The History of the Canadian Bridlehorse Association & the Skills of the Outfits

By Christa Miremadi and Dave Ciriani

It was a time when this land was raw and wild and getting huge herds of cattle thousands of miles across the country was done entirely from horseback. Having a good, working relationship with one’s horse was not just important; it was survival for the Spanish Vaqueros

As the cattle arrived from Spain in the early 1500s and began to spread across North America, the Spanish Vaqueros came with them. Their shiny silver bits, long tapaderos and that unmistakable pride in their equine partner could be seen and was admired by all. The Vaqueros were the “rock stars” of their time and they began to compete with each other for the spotlight. Riding in their traditional old Spanish spade bits, developing their horses from jaquima to freno (hackamore to the bridle) through the two-rein… if one could achieve a soft, responsive feel with their horse using no more than 5 or 6 tail hairs connecting their reins to their bit, the next would do it with 3.

These methods were cultivated in the wide open, rolling hillsides of California, where the sun shines almost every day and no one’s in a rush to beat the weather, where the cattle was plentiful, the cowboys had time to work on a soft feel and where roping a grizzly was considered a team sport. It was this history that gave birth to the Californio Stockmen and eventually the Early Californio Skills of the Rancho, a competitive event held in Parkfield CA, USA by the Californio Bridlehorse Association to honor, demonstrate, preserve and pass on the values and skills of the early Californio stockmen and bridlemen of the historic working cattle ranches across North America.

But this history isn’t unique to California. This working art form is also part of BC’s heritage. In the 1860s, during the Cariboo gold rush, over 20,000 head of cattle crossed the border at Osoyoos from California, Oregon and Washington to feed the thousands of hungry miners. With these herds came the Californios along with their riding traditions, including the use of hackamore, spade bit, reata and California stock saddle. All of these tools require a skilled and refined hand, all of which will be evident as we preserve a bit of our own history at the first (and second) official Canadian Bridlehorse Association event: The Skills of the Outfits: East & West.

For the past 10 years, Miles Kingdon has been sitting on the judges’ panel at the Parkfield CA Early Californio Skills of the Rancho event, along-side some other incredible working cowboys, helping to keep the Skills true to their history and preserve these traditions. Miles also has plenty of real life, working cowboy experience to draw on, qualifying him above and beyond as an ideal source of realistic and honest skill, knowledge and feedback. From his early days of cowboying, over 40 years ago on the vast Canadian prairie pasture lands, to BC's historic big cow outfits, Miles Kingdon has definitely worn out a few good saddles. His formative years spent at Douglas Lake Cattle Company, under such respected horsemen as Stan Murphy and cattlemen Mike Ferguson and Orval Roulston, helped prepare him for later lead-off positions at large established commercial ranches in the Nicola Valley.

Miles held cowboss positions on the Bar K and the Gang Ranch; he was the manager at Empire Valley Ranch, and eventually he served ten years as manager of cattle operations at Quilchena Cattle Company near Merritt BC. It was throughout these 40+ years in the industry and the study of the Vaquero and Californio Horsemanship that Miles recognized the true meaning of an equine partnership built on trust, confidence and respect. It was this incredible affinity for understanding horses and cattle that paved the way for his career in teaching others; putting on workshops and developing the next generation of cowgirls and cowboys, helping horses all across Canada by educating their humans and now, guiding and leading the newly formed Canadian Bridlehorse Association.

Over the past decade, Miles has been inspiring a group of men and women of all ages, from BC to Saskatchewan who’ve recognized gear. They’re still welcome to participate at the Skills of the Outfits and we look forward to the competition these skilled individuals will present. the vast wealth of knowledge and skill that Miles possesses and he shares so willingly. It was these people, the ones who showed up at his workshops, attending one summer in a hackamore, the next in a two-rein and the next riding straight-up in the old Spanish spade, who pushed for something more.

The first Skills of the Outfits will be held at the Silver Slate Arena is Stavely, Alberta on August 4-6. The second will be at the Barriere Fair Grounds in Barriere BC on September 2224. Classes will include: Cattle Sorting, Ranch Roping, Ranch Horse Pattern, Two-Man Doctoring and Team Sorting. There will be a time limit in the interest of organization and flow, however, the speed a task is completed isn’t a factor when it comes to scoring. Taking the time to set your horse up well, ensure the safety of the livestock and your teammates and completing each task smoothly is far more important than the speed at which a task is completed. There will be opportunities for Youth, Novice and Intermediate and Pro level riders to compete in both of these events and breakaway and dummy roping options for those who aren’t yet ready to rope live or hard.

Desiring to be a part of something like the Californio Bridlehorse Association and to have the opportunity to test themselves, see others and what they’ve accomplished and to be surrounded by those silver bits, long tapaderos and proud, confident horses, these people began to hound Miles. They became a burr under his saddle pad until he agreed, with their support, to create and head up an organization that would do just that. "The Crew," what we affectionately call this group of like-minded community members, has come together with the unified intention to share what we believe it's all about… the horses, the livestock and the people, and to educate others on one of the most misunderstood styles of horsemanship in the industry.

Together we’ve formed The Canadian Bridlehorse Association. This brand new group is in its infancy stage and as such we’re not yet set up for taking memberships but that’s on the horizon and memberships will be available soon.

We are however, presenting two events this year! The Skills of the Outfits East and West. These friendly competitions were inspired by the Early Californios Skills of the Ranchos and are open to all aspiring, amateur and working cowboys and cowgirls. We welcome everyone who has an interest in this way of life and style of horsemanship/ stockmanship. That being said, it’s also an opportunity to observe, show and share our passion for a good working stock horse, trained with the intricate, beautiful and sophisticated traditional system of the Californios who came to Canada in the 1860’s; jaquima to freno.

For this reason, special attention and preference will be shown to those who choose to present themselves and their horses in traditional equipment: hackamore, two-rein or straight-up in the old Spanish spade. This is the ultimate show of time, effort, care and development of feel and it’s what this organization is all about. Although the ultimate presentation would be in traditional gear, we understand that it’s expensive, sometimes hard to come by and requires a thorough education that’s not always accessible to all riders. Many riders who possess excellent horsemanship/stockmanship skills won’t have this

We’re so excited, not only about the Skills of the Outfits East & West and the opportunity they present to preserve and promote the system of horsemanship and stockmanship we’re so enthusiastic about, but also the creation of the Canadian Bridlehorse Association and how we know it will impact the horse industry here in Canada. It will provide a place for others like us on “The Crew” who value relationship and partnership with their horses, who want to develop a softer feel and to understand their horses and livestock in a more profound way.

If you want to become involved with the Canadian Bridlehorse Association and the Skills of the Outfits or if you’d just like to learn a little more about them, please take a minute to visit us online, either on one of our Facebook pages or groups or by visiting www. canadianbridlehorse.com. Or you can come on out to either event and see what we are up to!

Skills of the Outfits

Sept 22-24, 2023

North Thompson Fall Fair Rodeo Grounds Barriere, B.C.

Running in conjunction with the B.C. Ag Expo! ENTRIES NOW OPEN ALL AGES WELCOME!

Sept 22 - Miles Kingdon Demo Workshop

Participate in or observe the skills of the outfits in this special, one day only demo workshop designed to provide riders with a taste of what’s to come!

Sept 23 & 24 - Skills of the Outfits

A friendly competition with others who share your passion for the skills of the working cowboys who built this industry. Special rewards given to those demonstrating an understanding and affinity for the traditional vaquero gear and methods.

Contact Jasmine Bedford to register: jazzbedford@gmail.com or visit www.CanadianBridleHorse.com for more info