Western Horseman July 2019

Does Your Saddle When Your Horse Rancher, Craftsman ✦ ✦ Fit Your Horse?

Regresses in Training and Bronc Rider

MILLENNIAL

COWBOYS A Young Crew on the Hitch Ranch Defies Stereotypes

July 2019

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FEATURES

VOLUME 84 / NUMBER 7

JULY 2019

60

Millennial Cowboys

While working on the Hitch Ranch, a young cowboy crew learns important skills that go beyond working with cattle and horses.

By ROSS HECOX

78

Figuring Out Fit

Complex variables affect a saddle’s fit on a horse. Some simple principles can help you find a solid saddle for your horse, or solve fit-related problems.

By CHRISTINE HAMILTON

86

Coming Unraveled

When a seasoned rope horse begins to flip his head and then refuses to load in a trailer, his owner becomes frustrated and perplexed. Is he hurting, or is he becoming “untrained?”

By KATIE FRANK

68

Riding over the Next Ridge

JENNIFER DENISON

Wacey Marr set out after college to rodeo and cowboy on big outfits. Along the way, he gained valuable skills that help him carve his future on his family’s Alberta ranch.

By JENNIFER DENISON

JULY 2019

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contents 18

32

41

20

ride west 12 Opening Shot

24 Bit Basics

14 Ranching

26 Backcountry

36 Rodeo

54 Western Stops

41 Craftsmen

56 What’s It Worth?

44 Galleries

57 Cowboy Tastes

A photographer captures a lucky The simple design of a grazing bit Medals and more are on the line at strike of lightning when shooting doesn’t mean it’s easy for the horse Utah’s Days of ’47 Arena. in Utah. to understand.

Wrangling requires skilled cowboys willing to work in the darkest hours of the morning.

18 Women of the West

Former Miss Rodeo Texas Nikki Woodard takes pride in her ranching roots.

20 How-To

Kate Neubert uses groundwork to work on a horse’s responsiveness to cues, expend excess energy and create a sound mind.

Keep your camp organized to make every trip a smooth one.

30 Health

The right pedigree, performance record and marketing plan won’t matter if you don’t have some basic ingredients in place for your sale horse.

32 Arenas

This Mississippi legend is sure to have everything on your shopping list.

Greg Gomersall builds strong, functional A 90-year-old Hamley Brothers saddles for cowboys and ranchers. saddle is still in use.

The Calgary Stampede’s Masterworks of the West art sale gives a nod to Charles Russell’s legacy.

46 Culture

Marinna Mori shares her perspectives on ranch life through music.

A festive Catalina Taco Salad adds tang and crunch to greens.

58 Products

Whether you’re in the box or on the ranch, select a rope that best fits your needs.

The first National Reined Cow Horse 50 Western Art Association clinic to cater to ranch Budding artists submit their best work hands raises the bar on learning. in the fifth annual youth art contest.

in every issue 8 Leading Off / 10 Feedback / 110 Dale Brisby / 112 Baxter Black On The Cover: Toby Winters helps gather a pasture on the Hitch Ranch. Read more about the Oklahoma Panhandle outfit’s millennial cowboy crew on page 60.

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clockwise from TOP left: jennifer denison, kate bradley byars, kate bradley byars, jennifer denison

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nline July

westernhorseman.com Publisher: Ernie King Editor in Chief: Ross Hecox Editor: Christine Hamilton Managing Editor: Susan Morrison Senior Editor: Jennifer Denison Digital Editor: Katie Frank Contributing Editor: Kate Bradley Byars Art Director: Ron Bonge Fort Worth Production Manager: Sherry Brown Production Assistant: Emily Trupiano Director of Production: Karen Fralick Production Service Manager: Cher Wheeler Digital Imaging Manager: Erik Lewis Senior Digital Strategist: Sonny Williams Marketing Manager: Lizzie Iwersen Digital Content Manager: Dani Licklider Business Manager: Tonya Ward Ambassador-at-Large: Butch Morgan Warehouse Manager: Tim Gelnaw

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HOW-TO: Horsewoman Kate Neubert gets colts in the right mindset through effective groundwork.

SALES DEPARTMENT Senior Account Manager: Rayanne Engel-Currin: Western Tack,

RANCHING: The Hitch Ranch’s young crew discusses cowboy life in the 21st century.

CULTURE: Admire the top 10 finalists from Western Horseman’s 2019 Youth Art Contest.

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VOLUME 84 / NUMBER 7 Western Horseman (ISSN 0043-3837) is published monthly by MCC Magazines, LLC, 735 Broad St, Augusta, GA 30901. Subscription rate is $24 for one year, $46 for two years. Canadian subscriptions add $20 per year (U.S. funds only). All other foreign subscriptions add $40 per year (U.S. funds only). Editorial and Advertising Main Offices: 2112 Montgomery St., Fort Worth, TX 76107. Periodicals Postage paid at Augusta, GA, and additional offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Western Horseman, PO Box 433237, Palm Coast, FL 32143-9616.

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CINCHJEANS.COM

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leading off

Nick Shields (front) is one of the millennial cowboys working on the Hitch Ranch in Oklahoma.

T

odd Adams looked at three of the

young cowboys working for him and asked, “You’ve run one of those older scales, right?”

The three men, ages 19, 24 and 26, looked a little puzzled. They had used the digital livestock scales to weigh cattle at other locations on the Hitch Ranch in the Oklahoma Panhandle, but not the set of “oldschool” scales at headquarters that worked with an actual balance beam and sliding weights.

Before heading out to handle a long list of other managerial duties, Adams gave his men a tutorial. First, slide the largest weight as far right as possible without causing the beam to tip all the way down. Next, move the lighter sliding weight to the right until the beam

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balances. It was a lot different for them than recording a digital number that flashed on a screen.

Generation gaps show up no matter where I go, whether it’s in a metropolitan city or on a remote ranch in the Oklahoma Panhandle.

These days, the millennial generation seems to receive the brunt of criticism, and often is characterized as entitled, self-absorbed and overly sensitive. But it’s easy to overlook that members of this generation also tend to be confident, compassionate, tech-savvy and open to change.

What matters more to Adams is that those young cowboys, with their different backgrounds and perspectives, are on the ranch doing a job. In an era when the average age of farmers and ranchers is increasing, the Hitch Ranch employs five

cowboys age 26 and younger.

On page 60, the article “Millennial Cowboys” discusses the unique approaches and unexpected payoffs associated with managing a young crew.

Ultimately, horses and livestock don’t care about a person’s age, background or point of view, and I’m encouraged to see a wide span of age groups represented in this magazine. On page 14, three cowboys aged 60 and older describe the unheralded job of wrangling horses. The next article, on page 18, includes an interview with a 26-year-old former rodeo queen who continues to promote the ranching way of life.

You can read about a cow horse clinic on page 32 that includes multiple generations of participants, from teenaged riders to silver-haired horsemen. A story on page 46

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features 11-year-old cowboy musician Marinna Mori, and an article on page 50 spotlights aspiring Western artists ages 6 through 18 who submitted their work to our annual Youth Art Contest.

To cap it all off, longtime cowboy humorist Baxter Black celebrates the working cowboy on page 112. It appears just two pages following a newer cartoon titled “Super Puncher,” based on the humor of YouTube personality Dale Brisby.

Brisby says that while growing up he was greatly influenced by Black.

It’s good to have balance.

Back at the scales on the Hitch Ranch, after Adams left, I helped the young cowboys better understand how to slide the weights and read the pounds registered by the cattle. Having been around the Hitch crew several times, I can almost guarantee that some older ranch hands gave them a hard time about struggling with the scales.

But they know not to go too far in their ribbing, because the millennials have helped the older hands with the ranch’s new digital employee time clock.

“It’s set up on WiFi, and to clock in you’ve got to scan your card and select icons on a computer screen,” Adams says. “Those guys are always harassing each other, and for awhile the older guys were razzing the younger ones because they didn’t know how to do anything. That time clock flip-flopped things because the old guys couldn’t figure it out until the boys showed them how to do it.”

—Ross Hecox, editor in chief

ross hecox

Generational Balance

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feedback

Patriotic Reminder

I just finished reading Baxter Black’s “On the Edge of Common Sense” [“The Flag”] in the May 2019 issue. I’ve been reading Baxter Black and Western Horseman for years and this is the best article I’ve read in a long time.

Baxter, there’s nothing wrong with “a little naked patriotism.” Wouldn’t be a bad thing if we had more of it.

Keep up the good work.

—MIKE MARSH, West Virginia

Baxter Black

Thank you Dr. Black for your Memorial Day reminder! It is a privilege to be an American.

—Dave Fleming, Oregon

Unwanted Heirlooms

Howdy folks. In reading your article on identifying bits and spurs made by Garcia

(published on westernhorseman.com), I would like to share some information that may contradict a small part of this article. I am an auctioneer in Oregon, over 40 years in the business. In your article you stated: “Another source for a collector’s piece is the heirloom that’s been in the family for years but, unfortunately, families willing to part with their heirlooms are few and far between.”

Sadly, in the past 10 years we have noticed a trend where the younger generation is selling off a deceased parent’s things [and] has no interest in very many “family heirlooms.” If the piece isn’t a direct connection to the parent, they don’t want the “stuff,” they just want the check. I find this to be a bit disheartening, but becoming more and more true, on the West Coast, anyway.

Thank you for your time, and great reading.

—Frank Dodge, Oregon From our Facebook fans:

from work you’ll find me on the back of a horse in a paddock somewhere, tailing a mob of weaners.

Your magazine is always read from front to back multiple times as it keeps me grounded when life underground gets a bit hectic. I love nothing more than practicing my knot-tying skills, 1.8 km underground, while I’m waiting to load my next ore truck.

Thank you so much for putting out a quality magazine time after time. I just love it! Here’s a picture of me in my bogger practicing my mud knot-tying skills in between loading trucks.

—SARAH SCOBLE, Western Australia

Just a quick message to say

how wonderful your magazine is.

I’ve had it sent over here to Australia for many years now, and it’s my most favorite magazine to read. We don’t have anything like it here in Australia. The content in the magazine is second to none, very informative and always a great history lesson. I love Women of the West, and find myself flicking to that page first for female inspiration.

I work in an underground mine here in Western Australia as an underground bogger operator. Prior to this I worked on cattle stations (Australian cattle ranches), and like most young people my age, succumbed to the higher wage and conditions of what the mines have to offer. However, on my time off

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CORRECTION: In the May issue, the article “Chiseled in Time” identified bitmaker J.D. Moss as being from Colorado. Moss is based in Yarnell, Arizona. The fourthplace bit made by Moss is pictured in the table of contents on page 4.

Sarah Scoble

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Western Horseman welcomes feedback from readers. To submit a letter for Feedback, email edit@westernhorseman.com.

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OPENING SHOT

Flash of Brilliance

A THUNDERSTORM ROLLED through Coalville, Utah, while Shelley Paulson was visiting cow horse trainer Zeph Schulz last year. She was there to gather photos for the article, “Learning to Dance,” which appeared in the May 2019 issue.

With brilliant lightning bolts zigzagging through the sky, Schulz’s son, Daniel, sat on his horse while Paulson took photos.

“We were not very far from the barn to be safe,” she says. “I wasn’t really prepared for this. I didn’t have a tripod, so this was a handheld shot. I saw this streak of lightning start, and once I hit the shutter the lightning just exploded everywhere. There was a lot of luck involved.”

Paulson is proud to say that she didn’t have to manipulate the image in Photoshop, other than doing some minor tweaks. And she’s also happy that after taking this photo, she and Daniel called it good.

“Right after this shot, the sky opened up and we all ran for the barn,” she says with a laugh.

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RIDE WEST

Brady Clark brings in the remuda on the Bell Ranch in New Mexico.

RANCHING

Original Wranglers

While not always the most celebrated job on a ranch, wrangling requires skilled cowboys willing to work in the darkest hours of the morning.

A

Story and photography by ROSS HECOX

HANDFUL OF BIG OUTFITS in the West continue to run a wagon during branding season. Staying out on the wagon for weeks at a time necessitates cowboy teepees, bedrolls and meals cooked over a fire. It also means the crew needs plenty of horses.

The term “remuda” is derived from the Spanish word remudar, which means “to exchange.” It’s not unusual for a ranch with a crew of 10 to 15 cowboys to have a remuda of 100 to 150 head of geldings, and each

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morning someone is assigned the task of bringing them in from a nearby pasture and into camp, where each cowboy saddles one of the horses in his string for the morning gather.

Because the crew almost always trots

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out before sunrise, it’s common to gather the horse pasture in the darkest hour of the morning.

“In my younger days, those big ranches would usually have a horse wrangler,” recalls Ed Ashurst, who has worked on Arizona cow outfits such as the Babbitt, Diamond A and O RO. “Sometimes we’d keep a night horse up in camp, and the cook would call the wrangler to breakfast first. He’d eat and then saddle his night horse and go out and bring in the remuda.”

Finding the horses in the dark isn’t easy, especially if they are kept in a large, rugged pasture. California horseman Bryan Neubert has worked for the Spanish Ranch and several other large cow-calf operations in the Great Basin, where the term “cavvy” is more often used to describe the ranch’s herd of saddle horses. The term is derived from the Spanish word cavvietta.

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Neubert liked to attach a bell to the leader of the cavvy, and then he’d call out the horse’s name in the darkness.

“When he hears you holler, he’ll swing his head up and the bell dings,” Neubert says. “That’s how you find him.

Then you start driving the bell horse home, and the rest of the horses follow him. They know when he’s headed home. There’s quite a difference between the sound the bell makes when he’s grazing and when he’s loping.”

As a young man, Apache Adams worked on several large ranches in West Texas that ran a wagon, including the KC and the o6. His father also kept large numbers of horses, and Adams began wrangling them each morning as a boy.

“We put a bell on a mare named Jitterbug, and all those horses would follow her,” he recalls. “And we had a little wrangle mule, and in the morning when you stepped on that wrangle mule, you’d better hit the saddle because she was leaving there and going to the backside of that pasture.

She knew right where those horses were. She could hear that bell.”

Ashurst never utilized a bell horse, but he says that at times it makes sense to bring in the remuda in the evening, catch the next day’s horses, and leave them in the corral overnight.

“Some of those pastures would be anywhere from 300 acres to maybe 10 square miles,” he says. “If you had them throwed out in that big of a piece of country, you’d keep [the next day’s horses] up at night. Or, maybe you would send a couple of guys to gather them in the morning so it went faster. It all depended on the situation.”

Ashurst adds that some crews change horses at lunch. After trotting for several miles and then gathering cattle, the cowboys need a fresh mount for working calves in the branding pen.

In those situations, someone brings the remuda to the pens. Ashurst appreciated the times when there was a horse wrangler to handle the job.

“You’d come in to the pens tired, and if you didn’t have to go wrangle horses, that was nice,” he says. “A lot of times having a horse wrangler was a luxury, because if you didn’t have a designated

July 2019

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ABOVE: Before sunrise on the Kokernot o6 Ranch in Texas, Jeffery Alvarado brings the horses into camp.

ROUGH OUT OILED CANYON ROSE COLLECTION

LEFT: Levi Lewis (left) and Jamie Wood bring in the remuda on the 7 Up Ranch in Arizona.

horse wrangler, somebody on the crew had to do it.”

The job of wrangling is rarely viewed as a glorious assignment. Most cowboys tell their best stories about roping and dragging calves to the fire, or trotting out before daybreak, but not about bringing in the remuda.

Also, the most skilled cowboys are usually not assigned the job of wrangling. Nevertheless, Ashurst says

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it’s an important job, and some men take pride in doing it.

“The good wranglers would try to get the remuda into camp nice and peaceful, and not be hard on them in any way,” he says. “They would bring them in at a trot or a walk. And the good ones would be able to tell you, ol’ So-and-so is limping, or he threw a shoe. Just like anything else, there are good wranglers and bad ones. The good ones are appreciated.”

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Calm, cool and collecting belt buckles.

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RIDE WEST

WOMEN OF THE WEST

Nikki Woodward

A former Miss Rodeo Texas, this cowgirl takes pride in her ranching roots and in sharing them with others.

Interview and photography by JENNIFER DENSION DURING HER ONE-YEAR REIGN as Miss Rodeo Texas, Nikki Woodward traveled throughout her home state and across the United States promoting rodeo and ranching from the perspective of a woman who grew up in both worlds.

A fifth-generation Texas rancher, Nikki grew up helping her parents and two brothers raise Brangus cattle, Rambouillet sheep and goats on their ranches in West Texas. They handled all their livestock horseback.

She also competed in high school rodeo and 4-H shows.

When Nikki was 10 years old she participated in a Miss Rodeo Texas clinic. In 2004, at age 11, she was crowned Miss Rodeo Texas Princess, wearing borrowed dress boots and her father’s felt hat. During the next 10 years she won other fair and rodeo queen titles. She became Miss Rodeo Texas in June of 2015, and in December of 2016 she competed for Miss Rodeo America, finishing as a top five finalist.

Through scholarships earned in the rodeo queen competitions, Nikki received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Texas Christian University and a master’s in agricultural communications from Texas Tech University.

The 26-year-old lives in Alpine, Texas, and continues to serve the Miss Rodeo Texas

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pageant as an emcee, sponsor and clinician. Currently a livestock production specialist for Pecos County Feed & Supply and Purina Animal Nutrition, she plans to continue to grow the family ranch and raise her own Brangus cattle herd.

I don’t remember learning how to ride; it was just something we had to do to get around the ranch and I loved it. I joined 4-H to learn the basics of riding, and once I got to junior high I determined I had the need for speed, so I started barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying and breakaway roping.

I was extremely shy and having a hard time in school [before attending the Miss Rodeo Texas clinic]. I went in wearing my work boots, faded blue jeans and a straw hat. I didn’t know any better.

I was a little ranch girl who grew up around boys.

When I won [Miss Rodeo Texas Princess], I didn’t own a felt hat so I wore my dad’s.

They poked holes in it when they put on the crown, and my dad had a hard time explaining later why his hat had holes in it.

I was raised with older brothers and was always expected to do the same work as they did on the ranch. I was competitive and wanted to do it as well or better than they

did. I loved being a cowboy, but I also wanted to be a lady like my grandmother.

I found out that I was dyslexic when I was a junior in high school, and that’s why I had such a hard time learning in school. My parents knew about it before then, but didn’t tell me so I couldn’t use it as a crutch.

The rodeo queen contests really helped me learn to study, and I also learned to talk to people.

Horsemanship is so important to being a rodeo queen.

You are expected to ride a lot of different horses at events, and you never know what you might get. At the West Texas Fair and Rodeo I was given a horse that had been shown in reining but I didn’t have time to warm him up. I started to ride a figure-eight on the horse and it bucked. My Wranglers were just the right amount of tight to keep me in the saddle.

I never got bucked off a horse, and I never lost my hat during my reign!

Our family’s biggest tradition is to get together in February to gather the sheep and then sheer them the next weekend.

If we can’t get together at Thanksgiving or Christmas, everyone makes sure to be there in February.

“When I learned you could combine riding horses with sparkles, that’s when I wanted to be a rodeo queen.”

One of the biggest [misconceptions] about rodeo queens is that we’re only there for the rodeo and don’t have background in ranching, rodeoing or riding. There’s so much that goes into being a rodeo queen like staying up-to-date on rules and regulations, current events, and our Western heritage. Rodeo queens are extremely dedicated to the sport of rodeo and the Western way of life, and are passionate about communicating that with the public.

I don’t wear a stitch of makeup when working on the ranch. My face gets a good foundation coverage of dust and dirt, anyway.

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We pretty much ranch and ride on rocks, so we need surefooted horses with the stamina to go long distances over several days.

The horses we get we keep a long time, because it takes a rough-and-tough horse to get along out here.

When we’re not working on the ranch and I have some free time, I enjoy just riding my horse out and looking at the ranch.

There’s nothing prettier than sitting on your horse on a flattop mesa and watching the sunset and truly appreciating the beauty of the West Texas landscape.

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RIDE WEST

To start the horse in a circle, Kate Neubert pushes her hand holding the lead rope forward, and then drives the horse from behind with the flag. She wants the horse to have enough slack in the lead to move off and be comfortable without being overly pressured.

HOW-TO

Soft Body, Sound Mind Using a tried-and-true groundwork exercise, Kate Neubert improves responsiveness to cues, expends excess energy and creates a sound-minded horse ready to work.

Story and photography by KATE BRADLEY BYARS

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OUNG OR SEASONED, a fresh horse just out of its stall is often too amped up to immediately get to work—or even to safely throw a leg over. When she needs to get a horse to expend excess energy but also to mentally focus on her, Kate Neubert starts with groundwork.

The California horsewoman uses a circling exercise to accomplish three things: First, have the horse focus on her; second, teach it to respond to pressure and release; and third, work off its energy while evaluating the horse’s soundness.

No matter the horse’s age, it benefits from working in a circle around Neubert, learning how the right response to pressure results in the release of that pressure.

“On a young horse, I do groundwork well before I even saddle it. A horse too young to saddle also benefits from this work, and it is something you can do with an older horse when you can’t always find time to ride,” Neubert says. “Groundwork also allows you to evaluate a horse before you get on its back. People aren’t always sure how a horse will respond or move its feet when you’re on its back, especially if they have a younger horse. I use this exercise to see where the horse is mentally and physically before I get on.”

It doesn’t take a roundpen or any special equipment to successfully accomplish these goals using groundwork—a smooth patch of ground, a long lead rope or longe line, and a flag (a long pole with a piece of material on the end) to get the horse moving are all that’s required. Neubert wants the horse to travel in a circle while carrying itself in a soft frame and being responsive to how she positions her body and her flag, or lead rope.

“I want to be able to bend the horse in whatever size circle I want, which is important when I do ride it,” she explains. “It is important to be able to

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bend the horse to direct it. This exercise allows me to start with small circles, where the horse is close to my body, and then I’ll let the horse out to a larger circle.”

Neubert follows three steps in her groundwork exercise to be sure a horse is ready to ride.

1

Start Solid When Neubert starts a horse in the circle, she steps back from the shoulder, faces the direction in which she sends the horse, and extends her arm with the lead rope away from her body. Her position signals the horse to move forward, and she lifts the flag closer to the horse’s hip to encourage it to move.

“Sometimes turning toward the horse is enough to send it off when it is fresh,” she says. “It is important to watch the horse’s eye to see how much energy it has, how cautious it is and how it is reacting to you.”

Neubert strongly advises adopting a “grounded stance” prior to sending the horse out on the rope: feet securely under your body so you can maintain your balance if the horse pulls sharply against you.

“Stay in a position of strength and be able to rock your body back to maintain pressure; I do not allow the horse to pull me out of my tracks,” explains Neubert. “I give a little slack and make sure I have a long enough lead that I can allow the horse to move. I would rather have a longer lead than necessary so I can give the horse enough space to be comfortable.”

A lead that is too short can inadvertently put pressure on the horse to move forward or faster because of its proximity to your body. Additionally, a longer lead allows Neubert to move away from a horse that strikes out playfully when it is sent forward, or an older horses that sees the longe line as a chance to play.

“There is a fine line between driving the horse and drawing the horse to create the arc of the circle,” she says. “I am constantly adjusting my position and don’t always stand still.”

2

Switch Sides Neubert’s goal is to teach the horse to work around in an arc that starts at the horse’s head, with its nose tipped into the circle, and carries through its shoulders, ribs and hips all arcing to maintain position. She begins with a wide circle.

“When you first teach a horse to work around, getting it to give its head and neck is goal one,” she says. “When a horse gives its head and neck and the body arcs, you need to offer release and slacken the rope. I like the horse to show signs it is soft and round by giving its head and neck in a bend that looks like flexing. I watch its hind feet to to be sure they are tracking in the same path as the front feet, and the horse has a true arc to its body.”

It can take several laps until the horse understands the give and take of the pull on its lead rope and the pressure to move forward from the flag.

