Buckaroo Texan Blog

I recently got to thinking about all the negative that surrounds us everyday.  This I believe is a human trait.   Horses are not negative unless their encounters with the human have made them that way.  We get picked at to be perfect, time deadlines for this and that, service of any sort is suppose to be right now if not sooner.   None of that makes any sense to the horse.  If you look at the world in a real sense, the beauty of your surrounding is not made in a flash, it takes time.   Relieve the stress by looking for the good in everything.    This relates to your relations with horses more than you know.  Horses just want to be peaceful, calm and comfortable.  Sounds really good to me too!  I remembered something I have heard from Ray Hunt and Buck Brannaman.  When you are working with a horse, on the ground or in the saddle, just ignore the stuff you don’t want and reward the stuff you do want.  With time that other stuff disappears or is something you will want later.    Look for the good in your horse and those around you.  We are all at different places in our horsemanship. Encouragement of the good and seeing the good, just makes it all better.

On September 10, 2011 I attended another Ranch Horse Versatility Show.  I took my trusty steed Mr. Qien Sabe 501, aka Button for my mount for the day.   We entered all five events.   It was a test to see how many skills were really honed between us, due to not getting to work any cattle since July, when I had to sell all my cows.  Also, the extremely hot weather had made our workouts very slow and easy paced. 

The day was to be a bit milder than the last show, only range in the mid 90’s for temperature highs.   The morning started out nice and the trailer ride was going good except about 30 miles from the show, I heard a big pop, looked in the rear view mirror and trailer tire was flying in all directions.  The force was with me as I was able to find a tire place and get back on the road in 30 minutes.  I got signed up and entered my first class Ranch Cutting without any warm up.   We placed 4^th.

 The next class was Working Ranch Horse and we had a really smooth run.  Button was really soft, really eyeing the cow and we ended up 2^nd.

The Ranch Trail class had 2 lead changes, dragging double post in a circle, roping a barrel, loping and trotting through a box, carrying a sack of leaves, dismounting and picking up the off fore foot and the near hind foot.  We placed 1^st.

The Ranch Riding class is generally Button’s least favorite.  After working cattle and going through obstacles I think he thinks, “What is the point of walking, trotting and loping around this arena some more”.  He was a trooper and was just right with me on all my cues.  I was able to stay very consistent and very easy to give subtle cues mostly with my body and legs.   We placed 1^st.

 The Halter class is not always a good class for my little bay, but our consistent work with being supple and working towards carrying collection more and more paid off.  His whole presence is a different horse than he was a year ago.   We placed 1st.  After the scores were tallied we were Ranch Horse Versatility Champion, this day.  

I was asked what I thought was contributing to our continued success at Ranch Horse Versatility.   I owe a lot of gratitude and thanks to my mentor Buck Brannaman for the continuing development of my horsemanship skills.  I appreciate the support and guidance from professional farriers Kate and Sam Gooding, also great friends.  My friend and holistic veterinarian Madalyn Ward, who had been a guiding force in directing my horses and myself to better health and well being.

Photos by Carol Akers.

The 2012 Legacy of Legends event is being planned and the dates are set.  Mark you calendars and start making plans to attend this fantastic event.  The next event will be held February 3-5, 2012 at the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center in las Vegas, Nevada.     Go to www.alegacyoflegends.com for more information and details as they come available.   I attended last years’ event and I have made my plans to attend this event.        Photo by: Heather Hafleigh

If you’re not willing to go back every day and start over, you shouldn’t have started to begin with, because you might have to start over a lot of days in a row before it carries over from one day to the next, or one month to the next or one year to the next.            BUCK BRANNAMAN

Photo taken at Legacy of Legends event, December 2010, Ft. Worth, Texas

We have all heard Ray Hunt say “ Prepare for the position for the transition” and “get the horse even on all four corners”.  This was his way of telling us to get the horse balanced, then you can position to make transitions.  This is all horsemanship and guiding your horse is about.  Sounds so simple and is it, until you try to do it.   How do you go about finding that balance?

Lets go all the way back to lateral bending or flexions.   Ask yourself, are they really good?   Do I feel for my horse, he feels of me and we feel together?   If not, then maybe you haven’t really done a thorough job of your homework with flexions.   This can be started when you are working with a foal and his first halter lessons.  But, even your older horse in his teens can go back and really learn these flexions and get balanced, so there is harmony between you and your horse when you ride.  A true softness, balance and feel.

