The 12 Best Western Horse Podcasts (2026)

Horses in the Morning is the daily show that half the horse world seems to wake up to. Hosted by Jamie Jennings and Glenn the Geek through the Horse Radio Network, it has been running since 2010 and has racked up over 1,600 episodes with listeners in more than 90 countries. The format is loose and fun -- part morning radio, part equestrian news desk. You get guest interviews with everyone from Olympic riders like Gina Miles to farriers and equine veterinarians, mixed in with segments on horse brain science, weird horse news, and listener call-ins.

The tone is genuinely lighthearted. Jamie and Glenn have real chemistry and they are not afraid to go off on tangents about ostriches or sword-fighting at Equine Affaire. Episodes typically run about an hour, and there is a nice rhythm of contests, giveaways, and community shout-outs that make it feel like you are part of a club. It covers all disciplines but has a strong western bent, with regular features on ranch life, rodeo events, and western training. The show pulls a 4.7-star rating on Apple Podcasts with 246 ratings, which is solid for a daily podcast that has been around this long. If you want a show that keeps you connected to everything happening in the horse world without taking itself too seriously, this is the one.

The Ride comes from the editorial team behind Horse&Rider Magazine, one of the most respected names in western riding media. Co-hosted by editor Nichole Chirico, digital editor Devin Conley, and more recently Emily Carey, it drops biweekly episodes that profile trainers, competitors, and equine professionals shaping the western industry today.

What sets this show apart is its access. These are not random interviews -- Horse&Rider has decades of relationships in the western horse world, and it shows. You get sit-downs with million-dollar riders like Peter DeFretias, ranch sorting specialists like Kody Ward, and cow horse competitors like Tuli Dowers. The conversations go deep into training philosophies, career paths, and the realities of making a living with horses. Episodes typically run 40 to 60 minutes, long enough to get substance without dragging.

With 194 episodes and a 4.9-star rating from 27 reviews, the show has built a loyal following among serious western riders. The hosts ask smart questions and let their guests talk, which means you actually learn something instead of just hearing the same surface-level stories. If you are into ranch riding, reining, cow horse, or any western discipline and want to hear from the people actually doing it at the highest level, The Ride delivers consistently.

Stacy Westfall became a household name in the horse world after her famous bridleless freestyle reining ride went viral years ago, and her podcast has become just as influential in its own way. With 364 episodes and a 4.8-star rating backed by 444 reviews, Train Your Own Horse is one of the most popular horsemanship podcasts out there.

The format varies nicely. Some episodes are quick 10-minute tips on things like halter pressure or trailer loading, while others stretch to 40 minutes covering bigger concepts like her "Preschool of Horsemanship" series. Stacy has a thoughtful teaching style -- she talks about the mental and emotional side of training as much as the physical mechanics. Episodes on fear, goal-setting, and understanding your horse's perspective sit right alongside practical groundwork and riding instruction.

What makes this show particularly valuable is that Stacy is genuinely still learning and training horses herself. She will share real-time updates from her own barn, talk about setbacks she is working through, and occasionally step back to become a student again. The recent episode where she announced a pause to focus on her own education felt refreshingly honest. This is not a polished production with scripted segments -- it is a working horsewoman thinking out loud and sharing what she knows. If you train your own horses at home, especially in western disciplines like western dressage or ranch riding, this is essential listening.

Andrea Fappani is a $5.7 million dollar NRHA rider -- born in Italy, raised in the saddle, and now one of the most accomplished reining trainers on the planet. His podcast brings that pedigree to long-form conversations with the biggest names in the performance horse world, and the results are genuinely compelling.

Episodes run long, often 60 to 100-plus minutes, and that length is the point. Fappani does not rush through quick soundbites. He sits down with trainers like Bud Lyon, competitors like Adan Banuelos, and breeders who have shaped entire bloodlines, and he lets the conversation unfold naturally. You hear about training philosophies that took decades to develop, business decisions that made or broke careers, and the personal sacrifices behind world championships.

The show has 53 episodes, a 4.9-star rating, and an impressive 635 ratings on Apple Podcasts -- numbers that speak to how hungry the reining and performance horse community is for this kind of content. Fappani also hosts an annual Along For The Ride Symposium in Las Vegas where he brings together the horsemen he has interviewed, which gives the podcast a real community feel. If you are serious about reining, working cow horse, or the performance horse industry in general, this is the podcast where you hear the legends talk candidly about their craft.