“If you introduce something new and the horse gets it right three times in a row—changes position correctly three times— it is starting to take root in their mind,” she says. “The horse will try to escape by pulling, or even backing. The first or second time the horse gets back into the correct position and I release pressure it may not understand it’s getting [the exercise] right, but the third time, the horse will grasp it.”

Once the horse shows a soft body arc and maintains the position, Neubert will switch the circle direction. To do so, she steps forward of the horse’s shoulder, drops the flag and changes the hand in which she holds the lead rope to direct the horse to turn toward her and switch directions.

A stable and grounded stance allows Neubert to shift her weight back to pull against a horse that is trying to escape the circle, and helps her stay in control. When the horse is moving quickly, and away, Neubert doesn’t add pressure with her flag, but drops it low to her side.

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To change directions, Neubert switches her lead and flag hands, steps forward and asks the horse to turn toward her to reverse; however, she wants the horse to remain in motion and not stop or pivot.

“I want the horse to continue momentum with its feet, not stop and turn,” explains Neubert. “Usually, a horse will have one side that is more supple than the other. This exercise lets you see which side needs work and how you can get the horse balanced.”

When the horse moves in a small circle on a loose lead and has an arc to its body, and does that in both directions, Neubert sees that as a sign to end the exercise.

3

Stop Smart After working from a wider circle down to a smaller circle and switching sides successfully, Neubert watches the horse’s response to help her decide when to stop the lesson.

“I want to be able to have hold of the horse’s head and drive it around me in a small circle,” she says. “At any point, if I take more of the horse’s nose, I want the horse to stop its feet. Once I can do that both ways, I’ll end the exercise with a young horse in that position, where it is stopped and looking at me.”

Neubert then uses her flag to challenge the horse. She touches the horse’s body, from head and chest back to hindquarters, to gentle it and have it accept the flag’s presence.

“Generally, I use the flag two or three times before a horse accepts it and understands the exercise,” she says. “The flag is an extension of my body. I flap the flag, have it make noise and move.

When a horse is calm, I touch them all over. Don’t get wild with it; the flag is a good tool and not something used to scare a horse. I am testing how it reacts to pressure.”

When the horse stands calmly, even lowering its head in acceptance of the flag, Neubert finishes the lesson.

“There is so much you can continually introduce a horse to with this exercise: flexing, moving off pressure, the flag. It depends on a horse’s fitness how long I work,” Neubert says. “I like the horse to work, but not to the point where it gets bored. People can work this so much that a horse gets dull or irritated. Keep challenging the horse by varying direction and circle size.”

OUR EXPERT

Neubert finishes the lesson by desensitizing the horse to the flag.

She moves the flag around the horse’s body, looking for signs it accepts the pressure before quitting her session for the day.

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At the 2017 Road to the Horse colt-starting competition, KATE NEUBERT displayed the skills she learned growing up in California with her father, horseman Bryan Neubert. She was awarded that year’s RTTH Jack Brainard Horsemanship Award. Her insight into starting young horses and experience training and showing cutting horses have allowed Neubert to excel as a horsewoman. She’s taken horses to the top at the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association Futurity and to the semifinals of the National Cutting Horse Association Futurity on her way to approximately $200,000 in earnings. She lives in Templeton, California, starting horses for trainers including Morgan Cromer and Phillip Ralls, and managing her own horse business.

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RIDE WEST BIT BASICS

Grazing Bit

The simple design of this common curb bit doesn’t mean it’s easy for the horse to understand.

Story and photography by ROSS HECOX In this monthly series, California horseman Richard Winters outlines the function, design and application of a variety of bits.

W

HAT LOOKS SIMPLE in design doesn’t always function in an elemental manner. That is certainly the case for a common curb bit often called a “grazing bit.” If a horse has been trained only in a snaffle, or has even advanced to some type of transition bit with swivel shanks and a jointed mouthpiece, that doesn’t mean that moving up to a curb such as a grazing bit is a seamless step.

A grazing bit typically features a solid mouthpiece with a low to medium port and fixed shanks that sweep back.

Because this design has no joints or hinges, it is limited in giving lateral

The length and angle of the bit shanks affect its severity.

“The longer the shank, the more leverage you have,” Winters says. “Also, the straighter those shanks hang down, the more torque you have. If they’re swept back, there’s a little softer feel for the horse.”

Winters says proper adjustment of the curb strap is crucial. “A good rule is to be able to fit a couple of your fingers between the strap and the horse’s chin,” he says. “Make sure when the bit is just hanging in the horse’s mouth, the chin strap is loose. And then as you pull the shanks back, it eventually makes contact with the chin.”

Richard Winters has found success as a clinician and as a competitor. He claimed a National Reined Cow Horse Association World Championship in 2005 and won the popular colt-starting competition Road to the Horse in 2009. In 2016, he authored the Western Horseman book From Rider to Horseman. Currently, he is the horse program director at The Thacher School in Ojai, California.

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No more

direction (as opposed to a ring snaffle, outlined in the May 2019 issue). However, a curb bit has the ability to apply considerable vertical pressure, particularly once the curb strap engages.

“It is meant to be predominately used one-handed, so the horse should be able to neck-rein,” says California horseman Richard Winters. “Most riders who use this bit, like cutters and reiners, ride with a very loose rein. They’re not constantly picking up the reins in order to support the horse and keep it really vertical. And they want a bit that’s light and isn’t a lot of hardware in the horse’s mouth while it is working.”

When a rider picks up both reins, the shanks rotate back and the mouthpiece puts pressure on the horse’s tongue and bars. The rotation of the shanks also causes the curb strap to tighten against the horse’s chin. The mouthpiece and curb strap can combine to exert significant pressure; therefore, riders should be considerate whenever they apply pressure with the reins.

“If I rode a horse in a transition bit for a while, he would have some understanding of how the curb works, and would be familiar with leverage pressure,” Winters says.

“From there, I can put a solid mouthpiece on him. But we shouldn’t look at this bit in its simplicity and think that any horse can handle it immediately. He needs time to understand how it works.”

Although the term “grazing bit” is generally understood to derive from the fact that a horse can eat grass with it due to the swept-back shanks, Winters doesn’t advise that. When reins, bit shanks, the ground, hooves and a horse’s mouth come in close proximity, there is risk for injury or damaged equipment. It also can encourage bad habits, he adds.

“Because the shanks are swept back, and there isn’t this big, highported mouthpiece in it, it would be easier for the horse to reach down to graze with it if you wanted him to,” he says. “But good horsemen would not recommend that. Allowing your horse to graze extensively with a bridle on can be problematic.”

A moderate port shouldn’t make much contact with the horse’s palate, and it places less pressure on the horse’s tongue than a straight bar mouthpiece. Winters points out that while a higher port offers more tongue relief, that doesn’t translate to less pressure. “Lots of tongue relief means more pressure on the bars,” he says. “And the flatter the mouthpiece is across, then the more the horse can support the bit across the width of his tongue.”

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RIDE WEST

Headlamps and a campfire light a card game as dusk fades.

Fully collapsible, 2-pound chairs and table bring luxury to our backcountry kitchen. Note the mantie-covered kitchen pile inside the bear fence behind the red chair.

BACKCOUNTRY

Everything in Its Place

An organized camp system makes every trip easier.

Story and photography by MELISSA HEMKEN

I

F YOU DROPPED BY OUR CAMP on Washakie Creek, our dinner conversation might have stunned you. We debated about where to stow our headlamps for a good 20 minutes.

It’s a complex topic. A headlamp must be stored in a waterproof location. During the day, it should be on your ride horse in case camp is reached after nightfall. It’s also needed in the tent at night in case of horse stampedes or other unexpected events.

Riding down the trail at dusk, I’ve realized my headlamp is inside my clothing bag, buried in a pannier. At night I’ve groped for it in the tent.

Then I remember it’s in my ride saddlebags, which are submerged in the tack pile. After a decadeplus of experiments, I now keep my headlamp in my dry bag that waterproofs my camera.

I never forget to place my camera in my ride saddlebags. When I retire at night, I carry my camera to the tent to recharge its batteries. I think I finally perfected my headlamp stowage.

But there are more challenges to packing.

Here are some other camp systems I appreciatively learned from people whom I accompanied in the mountains.

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A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP

Each night, I tote a saddle blanket to my tent to serve as a dog bed. My dogs appreciate the insulation from the cold ground. Humans also can sleep on saddle blankets, but I still bring an inflatable sleeping pad for my own use. It’s a damp sleep if the saddle blankets are wet from rain or snow. When camped in a location for multiple nights, I layer packsaddle blankets under my inflatable pad for extra cushion.

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I stuff my down feather jacket inside of my Buff headwear to create a soft, tubular pillow. My other sleeping system quirk: Sacred socks. These thick wool socks only live in my sleeping bag. At night, I remove my boot socks that I wore during the day. The dry warmth of the wool socks refreshes my feet while I sleep. In the morning, the socks remain in my sleeping bag and the boot socks return to my feet.

Trench foot, an immersion foot syndrome, doesn’t only exist in war. Prolonged exposure of feet to damp and cold conditions in the backcountry fosters it, too. Avoid it by always having a warm, dry pair of socks in your sleeping bag.

Hat Stowage

the tack pile and wear my rubber boots to the tent. This way, in the morning when the grass is dewy or frosty, I walk about camp in my rubber boots. This preserves the dryness of my leather boots for when I later mount my horse. Rubber boots also allow you stand on dry feet in the river when soaking a horse’s swollen hock, as Tammy does in this photo (below left).

My mountain chaps are a pair of batwings that are too long for me. The downside is that I trip on them when afoot. But in the saddle, the batwings are long enough to completely cover my feet. This keeps my leather boots fairly dry when riding in active precipitation. Also, the batwings block water that drips from tree branches when my legs and feet brush past.

I accidentally discovered this use of too-long batwings. I traded for the chaps, and I’m short.

Tack Stack

The wide brim of a cowboy hat protects my head from the sun, rain and snow. I wear a dedicated mountain lid that horses have stepped on, hail has pummeled, and dogs have crushed while in the tent.

Most commercial tents are manufactured with nylon tabs across the ceiling. To avoid the my-dog-sat-on-my-hat look, string parachute cord from the ceiling tabs to hold hats, as shown in the photo. It’s handy to hang sunglasses, too.

The tack pile on the right is on a boulder with the packsaddles as its first layer. Then ride saddles are stacked on top of the packsaddles to provide space for stirrups to extend. If no logs or boulders are handy for a saddle rack, just place the packsaddles on the ground to provide a stacked rack for ride saddles.

As shown in this photo, I spread mantie tarps to pile gear according to the each horse’s pack load when setting camp and dismantling it. This prevents gear from becoming lost in the grass or muddied.

Say No to Soggy Feet

All About Length

I bring two pairs of shoes on a pack trip: leather riding boots and rubber boots. In the evening, I place my leather boots in

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My packhorse halter is tied from a thin-diameter rope with a soft, thick, 12-foot lead rope that’s easy on my hands. For my ride horse, I use a rope halter with a 12-foot lead cut from 9mm dynamic climbing rope. I like a long lead rope to tie a horse to a large tree with a double wrap around its trunk. The friction hitch keeps the rope from sliding to the ground. A long packhorse lead also gives me enough length to respond when a packhorse unexpectedly balks at a trail obstacle.

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As FAst As the slowest MeMber

standing under such weight while someone searches for her lip balm.

When preparing horses to move camp, a smooth system is to pack and weigh pannier loads; set panniers, marvella top loads, lash ropes and manties by each packhorse; saddle all horses; stuff day gear into ride saddle bags; and, when all expedition mates are ready, throw loads.

Happy trails to you and your horses!

Members of a pack trip rarely operate at the same speed.

Pack loads are heavy. It drives me crazy to see packhorses

MELISSA HEMKEN is a Wyoming-based freelance writer and photographer. She has logged countless miles packing into wilderness areas.

I permanently tie lead ropes to halters. This eliminates a horse carrying a heavy snap and the snap continually bumping its chin when traveling. On the trail, my ride horse’s lead rope is secured around its neck by an all-day knot. When I was taught the wrapped slide knot, I learned the “all-day” name meant that, when tied correctly, it would hold all day on the trail.

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5/22/19 5/3/19 4:21 9:58 PM AM

RIDE WEST

HEALTH

What Lies Beneath

The right pedigree, performance record and marketing plan won’t matter if you don’t have some basic ingredients in place for your sale horse.

S

By CHRISTINE HAMILTON

OMETIMES THE HARDEST HORSE to see is the one standing in front of you.

Whether you’re offering a good gelding in a ranch horse sale or gearing a yearling toward a production sale, getting a horse fit and in top shape to appeal to a buyer is hard work.

“Anybody can bring a horse to a sale,” says Joe Noble, DVM, of Norman, Oklahoma. “If you’re going to present a horse properly and in the proper condition, that comes from nutrition and exercise.”

We asked three experts to weigh in on some fundamentals behind getting a

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horse sold well: Roger Daly of Roger Daly Performance Horses in Aubrey, Texas; Joe Noble, DVM, of Noble Equine Veterinary Services in Norman, Oklahoma; and Pat Burton of HoofPros Farrier & Equine Podiatry Service in Burleson, Texas.

Their perspectives might cast a different light on how you’re managing the horses in your barn.

1

Conditioning takes time.

“It takes primarily 90 days of conditioning and exercising,” Daly says, to gradually fit a horse to be in top form at a sale. The horseman fits approximately 250

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2

Quality feed pays off.

Burton sees problems crop up when people try to cut corners with their feeding programs.

“Any kind of nutritional deficiency can show up in the feet,” Burton says. “If you have a poor quality hoof wall, often when I ask a client what they’re feeding and then read the feed tag, it seems I find that the ration they’re feeding is a cheaper feed that cuts corners and doesn’t have a good balance of minerals.

“A basic ration of oats and alfalfa hay often covers most horses’ nutritional requirements, along with a good vitamin and mineral supplement.”

ROSS HECOX

There are no shortcuts to fitting a horse for a sale. It takes time, quality feed, exercise, and the “elbow grease” of daily grooming.

horses a year for auctions, primarily in the racing and cutting disciplines.

“You have to feed a quality feed and exercise that horse—making it work and sweat a little bit—to generate oils in the hair and help that horse look shinier, and groom daily. It’s just elbow grease; there’s no shortcut. The biggest thing is feeding them good, and having them wormed and vaccinated.”

Fitting programs vary depending on the individual horse, its age and intended purpose. A yearling might have 10 minutes of roundpen work every other day, but a seasoned ranch gelding might need riding. The aim is to get a horse fit, maintain its weight, and condition the coat with regular grooming.

There’s nothing scientific about that 90 days, says Noble, but years of professional horsemanship have established it.

“It just seems that when you have that amount of time you can fine-tune your fitting program to suit the horse,” he says. “Most professionals have a general base feeding program, but they can tailor it to specific horses and feed each horse in an individual manner.

They’ll tweak the amount, include additives, or increase or decrease exercise over time, as the horse needs.”

Burton agrees, especially from the perspective of hoof quality.

“It takes time to see a difference that nutrition makes in their feet,” he says. “You really see a difference in their hoof quality between 90 and 180 days after a change of a ration. The shortest time you might see a difference is in six to eight weeks.”

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Daly agrees that good nutrition begins with a good source of forage and a high-quality grain, depending on a horse’s workload and needs.

“We eyeball a horse’s weight and adjust grain, keeping in mind the amount of work a horse is doing,” Daly says. “Most of ours get free-choice alfalfa and to adjust weight, we increase or decrease their grain.”

Burton points out how important it is to read a feed bag’s tag.

“A lot of our horse feeds today are really complete,” he says. “If you read the tag, it’ll say to feed a certain amount. It’s a big mistake to feed a ration by volume instead of by weight.”

If a feed calls for rations based on pounds of feed, you need to weigh the ration to find the correct amount to feed, rather than going by the volume listed on a grain scoop. For example, a one-pound coffee can by volume probably holds more than one pound of grain by weight.

“The feed company publishes a recommendation on a tag for a reason,”

Burton says. “They do a lot of research on what is going to help a horse maintain and function properly.”

If horses are on “a high plane of nutrition” Burton adds, “they need the proper amount of exercise. Horses that are just fed to be fat, not fit, develop problems.”

Extra pounds can lead to laminitis, put undue stress on joints or cause problems such as epiphysitis in a young horse.

3

Develop a trained eye.

“Your first indication that something is off is just how a horse looks to the eye,” Noble says, referring to hair condition, muscle tone or hoof quality.

“The discerning horseman can look past long hair, a little bit of skinny and not as good hoof care. But size, color and fat—or finish—sells. Yes, the catalog page and how they’re bred is important, but those three are the easiest things to see and what the average horse buyer looks at.”

Also look at the environment he’s in, Burton says.

“Good, solid feet are probably easier to come by in a dry environment. In places with a higher density of rain or where you have horses housed in stalls or in pens where they’re standing in mud or urine, you’ll see some degeneration of the hoof material just from the environment they’re standing in,” he says.

“Regardless of the nutrition, if you don’t have a good environment, it’s hard to build a good foot.”

When you look at the growth lines in a horse’s foot, “you read what’s been going on nutritionally and systemically with a horse over the preceding year,” Burton says. Bold or distinct lines point to “traumatic experience,” including a fever or a bout of laminitis.

Burton also points out that it can be hard for people to recognize when their horse is getting too heavy or too light over time, especially looking at them every day.

“I often suggest people put a weight tape on their horses to keep track,” he says, and used periodically it can help people “see” better.

ROSS HECOX

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RIDE WEST

ARENAS

Reaching Out to Ranch Hands

The first National Reined Cow Horse Association clinic to cater to ranch hands raised the bar on learning.

Story and photography by KATE BRADLEY BYARS

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skill sets, and day two focused on putting those lessons together in a show-pen simulation.

An idea that formed in the mind of NRCHA non-pro competitor Myles Brown of the R.A. Brown Ranch in Throckmorton, Texas, the clinic gained traction when former NRCHA President and Hall of Fame member Todd Crawford started making calls to gauge interest. When the schedule was set for the weekend of March 23, Crawford had the full support of NRCHA with experienced horsemen Russell Dilday, Robert Forst, Matt Koch, Terry Riddle and Jordan Williams joining him as teachers. Tongue River Ranch’s manager, T.J. Good, was on board to host, and Parke Colton Mayo brought a colt with 20 rides to the clinic. By the end Greeson, an NRCHA non-pro of the day, Mayo and the colt had rider of Sarco Creek Ranch in made strides toward building a Goliad, Texas, agreed to help solid training foundation. provide the food.

“It takes the cowboy OLTON MAYO THOUGHT industry into the next level, where HE RODE GOOD HORSES. sometimes the cowboys may be The 25-year-old from Palo intimidated to get into the cow horse Pinto, Texas, works for the arena—because it is an intimidating Burns Ranch near Henrietta. He found world. You watch all the cow horses out that putting his horsemanship on and the way they perform, the ranch display at a clinic taught by National horses perform completely different Reined Cow Horse Association because they do a day-to-day job,” says professional horsemen uncovered Forst, of the Stuart Ranch in Oklasome holes. homa. “The horsemanship here is “I came in here with a hardhead in a great; it needs a little fine-tuning. With way because I thought I had good small changes, the horses here horses. This will humble you quick,” says improved from doing it ‘okay’ to dang Mayo. “There is a lot of talent out here sure getting it done—keeping [the and today has changed everything.” horsemanship] simple.”

In one day, more than 60 working Participants started the day with a ranch cowboys and cowgirls had the chuckwagon breakfast and then moved opportunity to receive one-on-one to the arena, where six groups of riders lessons with top performance horse started learning in stations. For Mayo, trainers and horsemen. Put on by the who brought a colt with only 20 rides, NRCHA and hosted at the Tongue River the goal was to put a great foundation Ranch in Dumont, Texas, the two-day on the horse so that he could ride it on event catered to those handy with a the ranch and rein in the show pen. horse and who wanted to brush up on “I brought [the greenest] horse I had showmanship skills for the competitive to be able to get as much help as I can,” arena. Day one was all about learning Mayo says. “Being a cowboy and

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ABOVE: The clinicians all have ties to the ranching community and experience in the show pen. From left are Robert Forst, Matt Koch, Terry Riddle, Todd Crawford, Jordan Williams and Russell Dilday. lEFT: Dara Adkins was able to fix her mare’s turnaround problem with help from NRCHA professional and Oklahoma rancher Robert Forst.

thinking you know where to place a horse, it turns out the show pen is completely different. The help means a lot. I wanted to put my horse in a certain spot [to work the cow], but Russell Dilday was telling me it should be a little bit different. I was trying to ‘ranch’ the cow around instead of making my horse look better.”

Small adjustments made for big improvements, as seen throughout the clinic on the first day. Whit Adkins brought along his daughter, Dara. Both have competed in Ranch Horse Association of America events, but usually ride their horses at the grow yard where Adkins finishes cattle. While Adkins’ overall takeaway was to be

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slower and smoother, Dara was able to fix a specific problem with her mare.

“My horse, when I turn around, swings her butt out. Robert Forst taught me to rock her back to keep her butt under her,” says Dara. “If she got to backing up or stuck, I moved her forward and then gathered her back up to start spinning. If she got to swinging her butt, I would back her up.

[For] show situations, he helped us out.

I’m excited.”

When the clinic wound down, conversations along the Tongue River’s porch outside the dining hall centered on what was learned. The second day opened with a discussion on rules and penalties, and advice from Dilday and

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Crawford on how to ride for a judge instead riding as you do in the practice pen. Each participant then rode a reining pattern and worked a cow in a “show pen” run, helping them bring together all the aspects of the clinic.

“I would like to say that the first show experience is going to be a breeze, but more than likely it isn’t going to be good,” Brown says. “But you learn from every run and every show. I would like to think that this clinic gives a step up. It’s good for the cowboys, the association and the people raising these horses. And, it’s a good, fun time.”

The Ranch Hand Clinic produced by NRCHA is an event the association plans to replicate in other areas of the country. The clinicians’ ability to relate to the everyday needs of working cowboys and apply that to showing reined cow horses set up these first clinic participants for success if they decide to show.

As participants made mock show-pen runs, clinicians Matt Koch (left), Robert Forst (center) and Terry Riddle provided sideline coaching.

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RIDE WEST

RIGHT: Jessica Lott carries the American flag during a performance of the Days of ’47 Rodeo at the event’s new arena in 2017.

RODEO

Going for Gold Medals and more are on the line at Utah’s Days of ’47 Arena.

S

By KYLE PARTAIN

EVERAL YEARS AGO, Utah’s Days of ’47 Rodeo stood at a crossroads. It had always been considered a good rodeo, but event organizers were looking toward the future. Was it enough to be just a good rodeo? Or did a state with a rich history in the sport deserve more?

“I presented the members of the board with some options and they decided that they wanted to be a destination rodeo,” says General Manager Tommy Joe Lucia of the rebranded Komatsu Equipment Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo. “They understood from the beginning that

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they were going to have to invest a lot of time and money to make that happen.

But everyone was willing to roll up their sleeves and get the job done.”

The first step was creating a home worthy of such a rodeo. Through a public-private partnership, the group raised funds to build a $17.5 million, 10,000-seat arena in Salt Lake City that opened just in time for the annual rodeo in July of 2017.

“It’s really a great place to watch a rodeo,” Lucia says. “There’s not a bad seat in the house. We got it built in about nine months, working through the Utah winter to make sure it would be done in time for the rodeo that year.

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It was important to create a great atmosphere for fans, because there’s a lot to do in Utah—golf, hiking, skiing and more—so we’re constantly competing with those things. We’d spent a lot of years holding the rodeo at the Salt Palace and Vivint Arena, but what we really needed was a state-of-the-art outdoor arena. There’s nothing like being outdoors for a great summer rodeo.”

Built on the grounds of the Utah State Fairpark—home of Utah’s State Fair—the Days of ’47 Arena has provided a long-term home for the rodeo. But that wasn’t the only major change in recent years. In conjunction with the new arena in 2017, the rodeo implemented an Olympic-style competition in which the cowboys and cowgirls received gold, silver and bronze medals for finishing in the top three spots.