 Start you flexions from the ground with a green or young horse that has not been ridden.  All these flexions are done at a standstill.   These flexions should be revisited a lot during every ride to get them really good and for checking in with your horse through out his riding career.  Not just for a few sessions, few rides or a month or so. You should start flexions with your halter and lead, then progress with your snaffle.   These flexions will be revisited often as you progress into the hackamore and with greater refinement as you advance into the two-rein and bride.

 LATERAL FLEXIONS: Be sure the horse is balanced and square on his feet before you ask for flexions.  Your want the horses’ head from his foretop to his nose to be perpendicular, You want his nostrils perpendicular to the ground and you want elevation of the poll.  You will take the head to the side (flex) up to a 90 degrees bend.  But this will be done in increments.  Let the horse find that this is the most comfortable way to flex.    At first you may get only one of the three positions.  Release for that.  You may get 2 of the 3 positions, release for that, it is a try.  As you work these flexions you may get any combination of the 3 positions and this is acceptable at first.  Remember to keep yourself mellow, even if your horse is not, he is searching and trying.   Just hold until the horse gives you a try in the right direction.  His mouth may get busy during a session of working on flexions.  He is processing, so hold until you get a try and he is not fussing with his mouth.  If you release while he is fussing with his mouth even when you got a response to the asking for a flexion, you will get what you released for, a sloppy flexion with lots of mouth.  Once they start to understand, you hold a little longer to get them to search for the exact proper place for the release and true balance point of the flexion.  Be sure to keep your hands about your shoulder width apart on the snaffle bit horse.  Wide hands will make you timely.  If you ask for a flexion that moves the horse’s head about two inches to the right, for example, you have moved your right hand about 2 inches out and back, be sure to give 2 inches with your left.   Your feel will change a lot as you work on the flexions and all during your ride.   As the horse gets better in the flexions but you find he   still needs more vertical in his face, take the rein more toward his mane than to you hip and hold and let him search.   The horses’ forehead and nose should be perpendicular and his poll between his ears, horizontal and level with each other.

SOFT FEEL:  After you and your horse have the lateral flexions working pretty well, you will combine working with soft feel.    Soft feel is nothing more than you reaching for the horse and he responds to that reach. It ultimately leads to the true form of collection. You feel of him, feel for him and you both feel together.  Ray Hunt would say this many, many times during each of his clinics.  It takes a while to understand and get the true feel of this phrase.  Buck Brannaman has emphasized in his clinics how important it is to master these flexions and soft feel before you ever get on your colt for the first time.  Once you understand and have a feel for these flexions, spending about an hour working on flexions and soft feel, can make all the difference in that first ride!  Then you are ready to go – in balance!

Again, we are looking for balance through the whole horse.  The horse needs to raise his poll up to a feel.  Lifting and elevation is not head throwing.  Elevation in the neck and poll is not gotten by bumping, just hold.  If the muscle down the neck of the horse is tight, the horse rises but looks like a lama.  The horse should rise softly to open his shoulders, clear through   his rib cage. The shoulder blades are closed if the head is lower than the withers.  First, ask you horse to elevate his neck slightly, by having your hands shoulder width apart, in front of the horn of your saddle and raise your hands no higher than you elbows. You will have your reins short enough to make soft contact. Release for the slightest try.   After your horse gets good at elevating his neck softly, then you will bring you hands slightly back to encourage vertical flexion with softness, think of it as rolling into softness.  Remember, the key is reward the slightest try. If the horse bobs his head and does not lift, do not reward this, just wait, he is searching.   If you do too much he reacts instead of responding to you.  Take a feel of your horse, do not think of it as you lifting your horse, let him find you.   Make sure you hands are soft on the reins to ask for this softness. Also, remember, that a chin dropped towards the chest does not always mean soft feel, this position can be the horse avoiding you. 

Practice the flexions and soft feel anytime you are sitting around on your horse throughout you ride.  As you are walking ask for soft feel from you horse.  You will ask for thousands before this becomes really good, so be patient.   Just wait for a little change and release. When you are moving, do not allow your horse to slow, just take a feel of you horse with the elevation and giving to you, in mind, while you ride.    All the time put in on flexions will get you better and better and you and your horse will have a very good feel of each other.