Julie Goodnight has been a fixture in the western training world for decades, and her monthly podcast distills that experience into focused, practical episodes that amateur riders can actually use. Her tagline -- "helping horses, one human at a time" -- sums up her approach perfectly. She puts as much emphasis on fixing rider habits as she does on training the horse.

Each episode follows a consistent structure: a main topic, two or three case studies that illustrate the concept, and a "What the Hay? Q&A" segment where Julie answers listener questions. Topics range from confidence building and canter departures to reading your horse's body language and knowing when to push versus when to back off. The February 2026 episode on "From Conflict to Connection" was a standout, breaking down how horses learn to say yes through pressure-and-release timing.

With 89 episodes, a 4.9-star rating, and 234 reviews, the audience clearly appreciates her no-nonsense teaching style. Episodes run 35 to 50 minutes and come out monthly, which gives Julie time to put real thought into each one rather than churning out filler. She has a calm, confident delivery that makes even nervous riders feel like they can handle whatever problem they are facing. This is especially good for adult amateur riders who are training on their own and need clear, actionable guidance from someone who has truly seen it all.

Reined cow horse is one of the most demanding and exciting western disciplines, and Cowhorse Full Contact is the podcast that does it justice. Hosted by Chris Dawson and Russell Dilday -- both legends in the cow horse world -- and produced by Ben Self at Performance Horse Central, the show brings an insider perspective that you simply cannot get anywhere else.

The format is straightforward: each episode is an in-depth interview with a professional from the reined cow horse community. Guests like Karin Richards, Ted Robinson, Ron Emmons, and Shadd Parkinson share stories from the arena and the barn that you would normally only hear around a campfire at a show. The chemistry between Chris and Russell is a big part of what works here. Listeners describe it as raw and authentic, and the relaxed conversational style makes you feel like you are sitting in on a private conversation between old friends.

With 97 episodes and a 4.9-star rating from 38 reviews, the show has earned serious credibility in a niche that does not have a lot of media coverage. Episodes typically focus on career journeys, training insights, and the stories behind iconic runs and horses. If you compete in cow horse, train cow horses, or just love watching a good horse work a cow, this is the only podcast specifically dedicated to your sport.

The Score is the official podcast of The Team Roping Journal, and with 629 episodes and counting, it is by far the most prolific podcast covering the team roping world. The show mixes two formats that work well together: longer in-depth interviews with the sport's biggest names, and shorter "Short Score" segments that recap major events like the National Finals Rodeo round by round.

The guest list reads like a who's who of team roping. Recent episodes have featured Travis Browne discussing his transition from UFC to team roping, plus recaps of every NFR round with world champions Andrew Ward and Jake Long. The hosts (Jake and Clay, according to long-time listeners) clearly know the sport inside and out and ask questions that get past the typical "how'd you feel about that win" surface stuff.

At 4.7 stars with 476 ratings on Apple Podcasts, this is one of the highest-rated western sports podcasts period. The NFR coverage alone makes it worth following -- getting rapid-fire recaps of each round with expert analysis is something no other podcast does as consistently. But the longer interview episodes are equally strong, pulling career stories and training wisdom out of headers and heelers at every level. If team roping is your thing, The Score is not optional. It is the definitive audio source for the sport.

The Money Barrel calls itself the podcast that tells "the good, the bad, and the ugly of barrel racing," and that honest approach has built it into one of the barrel racing community's most trusted audio sources. With 371 episodes across six seasons and a 4.7-star rating from 244 reviews, it has serious staying power.

The show runs two recurring formats. The main episodes are 40-to-60-minute interviews with barrel racers at every level -- from local legends running weekend jackpots to million-dollar riders competing at the NFR. Then there are the weekly Rundown segments, shorter 15-to-25-minute updates covering current barrel racing news, upcoming events, and industry chatter. It is a smart mix that keeps you both informed and entertained.

The interview style leans toward real, unfiltered stories. You hear about the horse that almost got sold before becoming a champion, the financial realities of hauling down the road, and the breeding decisions that paid off or did not. Recent guests have included Julie Plourde and episodes exploring the business side of producing barrel races and incentive programs. Some older episodes have audio quality issues that listeners have noted, but the content more than makes up for it. If you run barrels or follow the sport closely, The Money Barrel is essential weekly listening.