“I think it’s a pretty cool award for contestants who already have a bunch of buckles and saddles,” Lucia says. “I think we’ve got a generation of contestants now who want to come

GREG WESTFALL/DAYS OF ’47 COWBOY GAMES & RODEO

FAR RIGHT: The new home of the Komatsu Equipment Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo offers 10,000 seats for rodeo fans.

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GREG WESTFALL/DAYS OF ’47 COWBOY GAMES & RODEO

here and compete and get on that podium to receive a gold medal, and I say that because I’ve seen the impact it’s had on the people who’ve won the past two years.”

The Olympic-style competition pays homage to the Cultural Olympiad rodeos that were held in Calgary, Alberta, in 1988 and in Salt Lake City in 2002. But there’s more to it than just that. The rodeo has created a partnership with other events across North America to qualify 256 contestants into the field for the July 19−20 and July 22−24 rodeo.

“In the Olympic tradition, we wanted to have a qualification system that would allow contestants from all walks of life to have the chance to come here and compete,” Lucia says. “We worked with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association that first year to create 28 trial rodeos that qualified contestants into our rodeo. But for various reasons, the PRCA opted not to renew that agreement, which forced us to create our own qualification system.”

Working with events ranging from the Calgary Stampede to RodeoHouston to the College National Finals Rodeo, as well as the Professional Bull Riders and the World Champions Rodeo Alliance, the Days of ’47 now has a solid qualification system in place for its $1 million rodeo.

“The WCRA is a great partner because what they’ve provided is an opportunity for anyone to qualify and compete in their events. That fits perfectly with the Olympic mindset we’ve created at the Days of ’47 Cowboy Games and Rodeo,” Lucia says. “Thanks to our partnerships with the College National Finals and the WCRA, we had two teenagers—Kellan and Carson Johnson [the sons of 2011 PRCA World Champion Heeler Jhett Johnson]— come here and win $50,000 each in team roping last year.”

The rodeo’s partnerships with other rodeos and associations is the latest progression in a sport that has been working to redefine itself in recent years.

“Growth comes with trying new things,” Lucia says. “That’s what we’re

seeing in rodeo right now. Sure, we’re going to have a few falls along the way, but that’s part of making progress. I think there are a lot of people in rodeo right now working to create a sport that works for everyone. I hope that in some small way, we’re a part of that.”

The Days of ’47 falls during a busy summer run for professional rodeo cowboys, and PRCA contestants in

particular must balance the need to earn money toward a Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualification with the large payout available in Salt Lake City. Lucia understands the dilemma, but sees plenty of cowboys making time for Days of ’47 in their rodeo schedules.

“I wish they didn’t have to choose,” he says. “It’s unfortunate, but that’s

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where we’re at right now. Give it a few years and maybe that will change, too. We’ve seen a lot of changes in the sport in recent years, and there are more to come.”

In Salt Lake City, the top two contestants from each performance, along with two wild cards (the top two times/scores from across the four preliminary performances who aren’t already qualified), advance to the Gold Medal Round on the rodeo’s final day.

Those 10 contestants in each event will then compete in a sudden-death format in which the winner is determined by the highest score/fastest time in that round. Winners in each event will take home the gold medal and $50,000, plus any money earned in the preliminary round.

In addition to the standard events of bareback riding, barrel racing, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, team roping and tie-down roping, the rodeo will also include breakaway roping for the first time this year through its partnership with WCRA. “We decided to call this event the Cowboy Games and Rodeo because we wanted to keep adding disciplines, so that we truly represent the Western lifestyle,” Lucia says. “It used to be that breakaway roping would taper off for these young women after college rodeo, but now a lot of rodeos and rodeo associations are seeing the value in adding this event. With the addition of breakaway roping, our rodeo will pay out more than $1 million in 2019.

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“I could easily see us adding an event like team penning in the future,” he adds. “We’d like to look at some things that maybe we can’t do in the rodeo performance, but that we can add to better utilize the facilities at the Utah State Fairpark. We’re not looking to become a livestock show and compete with the state fair, which happens in the fall. But there are things we can add that give our fans more to do during the day while we wait for the rodeo to start at 8 each night.”

Looking to handicap the field for 2019? Place your bets on Wyatt Denny in the bareback riding, Cody DeMoss in saddle bronc riding and Hailey Kinsel in barrel racing. The three have won back-to-back gold medals in the first two years of the Olympic format in the Beehive State, and are early favorites to three-peat.

If you make the trip to Salt Lake City, be sure to visit the larger-than-life bronze of ProRodeo Hall of Fame cowboy Lewis Feild that greets rodeo fans at the main gate.

“The sculptors did a great job, and I think they created a perfect way to welcome rodeo fans into the stadium every night,” Lucia says.

“Nobody represents the importance of rodeo in Utah more than Lewis Feild. I just hope that we do him and the state justice every night with our performances.”

KYLE PARTAIN is a Colorado-based freelance writer who has covered rodeo for more than 20 years.

GREG WESTFALL/DAYS OF ’47 COWBOY GAMES & RODEO

A bronze statue honores Lewis Feild, a Utah rodeo legend and fivetime PRCA world champion bareback rider. The Last Ride was sculpted by Tom Martin.

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RIDE WEST

CRAFTSMEN

Greg Gomersall

On the Idaho-Oregon border, this cowboy meets a demand for solid working cowboy saddles.

Interview and photography by JENNIFER DENISON

T

HE DOOR TO GREG GOMERSALL’S

leather shop in New Plymouth, Idaho, 10 miles from the Oregon state line, is always open to local horsemen and fellow craftsmen needing help or advice on a project. While they’re sitting around the woodstove drinking coffee, there’s always conversation about horsemanship, cattle, the land and weather, and cowboy gear. All the while, Gomersall doesn’t miss a beat, shaving leather from a saddle’s ground seat or tooling a floral pattern.

Raised in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, Gomersall spent most of his childhood on his grandparents’ ranch, where they had 450 head of cows and hundreds of horses, including a string of saddle broncs, purebred Clydesdale draft horses and saddle horses. As a boy, he enjoyed doing anything with horses and rode a lot of them, some of which were renegades that both tested and improved his horsemanship skills.

“Our horses were big and unforgiving,” he recalls, laughing. “Anything that got broke enough you could do something on got sold.”

His grandfather, Bill Gomersall, and his uncle, Gordon Ellertson, influenced his interest in ranching and his desire to work with leather.

“I started fixing our own [gear] at home,” he says. “My uncle had an old harness machine in his basement and I worked on that a bunch.”

Gomersall befriended a Moose Jaw saddlemaker by the name of Hank Friesen. Friesen had apprenticed with a harness maker in the 1950s who gave him his tools when he retired. Gomersall still uses a few of the old tools that came from that shop.

In 1987, Friesen closed his shop and went to work for Willow Creek Saddles in Nanton, Alberta. Gomersall followed and worked there for a year and a half.

“It was a small production shop and there were three of us building saddles,” he says. “I was pretty green and had only built a few [saddles], but it was good experience.”

In 1989, Gomersall left Willow Creek and opened his own shop in downtown Black Diamond, Alberta, the inspiration for his diamond-shaped maker’s mark. He earned a reputation for making functional, strong saddles

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Gomersall’s flowing floral design, influenced by the Sheridan and California carving styles, is prevalent on these 25-inch eagle-beak tapaderos.

MAKER’S MARKS SPECIALTY: Custom saddles FACT: Gomersall entered a fully carved slick-fork saddle in the first Traditional Cowboy Arts Association Emerging Artists competition in 2013, and he still rides that same saddle today.

CONTACT: 208-278-0133 or Cyndi N Greg Gomersall on Facebook and Instagram.

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for working cowboys and ranchers, but also enjoyed making headstalls, breast collars, spur straps, reins and other gear.

Gomersall had heard about the Jordan Valley Big Loop, a roping and rodeo held every year in May in Jordan Valley, Oregon, and in 2000 he set up a booth there to showcase his work. That’s where he met his wife of 17 years, Cyndi, who was raised on her family’s farm and ranch in New Plymouth, Idaho. He closed his shop in Black Diamond in August of 2001, just before getting married. After moving to Idaho, he opened his first shop in nearby Ontario, Oregon, and later moved it to their home.

Cyndi and the couple’s two children, Kenzie, 15, and Wil, 13, are fixtures in the shop when Gomersall needs a hand, and the kids both express interest in working with leather.

When he’s not in his shop, Gomersall takes care of his own cattle herd and occasionally helps on local ranches. His primary clientele remains working cowboys, but through the years their saddle preferences have changed.

“I’m just trying to build a solid cowboy rig for a guy who makes his living in it,” he says. “The bulk of the saddles I build are slick forks, but I’ve seen a resurgence in swell forks. I don’t do as many rough-outs or basket stamping as I once did. They mostly want full or partially carved saddles. People are always looking for something different, and as long as styles keep changing it keeps guys like me in business.”

Gomersall does most of his business on social media, but he also attends several trade shows a year, including the Brannaman Pro-Am Vaquero Roping in Santa Ynez, California; Cow Camp Trading Post held in Elko, Nevada, during the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering; the Early Californios Skills of the Rancho in Lebec, California; the Jordan Valley Big Loop in Jordan Valley, Oregon; and the Working Ranch Cowboys Association World Championship Ranch Rodeo in Amarillo, Texas.

Drawing patterns was difficult for Gomersall when he started out, but today he has developed his own carving style. “I like the feel of leather and giving it new life,” he says. “I enjoy the creativity of carving and watching a design unfold.”

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The maker builds mostly slick-fork saddles, but has seen a resurgence in orders for swell forks, such as this one with an inlaid stingray seat. • He made this headstall to represent California heritage. • The diamond shape of Gomersall’s maker’s mark represents his first shop in Black Diamond, Alberta.

Why do you think it’s important to teach traditional trades?

If you don’t help someone learn, the techniques and trades might die. I was lucky enough to be around talented craftsmen.

The first few years they wouldn’t tell me anything, and then all of a sudden one day they saw I was serious and opened up. I hope I can do that for other guys.

I also believe teaching makes you pay attention to what you’re doing in your own work, because you have to learn how to explain it in a way someone else can understand. It gives you perspective on what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and even how you can do it better.

draw a stick figure. My mom could carve belts and purses, but I never took an interest in it until I was in my 20s. I studied a lot of pictures in old saddle catalogs and spent time learning to carve from different people like [Canadian leather carver and silversmith] Peter Swales. It’s important that your saddle designs and tooling patterns have clean lines and flow; everything ties in together and should be proportionate and balanced.

How do you distinguish your work from that of other makers?

I’m not afraid to try something new, and I’m always looking for new patterns and designs.

It’s fun to try different things. I don’t build two saddles alike, unless the customer wants What is one tip you have for someone a matching pair. I draw new patterns for each wanting to order a custom saddle? saddle and don’t reuse them. I feel that I can talk to people all day about the reasons customers pay me for an original piece. No to ride a custom saddle, but they have to be guy wants to show up in the branding pen ready to make that investment. I suggest riding the same saddle as someone else. looking at and riding a bunch of different What are the rewards of having saddles saddles and putting a lot of thought into you’ve built being used versus being exactly what you want, from tree and horn style to stirrups and skirt shape to the type displayed in a museum or private collection? of horses you ride. Experience is the best way to learn what you want. One of the best If they’re riding your saddles then you’re things about building saddles for working doing something right, and if your saddles cowboys is that they spend so much time in are sitting in the tack room collecting dust the saddle that they know exactly what they there’s a reason for that, too. Saddles in want and what works for them. collections, you never know if they’re functional, but there is satisfaction in What was the biggest learning curve for creating a saddle or other piece that you to become a saddlemaker? someone wants to preserve [that way], The drawing was a struggle for me; I can’t even though it’s made to be used.

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RIDE WEST

VICTORY STAMPEDE

Cream of Calgary, by T.D. Kelsey, is a one-of-one issue, 29-inch bronze, exclusive to the Masterworks of the West.

GALLERIES

New Show in Town

The Masterworks of the West art sale kicks off the 2019 Calgary Stampede with a nod to Charles M. Russell’s legacy and an eye on the future of Western art.

O

By CHRISTINE HAMILTON

N JULY 4, 2019, the night before the official opening of the 2019 Calgary Stampede in Alberta, Canada, a landmark new art sale debuts at Stampede Park. Organizers aim for Masterworks of the West to live up to its name, offering pieces from more than 40 acknowledged master Western artists in painting, sculpting, silversmithing, rawhide braiding, saddlemaking, and bit- and spurmaking.

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“We wanted to do something new, something we hadn’t seen elsewhere in the industry,” says Stampede President Dana Peers, who has spearheaded the sale’s development for more than two years. “We wanted a very exclusive show.”

To put together the participating artists, Stampede organizers elicited the help of Bill Rey of the Claggett/Rey Gallery in Vail, Colorado. The son of artist Jim Rey and an honorary member of the Cowboy Artists of America, he has been a respected figure in the Western art industry for decades.

“I wanted to bring to the table a seasoned group of like-minded men and women, painters, sculptors and gearmakers,” Rey says. “I think you could put all of these artists together in a room and they would have a darn good time together because they are all masters of their craft, comfortable with who they are.”

The artists represent different styles, from Gordon Snidow’s classic cowboys to Duke Beardsley’s contemporary renderings, or from William Matthews’ dusty watercolor tones to Don Weller’s splashed colors. Many live the life they depict, such as Arizona rancher Shawn Cameron, Rey says. And many have never shown their work together.

“They bring different things to the table but don’t compete,” Rey points out.

“They are veterans who’ve grown up with the West and they’ve seen every side of the art business.”

The Stampede requested each artist bring roughly three new pieces, and most of the artists will be present for the sale.

“All of these artists have major commitments with other shows and venues,” Rey points out. “But they’ve stepped up to create special pieces for this event and it’s neat to see.”

The timing of this first sale honors the 100th anniversary of the 1919 Victory Stampede, the first Stampede held after the Great War (World War I) following the first Stampede in 1912. Renowned

COURTESY OF CALGARY STAMPEDE

For lively tales of the 1919 Calgary Stampede and its homage to the Allied victory in the Great War, head to the “Victory Series” in the Stampede blog at calgarystampede.com/blog.

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COURTESY OF CALGARY STAMPEDE

Bustin’ Loose is a 34-by-34-inch oil by Tom Browning.

Western artist Charles Marion Russell headlined the 1919 Stampede where he displayed and sold 24 paintings he’d completed from 1913 to 1919, alongside etchings and lithographs by fellow artist Edward Borein.

Masterworks of the West invitations were issued to 100 buyers who are established collectors of Western art.

During the sale, each buyer will label pieces for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis, and a dinner in the gallery follows the sale. The show will remain up for only two days, through the Stampede president’s reception on July 5.

The sale proceeds will support funding for the SAM Center, or Stampede Art Museum, to be built on the Stampede grounds, dedicated to preserving and showcasing Western heritage.

“There’s always been an art component, a show and trade show, at the Stampede,” Rey says. “They are looking at the museum as a platform to expose Western art and culture to all who visit

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Calgary for the Stampede from all over the globe. They want this sale to become an international anchor for Western art.”

According to Peers, the museum is currently two-thirds funded with plans to break ground in two years. Eventually the Masterworks of the West will be a month-long exhibition at the museum, with a one-night sale.

“You don’t ever enter into something like this with a short-term vision,” Peers says. “We hope that this is the start of something that is a long-term component of the Stampede. Our purpose as an organization is to promote and preserve Western heritage and values. The CS brand and the Stampede are very much about that.

“A sale of this type speaks to that from a strategic perspective. It’s going to take some time for us to gain the traction that we really hope for. We’re committed to see this through in the long term.”

For more information go to calgarystampede.com.

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RIDE WEST

“I’m sittin’ in the moonlight Playin’ my guitar Not a soul to listen Just playin’ for the stars I’m a country cowgirl My horse is my best friend We go to work at sunup Work cows until day’s end.”

—Lyrics from the song “Country Cowgirl,” by Marinna Mori

Marinna Mori has performed at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, since she was 8 years old.

CULTURE

Singing a New Tune

Marinna Mori shares her youthful perspectives on ranch life through music.

Story by JOLYN YOUNG • Photography by RYAN T. BELL

W

HEN 11-YEAR-OLD Marinna Mori plays her guitar and sings songs about ranch life, the audience tunes in to her raw talent at such a young age and her genuine connection to the lyrics. But she declines offers to perform at gigs in nearby states. Her reason isn’t due to a jam-packed schedule or contract negotiations, though. It’s because she would rather work—and play—on her family’s fourth-generation ranch north of Elko, Nevada, where she lives with her parents, Michael and Madison, and her little brother, Pete.

“I love living on the ranch,” says Marinna. “It’s just cool to be able to sing about that and tell others about it.”

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MARINNA’S MUSES

Favorite cowboy song: “Cricket Roll,” by Trinity Seely Favorite singers: Marty Robbins, Trinity Seely, Molly Skaggs and Dave Stamey Favorite ranch job: Branding Favorite horse: She has four or five favorite horses, but her main mount is “Rosie,” because “I can do anything on her and she is sweet.”

Dreaded ranch job: None—she says she loves them all.

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Her parents encourage Marinna’s understated approach to her musical talent. They first noticed their daughter’s interest in music when she was a toddler intently watching her grandpa, Ken Harriman, play the guitar and sing with his band. Harriman started giving Marinna guitar lessons by the time she was 6 years old, but only when she and her family remembered to bring a guitar to town.

“We didn’t even know she had a [good singing] voice,” says Madison. “We just thought, ‘Oh, she can kinda play guitar, it’s kinda cool.’ ” Then Marinna sang a song for her school’s second-grade Christmas program. The music teacher told her

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parents that their daughter had near-perfect pitch.

“We thought, ‘Oh, maybe she does have something,’ ” recalls Madison.

That was incentive for the family to remember her guitar when they visited Harriman, and Marinna’s musical abilities have since flourished under her grandfather’s tutelage. In addition to learning new chords and songwriting skills, the duo secretly practices three Christmas songs to play for her family as an annual surprise.

“It’s fun that I get to work with my grandpa and that he’s my teacher,” says Marinna. “I get to play with his band.”

Harriman savors every moment spent playing music with his granddaughter, and he recognizes her blossoming talent.

“She’s really creative. She’ll come to me and say ‘Grandpa, I’ve got this poem and this melody in my head. Can you help me put it all together?’ ” he says. “I help her figure out the chords and put it together as she sings.”

Marinna says she enjoys writing poetry.

“The rhyming is fun to do,” she says. “I just need a topic to write about.”

Life on the family ranch provides an unending supply of subjects for her poetry, as Marinna is homeschooled and helps daily with the ranch work. Her favorite place is on the back of a horse, and she and her younger brother routinely ride big circles with the ranch cowboys. Marinna loves to rope, whether doctoring calves at home or competing at a team branding in town. She won her first buckle in the junior branding event at the 2018 Carlin Bronco Bash in Carlin, Nevada, on a team with her dad and Alan and Malachi Malotte, and wears it while singing onstage.

Besides helping his granddaughter set her cowboy poetry to music, Harriman also recognized her stage presence. He says her confidence is unusual for such a young performer.

“She just lights up [on the stage]. She’s so natural at it,” he says.

Marinna performed onstage for the first time at age 8, during the Young Buckaroos’ Open Mic & Talent Showcase during the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko. The next year she co-hosted that session, and returned this

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year to participate in her first ticketed show. Marinna was the youngest member of the “Anchoring the Tradition” show and sang alongside well-known cowboy poet Waddie Mitchell and singer-songwriter Trinity Seely.

Marinna and Seely sang a duet of the song “Cricket Roll,” an equine-inspired ballad written by Seely. Horse-crazy Marinna especially likes that song, and she was thrilled to perform it and

other cowboy songs, including “Red River Valley” and “Night Rider’s Lament,” in front of an enthusiastic audience in the Western Folklife Center’s G Three Bar Theater. Seely says the performance was inspiring to both her and the audience.

“Being up on stage with Marinna was like coming full circle for me—a great reminder of the importance of bridging the gaps of generations in the cowboy-

Left: Being homeschooled allows Marinna to work on the ranch and also have time to write songs and poetry about her experiences. below: Though she enjoys singing, Marinna would rather be helping on her family’s ranch in northern Nevada.

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5/21/19 4:24:58 PM

My Horses Worst Nightmare Shortly after purchasing my gelding I had him checked by several vets, we took x-rays and that told the story – it was My Horses Worst Nightmare!

I tried all of the conventional treatments, but there was no improvement and was told that without surgery he would soon have to be destroyed.

Miracles Can Happen

Feeling desperate, I took a chance on something a friend had told me about, I called TLC Animal Nutrition. I followed their program suggestions and started him on several products that offer support for horses in his situation. “Angel” has taken me to the state finals each year, very impressive for a horse that might have otherwise been destroyed.

Another Second Chance

I had such great results with the first horse I purchased another horse that I saved from certain death, the previous owner sold him to me for one dollar and was sure he would never walk a sound step again. Again I called TLC Animal Nutrition for a recommendation.

Don’t Give Up

Today I would like to share with everyone that if it hadn’t been for TLC Animal Nutrition products, their knowledge and my persistence and faith in God, these horses would not be here today. I know there are many nutritional companies out there, but I just can’t pull myself away from the correct and honest information I get each time from TLC Animal Nutrition.

To place an order or learn more about the TLC products, call or go online today!

Ask for EQUI-BONE TLC Animal Nutrition, Inc. 1-888-508-2290 216 Sleepy Hollow Rd Nottingham, PA 19362 www.TLCanimalnutrition.com

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W ESTER N H O R SEM A N

ing and music world,” says Seely. “It was a complete honor and a career highlight for me. Marinna is a one-in-a-million kid, and I am so proud of where she comes from and where she is going. Her stage presence and composure blew me away. With the confidence of a true cowgirl and a voice and style all her own, she set the stage that night.”

The video of Seely and Marinna singing went viral on social media and has more than 120,000 views and 2,600 shares.

“It motivates me to sing about what I love and how I live,” she says.

Marinna also strummed her guitar and sang a solo of an original song she wrote called “Country Cowgirl.” The lyrics were pulled straight from her everyday life on the ranch, riding horses all day, sitting in a dusty saddle and having a horse for a best friend. She moved audience members and other performers alike so much that she received a standing ovation.

“That was really cool,” she recalls. “I think it was probably the biggest stage that I’ve ever played on.”

Publicly displaying her musical abilities has opened doors to play in other venues and cowboy music gatherings, but Marinna won’t be touring any time soon.

“We’re really particular about what she does,” says Madison. “She’s a kid, first of all. She’s just enjoying it, and that’s all I want her to do.”

It all stems from the Mori family’s values. Michael and Madison raise their children down the road from Michael’s parents and across the road from his uncle and aunt in an atmosphere that prioritizes being together as a family and passing on their ranching legacy. Their faith also drives their lives and decisions.

“She really wants to sing with a purpose,” says Madison. “I think she realizes that it’s a blessing. It brings people joy.”

With a solid foundation built on ranching and faith, Marinna is prepared to grow up and flourish, both on and off the stage.

“I don’t want to get really big or famous or anything,” she says. “I just want to sing about my life and live on the ranch.”

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8/22/18 7/20/16 5/22/194:56:42 4:01:48 10:20 AM PM AM 7/20/16 2:39:43 PM

RIDE WEST

YOUTH ART CONTEST

Creative Canvases Budding artists submitted their best work in the fifth annual youth art contest.

A

By JENNIFER DENISON

RT IS A VALUABLE TOOL that allows young imaginations to discover, explore and interpret reality in the West. With this in mind, and in hope of inspiring the next Charles M. Russell, Western Horseman and the Cowboy Artists of America hold an annual art contest for up-and-coming artists in three age divisions: 8 and under; 9 to 13; and 14 to 18.

