Buckaroo Texan Blog

I was reading  Tom Dorrances’ book the other evening.  I just picked it up, opened it and just starting reading where it had opened.  Tom was discussing about how you approach a horse, your presentation, whether you get a reaction or a response.  He was talking about really understanding the horse at that moment, and how each horse is different.  That is why he cannot say “do this for that”, all the time, for all horses.  It really is an art to be able to adjust to fit each horse, any horse, the same horse, each time you are around it.  Horsemanship is about feel, timing and balance. That’s all there is too it,  but there is so much to it!   Happy trails.   Have a wonderful Christmas season to all my friends.  See you soon riding and roping!!!         Jeannie

Photo by:  Carol Akers- riding colts with Buster McLaury

I was invited to come to the fall branding on the 3G ranch outside of Midland, Texas this past weekend.   Kate and Sam Gooding had a recently weaned group of calves to brand and work.   I arrived Friday night and got settled in for a full day of riding and roping on Saturday.  I took my most experienced horse, Button, so we could do a good job for our host and hostess. 

Saturday morning we started out in the pastures, looking for 6 head of renegade cattle that have been running loose for over a year.   Kate on her trusty steed, Ranger and I, mounted on Button rode out in search of the cattle.   The cattle had been spotted a few times, so we had a good idea where to start our search and gather.  A lot of the fences have been down in west Texas due to the vast ranging fires over the last year.   So it was easy for this group of six to be hard to find roaming in thousands of acres.   Sam sent a text that he saw them north of the windmill in the pasture we were in so off we went at a fast trot and gallop.   We found the cattle, eased up on them and headed them towards the nearest set of pens.  It was a few miles, lots of wind, and they had a big bubble.  We had to drive them from a far distance, like fifty yards or more at first.  We got them penned about noon and headed for the branding pens.

 After a water break, and arrival of the rest of the crew, we set up to brand.  We had three ropers.  Jerry Allison joined us for the branding.  Martha and Josh helped Sam with the branding pot, vaccines and wormer.   We took turns heading a calf, the other ropers would fall in to heel and whoever had not caught heels, helped with the ground work.  We all headed, heeled and worked the ground.   The calves got worked with very little stress. We got lots of good practice roping in the 20 to 30 mph gusty winds.

Sunday morning we spent driving the renegade cattle to another stronger set of pens near the highway, so they could be hauled to another pasture and joined up with another group of cattle.   The cattle were wild enough that having experienced horses that could be maneuvered one foot at a time, backwards or forwards was important to keep from having them run off.   Any pressure from the horses got their heads up looking for a place to run.   We got the cattle moved and penned.  The cattle were starting to settle some, ease around and be driven quietly by the time we made the four mile drive to the next set of pens.   What a great weekend of riding, roping, horsemanship and stockmanship practice.

If you are nervous, think about this ole Cowboy saying:  Just keep the horse between you and the ground- one leg on either side and your mind in the middle-  BUSTER MCLAURY

This past weekend, I attended a Horsemanship Clinic with Buster McLaury in Paducah, Texas located in the Texas Panhandle.    We had warm wind, cold rain, sun, fog and fantastic cloud formations.  No arena, just panhandle pasture for this clinic.

Buster is a cowboy that studied for years with Ray Hunt.  He is a darn good cowboy poet, knows the cowboy ways, but is also and foremost, a fine horseman.  As you study, learn and ride with Buster you can feel the presence of Ray Hunt.

 I took two young horses to ride with Buster, for the experience and one in particular that has had problems of coping with riding around other horses.   As we discussed the background of my sorrel gelding, Rojo, Buster reminded us of a saying of Ray’s “ A horse learns what he lives and lives what he learns”.   I had heard this phrase before but on this troubled young horse it really hit home.   The bad experiences he has had is what he had learned, so we had to understand his living what he learned and try to gain his confidence that living and riding around other horses could be a good experience.  We were able to set up some situations that he could be exposed to and allowed me help him with moving his feet, directing him, show him he could move to a comfortable spot and use his energy in a productive way.  This allowed him to gain some confidence and ride the rest of the session a lot more relaxed than he ever had around other horses.

 Rojos’ session on Saturday was after a cold rain, he was shaking, tight in the tail, tight in the flank, stomach and his mouth.  Buster had me direct him with a lot of ground work to get to his  mind.  To work in such a way that he was out of trouble if he stayed focused on me.   The ground was slick in spots and for this horse, just staying even with yesterday was big progress.  I was able to build a new depth of closeness between Rojo and I, a deeper confidence, that is so easy to destroy if a person is not aware and responsible.

