She fell off the horse at six years old, and her mother gave her a choice: go in the house and cry or get back on.

Muffy Knox chose to get back on, and she never stopped.

In this conversation with Dr. Chad Hewlett, Muffy traces eight decades of life in the saddle, from a barefoot childhood on a Calgary-area farm in the 1940s to becoming one of Alberta's most respected equine educators, coaching four 4-H clubs simultaneously, teaching the first certified Western coaching program at Olds College, and helping shape the Alberta Paint Horse Club from its earliest days.

Now at 80 years old, with a new hip and a new knee, she's still riding two horses a day and teaching private lessons, driven not by ambition but by something far more durable: the quiet, daily pull of horses.

The insight that emerges from her story is one the equine world rarely says out loud…that you don't always need a plan, you just need to keep getting back on.

Listen For:

3:51 What did falling off a horse at six years old teach Muffy about choices in life?

1:12 What was it really like growing up on a farm with no riding instruction at all?

13:44 How do you rebuild everything — your farm, your finances, your future — after your house literally explodes?

16:05 What are the three types of coaches, and why does knowing which one you are change everything?

32:52 What does it mean to still be riding two horses a day at 80 years old with a brand new knee?

GUEST: MUFFY KNOX, EQUINE EDUCATOR & CERTIFIED COACH

CONNECT WITH CHAD HEWLETT, VETERINARIAN | OWNER OF ENERGY EQUINE

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What does it actually take to build something that lasts nearly 50 years and then hand it off to the next generation without losing a single step?

Lyle Kurtz didn't set out to become one of the most quietly influential figures in Canadian rodeo history.

He was a Saskatchewan ranch kid who came to Alberta for the oil and gas industry, spotted an opportunity, and launched CVS Controls with his wife Marie on August 13, 1978, with no money, one handshake deal struck on a Mediterranean honeymoon, and an absolute refusal to quit.

In this episode, Dr. Chad Hewlett sits down with his friend and client Lyle Kurtz, founder of CVS Controls, to trace the remarkable arc of a man who built a multi-million-dollar industrial controls company and then turned that business success into something that transformed Canadian professional rodeo, fighting for nearly a decade to bring team roping into the CPRA at the professional level.

What Lyle built in the arena goes far beyond prize money: a legacy of loyalty, mentorship, and giving back to the cowboys who built this industry, one entry fee at a time.

Listen For:

:08 How do you build a company for 48 years and hand it off without losing what made it great?

3:13 What does a honeymoon cruise to Sicily have to do with founding a multi-million dollar company?

9:21 Why did the CPRA fight so hard to keep team roping out of Canadian professional rodeo?

14:32 What pushes someone to spend years lobbying for a sport they weren't being paid to fight for?

17:17 What does it really mean to sponsor a cowboy — and why does Lyle Kurtz still carry his CPRA card?

CONNECT WITH GUESTS: LYLE KURTZ FOUNDER, CVS CONTROLS LTD.

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CONNECT WITH CHAD HEWLETT, VETERINARIAN | OWNER OF ENERGY EQUINE

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Everything happens for a reason, especially when horses are involved.

In this episode, Chad Hewlett sits down with Taylor Manning to trace her journey from growing up in Edson, Alberta, surrounded by barrel racing, to becoming a young CFR competitor with a deep respect for training, pressure, and perseverance.

Taylor reflects on the horses that shaped her, including Silver, Tivio, Matlock, and Bling, while giving credit to the strong women who guided her, especially her mom, Shelly, and Rael Little.

From making the Canadian Finals Rodeo at just 13 to learning how to reinvest winnings, move through hard seasons, and surround herself with elite horse people in Texas and Ponoka,

Taylor’s story is a powerful reminder that success is built through grit, humility, great horses, and the courage to keep learning.

Listen For:

00:00 What does it feel like to compete at the Canadian Finals Rodeo at 13 years old?

13:35 How did Taylor's mom keep the pressure off at the biggest rodeo of her young career?

25:19 What was it about Bling that made Taylor know she was different from the first day?

34:42 What happened when Taylor showed up to a futurity with only $19 to her name?

33:02 What does being around world-champion barrel racers in Texas actually do for you?

CONNECT WITH GUESTS: TAYLOR MANNING

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CONNECT WITH CHAD HEWLETT, VETERINARIAN | OWNER OF ENERGY EQUINE

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