Photo 1–Kate and Ranger, slight bend, notice width of her hands and softness in her hands, notice there is no tension in the rein and the relaxed giving expression on Ranger’s face.  This horse is advanced in the bride. 

Photo2- Kate and Ranger doing a flexion at 90 degress. Notice the horizontal line between the ears, slight elevation of neck and almost vertical postion of the front of his face.

 Last spring I aquiredt a 2 year old quarter horse mare with a couple months of riding.   She is considered to be green broke.  She can stand to be saddled, mounted, walks, trots, lopes both ways and will back a straight line.   Bubbles has a good start riding, but I feel like I am stealing rides, due to she is not halter broke.

 What do I mean by halter broke?  She should lead without dragging behind or running off in front of me, stand tied and be able to move around mostly with her hind end and never tighten the rope.   She should operate off a feel from my hand through the halter rope to her mind to move her feet any direction I direct.  Although you could get her to bend her head softly to either side it had no meaning to her feet or rear quarters.

The first  session I worked with her I introduced her to going around me.  This was all new to her.  She showed a lot of concern, not knowing what I was asking.  I gave her lots of time to take a step or indicate with her eyes or leaning of her weight that she was trying.  It did not take her long to figure out to move around me.  I needed to get her to lead by me so she could pick me up off the fence.   I have a bad knee so I mount all my horses from a fence, block, bumper, log or lead the horse by me to a lower spot than me.  This keeps me from pulling the saddle too much, which I feel is unfair to the horse. Yes, I could insist that they stand for me to climb on sloppy, but I do not.  We got this working for us pretty quick for our first ride together.   

After another couple of sessions I brought out my flag.  This was a big eye opener for her and for me to know she could be pretty scared of things flapping around.   She felt scared enough to bring out some bucking.   It took awhile to work through and let her know she was ok.  Getting her sure about it took repeating the flag work at every session.  She would settle down faster each time I picked it up.  I carried it everywhere we went so she could see that it could be anywhere, anytime.   I really didn’t want to have a plastic sack blow up around her legs and me getting a look at it while sitting on the ground.

She also had a lot of trouble changing eyes smoothly.   She was good about it on one side but when it changed to the other side in front of her face, it would make her throw her head  and jump away from it.   This brace made it hard to get her to take her hind away from me and then cross in front of me and go the other way without being troubled.   She would take off bolting around me hoping that was what I wanted.  I broke it down into bending her neck both directions, taking her hind, one step at a time. We worked on this in the barn, in her pen, just anytime I caught her up.  As this got better and better our work under saddle was smoother and softer.  I worked her from my saddle horse to also get her to take her hind and then her front. She was not able to bolt off around me.  This brace was on her left side only, going counter clockwise, changing back to clockwise.  I also, worked on this against the round pen fence to block her from running from the flag. Since she couldn’t bolt around me and she would stop at the fence, until she felt free to bend her hind and then bring her front, she even tried pawing the ground to see if that worked.  I gently waved the flag and let her figure out where to go.  I worked her in the alley of the barn, going in and out of a stall also, with and without a flag.  This work gave her boundaries and a reason to bend and change eyes.  Now that she has some bend, is confident about the rein meaning to bend and move her feet she has very little brace on either side when we ride.

She is a smart little horse who works at new things at her own pace.  She is one that is very graphic on how she feels about something.  It is great fun to watch the cogs turning and her mind accepting and figuring things out.  She will be bolting, pawing the ground one minute and then licking and chewing with bright eyes the next.   When she licks and chews and her eyes get bright,  you really know  that she is on the right track.

I am looking forward to riding her in the Foundation Class at the Buck Brannaman Clinic in March.  We will get lots more groundwork with a group and Buck can help me refine our movements and work on the braces that are still there at times.

Buck Brannaman will be coming back to Texas for horsemanship clinics at the Bell County Expo Center March 25, 26, 27 & 28th, 2011.   We will be having Foundation Horsemanship and Horsemanship II.   The foundation class is for green horses and/or green riders.  We will work the horses each day, under saddle with emphasis on quality ground work  and then put these maneuvers to work with rider in the saddle.   The afternoon class will be Horsemanship II which is the advanced class for horses and riders.  The exercises learned in Foundation and Horsemanship I are taken to refined levels and new exercises added to advance the horse from the snaffle bit to the hackamore.   Introducing cattle work and ranch roping to the horses is part of this class.