This year’s contest had more than 80 entries from which the Western Horseman staff chose 10 finalists in each age division.

Then the magazine’s art director, Ron Bonge, senior editor Jennifer Denison, and CAA member artist Jason Scull selected the champion, reserve and third place in the 14-to-18 division; the champion and reserve in the other two groups; and the coveted overall grand champion.

The judges considered originality, composition, drawing skill, technique and

accurate portrayal of subject matter in selecting the winners. The first-place winner in the 14-to-18 division will receive a $1,000 scholarship sponsored by the Joe Beeler Foundation, in honor of one of the founding CAA members. Second place will win $500 and third will get $250. The winners in the other age groups will receive prize packages from Western Horseman. The overall grand champion wins an expenses-paid trip to the 54th Annual Cowboy Artists of America Sale & Exhibition being held November 1-2 at the Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibit Hall in Fort Worth, Texas.

After reviewing this year’s entries, the judges suggest ways for future entrants to improve their work and prepare for next year’s contest.

• Use your own reference material.

Part of becoming a good artist is to know

CHAMPION 14 TO 18 AND GRAND CHAMPION Like a Boss, oil Reagan Stephens, 18, Weatherford, Oklahoma Artist: “The subject is my retired farrier [Rick] with a friend I wanted to honor. Rick helped me find my first young horse, and gave me advice and encouragement when I was breaking her.

This fast-moving scene communicates that he’s the real deal. I really like the angle [at which] Rick, his horse and the steer are coming toward the viewer.”

Judges: “This piece was a standout in the contest for its detailed, creative and authentic rendering of a common ranching scene. The artist shows drawing skills and knowledge of painting horses and cattle with correct conformation, tack and other elements of the Western lifestyle. The advanced use of color, shadows and highlights, as well as the softening of the foreground and background gives this painting depth and detail. Its action takes the viewer into the scene and creates interest. And we can’t resist a blue Western sky with puffy clouds.”

Like a Boss by Reagan Stephens

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how to compose and take original photos for reference. If you want to use another photographer’s image, be sure to first ask permission, and find ways to change it and make your painting your own, rather than copying another artist or photographer’s work.

• Pay attention to details. Studying your subject matter and knowing about gear, horse conformation and other details is a part of becoming a reputable Western artist. An artist never wants a real working cowboy to point out an embarrassing mistake or something forgotten in a painting.

• Create a focal point. When composing your painting, create a center of interest and make it stand out from the backdrop.

• Practice drawing. Keep a sketchbook with you and draw things you see and that come to mind right away so you don’t forget them. The more you draw, the better your paintings will get.

• Study other artists. Go to museums and look up famous artists in all genres, and notice how they use color and composition to create their paintings and their own style.

• Fill the canvas. Create a background and foreground that supports the focal point of your painting, and fills in the entire canvas.

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RESERVE CHAMPION 14 TO 18 Taking a Break, acrylic Amanda Wong, 16, Chandler, Arizona Artist: “Acrylic is my favorite medium, and I love how it truly portrays the vibrant colors of the horse and its surroundings. Horses are my favorite animals, and I wanted to depict the love a rider has for her horse in the natural background of the Wild West. After a long, tiring ride, this cowgirl and her horse are taking a break under the comfort of a nearby shade tree. The girl softly strokes her horse’s mane, showing her tender care and respect for her horse. This represents the strong unity and love between the rider and horse as they journey together, supporting each other along the way.”

Judges: “A viewer can feel the bond this cowgirl has with her horse because the artist thoughtfully composed an original scene with the girl rubbing her horse in appreciation as they relax under a shade tree. The artist does a great job of adding a rugged, colorful Western landscape with just enough detail that gives the painting a sense of place, without detracting from the main subject. In fact, the rocks in the foreground, tree trunk on the right and branches on top frame the subject and draw the viewer’s eye toward it. We also recognize the artist’s effective use of color to create shadows and highlights.”

THIRD PLACE 14 TO 18 In Memory of Doc, watercolor Emily Cook, 17, Shamrock, Texas Artist: “I chose watercolor because of the way the paint flows and makes the piece have movement. ‘Doc’ [the subject] was my friend’s horse, and he had the best spirit and personality, and we were sad to see him go.”

Judges: “Many artists get their start painting portraits to commemorate other people’s pets, and this artist is off to a great start. Watercolor is one of the most difficult mediums to master, and the artist did a good job of painting details of the horse’s conformation and tack yet keeping fluidity in the medium. The clean, simple background makes the subject stand out, and the horse has a soft, kind eye.”

CHAMPION 9 TO 13 Walk on with Encouragement, colored pencil Jinxi Li, 13, Chengdu, Sichuan, China Artist: “I live with my grandma, who was born in the year of the horse [the seventh of the 12-year cycle of animals in the Chinese calendar], so I liked the horse when I was young. [This painting is based on] a story I heard about a horse saving his master in a snowstorm. The horse means ‘brave and honest’ in China.”

Judges: “The story behind this drawing is inspiring, and the drawing conveys that mood with the blowing mane and snow. The artist shows excellent drawing abilities, good command of the medium and interesting placement of her subject in the painting.”

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Taking a Break by Amanda Wong

In Memory of Doc by Emily Cook

Wallk on with Encouragement by Jinxi Li

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RESERVE 9 TO 13 The Last Barrel, oil Hannah Clayton, 13, Springville, Utah Artist: “I think that horses look best in action, and I think the oils help to show that and convey the theme of a Western horse. I love barrel racing and painting, and I wanted to show the beauty of a barrel racing horse in action.”

Judges: “The artist shows a good understanding of her subject matter, and the movement and leg placement of the horse. She chose an interesting perspective, focusing on the lower half of the horse; however, a more developed painting would include the rider. The loose brushstrokes of the swirling dust add to the action in this painting.”

The Last Barrel by Hannah Clayton

CHAMPION 8 AND UNDER Sunset on a Hill, watercolor Berea Collins, 6, Iron River, Michigan Artist: “I decided to use watercolors because I like the bright colors and the fun stuff you can do with a brush. My sister has a picture of a cowboy on her wall that I like to look at and make up stories. This is the cowboy riding his horse.”

Judges: “This is a fun painting without limitations and rendered with a spontaneous effect. The colorful sky and silhouette makes it appear as though this cowboy is riding off into the sunset. The artist did an excellent job of filling the page and creating a whimsical painting we can’t help but enjoy.”

Sunset on a Hill by Berea Collins

RESERVE 8 AND UNDER The Sunshine Horse, colored pencil Geneva Collins, 6, Iron River, Michigan Artist: “I picked colored pencils because I like the colors. I wanted to draw a horse in the sun because we don’t see the sun much in the winter.”

Judges: “After a long winter, it’s nice to see this sorrel horse standing in a lush, green pasture and basking in the sun. Considering her age, the artist did a good job drawing this horse in proportion and shading lights and darks. We also like that she added the sky and grass to fill the page and give viewers a sense of place.”

The Sunshine Horse by Geneva Collins

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You have been asking for it, and it’s finally here!

Legends Volume 9!

The 9th volume in the series is loaded with stories of some of the most famous stallions and mares that ever lived. The list reads like a Who’s Who in Quarter Horse history.

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Written by some of the best authors in equine publishing, the stories of these great horses and the people whose lives were changed by them will captivate you.

Legends Volume 9—Product # 106 $24.95 Call toll free: (800) 874-6774 (M-F from 9AM-8PM EST) • Order online at westernhorseman.com

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7/18/17 5/22/193:53:28 10:21 PM AM

RIDE WEST

WESTERN

STOPS

Williams Bros.

General Merchandise

Story and photography

by CHRISTINE HAMILTON LEFT: The store’s tack selection draws in horsemen, especially ropers, from across the region.

LOCATION: Philadelphia, Mississippi VISIT: Monday through Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

SEASONAL FAVORITES: Winter—Old-fashioned hard candy in bulk just in time for Christmas Spring—Blooming plants and seeds for planting Summer—Fresh vegetables, especially butterbeans Fall—Fresh boiled peanuts or shelled Georgia pecans ROPERS RULE: Ropers can find exactly what they need in the store’s tack shop; the store buys hundreds of ropes a month to keep up with demand.

FUN FACT: Amzie Williams’ granddaughter, Olivia, married football legend Archie Manning, former quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. Their sons extended the football family tradition— Cooper with Fox Sports, Peyton as quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, and Eli as quarterback for the New York Giants. Like their extended Williams family members, they worked in the store.

WH STAFF PICK: Get a wedge of red rind Wisconsin hoop cheese and a box of Ritz crackers for the road, along with a pound of fresh-sliced bacon.

MORE INFORMATON: 601-656-2651; Williams Brothers Inc. on Facebook

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RIGHT: Two great-grandsons of store founder Amzie Williams are stepping up to run the family-owned store: Chad Crosswhite, left, and John Thomas Williams.

P

USHING THROUGH THE OLD FRONT DOOR at Williams Bros.

General Merchandise in Philadelphia, Mississippi, is a step back in time.

Folks line up for rind bacon and hoop cheese fresh-cut at the slicing station, bulk bins sit under the front windows, and old cash registers rring ing without a barcode scanner in sight. The store stays busy with locals as well as out-of-town folks, especially when it’s Neshoba County Fair time.

The red brick store on County Road 375 has been a regional “superstore” and local gathering place since its founding in 1907 by brothers Amzie and Brown Williams.

Inside, half of the store is devoted to groceries, with shelves full of canned goods and dairy coolers flanking the walls. The other half is filled with Western apparel and home goods leading back to the big “boot room” stacked high with top-brand cowboy boots.

The volume and variety of goods is staggering, from hothouse tomatoes, Lodge cast-iron skillets and fireworks to mule harness, watermelon and smoked ham.

The store also boasts a garden center, along with farm and ranching supplies from stock panels to Nutrena feed.

It’s also still in the family. Brown Williams eventually sold out of the grocery and served as the Mississippi State Highway Commissioner, keeping his official office in the store.

Meanwhile, Amzie’s descendants have grown up working in and running various aspects of the store. His grandson Sid Williams is current president, and his granddaughter Jane Dees Crosswhite is vice president.

Philadelphia, “People really come to the store for three things: bacon, Mississippi cheese and boots,” says Chad m 7 0 3 Crosswhite, Jane’s son and part of Atlanta, GA the fourth generation to work in Fort Worth, T the store.

X 522m Via the slicing station up front, 1m the store can sell as much as 115 Jackson, MS 8 slabs of bacon on an average New Orleans, LA 234m Saturday, he says. The store maintains at least 300 hoops of

Oklahoma City, OK 659m

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ClOCKWISE FROM TOP: For more than 100 years, Williams Bros. General Merchandise has offered a comprehensive stock of groceries, Western wear, dry goods, tack, hardware and farm and ranch supplies.

• The cheese-slicing station is at the store’s front; the store sells approximately 25 to 30 hoops of cheese a week. • Every major Western boot brand is offered in the store, as well as apparel and jeans.

red rind Wisconsin cheese in the old front cooler to keep up with demand.

You’re likely to find Sid or his son, John Thomas Williams, working the station and greeting customers.

“When people come in, we want to have the demeanor that we’re glad you’re here as our guest,” John Thomas says. “We want to leave an everlasting first impression.”

An avid team roper, John Thomas keeps the tack shop behind the grocery aisles stocked like a horseman’s candy store with saddles, pads, headstalls, breast collars, cinches, bits, dewormer, fly spray and more. Sid always had horses and showed reiners, and John Thomas grew up riding. They have recently started to hold team ropings in their arena at home.

“I’ve probably got 300 Classic ropes in stock right now, and in a matter of a July 2019

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month I’ll have to restock,” John Thomas says.

Best of all, even on a first visit, the store feels like home. Like their siblings and cousins, both Chad and John Thomas grew up in the store, bagging groceries and helping customers, many of whom grew up shopping there.

Several non-family employees have worked there for decades: longtime employee Tommy Lee Kelly has sliced bacon alongside Sid for more than 40 years, as did their fathers, Henry Kelly and Cooper Williams.

“It’s a blessing to be part of something that people want to come see,” Chad says. “When you walk in, you forget what time you’re in. You get away from cell phones, politics, whatever. It always seems to be a happy place. We want to keep it going.”

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RIDE WEST

COLLECTIBLES

What’s It Worth?

A 90-year-old Hamley Brothers saddle is still in use.

> In the spring of 2018 a man named Bill

Snedigar held an auction in Stevensville, Montana. Included in the auction was a Hamley Brothers saddle, as well as other items he had from his years working as a blacksmith. The saddle is a rich dark leather color with a prominent high back.

It also includes flower tooling along the stirrup area and other leatherwork throughout the saddle. I purchased it for $350 and have it on my family’s cattle/elk ranch in Eastern Montana. I have ridden in this saddle multiple times while on the ranch.

While riding in the saddle I began to become curious about its past. I decided to see what I could find out about the saddle. A close family friend who knows Bill Snedigar quite well began to help me. We were able to track the saddle back to the Hamley Brothers Saddle Company and find out who the original owner of the saddle was, as well as some other information.

The saddle’s serial number is 62-A898 and it was made by Henry J. Kirby for Harold Young of Broadus, Montana, in March of 1929. Mr. Young paid $72.50 for the saddle made in Pendle-

ton, Oregon, at Hamley Brothers saddle company. Based off of the United States Federal Census, Harry B. Young was born on 1908, did not attend school, and lived on a farm in the Powder River area of Montana with his father, Frank Write; mother, Bessie R Write; and younger sister, Sharon. At some point Harry’s saddle appears in the possession of John Abraham Slocum of Stevensville, Montana. Bill helped John’s wife ranch after John had passed away. Bill originally purchased the Hamley saddle for his younger sister.

I am extremely happy to have found out this information; however, I would like to know more of the saddle’s rich Western history. I would be grateful if you could tell me how much the saddle is worth and any other information you would be able to provide.

—SHELBY HIER, Montana

YOU DID A GREAT JOB researching your saddle. A wondercontrol over the quality and the design. The Hamley family ful thing about a Hamley saddle is that the company still has started the business in 1883, and in 1905 set up shop in the records for many of its saddles. I like your excitement in Pendleton, where the saddle shop and store remain today. learning about the saddle.

What I can see from your pictures is that the sheepskin I read your letter and then went to reference my small lining has been replaced. The repair was done in a poor collection of old Hamley Co. catalogs. What I learned is manner where the stitching appears crooked. The fenders are that your saddle is actually a model 627. In your letter it not the original fenders and you can see in the picture [inset] said 62-A898, but when I looked back at the picture you that I have provided how the original fenders and stirrup sent of the number on the back of the saddle the number leathers should look. The design in the fenders does not is 627-A898. That is good news. You have an Association match the stamping design in the saddle. These things hurt saddle built on an Association tree. These saddles the value as far as being a collectible saddle. But it clearly is a were used everywhere good saddle to use on in rodeos, and also used the ranch, and a ABOUT OUR EXPERT MIKE GRAHAM and his wife, Gretchen, on ranches and for testament to the own Ruxton’s Trading Post in Manitou Springs, Colorado. They specialize other purposes. durability and quality of in collectible pieces of Western Americana. The couple wrote the book Old The trees for the a Hamley saddle.

Cowboy Saddles and Spurs—Identifying the Craftsmen Who Made Them. For more information, visit oldwestantiques.com. saddles were made by Hamley less than a mile ESTIMATED VALUE: from the saddle shop. The Do you have a Western antique you’d like to know more about? $400 saddle company had full To find out how to submit your own item to our experts, go to westernhorseman.com.

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5/21/19 10:12:56 AM

RIDE WEST

COWBOY TASTES

WITH KENT & SHANNON ROLLINS

Catalina Taco Salad

ROSS HECOX

15 minutes

50 minutes

8 servings

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1 pound ground beef 1-ounce package taco seasoning ¼ cup water 15-ounce can Ranch Style beans or chili beans, drained well 1 small yellow onion, diced 1 heaping cup chopped tomatoes 1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for serving ½ to ¾ cup Catalina dressing Nacho Cheese Doritos or corn chips, for serving

Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat, and drain excess grease. Stir in the taco seasoning and water, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the seasoned ground beef from the heat, let it cool slightly, and then cover and place it in the icebox for 30 minutes or until chilled. Mix the beef, beans, onion and tomatoes together in a large bowl. Toss in the lettuce and cheese until combined. Toss in the dressing to taste, and sprinkle with additional cheese. Lightly break the Doritos or corn chips and sprinkle over the salad. Serve immediately.

“Our summertime taco salad has a tangy taste topped with Catalina dressing and Nacho Cheese Doritos.”

—KENT ROLLINS

Tip: This makes a generous amount, so if saving for leftovers add the chips and dressing only to the amount being served immediately to prevent the salad from getting soggy.

Cowboy cooks KENT AND SHANNON ROLLINS are based in Hollis, Oklahoma. For more information, visit kentrollins.com and enjoy their weekly cooking shows on youtube.com/CowboyKentRollins.

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RIDE RIDE WEST WEST

PRODUCTS

Roper’s Delight

Whether you’re in the box or on the ranch, select a rope that fits your needs.

CHAOS OPEN RANGE RANCH ROPE from Cowboy Cordage (suggested retail $70) is a 100-percent nylon rope with a braided nylon core and smooth crown. The five-strand rope is designed to be smooth and durable, and comes in XXS, XS and S. cowboycordage.com

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Fast Back’s new COBALT (suggested retail $42/head rope, $44/heel rope) is designed for ropers looking for heavier tip weight and less body. The durable core rope is made of poly and blue dyed nylon, and available as a head or heel rope. The 31-foot head rope comes in XXS, XS, S and MS; the heel rope is 35 feet long and available in S, MS, M, and HM. fastbackropes.com SPITFIRE CALF ROPE from Rattler (suggested retail $43.99) is made from a nylon and poly blend. The 28-foot, four-strand rope is made specifically for professional breakaway roping. The 50/S Pro is lighter and smaller in diameter, and a 60/S Pro Plus is larger and heavier in weight. rattler.com The COTTON RANCH ROPE from Buckaroo Businesses is a five-strand, 60-foot rope that is available waxed (suggested retail $76) or unwaxed ($56), in a right or left twist, in a 5⁄16- or 3/8-inch diameter. Choose between a rawhide or plastic burner.

Shown is the 5⁄16, waxed and dyed, left twist rope. buckaroobusinesses.com

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KATIE FRANK

TO EACH ROPER’S OWN

WORLD’S GREATEST HORSEMAN FINALIST Luke Jones knows a thing or two about ropes. The Iowa horseman, who grew up on his father’s cow-calf operation, trains horses in reined cow horse, reining, heading, heeling and tie-down roping.

He says rope selection is based on feel (which hinges on a rope’s weight), hardness and size [diameter], and adds that he generally prefers a rope with more weight and body.

“A lot of ropes have what they call ‘core’ in the center,” he says.

The core’s twisted or braided fibers “add weight and also help the rope last longer,” he adds.

Ultimately, what a roper chooses to use “boils down to personal preference.”

Until recently, Equibrand held the patent on the four-strand core rope. Now, other companies have started manufacturing core ropes with four or five strands.

Jones says if a head or heel rope has a little more weight, it will be slower, but “it’s likely to have more body, meaning the loop is more apt to stay open.

The way that I tend to swing my rope, I like more weight.”

Ranch ropes may benefit from being a bit heavier because they can be thrown farther than a lightweight rope.

On the other hand, he says that youth riders or someone new to the sport may prefer a rope without core.

“I have three sons, and my youngest son is 7 years old, and for him a lighter rope is better,” he says.

The number of strands also affects the dally. Jones explains that a three-strand rope, while not as common, has more grip and can hold a dally better than four- or five-strand ropes, which have close coils and make a smooth rope.

“A three-strand rope will feel looser than a slick fivestrand rope, but if you’re going to rope slower-type cattle, then a five-strand rope is fine,” he says.

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Hitch Ranch cowboys gather yearlings from an open pasture in the Oklahoma Panhandle.

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Millennial Cowboys While working on the Hitch Ranch, a young cowboy crew learns important skills that go beyond working with cattle and horses.

Story and photography by ROSS HECOX

Although John Bergin is 26 years old,

he doesn’t come close to fitting the millennial stereotype. He spends long days in the saddle, can spot a sick yearling 100 yards away, looks you directly in the eye when he talks, and has already held jobs as either a cowboy or horse trainer in Texas, Oklahoma and Canada.

His current job on the Hitch Ranch in the Oklahoma Panhandle involves roping, doctoring, gathering and sorting yearling calves, and his old-school mentality is displayed on the dash of his pickup, where his cell phone rests. He’d rather not carry it while horseback.>>

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The nature of work on the Hitch is conducive to young men willing to learn the cowboy craft.

ABOVE: Grace Adams (left), Nick Shields, Quade Carlton and Toby Winters trot out to gather a pasture on the Hitch Ranch. right: Carlton (left), Shields and John Bergin doctor a sick calf. opposite page: William Harbison aims for the heels of a sick yearling.

“What’s the point?” he asks. “You’re not going to doctor yearlings with your phone; not going to move cattle with your phone.”

Bergin’s perspectives, skills and experience equip him to supervise the Hitch Ranch cowboy crew, which happens to be an unusually young group. Bergin is the oldest. The other five cowboys are 24 or younger, and the average age is just under 20. Most work part time while taking college classes.

Some were raised on ranches, while others didn’t learn how to ride and rope until they came to the Hitch.

Hiring young part-time help isn’t a new practice on ranches like the Hitch; however, it became a frequent occurrence on the Oklahoma yearling cattle outfit after Todd Adams became the ranch manager in 2016. Adams

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oversees an operation that purchases and preconditions more than 10,000 yearlings every year. Trucks regularly deliver hundreds of calves that the cowboy crew turns out on pasture or irrigated fields for 75 to 90 days before the cattle go to the ranch’s feedlot.

Throughout the year, Hitch cowboys receive shipments, run cattle through chutes, manage their health, rotate W ESTER N H O R SEM A N

pastures and load trucks. Most of it is done horseback.

“The way we run this, with a rotational set of cattle all the time, there’s always a new set coming,” Adams says. “That means that there’s a lot of activity, and yearlings involve way more activity than a cow-calf operation. It’s a lot of logistics.

You have to keep planning where and how everything is going to go.”

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Adams, who is 48, didn’t originally intend to hire a cowboy crew of teenagers and college kids. But with the ranch based in a largely agricultural region and located near Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, the Hitch has attracted plenty of young, aspiring cowboys.

Adams doesn’t mind hiring and training inexperienced help, and adds July 2019

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that the nature of work on the Hitch is conducive to young men willing to learn the cowboy craft.

“If you can take a young guy that’s hard-wired with at least some work ethic, and he’s wanting to try [to learn], you can get something accomplished,” Adams says. “At first, you don’t necessarily give them the job of managing the health of the cattle. But W ESTER N H O R SEM A N

you always need somebody to stand in a hole or be a portable panel. And that teaches them a lot. They get an understanding of how cattle handle and what it takes to do everything.

And once they figure out how the program works, well, then they start developing skills and they can start doing more tasks.”

Adams and former cowboy boss Jake Furnish have trained their share of new hires, including Bergin. As the two have taken on bigger responsibilities, Bergin has stepped into the position of cowboy boss.

“John was back and forth [working at the Hitch] for quite a while,” Adams says. “And then he began training horses for the public, but it wasn’t working out. So in January I hired him full-time.”

In his role, Bergin manages both yearling calves and millennial cowboys. The crew undoubtedly requires plenty of coaching, but the boss is generous with his knowledge and readily offers critiques and advice.

Supervising young cowboys in the 21st century requires an approach much different from running cowboy crews just 20 years ago.

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To function out here, cowboys can’t afford to fit the millennial stereotype.

Carlton (left) and Shields live and work together on the Hitch Ranch.

While checking yearlings in flat, treeless pastures, Bergin shares tips for spotting a sick calf and gives pointers on roping it with as little stress as possible. On gathers, he tells his crew not to take shortcuts and to ride through every nook and cranny of the pasture so as not to miss cattle.