Clinton Anderson built Downunder Horsemanship into one of the biggest training brands in the western horse world, and his podcast strips away the polished clinic persona to show the businessman and entrepreneur underneath. The show is marked explicit for a reason -- Anderson speaks with zero filter, bringing his Australian directness to marathon conversations that regularly stretch past two hours.

The format is simple: Clinton sits down with successful business owners, mostly from the equine industry, and talks about how they built their careers from scratch. Guests like Don Bell, Chad Beus, and Denny Gentry share the kind of behind-the-scenes business stories you never hear at a horse expo. How they navigated financial disasters, scaled operations, handled difficult partnerships, and maintained personal lives while running horse businesses. These are not quick tips episodes -- the Don Bell conversation ran two and a half hours.

With 36 episodes, a 4.8-star rating, and 469 reviews, the show punches well above its episode count in terms of impact. Anderson's straight-to-the-guts interview style pulls candid answers out of guests who might be more guarded elsewhere. This is not a training podcast. It is a business and entrepreneurship show that happens to be rooted in the horse industry, and that makes it uniquely valuable for anyone trying to make a living in the western horse world.

Pace Freed hosts the X Factor Roping Podcast, and over 118 episodes he has assembled an impressive roster of team roping guests who share their paths from green-broke beginners to professional competitors. The focus is squarely on the people behind the sport -- their life stories, how they learned to rope, and what separates the good from the great.

Episodes run long, often 60 to 90-plus minutes, giving guests room to really tell their stories. Conversations with ropers like Anthony Lucia, Wesley Thorp, Clay Logan, and Trey Yates go well beyond competition results. You hear about the ranch backgrounds, the mentors who shaped their skills, the horses that changed everything, and the mental approach they bring to the box. Pace asks good follow-up questions and clearly knows the sport well enough to push conversations into territory that casual interviews miss.

The show carries a 4.8-star rating with 375 reviews on Apple Podcasts, making it one of the top-rated roping podcasts available. It updates semiweekly when on a regular schedule, though there are occasional gaps between batches of episodes. The production is clean and the audio quality is solid throughout. For team ropers who want to hear how the best in the business think about their craft -- not just technique breakdowns but the whole mindset -- this is a strong pick alongside The Score.

Abby Carpenter launched The Educated Cowgirl Podcast with a clear mission: bridge the gaps between different corners of the horse industry and give people a place to learn across disciplines. Now in its third season with 40 episodes, the show has earned a perfect 5.0-star rating (admittedly from a small pool of 6 reviews) by consistently delivering thoughtful conversations with industry professionals.

The guest list covers impressive ground. You get episodes on equine genetics and sports medicine sitting alongside conversations about the Cowgirl Hall of Fame, managing horse shows, building a brand as a western creative, and dealing with imposter syndrome in a competitive industry. The Whitney Lloyd episode on real cowgirl fitness was a great example of the show going somewhere unexpected and making it work. Episodes run 30 to 60 minutes and come out biweekly.

What makes this show stand out is its focus on the professional side of the horse world, particularly for women building careers in equine industries. Abby is genuinely curious about her guests and asks questions that reveal the business realities, personal challenges, and career strategies behind the social media highlights. The Season 3 trailer dropped in early February 2026, promising more episodes ahead. If you are a young professional trying to figure out how to turn your passion for western horses into a career, this is the podcast speaking directly to you.

Barrel Talk Radio comes from the team behind BarrelHorseWorld.com, one of the most established online communities for barrel racers. The podcast brings the same expertise to audio format, featuring scheduled guests who discuss everything from training techniques and veterinary care to competitor profiles and industry news.

The show has a smaller episode count than some competitors -- around 10 published episodes -- but the ones that are there pack serious substance. The conversation with Dr. Reese Hand (a veterinarian who specializes in barrel horses) ran over an hour and covered injury prevention and performance optimization in ways that most barrel racing content never touches. The Michelle Darling episode about saving her horse Martini was emotionally gripping and showed a side of the sport that goes beyond the arena. Tricia Aldridge's two-part profile gave a thorough look at what it takes to compete at the top level.

At 4.9 stars from 8 reviews, early listeners are clearly engaged. Episodes typically run 45 minutes to an hour, and the production quality is solid. The show publishes less frequently than The Money Barrel, so think of it as more of a deep-cut companion piece rather than a weekly news source. If you are specifically focused on the barrel horse side of things -- breeding, conditioning, training, and the people who do it best -- Barrel Talk Radio adds real value alongside the bigger barrel racing podcasts.