Join us for what will become an annual celebration continuing the vision of Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt for the next generation of horsemen and women. 

  $75/day, $200 for three days (in advance via the web site)

Schedule:  (New work each day)

9:00 AM- Colt Starting with Buck Brannaman and Martin Black

11:00 AM- Cattle working with Martin Black

1:00 PM -Show Jumping with Melanie Smith Taylor

2:00 PM- Cutting with Doug Jordan

3:00 PM- Reata Roping and Cattle handling with Buck Brannaman and Martin Black

Email: think.rayhunt@gmail.com    website: www.alegacyoflegends.com

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DECEMBER 3-5 , 2010-A Legacy of Legends- Old Fort Worth Stockyards Coliseum Ft. Worth, Texas. Join us for what will become an annual celebration continuing the vision of Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt for the next generation of horsemen and women. More information coming soon.

Photo by:  Cindy Meehl

Photos by:  Kathy Greer

The afternoon class at the Texas  BUCK BRANNAMAN CLINIC in March  2010 was Beginning Ranch Roping.

The ranch ropers gathered on the first day with their ropes in hand and watched Buck Brannaman demonstrate 3 different hip shots.  He recommended a soft rope 45 to 60 feet in length for this style of roping.     He had us work on our swing before we started throwing loops at the roping dummy.   He told us to imagine swinging a milk pail over and around your head and back down by your side.    With a proper swing you will not spill your milk!!

1. The first shot we worked on was the “ride by flank shot”.  We would approach the calf or roping dummy that was headed left to right.  This entailed swinging our loop forward and over our heads and with an angle, like the shoulder of the calf.   As we rode by perpendicular to the calf, the time to deliver the loop was when our leg was even with the tail of the calf.  We would look at the flank of the calf and follow through with our loop and deliver our swing as if wiping the table across the back of the calf.   One third of the loop would go all the way under the calf and out the other side and wrap around the hind legs, one third would be standing up against the calf’s legs under his flank and one third of the loop would be on the right side of the calf’s rear legs angled back toward the person who just threw the loop.  The power is in the swing as you come from behind you forward.  It does not need to be swung hard to have a lot of power and effectiveness.

2. The second shot we practiced is called the “hip shot”.  This is a standing shot. You position your horse at about a forty-five degree angle to the calf ’s hip (right side of calf) and swing your rope on the right side of your horse, forward swing and over your head.  Again, the power in the throw is when you bring your arm forward from behind you.  In this shot you focus on the hip and as you pull your rope forward in your swing you quickly open you fingers and point them at the hip.  This allows the loop to travel faster and hit the calf over the hip and then the tip follows under the flank and stands up nicely around the hind legs until the header can draw the calf into the loop.

3.  The third shot is the “trap shot”.  This is delivered from behind the calf, in his blind spot. Your horse is positioned off to the left of the calf.  Your swing is a forward swing but angled over the left side of the calf and your horse.
When you deliver the loop, your drop your arm down as you bring if forward down the right side of your horse and wipe the table across the back of the calf for the throw.   This shot is usually done with you and your horse being closer to the calf and your tip is over the back of the calf in your swing to help you judge when you have the loop ready to be delivered.

After working on our swings and roping the three shots on the roping dummy, we were ready to rope live corriente cattle.   You have to practice adjusting your swing in relation to your horse and the moving calf.   If you ever thought that riding was like doing 8 things at once, well we just added about 4 to 5 more things going on a once.   You need to be able to pat your head and rub your tummy type of coordination to do ranch roping, but you need to do that to have good rider and horse communication. 

The work was fun, you needed to feel of your horse with a lot of concentration. Horsemanship skills at the highest level were being developed.  Buck always stressed our horsemanship first and the roping second.   The roping is just a job for the horse to do.   Classic dressage in western saddles!   “All dressage is, is good riding.” said Buck Brannaman.

Jeannie
J Bar B Ranch
Honoring the horse and horsemanship 

My training is in the Buckaroo Way and I offer consultation services to those who believe in partnership of horse and rider.   My approach includes everything from evaluating the compatibility of horse and rider, developing programs of fitness for horse and rider to compete in various events, to offering experienced feedback on horse management, diets, and supplements.