“You’re supposed to hit every corner,” he says.

One day this past spring, the crew gathered a pasture in which yearlings with gray ear tags had mixed in with red-tagged calves. Once they had the calves in the pens, the cowboys began sorting them. Three cowboys rode into the herd, sending handfuls of either gray tags or red tags down an alley toward Bergin, who turned them through a right or left gate depending on the color. The job got done, but Bergin pointed out how it could have been executed much more quietly.

“The whole time I was telling them to slow down,” he says. “Later on, you saw Todd sorting a different set, and it worked so much smoother. He knows how to get in the right position. But that’s just experience. I think it’s good

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to let them sort because they’re not going to learn if they don’t do it.”

Bergin has worked with both baby boomer cowboys and members of his own millennial generation. He says there is a noticeable difference between the two age groups.

“The young guys are on their phones,” he says. “They want to take cool photos and post things to Snapchat. They want to be seen for what they’re doing and patted on the back for just doing their job. The older guys, they didn’t care if anyone saw them doing their job. They just did it.”

Also, Bergin knows that it’s more effective to calmly explain to his cowboys why certain procedures work best, rather than barking orders without giving the reasoning.

“Just the other day we were counting calves, and one guy rode up in the wrong place and got the count mixed up,” he says. “Instead of hollering at them, you’ve got to explain things.

“People’s feelings get hurt so easily nowadays. Probably not as much with these young guys [working on the W ESTER N H O R SEM A N

Hitch], and I think it’s because of their upbringing. For example, Todd’s daughter, Grace, rides with us. She’s 16 and is a good hand. You tell her to do something and she does it. If anything you’ve got to tell her to slow down because she tries so hard.

“I say ‘slow down’ a lot. ‘Slow down,’ and ‘look around.’ ” The following day, Bergin and three other Hitch cowboys, Quade Carlton, William Harbison and Nick Shields, spend the day riding through different pastures and doctoring sick yearlings by heading and heeling and giving shots for inflammation and infection.

Many times, Bergin catches the head and is able to slow things down so that one of the young cowboys can take a heel shot at a slow jog.

“Ride. Ride!” he tells Shields, who tends to set up too far behind yearlings while focusing on making his heel shot.

Later, Bergin offers a tip to Carlton.

“Your mare is coming along well enough now that you can trust her to rate that calf,” he says. “So don’t swing your rope so early. Try to sneak up on that calf a little more.”

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rate that calf,” he says. “So don’t swing your rope so early. Try to sneak up on that calf a little more.”

Under most circumstances, sick yearlings take off and leave a cowboy no choice but to rope it at a high lope.

However, late in the day Bergin is able to ease up to one and toss a backhand loop around its neck before it decides to run. This time, he doesn’t feel the need to offer commentary. He knows his crew was watching.

“I’ve learned to pay attention to what other people do here,” Carlton says. “You can learn a lot, not necessarily by asking, but by watching.”

The Hitch Ranch’s millennial crew is diverse. Quade Carlton, William Harbison and Toby Winters are white and were raised around cattle and horses in the Texas Panhandle. Grace Adams is Korean, and since being adopted as a toddler she has lived the life of a cowboy’s daughter. Nick Shields is black and grew up in Mississippi without a ranching background.

Shields moved a long way from home to play football for OPSU, and last year he began mowing lawns at Hitch headquarters. Eventually, Adams assigned Shields a “hole to stand in” at the cattle pens. That led to getting on a horse and then learning to rope, which Shields considers the highlight of his time on the Hitch.

“I’d never even imagined I’d see this many cattle a day in my life,” he says with a laugh. “I didn’t come from a ranching background. My dad had maybe 30 head of cattle, but I wouldn’t call him a rancher, or even a cowboy.

Just a cattleman. I always wanted to do something like this, so just to be around it is a cool deal.”

Shields’ enthusiasm and easy laugh have served him well in learning the cowboy craft, because no one is immune from getting razzed if they mess up or things go awry. The first time he helped gather a pasture horseback, Harbison had to saddle his horse for him, and the crew gave him all sorts of ribbing when the wind blew his hat off. But Shields can dish it out, too.

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Quade Carlton and Grace Adams doctor a yearling calf in the processing barn.

Todd Adams began managing the Hitch Ranch in 2016 and has since hired plenty of young, inexperienced cowboys.

“When we’re processing cattle in the chute, Nick is fast on the head,” Adams says. “The first time we put William up there, he couldn’t give an implant.

When Nick figured that out, he laid into William.”

Adams adds that the nature of work on the Hitch does more than build cowboy skills, whether they’re doctoring yearlings in the pasture or running calves through the chute to tag, brand, deworm and vaccinate.

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“It teaches them to work together,” Adams says. “When four or five of them are down in that processing barn, they have to depend on each other. If one guy is not running the chute right, or one guy isn’t giving the shot fast enough, it affects everyone. And then they switch jobs in there, and they figure out, ‘Well this particular job is harder than I thought it was.’ It puts everybody on equal footing. And pretty soon, they’re gelling.”

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Todd Adams views the Hitch Ranch as a pivotal junction for young adults trying to figure out where they’re going in life.

Learning opportunities abound on a yearling operation. Here, Adams prepares to give a shot to a sick calf while his young crew observes.

“We’re all brothers,” Shields says.

“We like to be around each other.

Sometimes we all get a little grouchy, but what brothers don’t get grouchy at each other?”

When older generations gripe about millennials, they list a number of negative characteristics, such as self-absorbed, entitled, irresponsible, unresponsive and “stuck on their phones.” The accuracy of those descriptors is debatable, and they certainly don’t apply to every member of this young generation, particularly on the Hitch Ranch. To function out here, cowboys can’t afford to fit the millennial stereotype.

“In this day and age, children are being given everything, and I think that makes them feel entitled,” Harbison says. “But this way of life makes you appreciate things a lot more, because you have to work for it.

That’s my opinion.”

Shields appreciates the work ethic, teamwork and leadership skills to which he’s been exposed. He graduated from OPSU in May, and after spending

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this summer working on the Hitch, he plans to return to Mississippi and get into the cattle business.

“I know a couple of guys that don’t know how to work,” Shields says.

“They’ve had things handed to them.

But I don’t mind the work. Just like football, you might not want to go to practice every day, but you have to if you want to perform on Saturday. So you might not want to go to work, but you’ve got to work to make a living.

“I want to own my own business one day, and I watch how Todd makes people want to work for him. He’s open with people and is fun to be around, but when it’s time to work he gets down to business. He’s been a role model to me, because I grew up with a single mom, and my dad and I were never really close.”

The crew often refers to Adams as “Pop,” and he understands that his role is much bigger than just being the ranch manager.

“There’s a wholesomeness to this environment that has all the electronics and distractions pulled out of it,” Adams says. “It’s just about doing the job and W ESTER N H O R SEM A N

learning, and being responsible. And you have to be respectful to everybody because we live together and work together. Those boys live literally 50 yards from my house. It’s a very unique situation because we bump into each other all the time, whether we want to or not. And that is tough. You are 24/7 setting an example.”

More than just a ranch that hires millennials, Adams views the Hitch as a pivotal junction for young adults still trying to figure out where they’re going in life. Through the years, he has given some young men the job as an incentive to earn a college education. Some have arrived needing to get past issues with substance abuse. Others have just needed motivation to work. Regardless of each individual’s situation, it’s an opportunity to get on the right track.

“They’re all at a crossroads in their lives, and they have to make some decisions,” Adams says. “We all need that compass installed in us somewhere.”

ROSS HECOX is editor in chief of Western Horseman. Send comments on this story to edit@westernhorseman.com.

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JENNIFER DENISON

RIDING OVER THE N

Wacey Marr has worked on big outfits in Nevada, Oregon and British Columbia, but he sees his future on his family’s fourth-generation ranch in southern Alberta.

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E NEXT RIDGE

Wacey Marr set out after college to rodeo and cowboy on big outfits. Along the way, he gained valuable skills that help him carve his future on his family’s Alberta ranch.

By JENNIFER DENISON

S

EPTEMBER 11, 2017, is a day ingrained in the mind of 32-year-old rancher Wacey Marr of Twin Butte, Alberta, Canada.

“I was saddling a horse at 11 o’clock at night to go check on The spear-point brand Wacey incorporated into his some cattle I was worried maker’s mark was designed by his grandfather in the 1930s and is still used on the ranch horses. about,” he recalls. “When we saw those flames come over the ridge and head toward us, I started gathering our horses from the pasture and loading them in trailers and evacuating.”

On August 30, a lightning strike in southeastern British Columbia had ignited a wildfire in a remote mountainous area along the southern Alberta-British Columbia border where his family’s YU Ranch and grazing allotments are located. Hot temperatures, dry conditions and high winds fueled the flames, and the blaze spread rapidly through the week into Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta and northeast through the Cameron Valley.

The Marrs were proactive and had already moved cattle in the fire’s predicted path to another pasture, but the fire took an unexpected turn, rapidly ravaging the grasslands near the park’s entrance, where a bunch of the Marrs’ cattle grazed. By 5 a.m. on September 12 the fire had reached the Marrs’ fence line. Then the winds shifted again and pushed the fire back on itself and away from the ranch. Wacey, his father, Blaine, and other local ranchers joined local firefighting crews to contain the fire in their area.

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In the winter, Wacey devotes most of his days to building saddles and other leather gear for working cowboys.

family’s land, livestock and heritage, of which he is a fourth-generation steward.

He had already begun to appreciate where he came from after leaving home in 2004 to go to college, ride in new country and learn new things. In 2015, after more than 10 years of rodeoing and cowboying on some of the last big outfits in Nevada, Oregon and British Columbia,

“ I really felt [the Gang Ranch] was where I belonged, living in camp without power, sleeping in a bedroll, saddling horses at 2 a.m.”

–Wacey Marr

gathered to help rebuild fences with donated materials.

For Wacey, it was an unforgettable experience and another reminder of how quickly things can change in ranching, and of the irreplaceable value of his

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Wacey was faced with the decision to continue working for big ranches or come home and start securing his future on the family ranch. He came home and applied everything he learned to improve his family’s operation.

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An itch to Wander

Like his father, Wacey was bound to wander. Blaine was the first recipient of a rodeo scholarship from the newly formed Alberta High School Rodeo Association in 1973 and attended Casper College in Casper, Wyoming.

He then pursued his interest in guiding and outfitting before returning to the ranch. He gave his son the same freedom he had enjoyed.

Blaine’s grandparents, of Scottish descent, homesteaded in southern Alberta, 8 miles northeast of Twin Butte, in the early 1900s. Though the original homestead has been divided among family members, Wacey and his parents, Blaine and Mary Ann, and his sister, Gina, run approximately 300 head of Hereford-Angus cross cattle and put up 700 tons of hay on deeded ground and forest leases that have been in the family for more than a century. Wacey and Gina were

JENNIFER DENISON

All total, the Kenow wildfire, as it was called, burned more than 38,000 hectares (93,900 acres), including 19,303 (47,698 acres) in the national park.

Despite structural and environmental damage, especially in the park, livestock losses were minimal. The week after the Marrs and other ranchers in the area returned home, a crew of 300 people

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JENNIFER DENISON

JENNIFER DENISON

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Wacey’s handiness with horses and cattle come from a lifetime of experience working with different horsemen and cattlemen. • Wacey works on his family ranch, as well as tends 500 head of cattle for the MX Ranch. • While handling cattle on the Gang Ranch, Wacey learned the value of working with stock dogs.

horseback from the time they were born. Wacey’s parents noticed their son’s independent spirit and desire to wander at a young age.

“We used to tie a bell on his parka to keep track of him,” says Blaine. “That lasted three or four days before he figured out he could take off his parka, hang it in the bush and take off.”

Wacey always had an interest in cowboying, filling his imagination with stories and art by Will James and Charles M. Russell. Blaine, a two-time Canadian Finals Rodeo saddle bronc

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rider and pick-up man for 20 years, helped his son get started in saddle bronc riding. The family raised broncs and Blaine allowed Wacey and other students to practice on them.

“I got on my first saddle bronc when I was 14 at a practice in Pincher Creek [Alberta],” recalls Wacey. “It took getting on a half-dozen more before I ever got one rode, and several years before I became consistent.”

Wacey competed in both rough-stock and roping events for four years in the National High School Rodeo Associa-

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tion. After graduating in 2004 from Matthew Halton High School in Pincher Creek, Alberta, he attended Central Wyoming College in Riverton, Wyoming, on a rodeo scholarship and studied welding. While Wacey always knew he wanted to cowboy for a living, he found that he also enjoyed working with leather. Blaine built chaps and gloves, and Wacey had worked with him, but he’d never built a saddle until he was in college.

“I worked for [saddlemaker] Dennis George of G Bar G Saddles [in River-

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JENNIFER DENISON

Wacey makes most of his gear, but he also likes to trade with other makers and use their gear.

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TOP LEFT: MARY WILLIAMS HYDE; RIGHT: JENNIFER DENISON

JENNIFER DENISON

Wacey is a two-time Western States Ranch Rodeo National Finals qualifier. He’s shown here in 2016 on a horse called 11 Whisper from Hoggan Rodeo Company.

ton],” he says. “That’s where I started really working with leather and built my first saddle. I learned to run the sewing machines and made a lot of stirrup leathers.

“I asked Dennis to build me a saddle, but he said he’d help me build one, so I traded my wages for materials and the chance to learn. We spent a couple of hours each night after work building the saddle.”

George offered Wacey a full-time job after he graduated, but Wacey wanted to cowboy.

In 2007, after graduating from college a semester early, he went to Nevada and worked for Dan and Eddyann Filippini on the Badger Ranch in Battle Mountain, Nevada. Their son, Max, was his college roommate. He also had the chance to help the crew at brandings on the iconic Spanish Ranch in Nevada and on Oregon outfits.

While he was living his dream of cowboying in Nevada, he also aspired to ride saddle broncs.

Through the years, several Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world champion saddle bronc riders hailed from Alberta, from Pete Knight in the 1930s to Zeke Thurston in 2016. Wacey wanted to

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be among them, so he traveled to rodeos across the United States.

“It costs a lot to go down the road,” he says. “I won money, but not much considering the miles I was traveling.”

Big-Outfit Bound

By 2008, Wacey was battling injuries and tiring of rodeo, so he packed up his bedroll and hired on at Douglas Lake Cattle Company in British Columbia. He spent a year on the historic ranch, founded in 1884, working under foreman Steve Brewer and cowboss Stan Jacobs.

“One of the prerequisites was knowing how to shoe your own horses,” Wacey says. “I’d learned the basics from my dad and a local farrier, but I didn’t have much experience; you learn really quickly there because nobody is going to do it for you, and you ride a lot of miles.”

In the fall of 2009, Wacey went to work for another big outfit in British Columbia, the Gang Ranch. He knew of the ranch from the images of Canadian photographer Kim Taylor. Spanning more than a million acres and known as the “last gate to the Pacific,” the Gang Ranch has lured many young cowboys, including Wacey, westward.

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Wacey won his first ranch bronc riding buckle at the Raymond Stampede in 2006. He also competes on a team and won the Cowboy of the Day honor at the 2017 Cowboy Show.

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“It was like this mystical place and I knew I had to go there,” he says. “I really felt it was where I belonged, living in camp without power, sleeping in a bedroll, saddling horses at 2 a.m.

The first year I was there Dustin Sippola was the cowboss and I knew him and respected him, as well as [ranch manager] Larry Ramstad.”

Wacey’s starting wage on the Gang was $1,750 per month, and all he needed was a saddle and bedroll. He spent May through November out with

Wacey at a ranch rodeo that he was a hand, and he proved his dependability to Ramstad.

“He was willing to take responsibility right away,” says Ramstad, “and when I needed someone to step up he was there.”

During Wacey’s second winter at the Gang, the cowboss had left the ranch and Wacey was asked to stay in camp until Christmas. When he came out, he and only one other cowboy remained; everyone else had left, so Ramstad asked him to be cowboss.

“ We have a saying [on the Gang Ranch] that if a cowboy doesn’t make it here he probably doesn’t have any heart. Wacey has heart.”

–Larry Ramstad

the wagon (a modular office trailer pulled by a tractor), sleeping in a range teepee or a cow-camp cabin. During the winter he sometimes stayed in camp or a bunkhouse at headquarters.

Ramstad, who has managed the Gang for nearly 30 years, says he could tell from the first moment that he saw

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“It was the best thing I ever did for myself, learning to manage a crew and cattle numbers,” he says.

The Gang ranch spans more than a million acres and is more than two hours from the nearest town. Days are long and cowboys ride a lot of miles, some of which are in tough terrain. If

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the work doesn’t drive a cowboy to move on in less than a year, the isolation usually does. But Wacey thrived on the ranch and never failed or disappointed either Ramstad or his crew.

“He knew his job and he had the respect of his men,” says Ramstad.

“They knew he could do anything they could do and ride a lot better than they could. … We have a saying [on the ranch] that if a cowboy doesn’t make it here he probably doesn’t have heart.

Wacey has heart.”

Wacey was the cowboss on the Gang Ranch for 2½ years and helped other young cowboys cut their teeth.

“I was always open to helping guys if they wanted it,” he says. “I’d let them do their thing until they realized they didn’t know everything they thought and would ask for help. I wanted kids to leave there with something valuable they could carry with them, whether they went on to wrangle dudes, work on ranches or become outfitters.”

Though he thrived in his role and with the freedom and isolation of the ranch, he also knew he had responsi-

JENNIFER DENISON

The Marr family has ranched in the southern Alberta foothills for four generations. Today, Blaine and Mary Ann Marr, and their son Wacey and daughter Gina (not shown) carry on the tradition.

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STOP THE STOMP! bilities back in Alberta. When his father had knee-replacement surgery, he went home to help. That led to one of the most difficult decisions he has had to make.

“I needed to think about whether I wanted to keep running a crew at the Gang Ranch,” he says, “or start running the family ranch and building my future there.”

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CIRClInG BACk Home

During the winter of 2015, he returned to his family’s ranch.

“I encouraged him to work on different crews and for other people,” says Blaine. “It’s really good to learn how other people do things so you have a comparison. We really saw a difference in him when he came home.

He knew more than me about managing cattle and doing his own veterinary work. I noticed a big difference in his maturity.”

Besides doing most of the cattle work on the family ranch, Wacey also day-works for local ranches, including a steady gig at the mX Ranch, where he’s responsible for 500 head of cows.

His familiarity with the southern Alberta foothills, the rocky peaks, and the hidden draws and steep canyons make him valuable help with gathering cattle and packing in salt.

“I used to pack salt in for a stock [grazing] association,” he says. “It was a job my dad and grandfather also held at one time. my dad taught me to tie knots as a kid because he thought it would be a lost art, so he ingrained it in me.”

Wacey credits his grandfather, Donald “Happy” Campbell—who died in 2014, just shy of his 101st birthday— with giving him a foundation for breeding and raising horses and cattle.

Wacey rides two horses that come from the Quarter Horse lineage his grandfather started in Alberta in the 1950s. He also has a longhorn cow from his grandfather’s herd that he breeds.

He enjoys spending his days riding solo with the companionship of his horse and his working stock dogs, Clint and Rounder. It reminds him of his time on the Gang Ranch.

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registered by his grandfather in the 1930s and still used as the family’s horse brand. The cattle are branded with the YU brand on the right hip.

Clean and functional, his gear gets used by working cowboys, and he prefers it that way.

“I want to build stuff that will be used and worn out horseback,” he says, “not sitting in someone’s house somewhere.”

Wacey always had a creative side that has come out in his leather carving, and in his ability to design and weld corrals and gates that make ranch work efficient.

“He can build anything,” says his mother, Mary Ann. “He and Blaine are always working on making [innovative] gates and corrals.”

Bronc Star

As if he doesn’t have enough to do between ranching, day-working and making gear, Wacey is also a reputable colt starter in Alberta. As a teenager he used to start any colt brought to him for extra money. When he was at the Gang Ranch he started the ranch colts.

“He didn’t favor the horses that were easy, that’s for sure,” says Ramstad. “He took the tough ones and got the job done on them.”

Today, however, he’s more particular about the colts he rides.

“When I first came back here, I took in a lot of outside horses,” he says. “Everyone seemed to think if a horse liked to buck they should give it to me to ride because I like bucking horses. That’s not true. I like my horses to buck out of the chute, not when I have a job to do on the ranch. I really like buying weanlings and working with them for a few years on the ranch and then selling them.”

Years of experience starting colts, as well as riding saddle broncs, prepared him for ranch bronc riding.

“I got on my first ranch bronc in 2006 at the Raymond Stampede [in Raymond, Alberta],” he says, pointing to the trophy buckle attached to the cantle back of his saddle. “The broncs were snubbed up in the arena and blindfolded, and we had to saddle

“ He really thinks about what a horse thinks, and his stockmanship is A-plus.”

–Matt Robertson

doing what we did and improving on it,” says Blaine.

Custom-Crafted Gear

During the spring, summer and fall cattle work consumes Wacey’s time. In the winter, however, he feeds and then works till midnight building saddles, chaps and other leather gear for his custom leather company, Marr Leather.

He also braids rawhide, a skill he learned from his grandfather and refined in cow camp. It’s a good way to supplement his ranching income.

“Working on a family ranch is great,” he says. “But it has to take care of us all and doesn’t pay all the bills, so I do leather work.”

He builds five saddles a year (all on saddletrees made by Ben Swanke, a saddlemaker and treemaker based in Billings, Montana), at least 25 pairs of chaps (primarily armitas and shotguns), and a lot of belts, reins, headstalls, spur straps and other leather goods. His work is marked Wacey Marr Twin Butte, AB with the spear-point brand

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them, get on and ride as long as we could. I won it.”

Since then, Wacey has competed on ranch teams and in the stock saddle bronc riding in Canada. In 2016, the Western States Ranch Rodeo Association started co-sanctioning ranch rodeos with the Ranch Rodeo Cowboys Association in Alberta. Two Canadian teams and two ranch bronc riders qualified at the RRCA finals to compete at the WSRRA National Finals in Winnemucca, Nevada. Wacey and his fellow Albertan bronc rider Aaron Mercer made the trip to Winnemucca, where he finished fourth in the average.

Mercer won the Rookie Ranch Bronc Rider title.

The next year, Wacey hit a dozen WSRRA-sanctioned ranch rodeos. He, Mercer and two other Canadian bronc riders, Riley Harvie and Dustin Sippola (Wacey’s former cowboss at the Gang Ranch) qualified for the WSRRA National Finals. Mercer won the world championship and placed second in the average, while Wacey placed third in the standings and third in the average. Harvie and Sippola placed 10th and 11th, respectively, in the Final’s standings.

“They call him ‘Superstar Wacey Marr,’ ” says Matt Robertson, one of Wacey’s traveling partners. “He’s known for being tough to throw off. He’s not afraid to fan [a bronc], dress up and entertain the crowd.”

A cowboy musician, Robertson says that Wacey has contributed to and inspired some of his song lyrics.

“I wrote the song ‘Living the Dream’ [off the album The Voice] about Wacey,” he says. “When I first met him in Wyoming he was always talking about living the dream. There’s a line in the song that goes, ‘Then I met a boy from Pincher Creek, he said he was going to be a king and chase the cattle down a thousand hills and get one year older living the dream.’ ” Robertson plans to record his next CD this summer and Wacey co-wrote the title track, “Bronc Star,” on one of their road trips.

This year, Wacey doesn’t plan to travel to as many rodeos and will focus

JENNIFER DENISON

“It was a hard transition [coming home from the Gang Ranch],” admits Wacey, who wears a belt buckle with the Gang Ranch’s JH brand given to him

by Ramstad for his more than three years of service. “There isn’t a day I don’t think about being back at the Gang, but the more I’m here I see what I can do to make our operation better and envision my future here.

“I’ve known a lot of guys who eventually have to retire because their bodies don’t last forever, and they don’t have retirement, a home or anywhere to go.”

