ve been truly blessed and grateful for the people and horses in my life. I couldn’t be more pleased with the current team I have working on the magazine and our digital presence and I’m grateful for the customers who have supported us through the years. I couldn’t ask for a better life.
This month our cover story on page 6 is about a revolutionary product that saves the lives of horses. Have a great summer, be grateful, and thank you for your continued support! We’d love to hear from you. If you have a special horse in your life, tell us about it.
See this article in the August 2025 Online Digital Edition:
August 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.