Blaine and Mary Ann work closely with Wacey to manage the ranch, and Blaine does most of the farming.

“I can’t see a better way to spend our latter years than reflecting on our kids

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on a newly formed Canadian ranch bronc riding series, the Bronc Star Tour. He also picks up at rodeos and wants to mentor up-and-coming ranch bronc riders.

“I see a lot of [bronc riding] wrecks that could be avoided with knowledge,” he says. “I want each bronc rider to know how to set their saddle right and have a fighting chance out of the chute.”

JENNIFER DENISON

CommITTed CowBoy

It’s rare today to find a young cowboy committed to every aspect of the trade, from building a saddle to riding a bronc to sorting out a bull, starting a colt and showing a bridle horse. But wacey does it all.

“He really thinks about what a horse thinks, and his stockmanship is A-plus,” says Robertson. “Any guy who has worked alone like he has learns to think for himself and has the intuition to know what a cow will do and think ahead.”

His dedication and diverse experiences have prepared him to take the reins of his family’s ranch. even though he’s been given a special opportunity to be the fourth generation to run the ranch, he realizes there will be challenges ahead and other important decisions to make.

“As land values escalate and more people move here, I think it will be harder to ranch,” he predicts. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I don’t someday have to look for somewhere to move the ranch.”

But until forced to ride over that ridge, wacey says, “we’ll hold on to what we have and manage it the best we know how.”

Seeing a bigger picture of life, wacey recalls wisdom his college rodeo coach once shared.

“He told us that of the 30 kids in the room, only two would make it [in rodeo],” he recalls. “I thought he was full of it, but he was right. There’s more to life than broncs and rodeo.”

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JENNIFER DENISON is senior editor of Western Horseman. Send comments on this story to edit@westernhorseman.com.

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Figuring Out Fit

Complex variables affect a saddle’s fit on a horse.

Some simple principles can help you find a solid saddle for your horse, or solve fit-related problems.

By CHRISTINE HAMILTON

W

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CHRISTINE HAMILTON

ading through the waters of fitting a saddle to a horse can be murky at times; ask any saddlemaker or horseman. Between the horse, the saddle and the way it’s used, endless variables affect fit.

Saddlemaker Troy West of Azle, Texas, has a great story to illustrate that. A cowboy brought his horse and another maker’s saddle to West for an evaluation. He knew West also built saddletrees, and thought that perspective might help in figuring out what was wrong with his saddle.

“The saddle was putting hickies on the front right shoulder of his horse,” West says. “But I couldn’t find anything wrong with the saddle. So I put one of my [bare] trees on his horse.

“The left side was a flawless fit—you couldn’t have asked for the bar to run along that horse’s back better. It was perfect. But on the right side, his horse had a sway, and my tree bridged from the back to the front. A saddle built on my tree would have created the same hickey on that horse.”

This story also points out a big challenge saddlemakers face: building a quality piece of equipment to suit an individual horse, but that has use beyond that horse’s lifetime.

“The problem was not his saddle; he needed a horse with better conformation,” West says, adding that specialized padding or shims could help fit a saddle to that horse. “And you could build a tree that would fit that horse, but then you have a one-horse saddle, and who can afford that? Some can; most can’t.”

That’s why most Western saddlemakers aim to build their “best average”—a range of saddles that will fit the average horse in the horse population they serve.

“The horse herd in the Western industry is a Quarter Horse base herd that we’ve developed over the past 70 years,” says Brian Peterson, manager of Martin Saddlery in Greensville, Texas. “Their backs are actually quite similar across the board, apart from muscular change or structural change that has happened from good and bad fitting saddles combined with their workload.”

Saddlemaker Cary Schwarz of Salmon, Idaho, agrees.

“Fitting the best average, as best we can, is a good way to go,” he says, adding that was the aim of legendary saddlemaker Dale Harwood.

“When Ray Hunt was on the road, Dale would build a saddle for Ray,” Schwarz says. “Ray would take it and be trying it on horses of different shapes and sizes and come back with feedback. It was part of Dale’s effort to find that best average, the middle of the road, as elusive as that could be.

When you order a Harwood saddle, it’s got his best average [ fit].”

For the consumer, the trick is to find saddlemakers whose best average saddletrees and saddles fit the horse they ride and that suit their own riding needs. It’s the same basic challenge whether J u ly 2 01 9

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CHRISTINE HAMILTON

“A soft horse on a hot day and a tight cinch—you just had some planets line up there that could make a sore back.”

—Cary Schwarz Finding a saddle to fit your horse can be daunting. Advice from these three experts can help you get a good start.

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you’re looking at a used saddle, a new custom saddle or a solid factory saddle; or if you’re looking for a saddle for reining, barrel racing, roping or cow horse; or if you’re hunting one for a horse that’s 3, a seasoned 16, one that’s long-backed, big-barreled, herringgutted or mutton-withered.

For example, in his experience, Peterson has found two basic styles in Quarter Horse conformation. One “has a higher rib cage, a rounded back, and his neck ties in lower,” like the look of the stallion Colonel Freckles. The other style “has a neck that ties in higher with higher-set shoulders, so there’s a lower set to his back compared to his shoulders,” like the look of Peppy San Badger.

Makers producing poor-fitting products don’t stay in business, West points out.

“You want to know the maker, that they’ve got a good reputation for what they build, and that they are using quality trees,” he says.

Here are five principles these saddlemakers say to keep in mind when you’re trying a new or new-to-you saddle, or trying to get to the root of a problem with a saddle’s fit.

1. Get the saddle in the right position.

All three saddlemakers first point out the most common problem they see with saddle fit: a saddle positioned incorrectly on the horse’s back, placed too far forward, so the front bar pads of the saddletree rest on top of the horse’s shoulder blades.

TROY WEST has been a saddlemaker for 40 years.

His experience includes operating a saddle shop with his brother, three years building saddles for Billy Cook Saddlery, and 25 with Ryon’s in Fort Worth. A Traditional Cowboy Arts Association member since 2014, he builds saddletrees and saddles in his shop in Azle, Texas.

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CHRISTINE HAMILTON

OUR EXPERTS

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“People often think they have the saddle behind the shoulder, but they don’t,” Peterson says.

Feel for the back of the shoulder blade. That’s where the front bar pad of the saddletree should sit. Next, envision where the saddletree lies under the saddle leather. You can feel for the end of the front bar pad under the wool on the bottom of the saddle, or look at the position of the front concho on the saddle’s latigo keeper­—the conchos are often attached at the front of the bar.

The saddle skirts might rest over the shoulder blades, but the wood of the saddletree’s front bar pad should sit behind them. In that position, the saddle doesn’t impinge the movement of the shoulders, and it can sit more securely on the back.

“Position the saddle without a pad first,” Peterson advises, to really see how the saddletree connects with the horse’s back. “All a pad does is muffle reality. It just dulls what’s really happening. The bare saddle gives you the stark reality of what your horse could feel.”

West points out that there are saddlemakers who design trees where the front bar pads do sit over the shoulders of the horse.

“They splay the front bar pads out wide and the movement of the shoulders is under those bars,” he says.

“I don’t want that. I want [the front pads] to sit just behind the shoulder blade rather than on top of it. I’m building saddles to be roped out of, and that pressure needs to be on tissue that moves the least.”

CHRISTINE HAMILTON

CHRISTINE HAMILTON

2. Make sure the bars distribute pressure evenly.

All three saddlemakers say the bars should have full contact with the horse’s back without touching the spine.

“The saddle needs to disperse your weight evenly across the horse’s back so the horse can stay in his natural frame standing there,” Peterson says.

“To do that, the bars have to follow the [contours of the] horse’s back.”

When they don’t, they create pressure points on the horse’s back, and result in soreness. Pressure points can show up as dry spots in the sweat marks under a July 2019

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INCORRECT This saddle is positioned too far forward, over the horse’s shoulder blade.

CORRECT After walking the horse down the barn aisle and back, the saddle slides into the correct position, where the saddletree’s front bar pad sits behind the horse’s shoulder blade.

saddle pad and, in time, spots of white hair on the horse’s back or shoulders.

“The ideal fit is for each bar to make contact with that horse’s back the entire way down,” West says. “If you have a horse that is straighter-backed, too much rock [or bow] in the bars translates to pressure in the middle of the back. However, if the bars are too W ESTER N H O R SEM A N

straight for a horse, you will have ‘bridging’—the saddle will make contact at the front and rear bar pads and not in the middle.”

With a saddle sitting on the horse without a pad, Peterson likes to use his hand to feel how the bars follow the back.

“I feel under the front bar pad to make sure it’s not jamming him in the back of

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Feel for the front end of the saddletree bar under the saddle skirts on a new saddle where the wool is still fluffy.

On a broken-in saddle with the woolskin laid down, you can see the outline of the saddletree’s bars. It’s important to check the underside of a saddle for protrusions large and small in the bottom surface of the bars.

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3. Pay attention to padding.

The purpose of padding—a blanket or a pad—is primarily cushioning and sweat absorption. It can also improve a saddle’s fit.

CHRISTINE HAMILTON

Position the saddle so the front bar pads sit on the back behind the shoulder blade.

the shoulder,” he says. “Then, with my palm down, I lift the skirt and run my hand under the bar and feel the pressure from the front to the back of the saddle. I make sure the tips of my fingers are on the horse’s spine; if you do that, the tree is laying on your knuckles.

“You’re really feeling for uneven pressure in how the bars make contact, and how bad is any uneven pressure.”

Check the saddle’s clearance at the withers, Schwarz adds, to make sure there is no contact with the bottom of the gullet and the horse’s withers. And check the bar angle.

“Assess the angle of the bars at the front of the saddle and how the bars tend to align with the horse’s back on either side of the withers,” Schwarz says.

“If they appear to be flatter than the horse’s back, the angle is too wide [the saddle could cause sore spots on the withers]. Or the opposite: If they appear steep, the angle is too narrow [the bars could dig into the back lower down].”

He points out that today it’s rare to find bars that are too steep.

“If you go back 75 years or so, you had saddles fitting an average horse conformation that’s far different from the horse we have now,” he says. “If you’re looking at an older saddle, the bar angles are often too steep for most modern horse backs.”

Feel the underside of the saddle, hunting for bumps or protrusions down from the bars that can cause pressure points on the horse’s back.

“Anything protruding can cause pain on a horse’s back,” West says. “For example, the saddle strings go through the bottom of the skirt and help hold the skirt to the saddle, and the woolskin is put on over that.

“The string is very thin, ⅛-inch thick, and you’re supposed to counter-sink that string into the bottom of the skirt and hammer it flat. If a saddlemaker doesn’t do that, I have seen just that thickness of a saddle string create a high-pressure area and a white spot on that horse’s back.”

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OUR EXPERTS

jennifer denison

CHRISTINE HAMILTON

CARY SCHWARZ is a founding member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association and actively coaches aspiring saddlemakers through TCAA’s emerging artist programs. He has built saddles for 37 years, working from his shop in Salmon, Idaho.

“A horse’s back changes,” Peterson says.

“It loses and gains muscle, and loses and gains weight. People need to be aware of that and keep up with the way you pad a horse, and change it accordingly.”

West says to not be afraid to try less padding with a saddle.

“Too much padding makes a saddle unstable,” he adds. “Ropers are bad about using massive amounts of padding, wanting to protect a horse’s back.

“But if your boots hurt you, you don’t wear three pairs of socks! You get a different pair of boots. It just creates too much bulk on your foot.”

Schwarz agrees.

“The tree isn’t going to change, so if you add bulk you could be increasing pressure and not relieving it,” he points out. “In our human minds we think if you have problems, you add padding, but that July 2019

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could be the opposite of what you need to do. Don’t be afraid to take away a layer. “[New Zealand saddletree maker] Warren Wright recommends no more than ½ inch of compressed fiber [with his saddletrees], and that’s not much.

“I hesitate to even recommend a number—don’t get stuck on needing ½ inch or 1 inch, or whatever. This whole thing is a moving target. Your horse may need twice that.”

If you’re suddenly having soreness problems with a saddle that previously hasn’t caused any trouble, Schwarz adds one more thing to consider in your pad.

Is it clean, or is it so dirty and sweaty that its absorbency and cushioning effects are depleted? If it is that dirty, it’s not helping your horse.

4. Pay attention to your horse.

“There is reality in the horse’s demeanor: does he act better or worse in a new saddle?” Peterson says. “If he pins his ears at everything, you can’t blame that W ESTER N H O R SEM A N

on the saddle. But if he reacts when you put the saddle on him, it’s real.

“Horses do ride better in better fitting saddles—they are freer and their demeanor changes.”

West advises checking a horse’s back after a ride.

“If you’ve ridden for a while, when you get off and unsaddle just take your hand and run it down his back,” he says.

“If he doesn’t flinch anywhere, he’s probably happy. But sometimes you hit a spot and he goes, ‘Ouch!’ That could indicate high pressure somewhere.”

When someone first thinks a saddle is hurting a horse’s back, Schwarz also considers all the variables that could be in play in addition to the saddle.

“There are a lot of things that affect a saddle’s fit,” he says. “For example, there’s an old saying, ‘a soft horse in the spring of the year.’ He hasn’t had a saddle on him all winter, or maybe he’s out on grass and getting fleshier. You throw his saddle on him, ride all day, and suddenly his back is sore.

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ECOX

OUR EXPERTS BRIAN PETERSON has been building saddletrees and saddles for 18 years.

Originally from Australia, he currently manages Martin Saddlery in Greenville, Texas, producing approximately 40 saddles a week for disciplines ranging from team roping to barrel racing and cow horse.

Cinching also can play a part.

“People should conscientiously approach how tightly they cinch their horse,” Schwarz says. “I’m of the mind that if you need five pounds of pressure, use that and no more, no less.

Old-Time Tests

“For example,” he explains, “if you’re out on the ranch and you don’t think you’re going to be roping anything and you’re not bailing off steep terrain, you probably don’t need a whole lot of cinch. When you see you’re going to have to rope a cow, then stop and cinch up really tight. Then release a bit when you’re done.

“It’s the same with team ropers—the conscientious guys warm up and then really cinch up when they rope. Then, when they’re done, before they leave the arena, they’ll loosen that cinch.”

5. Ride it.

The best way to improve your odds of finding a saddle that will fit your horse,

Another one is to put the saddle on the horse, don’t cinch it, and walk the horse around for a bit.

“You want the bars of the saddle to fit just behind the shoulder blades. If you walk him around a little, it should fall in to that sweet spot just like a set of spoons. The bars should snuggle into that sweet spot,” he says.

Just don’t use a breast collar when you test-ride the saddle.

“If you put a saddle on a horse positioned too far forward, a breast collar will hold it in that forward position,” West says. ross hecox

Troy West describes one old cowboy “test” to check a saddle’s fit and stability on a horse’s back. First, position the saddle on the horse’s back without a pad, and don’t cinch it up.

“If a saddle fits your horse well, what you would like to be able to do is step up into the stirrup and mount,” he says, by pulling on the saddle’s front and not grabbing the cantle. “If you can do that, that means your tree is spooning that horse’s back very well.

That’s a great test.”

Problems often “have more to do with the way the saddle is used,” Schwarz says, especially if problems seem to crop up overnight.

“A soft horse on a hot day and a tight cinch—you just had some planets line up there that could make a sore back.”

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A Western Atti tude

Iconic Images From Western Horseman

Peterson says, is to try a maker’s saddle before you buy one.

“When someone calls and says, ‘I’d like to buy one of your reining saddles,’ I ask them, ‘Have you ridden one of our reining saddles?’ You need to ride one before you buy one.

“Wherever you can, take a test ride. If you’re at a cow horse show or a barrel race, ask to try someone else’s saddle, and make notes so you know what you’ve tried. Some stores let you test ride. You have to go in knowing [a maker’s saddle] could work because you tried one.”

Schwarz agrees that the proof of fit is in the riding.

“Many of the factors that determine whether a saddle will work or not are completely out of a maker’s control once a saddle leaves the shop,” he says. “You have to ride and put time in a saddle.

Your horse is going to tell you if it’s not working right.

“Much of what goes on with a saddle is in the hands of the user. It’s

another layer of subjectivity in saddle fit.”

All three saddlemakers point out that, ultimately, every situation deals with an individual horse, rider and set of circumstances. Use common sense and pay attention to what your horse tells you.

That’s the way horsemanship goes, Schwarz says.

“Folks have to do their own research on things and experiment when it comes to saddle fit,” he says. “That’s challenging to some people. They want a system, or something easy to come by.

Like they’ve been diagnosed with A-B-C, so here’s your medication and away you go.

“Horsemanship has never been that way. It never will be. It’s not that tidy.

When it comes to saddle fit, you just have to figure out what works best for your horse.”

CHRISTINE HAMILTON is editor of Western Horseman. Send comments to edit@westernhorseman.com.

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“Much of what goes on with a saddle is in the hands of the user,” says saddlemaker Cary Schwarz. “It’s another layer of subjectivity in saddle fit.”

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Iwersen

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katie frank

One Hail Of A Chic, fondly known as Oliver, is Lizzie Iwersen’s go-to horse.

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Coming Unraveled

When a seasoned rope horse begins to flip his head and then refuses to load in a trailer, his owner becomes frustrated and perplexed. Is he hurting, or is he becoming “untrained?”

By Katie Frank

katie frank

katie frank

H

is name is stitched in white thread on a brilliant red halter.

Curved letters O-L-I-V-E-R form a wire necklace his owner wears. Her engraved silver pinky ring bears the brand on his hip. A leather bracelet sports his name on a brass plate. When she saw that Oliver Saddle Shop had a booth at the Working Ranch Cowboys Association World Championship Ranch Rodeo in Amarillo, Texas, the toughest decision was what color cap to buy.

In fact, there aren’t many places in Lizzie Iwersen’s life that her horse, Oliver, doesn’t appear. In the nine years she’s owned him, he’s been her constant companion and solid partner at ropings and barrel races, while gathering cattle and simply enjoying a ride.

So when he started acting strangely under saddle, it was a big deal.

Iwersen first rode Oliver (registered with the American Quarter Horse Association as One Hail Of A Chic) when he was a 4-year-old at a Les Vogt clinic in Arkansas.

At the time, Oliver belonged to Heath Sanders, who starts colts and trains rope horses. Vogt complimented the sorrel gelding, which helped persuade Iwersen that she wanted to become Oliver’s owner.

In 2015 Iwersen accepted the marketing manager position at Western Horseman

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and moved from Tennessee to Texas.

She also decided to put team roping on pause and focus on showing in ranch versatility events.

“I’ve always wanted my horses to ride around nice and have a good handle on them,” she says. “I’d played around with making sure he was soft and could do maneuvers and turn around.”

Then the trouble began.

Iwersen’s fondness for Oliver is shown in his monogrammed halter and the jewelry she wears.

Big Problems Start Small

Their first Stock Horse of Texas show in Hamilton, Texas, was a couple of months away when Iwersen noticed Oliver repeatedly blowing his nose in the

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pasture. Initially she chalked it up to her horse being quirky but as the weeks went by, she noticed the odd behavior more often, and it started to affect his behavior when she was riding.

“He would stick his nose straight up in the air and blow,” she says.

“And because I wasn’t just long-trotting to warm him up, like I would do for roping, I cared about his headset. I wanted to get after him, wanted to fix the problem, but I also wanted to make sure he wasn’t hurting or uncomfortable in some way.”

Iwersen scheduled a chiropractic appointment, which revealed no physical problem, and a full work-up from Ty Tipton, DVM, at Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery in Weatherford, Texas. The veterinarian, who now runs an ambulatory service in the same area, did a lameness exam, checked Oliver’s ears and used an endoscope to rule out other issues.

“There are many medical reasons a horse can shake his head—everything from ear ticks to rhinitis [inflammation of

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the nasal cavity], or it could be something with the palate or the larynx,” says Tipton.

“If there’s coughing or sneezing, maybe there is an allergic component.”

After a thorough examination, the good news was that Oliver wasn’t hurting or showing other signs of allergies. The bad news was that his new annoying habit probably was a behaviorial issue that would need to be addressed with training.

“I couldn’t figure out how to break him of flipping his head up,” Iwersen says. “I didn’t want to jerk on his face or hit him. It was almost comical that we were having this problem because we’d never had an argument before. It doesn’t seem like blowing a nose should be a big problem.”

As a finished rope horse, he’d been hauled across the country and been exposed to any number of situations.

He’d roped and dragged calves to the fire, gone down the fence and carried a flag at rodeos. So what was causing this problem? It was as if Oliver had regressed in his training.

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Oliver was known for being savvy in any situation. So when Iwersen reached out to Sanders for guidance, he told her the problem didn’t happen overnight.

“Lizzie is a great horsewoman, and Oliver is one of the smartest horses I have ever trained,” Sanders says. “I had to give him a job all the time. When I heeled with him, he got so good but then he’d get bored. So I started heading off him. Then I’d only rope calves just to do something different.

“Mature horses give more subtle clues than green ones,” he says. “Oliver is a big-time learner. He can learn things quickly, but he can learn bad habits just as fast. That’s the problem with really smart horses.”

Horseman Tom Curtin says it’s not uncommon for an older horse to start acting up. Curtin grew up packing horses in Montana, and then worked on several iconic Texas ranches including the Four Sixes, King Ranch and the 7D. Now Curtin travels around the United States giving horsemanship clinics that cover colt starting, stockmanship,

katie frank

Oliver’s refusal to load in the trailer was one of the signs that Iwersen had a problem with her horse.

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horsemanship, and ranch roping and ranch horse versatility events.

“To me, there is no such thing as a finished horse until you put them [to rest],” says Curtin. “With a seasoned horse, I don’t think people get them out enough and keep things interesting.

Instead, they’re doing a repetitionbased training program.”

He says he believes a horse doesn’t inherently want to be bad. Instead, the horse looks for relief—a reward that makes him feel better mentally or physically. If a horse bucks, he doesn’t do it because he hates his rider. He does it because he feels better once the rider is off his back.

katie frank

One Thing Leads to Another

When Iwersen prepared to head out to ride with friends, the problem suddenly escalated. The Texas summer sun was already blazing the morning she went to load Oliver.

“I thought, ‘I’m going to be nice and put him in the second hole [of the trailer] so he has air flowing all around to keep him cool,” she says.

Oliver wouldn’t get in the second slot.

She spent a minute or two urging him to load, and in an effort to save time and avoid an argument, loaded him into the first slot where he usually rode.

Later, when it was time to head home, Oliver refused to load at all.

“He wouldn’t even get in that first hole,” she says. “I always wondered why everyone talks about loading. But when you have a horse that doesn’t want to go in, you’re totally at his mercy.”

After countless attempts, Oliver finally got in the trailer. Now she was dealing with a horse that blew his nose straight up in the air and wouldn’t load. It seemed too coincidental that both problems cropped up at the same time.

“Nothing happens all of a sudden with a horse,” reminds Curtin. “They’ll tell you long before whatever happens that it’s going to happen.”

Curtin and Sanders agree it was a cascade of events that they suspected stemmed from Iwersen letting Oliver make decisions instead of her.

“I’ve seen it too many times,” says Sanders. “A horse will refuse something, July 2019

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like walking over a log. Instead of sticking with it, the rider will just let the horse go around it. That’s the worst thing you can do, because before you know it [it leads to other decisions]— that horse won’t get in the trailer or stand still while you saddle him.”

Curtin says owners need to be more direct and clear in what they expect from a horse, and that takes a high level of self-awareness.

“I don’t believe for one second that her horse didn’t want to get in the trailer,” says Curtin. “I’ve found that horses don’t want to do anything but try to please us.

In that regard, something became meaningless for him—something got out of whack. I think it can start as something physical, like hurting, but then it can be a learned habit.

and knows that no matter what I ask of him, he’ll be okay.

“But the thing about trust is when somebody starts to cross the line of trust, it’s not good. You can step over the line with your horse, and he can step over the line with you.”

Friends suggested Iwersen try riding with a cord to help stop the head flipping. The cord acted like a tie-down, and Oliver only fought himself if he flipped his head.

“Anytime he went to throw his head, he’d hit that string instead of my hands,” says Iwersen.

Curtin says there are three typical reasons why a horse flips its head.

“No. 1, the bugs are bothering him.

No. 2, his teeth are bothering him,” he says. “If you get his teeth checked and

“A seasoned horse is eventually going to figure out what he can do without you, and that doesn’t always wind up fitting the person too well.”

—Tom Curtin

“A seasoned horse is eventually going to figure out what he can do without you, and that doesn’t always wind up fitting the person too well. That’s where conflict comes in. If you’ve never asked much from him, he’s going to do what he feels he needs to do. It’s not that he doesn’t want to do what you’re asking, you’ve just never expected it from him.”

Curtin says in situations such as trailer refusal, many people use terms like “you need to dominate the horse” or “be the alpha horse,” but that’s not the correct mindset.

“I have news: You’re never going to be the alpha horse,” says Curtin. “You’re not a horse. You have to take control, but be careful in how you do that.”

The Face-Off

One thing was certain: Aggression was not the way to make Oliver stop flipping his head.

“When you start hitting on one, that’s when you’re knowledge is done because you don’t know how to do anything else,” Sanders says. “Plus, I don’t want a horse scared of me. I want him to want to do what I ask because he trusts me W ESTER N H O R SEM A N

he’s still flipping his head, the third and probably most common and most important reason the horse flips his head is he doesn’t know what to do with his feet.”

Curtin, who rode with legendary horseman Ray Hunt, says “whenever a horse is good on his feet, he’ll be good with his head. You need to control the life of the horse’s body through his legs to his feet, and then it goes to the mind.”

Iwersen rode in the arena, boxed cows—anything to keep Oliver’s feet moving and his mind active.

“It only took a few times before he quit. He’d blow his nose, but his head was low,” she says.

With the head flipping under control, it was time to tackle the trailer.

Whether it’s groundwork or horseback, Curtin says the key is in the mindset of the person. He says the majority of the problems people have with their horses, like biting, kicking out in a lead change or refusing the trailer, can be nipped in the bud if caught early.

“I’ve seen hundreds of timid people get on their horse and hope things work out,” says Curtin. “Hope has no strategy.

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Iwersen showed Oliver at several ranch horse events (right) and at the Ranch Horse Association of America National Finals in Abilene, Texas (above).

You have to have a plan; a place to go and something to do.”

Iwersen went to the barn on a late afternoon with determination.

“I used a long lead rope and drove him in circles,” says Iwersen. “If he wanted to go backward, then we’d go backward, but it would be at 9-0. I wanted it to be uncomfortable. It took a couple of hours and dripping sweat, but he still wouldn’t give up. We were really facing off.”

Iwersen called Sanders, who told her to continue driving the horse, and anytime Oliver even looked at the trailer

to let him stop. If she encouraged him to get in and he refused, Oliver went back to trotting circles on the lead rope.

“It was the most emotional experience I’d ever gone through with him—more than the head flipping,” she says. “It was getting dark and I knew if I didn’t get it done, I was going to be in trouble. Heath told me, ‘That horse is worth a lot of money, but he isn’t worth a dime if you can’t get him in the trailer.’ ” The two worked in circles, inching their way closer to the trailer. Finally, Oliver put his head in the trailer,

Iwersen tapped him on the rear, and he jumped in. He was so exhausted he didn’t eat the grain and hay Iwersen used earlier to coax him in.

“The most amazing thing happened afterward when I turned him back out,” says Iwersen. “I thought he would turn and run away from me and hate me forever. But he stayed right there and acted like nothing ever happened. He was so sweet.”

A few months later, Oliver munches on green grass while Iwersen holds the lead rope on his monogrammed

Learn to Actively Rest

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devin sisk

Horsemanship clinician Tom Curtin says he often hears the theory that a busy-minded horse needs to find a job.

“People say, ‘Give him a job and get him busy,’ ” says Curtin. “But when you take a busy horse and make him busier, pretty soon he’ll think he has to stay busy. To me, you can make the biggest mess of a horse by doing that.

“Instead, see if you can learn to read and catch his behavior before it happens, and redirect his energy so that it’s useful.

Maybe it’s a sidepass or backing up. Ask him to flex laterally and vertically. As soon as he does it, leave him alone. Pretty soon that horse will wait on you for eternity to see what you need.”

This “active rest” works on the horse’s mental state instead of tiring them out physically.

“If you just focus on doing a job, you’re just working on the horse on the outside,” says Curtin. “You’re going to build a physically fit idiot and he’s not going to get any better on the inside mentally.”

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rebecca corneliuS

halter. It’s been a rainy spring in Texas, so he’s plump with a shiny, dappled coat.

Since the hiccup in training, Iwersen and Oliver have met the challenge of ranch versatility events. The two placed in the top five at the year-end awards for their local ranch horse club, and qualified for the Ranch Horse Association of America National Finals in Abilene, Texas.

The two didn’t make the short go in the RHAA event, but it wasn’t because Oliver flipped his head or blew his nose. In the reined work he nailed his lead changes and dragged his hindquarters in the dirt. In the cow work, he matched the energy of the cows and stuck with them every turn.

“I had to actually hang onto the horn, and he did his thing—like a real cow horse!” says Iwersen. “I actually cried after our first go at the RHAA finals because I was so proud of Oliver.

He went out there and showed me that he’s so much more than just a rope horse, and all of the hard work we’ve put in over the last year is really paying off.”

KATIE FRANK is digital editor at Western Horseman. Send comments on this story to edit@westernhorseman.com.

G R E E N V I L L E • T E X A S

NICK DOWERS

Road To The Horse Champion NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Champion

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The Performance Saddle. Martin will help you ace every performance. Specifically engineered and designed for the reiner and working cow horse competitor, review them online now at martinsaddlery.com

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Special Promotion: made in the usa

Knowing where products you purchase are made is one element to being an informed consumer. The items gathered in this collection are all created in the United States. Some may be hand-crafted, others are manufactured, but all are American-made. From leather goods, to supplements, to farm equipment, check out these U.S.-born products for the Western life.

GEAR & EQUIPMENT Buckstitch Collection by Weaver Leather

The new Buckstitch Collection by Weaver Leather features rugged, weatherresistant, russet harness leather highlighted with chocolate leather lace buckstitching and exclusive buffed brown hardware, with German silver flower and vine design and copper dots. The collection includes a browband headstall that features pineapple knot bit ends for easy bit change-out. A pulling collar, roper breast collar and contoured breast collar made with stainless steel hardware and buckles complete the collection. Headstall is $99.99 and breast collars range from $118.99 to $181.99.

Made in Mount Hope, Ohio. ridethebrand.com

Rope Halters from Double Diamond Halter Co.

Double Diamond Halter Company has been the largest manufacturer of rope horse halters for over 30 years. Made in Montana, these halters are known for their excellent quality. Choose from 11 sizes, 9 styles of rope and more than 60 colors. From trail halters that fit under a

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headstall to the strongest #150 halter (made from 9.5mm nylon kernmantle rope), Double Diamond has a halter for every situation, as well as lead ropes. Complete catalog and list of retailers at doublediamondhalters.com.

Santa Barbara Bits from Tom Balding Bits & Spurs

New from Tom Balding Bits & Spurs, the Santa Barbara shank finds inspiration in the Vaquero style that is part of California's history. This beautifully crafted bridle bit shank comes in short 6-inch and long 8-inch lengths.

Finishes include stainless, brown, black, and satin with overlays including silver engraved plates and dots. Tom Balding has been making bits and spurs since 1984. More info at tombalding.com; 307-672-8459; sales@tombalding.com.

The Leveler from Nettles Stirrups The Nettles Stirrups patented Leveler W ESTER N HO R SEM A N

levels your stirrups, making riding more enjoyable and safer. It relieves pain and allows you to sit better in the saddle, reducing body misalignment that causes pain in ankles, knees, hips and back. This product also places your boots squarely on the tread of the stirrup, providing a better grip, reducing dropped stirrups and sitting you easier in the saddle. Made in America, only available with Nettles Stirrups. More info at nettlesstirrups.com under “Shop/Custom Additions.�

Call 800-729-2234 or email orders@nettlesstirrups.com.

Harness Leather Reins from Dennis Moreland Tack

Dennis Moreland has been making reins for 43 years from his shop in Weatherford, Texas. Heavy harness reins are one of his specialties. Working closely with J u ly 2 01 9

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the Hermann Oak Leather Tannery to get the finest dense, tight-fibered leather available, he cuts the single-ply reins in pairs, hand edges, hand rubs, oils, and hand rubs them again for a great feel.

Several lengths and widths available. If you’re not sure which rein you need, call Moreland for a recommendation. More info at dmtack@vrfmail.com; 817-3125305; dmtack.com.

Anderson Bean Boots and Olathe. All styles are designed by CBY and made to the company’s specifications for everyday cowboy use. Learn more and purchase online at cbyboots.com.

The Rancher Saddle Pad by 5 Star Equine Products & Supplies

Tall Top Boots by CBY Boots

CBY Boots of Stilwell, Kansas, is owned by Tom Frey, who once owned the Olathe Boot Company before Rios of Mercedes purchased the brand in 2001. Today, CBY Boots continues to design and sell Olathe boots, specializing in tall top boots by

The Rancher 5 Star Saddle Pad, handmade in Hatfield, Arkansas, is specially engineered for ropers, ranchers and for long trail rides. The super thick, 11/8-inch, 100-percent pure antimicrobial wool eliminates double padding and reduces excess cinching, while dispersing pressure away from pressure points. The square-skirt style is available in 30-by-28inch, 30-by 30-inch, 32-by-30-inch, and 32-by-32-inch; natural or black wool; fully

customizable with wear leathers, embroidery, spots and more. Starts at $274, purchase from an authorized dealer or at 5starequineproducts.com.

John Fallis Custom Saddles

John Fallis of Nampa, Idaho, has been making balanced saddles for 51 years. He has fourth and fifth generation customers reordering newer, lighter weight saddles to continue riding, without the heavy weight of a roping saddle. The balanced seat lets riders stay in the groove of the horse. In-skirt rigging allows you to feel your horse better. Starting price for a plain saddle is $4,250. More info at johnfallis@ balancedsaddles.com; call 208-461-7252; fallisbalancedsaddles.com.

The Rancher 32” x 32” • 1 1/8” thick

WOOL - 100% Pure Wool SOFTNESS - No Break-in Time PROTECTION - Eliminates Sore Backs DURABILITY - 2000+ Hours of Riding

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The Roper Cinch 100% All-Natural Mohair

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lady Wade and trail Wade saddles from mccall saddle co.

McCall Saddle Co.'s Lady Wade and Trail Wade saddles offer lightweight functionality, stylishness and quality. With myriad tooling patterns, silver and other customization options, your dream saddle is within your budget and your reality. All McCall saddles are handmade by trained craftsmen for quality results. This small company emphasizes customer service.

Purchase through authorized retailers or a retail outlet. dryforksaddle.com.

The Boss Handstitcher by tippmann leathercrafting equipment

Faster than hand-sewing and less expensive than electric sewing machines, the Boss Handstitcher is designed to sew through leather up to ž-inch thick.

Ideal for repair, creation and custom work of saddles, the machine can also be used for any type of leather work. The machine is adjustable from 6 to 16 stitches per inch, and the user controls stitching and pace. It is lightweight and easy-to-mount on most work surfaces.

Made in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Boss Handstitcher comes ready to go, but accessories are available. More info at tippmannindustrial.com.

Gooseneck surge Hitch by shockerhitch

Shockerhitch's Gooseneck Surge Hitch offers a much smoother ride for both you and your horse thanks to the hitch's ability to eliminate or control the tug effect

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on your trailer. This hitch is finished in a distinctive red color, and manufactured in Arthur, North Dakota. Easy to install and priced at $849, the Gooseneck Surge Hitch is available at shockerhitch.com, or call 701-967-8577 to discuss with a sales associate which hitch is right for your rig.

Pipe Fittings and Fences from Kent Industries

Kent Industries produces the only multi-patented welded pipe fencing system with pre-fabricated connectors and accessories, allowing you to build your own corrals, arenas, fences and other structures. Kent Industries specializes in heavy pipe fencing structures using the welded pipe system.

EZ weld pipe connectors allow connection of multi-size pipe for high-end, beautiful gates, fences, corrals and more.

Ships nationwide. More info at 303-5628004 or kentindustries.biz.

HORSE CARE Golden Wings Horseshoes

Golden Wings Horseshoes’ mission is to preserve the integrity of the entire structure of your horse with a lightweight, flexible horseshoe that will provide traction without slipping and sole protection, while also preventing unnecessary leverage with proper angles. These shoes are designed using the Golden Ratio. Shoes start at $18.77 and prices reduce with three or more pairs purchased. Enjoy a free pair with any purchase using coupon code W115, W120, W125, W130, W135 or W140, July 2019

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PROBLEM SOLVERS Beat the Heat – Insulate the Hoof

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The Wood Post Pendleton

The Modified Pendleton Association Tree is perfect for those cowboys who enjoy the swell fork saddle. It’s laminated integral hardwood horn, narrow seat and the 4 1/2” cantle makes it ideal for long days in the saddle!

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with these numbers representing size options. More info at goldenwingshorseshoes.com.

osteo-Fuel by tlc animal nutrition

Osteo-Fuel does more than focus on joint health; it provides nutrients to support the collagen aspect of all major joint components: the bone, cartilage and tendon/ligament tissue, providing a more comprehensive approach to protecting joint health.

Whether you are looking to maintain a healthy joint or wanting support through the rehabilitation process, learn more at tlcanimalnutrition.com.

Osteo-Fuel is available from TLC Animal Nutrition in 25- and 42-pound sizes.

platinum performance Gi

Platinum Performance GI contains all the benefits of Platinum Performance Equine, along with probiotics, prebiotics and glutamine to support digestion, immunity and wellness throughout the body. It’s ideal for horses in training or competition, for wellness, with digestive

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health concerns, difficulty maintaining weight, during travel, with loose stool or occasional diarrhea, on antibiotic or NSAID therapy, and senior horses. Call 800-553-2400 or speak to your equine veterinarian for more info. platinumperformance. com/platinum-performance-gisupplement-2-2.

Fly products from spalding laboratories

All of Spalding Laboratories’ own products: Fly Predators, Bye Bye Odor and Bye Bye Insects are made in the USA. New for 2019, Bye Bye Insects is the first primarily essential oil spray to be as effective as pyrethroid pesticide fly

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sprays. Unlike pyrethroid-based products, Bye Bye Insects can be used on humans as well as horses, and smells great. More info on inside back cover, spalding-labs.com/gxfvr; 888-282-8042.

concerns. Sweet PDZ, the leading stall deodorizer since launching in 1984, is a natural earth product made of the mineral zeolite—no perfumes, scents or chemicals—offering ammonia and odor capture and neutralization. It’s safe and effective to use in all livestock and pet habitats. Available in granular and powder varieties from independent feed and farm supply retailers around the country. sweetpdz.com. ■

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Special promotion: HORSE SALES

Gone Shopping

If you’re ready to buy a horse this year, an auction might be a good option. Look for a reputable sale with options to research horses prior to bidding. This list includes sales that have been established for years and offer a variety of types of horses for buyers. Whether you’re looking for a prospect, a broke gelding or a broodmare, you’ll be sure to find your next equine partner at one of these events.

Happy horse hunting!

Twombly Performance Horse Sale July 27-28, 2019 Cheyenne, Wyoming

The Twombly Performance Horse Sale is held during the world-famous Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, in front of the Cheyenne Depot Museum at 5:30 p.m. on July 27. You can expect to see pretty, colorful, broke performance geldings. Horses will be available for a broke horse preview at the Laramie County Fairgrounds on Friday, July 26 at 6 p.m., and you can meet the horses the day of the sale at the same place, Saturday, July 27, at 10 a.m.

All horses in the sale are ridden at Coyote Slide Ranch by the Twombly family, which includes more than 100 years’ experience riding performance

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horses. According to Dan Twombly, a performance horse is one that is well broke, gentle-minded and works off a loose rein.

Videos of the horses are available online at twomblyhorse.com before the sale showcasing the horse’s pasture and arena riding, as well as reining ability.

Twombly sales are known to have a few horses so well broke that they can ride bridleless. The sale will be featuring trail, ranch and reining horses. A saddle will be given away to the high buyer.

Mark your calendars for the company’s Las Vegas, Nevada, sale in December during the National Finals Rodeo.

For more information: twomblyhorse.com; 308-783-1866; twomblyhorse@gmail.com W ESTER N HO R SEM A N

Come to the Source Production Sale August 24, 2019 Laramie, Wyoming

The 22nd Come to the Source Production Sale, produced by Randy Dunn, Chip Meritt and Dick Van Pelt, brings together descendants of Blue Valentine, while preserving the famous bloodline.

The sale offers a unique opportunity for buyers to acquire a ranch-raised, high-percentage Blue Valentine colt with trademark blue roan, red roan and grullo roan color. These horses are bred to be versatile and athletic with good conformation and disposition. Come to the Source has produced National Foundation Quarter Horse Champions, J u ly 2 01 9

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AQHA World Show qualifiers, prorodeo rope horses and versatility class winners. This sale is a great chance to see several generations of mares all in one place. There will be approximately 100 horses in the sale, including weanlings, young riding horses and a few broodmares, all with Blue Valentine bloodlines.

The sale preview begins with riding horses shown in the arena the morning of August 24, and the sale will be held in the afternoon. Held in beautiful Laramie, Wyoming, you can add a few days before or after the sale to make a great vacation.

For more information: cometothesource.com; Randy Dunn, 307-742-4669; Chip Merritt, 970-2156137; Dick Van Pelt, 307-760-1452

Nebraska Quarter Horse Classic August 24, 2019 Ogallala Livestock Market, Ogallala, Nebraska

Held since 2003, the Nebraska Quarter Horse Classic sale is slated for Saturday,

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August 24 at 1:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, at the Ogallala Livestock Auction at the Ogallala Livestock Market in Ogallala. The preview begins at 9 a.m.

This is the largest Ranching Heritage Breeders Sale in the country. The sale is hosted by the following Ranching Heritage Breeders: the 2016 Ranching Heritage Breeder of the Year, Box O Quarter Horses of Gordon, Nebraska; St. Clair Farms of Kahoka, Missouri; Lance Most Quarter Horses of Ogallala; Lee’s Quarter Horses of North Platte, Nebraska and a hand-selected group of riders.

The sale includes 120 head of registered Quarter Horses of all classes.

Over 60 of them are riders—including rope horses at every level, and several that have been hauled and are ready to go. Horses from past sales have had success in almost every discipline in the horse world: roping, cutting, reined cow horse, ranch riding, mounted shooting, trail riding and more.

Through the sale, four colts will be awarded through the AQHA Ranching Heritage Young Horse Development Program.

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On Sunday, August 25, the event will be hosting its inaugural futurity for horses that have sold through previous sales, and from the four main consignors.

For more info: Contact Jana Jensen for a catalog: NEquarterhorseclassic@ gmail.com or call 308-588-6243 (home), 308-588-6243 (cell/text). Facebook: Nebraska Quarter Horse Classic

Haythorn Land & Cattle Co. Production Horse Sale Aug 30-31, 2019 Ogallala, Nebraska

For the first time since 2013, Haythorn Land & Cattle Company is hosting a production sale. After 134 years of legacy breeding, the inaugural winner of AQHA’s Best Remuda is cutting down its mare band, providing a premier offering of proven bloodlines for ranch and roping horses.

Included in the sale are approximately 50 broodmares, 35 weanlings, 30 yearlings, 25 2-year-olds, 10 3-year-olds, 10 proven stallions and 35 ranch geldings.

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special promotion

As it has since 1979, the sale will be held at the Haythorn Ranch headquarters 17 miles north of Ogallala. On Friday, August 30, the mares, weanlings and colts will be sold. Saturday morning, August 31, a preview of finished geldings is scheduled, and the geldings and stallions will be sold Saturday afternoon. Saturday evening, ticketed patrons can enjoy a prime rib

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dinner and live music from Jim Dandy Rice and his band.

For more information: office: 308-355-4000; Craig Haythorn cell: 308-289-6288; haythorn.com

WYO Quarter Horse Sales 19th Annual Fall Production and Performance Sale September 14, 2019

W ESTER N H O R SEM A N

Hot springs county Fairgrounds, Thermopolis, Wyoming Now celebrating its 19th anniversary, the WYO Quarter Horse Sale is considered one of the most elite Quarter Horse sales in the country. Bill and Carole Smith have hosted the sale for more than 35 years, and the Smith family partners with H.B. “Woody�

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Bartlett to produce two sales annually: the Arena- and Ranch-Broke Gelding sale in May, and the Ranch-Broke Gelding and Production Sale in September.

This year’s sale features 30 broke geldings, 28 2-year-olds from the Bartlett Ranch—all started under saddle in the June clinic and with 10 rides on them— and from the Smith/Bartlett breeding programs, six yearlings and 26 weanlings. All of the young horses are ranch-raised. These horses are ideal for buyers looking for ranch geldings and broke geldings for trail and family pleasure. The 2-year-olds are products of ranch stallions crossed on cow-bred mares, making them athletic, strong and smart. This family-run sale includes horses that have all been carefully screened for soundness and gentleness, and will be sold with a 10-day guarantee.

Friday, September 13 at 7 p.m. will be the Parade of Geldings. Saturday, September 14 at 9 a.m. buyers can preview all the geldings, and the auction is at 1 p.m. Phone bidding is available.

For more information: Facebook page, WYO Quarter Horse Ranch Sales.

Request a printed catalog or view catalog, photos and video online at wyohorses.com; 307-864-5671 or 307-272-0593; or wyoqhr41@gmail.com.

Open Box Rafter Ranch Production Sale

prospects. Many of the ranch’s broodmares are granddaughters of Quarter Horse legends Sugar Bars and Colonel Freckles. Stallions standing on the ranch are sons of sires such as Fire Water Flit, Dr Nick Bar, Sun Frost, Special Effort, Frenchmans Guy, and grandsons of greats including Flit Bar and Orphan Drift.

For more info: rafterranch.com or call the ranch at 605-538-4450.

23rd Annual Van Norman and Friends Production Sale September 14-15, 2018 Elko, Nevada

In its 23rd year, the Van Norman & Friends Production Sale will be held at the Elko County Fairgrounds in Elko, Nevada, September 20-21, 2019. The sale offers approximately 100 horses from Van Norman Quarter Horses,

Your Year-Round Source for America’s Horse!

2019-20 SALE CALENDAR

Visit www.trihorse.com for nomination forms & on-line catalogs!

Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center Shawnee, Oklahoma

 40TH FALL SALE  October 25th & 26th

 37TH WINTER SALE  January 24th & 25th

 41TH SPRING SALE  April 24th & 25th DIVISION OF AUCTIONWARE, LLC

(817) 594-6354•(817) 304-0589 cell • (817) 594-6358 fax

TRIANGLE SALES OFFICE

(405) 275-2196•(405) 273-2818•(405) 273-8959 fax

September 14, 2019 Rapid City, South Dakota

Open Box Rafter Ranch is an authentic working cattle and horse ranch owned and operated by Jim and Joni Hunt, along with their seven children. The ranch’s 26th annual sale will be held at the Central State Fairgrounds in Rapid City, South Dakota, off Interstate 90.

The sale begins at 1 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, and the preview starts at 10 a.m.

Buyers can expect approximately 100 head of registered Quarter Horses featuring hard-to-find bloodlines and a rich cowboy heritage. Guest consignors include Frenchmans Quarter Horses, offering descendants of their Hall of Fame mare, Casey’s Ladylove. Each year, sale goers can find quality prospects, proven performance bloodlines and exceptional broodmares—including broodmares from the heart of the OBRR program—as well as stallion and arena July 2019

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Rhoads Ranch, Deadwood Quarter Horses, Porath Quarter Horses, Lisle Quarter Horses, Cory Shelman, Matt and Leah Mori, and several invited guest consignors.

These breeding programs include sires by proven classic and contemporary horses, with a predominance of Colonel Freckles and Peptoboonsmal breeding. Other sires of these programs are sons and grandsons of High Brow Cat, Hollywood Dun It, Bert, Smart Chic Olena, Smart Little Lena, Boonlight Dancer, and Playgun, with equally strong maternal lines.

Horses in the sale are ranch raised, and the majority of riding horses selling will have been used as working ranch horses, many with “town” experience as well. Sellers follow the vaquero tradition of training, with young saddle horses being ridden in the snaffle bit, and older horses being in the hackamore, two-rein, or bridle depending on their age. Weanlings and yearlings will be broke to lead and load.

In addition to the strong offering of horses, the sale will include five working dogs. They will be previewed on cattle and goats on Friday and Saturday, and cataloged like the horses with videos available on the website.

In addition to watching online videos of sale horses prior to the sale, buyers can preview aged riding horses in person beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday, September 20. Steve Friskup of Muleshoe, Texas, will be the auctioneer. The preview and auction will be live-streamed with internet and phone bidding available.

For more information: Contact Linda Bunch, 775-756-6508 or 775-934-7404; or email mrsbunch@ rtci.net. For updates and current details visit vannormansale.com or the Van Norman and friends Production Sale Facebook page.

Return to the Remuda Sale October 4–5, 2019 Guthrie, texas

The Return to the Remuda Sale, scheduled this year for October 5 in Guthrie, Texas, is an annual partnership presented by Beggs Cattle

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Company, Four Sixes Ranch, Pitchfork Land & Cattle Company and Tongue River Ranch. The 2019 sale will include guest consignors W. T. Waggoner Estate and Wagonhound Land & Livestock. Five of these historic ranches are winners of the prestigious AQHA Best Remuda Award, which recognizes outstanding ranches for their efforts in raising American Quarter Horses. All of the consignors are AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeders.

Each year, participating ranches choose some of their top horses to offer to the public. This year, look for approximately 150 head of yearlings, 2- and 3-year-olds, aged geldings and broodmares. Buyers of each consignment will be placed into a “buyer raffle” for a chance to take home a custom-made saddle by Jeff Smith Saddlery. A sale horse demonstration and preview are scheduled for Friday, October 4, followed by the sale on Saturday, October 5. Both the demonstration and sale will be held in the new covered arena at the Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas.

Also, during the sale, there is an American Quarter Horse Foundation Benefit Auction that consists of numerous ranch-type memorabilia such as art, jewelry and spurs. The proceeds will assist foundation programs which support equine research, America’s Horse Care Therapeutic Riding and the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to view the hosting ranch’s chuckwagons and shop their on-site booths for memorabilia and other merchandise.

For more information: The Return to the Remuda Sale Facebook page or 6666ranch.com.

Triangle Horse Sales Annual dates Shawnee, Oklahoma

Now in its 40th year, Triangle Horse Sales has sold horses at the Heart of Oklahoma Exposition Center in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Longtime horse sale producer Jim Ware purchased the company in 2014, and today sells Quarter Horses of performance disciplines at three annual sales throughout July 2019

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The Original Source For Blue Valentine Bloodlines

Blue Roans • Red Roans • Grullo Roans Athletic Ability • Good Disposition

“I’ve ridden a lot of good horses, and this colt I got from you is in the top 1% of all of them.

We will be back again in August.”

Production Sale

August 24, 2019 Laramie, Wyo

Good Minded, Tough and Versatile High Quality, High % Blue Valentine

ComeToTheSource.com Preserving the Blue Valentine bloodline.

Randy Dunn 307-742-4669

W ESTER N H O R SEM A N

Chip Merritt 970-215-6137

Dick Van Pelt 307-760-1452 103

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SHOW & SELL

July 27 August 24 September 27-28 October 26 November 23

the year. In 2018, the company sold 1,650 horses.

Triangle Horse Sales sells primarily performance Quarter Horses, including cutting horses, reined cow horses, reining horses, roping horses, ranch horses and barrel horses. Each sale employs live cattle as well as the customized track cow to show off horses’ abilities as they sell.

Upcoming Triangle Horse Sales include the Fall Sale the last weekend of October, the 25 and 26; and the Winter Sale, January 24 and 25, 2020.

For more information: trihorse.com or Triangle Sale Company, Inc. on Facebook.

Billings Livestock Monthly sales Billings, montana

Launched in 1934 as a horse and mule market, Billings Livestock Commission continues today as America’s largest monthly catalog horse sale selling upwards of 5,000 head of horses each year.

From prospects to finished arena horses, trail, ranch, and recreational horses and mules, Billings offers all kinds, all classes, all the time, and at all price points.

An indoor climate- and groundcontrolled performance preview for barrel horses, saddle, ride, and reining horses, cutters on cattle, and rope horses kicks off each sale weekend and allows the consignors a good opportunity to showcase their consignments as well as a stepped up shopping opportunity for buyers.

Buy with confidence – Billings Livestock is licensed and bonded, both federally and with the state of Montana, and operates under the rules and guidelines set forth.

As horses are consigned for each sale, they are listed online at billingslivestock.com, giving buyers an opportunity to research horses on the site before you head to the sale.

The sale is not broadcast online.

For more information: billingslivestock.com.

HORSES GALORE!

Jann Parker Horse Sale Manager cell 406-855-1947

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Shopper’s Corral

pine

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435-828-1492

pineridgeknife@stratanet.com www.pineridgeknife.com For free shipping Enter Code:

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TechSew 5100 Saddle & Harness Stitcher Starting at $2395

Industrial Sewing Machines www.techsew.com or call toll-free 866-415-8223

Count on your pure rabbit fur felt Akubra for protection and comfort, rain or shine.

Made in Australia #1627 The Territory $154 delivered.

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July 2019

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©KENETREK, LLC 2019

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Shopper’s Corral

Western Properties

Well-established, Profitable Business for Sale!

Own your own Farm & Ranch business w/land included!

22 years of successful independent business/buildings are available to purchase. Comes with 8,600+/-sqft retail, supply, office space in Thermopolis, WY. Livestock feed, saddles, tack, pet/livestock food & supplies, ranch wear, jewelry, gifts, custom leather, hunting/fishing supplies Canyon Sporting Goods. Inventory, fixtures & equip included. Owner will train!

Contact:

MLS10014095 $799,000 Running Horse Realty Broker/Owner: Eric H. Loloff 180 Hwy 20 S Thermopolis, WY 82443 Licensed WY/MT 307-899-0258 rhrlandman@gmail.com runninghorserealty.com

Horse Heaven

HORSESHOER’S SUPPLIES

in Southwestern New Mexico

An anvil designed and built to help make horseshoeing faster and easier, for the professional shoer or the novice. Turning in heels or making square toes can be simple and precise on the side of this specially designed anvil, as pictured. The anvil heel is tapered for shaping up those small shoes.

For shoeing from draft shoes to pony shoes, this 70-lb. anvil handles it all. $330 plus shipping $269.00 $285.00 plus shipping

Complete horse facility. 43 acres bordered by Gila National Forest. Barn, covered arena, round pen, 30+ acres cross fenced pastures. Low maintenance custom home. National Forest trails out the back gate. Year round riding at 6500’ with moderate summer temps, low humidity, minimal snow. Suitable for an inn for equine travelers or for an outfitter’s base of operation. $1,300,000 includes all farm equipment.

CLIFF CARROLL’S Horseshoer’s Supplies, Inc.

P.O. Box 277, Larkspur, CO 80118. Ph. 303-681-2643

www.cliffcarroll.com www.cliffcarroll.com

575-536-3109, suechiverton@gilanet.com

Selling Property?

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77 Years Family Owned

Custom Made Western Saddles and Tack Experience-Quality-Satisfaction

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For more information about Real Estate Advertising call

Jenn Sanders

1203 E 1st St South • P.O. Box 1683 • Kearney NE 68848

Senior Account Executive

www.plattevalleysaddle.com

jennifer.sanders@westernhorseman.com

308-234-4015

106

Advertise in Western Horseman & reach an audience of committed horse owners

W ESTER N HO R SEM A N

940-627-3399

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Ketch Pen

Frenchmans Fabulous 1998 Palomino Stallion

Sire with Progeny Earnings Of Over $2.4 Million in Barrels, Roping, Steer Wrestling Sire: Frenchmans Guy Dam: Caseys Charm, Tiny Circus AAA P-34 2019 Stud Fee $3,000 • 1st Shipment Included Foals For Sale • Mini/Toy Aussies

Kenny Nichols or Dale Barron Waco, TX • 254-744-1232 www.NicholsQuarterHorses.com

Eyes Movin Two Levels 2 and 3 heeling at the 2015 AQHA World Show and finished top ten in level 2 heeling 5 panel N/N Stud Fee $500 (shipped semen not availabe yet) First Colts hit the ground spring 2019 Owned by: Lazy HT Performance Horses in Meeteetse, WY

Breed Fee $750 (Homozygous Black/EE) Shining Spark Blue Spark Olena

Royal Blue Lena DR 2013 True Blue Roan Stallion

Montana Gay Bar

Docs Montana Dover

Tom & Ann Davis (435) 744-2469

307-868-2299

July 2019

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Classified Ads ALL CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. RATES: $5.50 per word for 1 to 5 insertions; $5.00 per word for 6 to 11 insertions; $4.50 per word for 12 insertions. 10 word minimum. MasterCard, VISA, AMEX and Discover accepted. DEADLINE for classified advertising is two months prior to publication date. For unspecified designation or doubtful cases, decision of publisher will prevail. Words in name and address must be included when figuring the number of words. Additional charge of $25.00 for handling and mailing instructions for blind box ads. Publisher reserves right to edit all copy.

To place your order contact: Nancy Hughes, Classified Ad Manager; 817-569-7107, nancy.hughes@cowboypublishing.com

136265*XX*68 CANYONVIEW EQUESTRIAN COLLEGE 1.5” WH_DC CMYK 25 Norm Jones - Director 971-239-1348 (o) 707-548-8708

canyonviewequestriancollege.org

Business Opportunities MOBile and Online retail stOre, equine tack, supplements etc.

Seasoned business, great national reputation, nice show trailer. $60k plus inventory. myanac11@gmail.com

insurance

136300*XX*68 G R A HAM SCHOOL, INC. 2” WH_DC CMYK 25

WWW.allaMeriCanHOrseinsUranCe.COM Trail/Beach rides - Pony Carriage - Petting Zoos - Events. Nationwide! 435-896-4593.

education / schools PrOFessiOnal PaCKinG sCHOOls - www.rockcreekpackstation.com, Craig London, DVM, 760-872-8331. eQUine GnatHOlOGiCal traininG institUte: 38 years’ experience.

Practitioners in 60 countries. 208-8691002; dalejeffrey@equinedentistry.com, www.horsedentistry.info

136349*XX*71 HORSEMENS UNITED ASSOCIATION 2” WH_DC CMYK 33

2019 Membership Membership Includes Includes 2017

eXCellenCe in Farrier edUCatiOn - Minnesota School of Horseshoeing; Comprehensive program covering balance, conformation, anatomy, lameness, diseases, and forge work www. mnschoolofhorseshoeing.net; 1-800257-5850.

M n H O r s e t r a i n i n G a C a d e MY. COM Best program in the industry, guaranteed! 320-272-4199.

136264*XX*53 BUD’S HORSESHOEING EQUIPMENT 2” WH_DC BLACK 35

OKlaHOMa state HOrsesHOeinG sCHOOl - ALL instructors AFA Certified Journeyman Farriers, 22 students per class, 6-week Fundamental Farrier Course, Training on live feet only.

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Student loans available with approved credit. Licensed by OBPVS. Accredited

by ACCET. www.oklahomastatehorse shoeingschool.com Contact us at 1-800634-2811 or email at oshs@cableone.net, 4802 Dogwood Rd, Ardmore OK 73401

MOntana state UniVersitY Farrier sCHOOl - Don’t settle for a shorter course, get the foundation you need to succeed! MSU Farrier School is a 16-week program. Limited class size of 12 students. VA approved. For more information, go to http://animalrange. montana.edu/horseshoe.html or call 406-994-3722.

employment $500 WeeKlY asseMBlinG PrOdUCts from home. Free information available. Call 860-357-1599.

Farriers dUrasaFe BOrUM HOrsesHOes - Proven Satisfaction. www.TheBlack smithShop.net; 800-840-7463.

Horses / stallions WWW.WOlFeranCH.COM - Offering world class AQHA and draft cross trail/ ranch horses. 580-993-0097. tennessee WalKinG HOrses: Box Hanging Three Ranch, Dubois, Wyoming. mtnwalker@wyoming.com.

Online catalog - www.mountainbred walker.com

leathercraft Get tHe WOrld’s PreMier leatHerWOrKinG How-To Publication. www.leathercraftersjournal.com, 1-715-362-5393. tandY leatHer’s 252 page Buyers’ Guide of leather, saddle and tack hardware, tools and more is FREE. It’s filled with everything for the leather craftsman and useful supplies for the ranch.

Tandy Leather, Dept. 19WH, 1900 SE Loop 820, Fort Worth, TX 76140. www. tandyleather.com

Idaho Falls, ID 83404 208-782-0921

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Livestock

Vacations / Trail Rides

MAMMOTH JACKS for sale. Dean Wingfield, Vernon, CO 80755, 970-332-5471.

WE ARE THE REAL DEAL: Experience the cowboy life on our working cattle ranch in Wyoming! 307-467-5663, www.the newhavenranch.com

Misc. Events PAUL DIETZ HORSEMANSHIP CLINIC, JULY 11-14TH AT CARMEL CREEK RANCH IN SAN DIEGO, CA. Horsemanship and cattle working. Contact 858-3953873 or Tanja@carmelcreekranch.com

Personals 30 YEAR OLD BEAUTIFUL GIRL wants a Christian husband. One who wants to work hard making a living on a ranch building a life together. Respond to WH#258159, PO BOX 471488, Fort Worth, TX 76107.

Real Estate HOMES, RANCHES & LAND around North Texas. www.texasliving.com, Dutch & Cheryl, Keller Williams Realty, Aubrey TX 940-365-4687, info@texasliving.com HORSE HEAVEN IN SOUTHWESTERN NEW MExICO. Complete horse facility.

43 acres bordered by Gila National Forest. Barn, covered arena, round pen, 30+ acres fenced pastures. Low maintenance custom home. National Forest trails out the back gate. $1.3M - All farm equipment included. 575-536-3109; suechiverton @gilanet.com

Tack / Equipment EQUINE DENTAL INSTRUMENTS: World Wide Equine, www.horsedentistry.com, www.equinedentistry.com, 208366-2550, wwequine@horsedentistry. com SUPREME HORSE WALKER - Affordably priced! Lead and Freeflow exercisers. 256-412-5782; www.Supreme Walker.com HITCHING POST SUPPLY Shop www. hitchingpostsupply.com for buckaroo gear, bulk horsehair, mohair cinch cord, cowboy books and music. Catalog 800689-9971.

By Richard Winters

COMPARED TO US “City Slickers” is a pony ride. 120-year-old working Wyoming ranch. Check out our new venture “COWBOY CAMP”. Double Rafter Cattle Drives 1-800704-9268. We dare you to compare: www. doublerafter.com 4.95 rice $2

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136245*XX*65 G I B B S MANUFACTURING 2 . 5 ” WH_DC BLACK 15

Most riders know enough basic skills to stay in their saddles, but are also future horsemen and -women in training, constantly striving to improve their skills. With only four pages per chapter, From Rider to Horseman essays are designed for a quick read before you go to the barn.

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HORSEHAIR HITCHED BRIDLE: Made in Deer Lodge, MT prison. Circa 1920’s. 307-856-6209.

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Expert Tips for a Lifetime Journey

COWBOYCATTLEDRIVE.COM - The authentic “Lonesome Dove” experience; operating on 22,000 acres in the Bighorn Mountains Wyoming. 5 days of endless riding, horse provided, small group, 3 meals daily off authentic chuck wagon. 307-737-2680.

NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP EQUIPMENT: Marine rope halters, leads, reins.

Order at www.horsefriendly.com; call 1-855-467-7337 toll free.

July 2019

From Rider to Horseman

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tadd galusha illustration

super puncher

Find cowboy comedian dale Brisby at dalebrisby.com, instagram @dalebrisby, and other social media platforms.

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Advertiser Index 93

Morgan, David

105

6666 Ranch

101

National High School Rodeo Assn.

Billings Livestock

104

National Reining Horse Assn.

Booma Rein

25

35, 40

Nebraska Quarter Horse Classic

102

Bud’s Horseshoeing Equipment

108

Nettles Stirrups

Canyonview Equestrian College

108

Nichols Quarter Horses

107

34

Open Box Rafter Ranch

104

Cashel Catalena Hatters Cavender’s

106 Inside Front Cover

CBY - Tall Top Boots

94

Chiverton, Sue

106

Professional’s Choice

Come To The Source Production Sale Cowboy Cordage, Inc. Davis Ranch

103 15 107

105

Platinum Performance Platte Valley Saddle Shop

7

97

Pine Ridge Knife Company

107

Cinch

96

PDZ Company

Charlie Trayer’s Cowdogs

23 106 2

Purina

17

Red River Arenas

105

Red Steagal Cowboy Gathering

75

Resistol

1

Dennis Moreland Tack

33

Roto-Harrow

109

Double Diamond Halter Co, Inc.

95

Running Horse Realty

106

Double H Ranch Saddle Shop

105

Shocker Hitch

96

DR Power Equipment

59

Shoofly Leggins

75

Dry Fork Saddles

95

Smart Pak Equine

29

Equithrive

28

Spalding Fly Predators

Farnam - Dual Defense

11

Steve Guitron Custom Rawhide

106

Tammy’s Cowdogs

107

Techsew

105

The Ultimate Gag Collection

106

Farnam - Horse Health Products Forzani Performance Horses Goldenwingshorseshoes Graham School, Inc.

9 107 95

Inside Back Cover

108

Tippmann Industrial - The Boss

94

Group W Productions

31

Tip’s Western & Custom Saddles

105

Hansen Western Gear

105

TLC Animal Nutrition

48

Haythorn Land & Cattle Co.

100

Tom Balding Bits And Spurs

59

High Quality Saddles, LLC

106

Triangle Sales

Horsemen’s United Association

108

Troxel

77

Horseshoer’s Supplies, Inc.

106

Twisted X Boots

15

J.M. Capriola Co.

105

Twombly Arena

99

Jeff Feil Custom Saddles

109

Van Norman & Friends

John M. Fallis Custom Saddles Jose Sanchez Boot Co. JT Int’l Dist., Inc. - Tough 1 Kenetrek Boots

94 109 5 105

Kent Industries Corporation

97

Lazy HT Performance Horses

107

Martin Saddlery July 2019

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91

Coming Up

39

101

100

Vetericyn

37

Weaver Leather

16

Western Horseman 38, 43, 45, 48, 49, 53, 55, 59, 67, 77, 85, 106, 110, 109 Wrangler

Back Cover

WYO Quarter Horse Ranch Wyoming School of Horseshoeing W ESTER N H O R SEM A N

100 38

ross hecox

5 Star Equine

West Texas Brand Iconic traditions enrich working cowboy life at the Four Sixes Ranch in King County, Texas.

Plus:

• Upgrade horse trailer savvy with

solid advice from Florida horseman Sean Patrick.

• Don’t underestimate ranch riding or ranch pleasure—the classes are harder than you might think.

Look for our August issue on newsstands July 15.

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5/23/19 2:23:13 PM

On the Edge of Common Sense

by Baxter Black, DVM

It’s What I Do

A cowboy is the way he is because he works with stock.

He’s learned it’s best to ease along To find the rhythm in their song And not to fret if days are long ’Cause cows don’t punch a clock.

You see, you can’t just quit a cow. Sometimes yer all she’s got.

No reinforcements in the hall No Nine-One-One to hear her call Just you, nobody else, that’s all To get her through the spot.

That separates him from the crowd that keeps a job in town, Who stack the boxes all in rows Or bolt the knobs on radios But when the evening whistle blows They lay the hammer down.

His calling is as old as time. It is, will be and was.

Through blizzards, bogs and bob wire fence He stands against the pestilence And though he feigns indifference He’s proud of what he does.

“A job ain’t done until it’s done;” that’s life down on the farm.

To gather those who tend to stray To treat the sick on Christmas Day And if she needs your help, to stay Until she’s safe from harm.

It’s done without a second thought by those who tend the flock.

“It’s what I do,” you’ll hear them say With no demand for higher pay And I believe they are that way Because we work with stock.

Cowboy humorist BAXTER BLACK, DVM, is based in Benson, Arizona.

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5/15/19 3:59:18 PM

The Best New Fly Spray Bye Bye Insects

TM

Spalding’s newest product is Bye Bye Insects. This is a principally Essential Oil based Fly Repellent that, for the first time, is comparable to the performance of Pyrethroid synthetic chemical products.

Our goal was to create the best fly repellent, of any kind, for horses and people. In the past, Essential Oils never kept up with synthetic chemicals in performance.

Smells Great

Have We Made The Perfect Fly Spray?

Getting close, but not yet. One issue is a slight yellow staining on white and grey hair. If used lightly, the staining is minimal and wears off.

Other than on white and grey hair, it’s not noticeable. We’re working to fix this for next year.

Bye Bye Insects Is A Concentrate And A Super Value

You can adjust its performance to what you need. We expect many will find a 50% dilution will still provide sufficient repellency. After you use up your first quart spray bottle, don’t throw it away. Instead refill it from the 3 quart EZ refill Stable Fly pouch.

Besides great performance, Bye Bye Insects also smells and feels terrific.

Pyrethroid fly sprays warn Bye Bye Insects’ Biting against use on human skin, and few people like the smell Repellency Performance on of them. By comparison, Bye Horses vs. Other Brands* Bye Insects has a pleasant Bye Bye Insects™ scent and can be used on yourself, your family and your horses.

1 Quart $22.95 + tax, Delivered

Better

Bye Bye Insects active ingredients are primarily Essential Oils, including Geraniol, Rosemary, Citronella, Peppermint and Lemongrass. All ingredients meet EPA’s 25(b) Minimum Risk requirements and for Rosemary, Peppermint, Vanillin and Lemongrass, we use food grade quality.

The ecological and stay fresh 3 quart pouch costs $44.95. That’s like buying 2 quarts and getting the third one free. Thus, each full strength refilled quart is only $14.98. Diluted to 50% it’s $7.49 per quart delivered. That’s one of the best buys in fly spray.

More at: spalding-labs. com/gxfvr

Hours Looking at the graph above of fly repellency, note that Bye Bye Insects (Yellow) has comparable repellency to Farnam’s Tri-Tec14, Absorbine’s UltraShield Red and Pyranha’s Spray & Wipe, three of the “high end” Pyrethrin based sprays. Bye Bye Insects performed far better than the other Essential Oil sprays like Absorbine’s UltraShield Green or SmartPak’s OutSmart. These tests were for Biting Stable Flies which are harder to repel than House Flies. Chart data as of 10/20/18. Test protocol and full data posted at spalding-labs.com/gxfvr

3 Quarts $44 44.95 + tax, Delivered

Connect With Us @SpaldingLabs

The Little Bugs That Do A BIG Job™

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1-888-282-8042 • ad code d5xcg • spalding-labs.com/gxfvr Bye Bye Instects and The Little Bugs That Do A Big Job are trademarks of Spalding Laboratories, Inc. Copyright© 2019 Spalding Laboratories, Inc., PO Box 10,000, Reno, NV 89510 All rights reserved. *Absorbine’s UltraShield Green and Red, Farnam’s Tri-Tec14 and Bronco, Pyranha’s Spray & Wipe, SmartPak’s OutSmart are trademarks of those respective companies tm

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