We worked out in the pasture bending our horses so they could go straight.  A horse needs to be balanced, straight even if he is making an arc with his path or a straight line.  The rider needs to direct the horse with an idea and know that idea before he asks the horse to move a foot. We broke down our exercises to realize and actually feel when were getting the horse soft and working on his mind.  As we got the horses prepared to move out or stop, we prepared.  We felt of him, felt for him and then we felt together. 

We directed our horses to better their stops, backing up hills, bringing the hind and the front, hobbling, roping, and transitions.  We asked for the slightest try and got great results by remembering we were really working with their minds. Sometimes you get to the horses’ feet through his mind and sometimes you get to his mind through his feet.

This past Saturday and Sunday, I attended a Ranch Roping Clinic at the ranch of Jeff and Liz Spooner in Gatesville, Texas.   We had a good group of eight.  Most of the group already knew each other and had some roping skills, and we had a few new friends  trying out this style of roping.   We got started Saturday morning with practicing throwing loops at the dummies and helped each other with our form and techniques for the various throws.   We moved on to throwing loops horseback.  Several of the participants were riding young horses or restarted horses, so everyone looked out for each other to give the youngsters plenty of challenge but in way to let them learn at their own pace.  

In the afternoon , we  mounted up and headed to the pasture to bring in the cattle.  We worked as a team, with the cow boss giving directions on how to bring the cattle in.  Every time we headed to the pasture, we changed who the cow boss was.  This was a bit of  a challenge for a few of the group.  It was good mental practice.  Not only were you responsible for you and your horse and your job, everyone else’s too. 

We brought in the cattle to a round pen, two of the participants would sort out 2 or three head and then turn the rest back out.   We then spent time with one or two riders throwing break away shots.   After a few participants practiced throwing breakaway loops with discussion on strategy, a team would come into the pen with either metal or rawhide Hondas and  work to head and heal and take the calf down.  Then a ground crew would come in the finish getting the topes on the legs of the calf, clear the area and then the two ropers would let the cow up.  Then we headed to the pasture to gather again and sort out  fresh cattle to rope.

The following day we worked on our horsemanship, handling the rope, did some drills to work on our dallying smoothness, and stretched some ropes.   The day was getting really hot, so we emphasized watching the expression of ourselves and the horses to move the cattle gently and slowly to not over heat them.  We discussed positioning of the horse to work the cattle by watching there eyes and feeling for the flight zone of the cattle.  Staying just out side of the flight zone allowed us to move the cattle very softly and quietly to most anyplace  we needed them.  This roping part was done just with our breakaways to lessen the stress on the cattle on the hot day.  We all learned a lot from each other, our horses really enjoyed their jobs, and  everyone came away with heighten skills and a real feel of working cattle slowly really gets the job done fast.

The other afternoon I was bringing in the fillies.  A three year old, a two year old and a yearling, all sorrels.  I call them the “red ladies”.   The yearling, Summer, saw me coming to call them into their pen for the night from the pasture.  She was the first to come up to me.  We met at the gate and an opportunity presented itself to work on a little confidence between the two of us.   I reached out to pet and scratch her, which she reached for me, to accept.  I needed her to go on through the gate and come with me.  I suggested she rock back on her hind and get balanced by touching her chest and having my hand every so slightly on her nose to discourage forward movement.  As she started to balanced herself and lifted throughout her body to send energy unto her hindquarters, I took my hand from her chest.  I moved my hand from her nose and directed at her eye to cross over a step to her right.   I could see that she was a bit confused so I stepped in front of her and she followed me to the right with the nicest easiest cross over step you could ask for.  I had to smile to myself, for a change I set it up and let the horse find it, just let it happen.   I catch myself supporting and directing a horse entirely through a maneuver.  Forgetting to let go and let it happen, until it has happened.   It is before what happens, happens, as Ray Hunt would say, that makes all the difference to the horse.   You can never really get a feel of a horse until you begin to know why things happened for the good or for the bad.   Release is so important, but that timing makes the release mean something to the horse.  But before a release will mean something, the horse needs to be in balance within himself so that he is prepared to make a step or maneuver that has some quality to it.  It is when you feel the horse about to make a move in the direction you asked that you release.  It may be right, it may be sort of right, or it may not be anything like you had in mind but it was a try.  That timed release allows him do it on his own, search and learn, and it means something to him and helps him to connect with you more and more each time that happens.  You can develop a feel with a foal or yearling, long before you think about riding.  Always keeping in mind balance, timing and feel, in very short sessions with these youngsters, can help them have the confidence to go on their first ride like it was their tenth ride.

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.

 This year at the Belton, Texas,  Buck Brannaman Clinic,  I rode Button in the Horsemanship 2 Class.   It is always fun to work on the advanced manuvers and learn new skills in getting these better.  The roping and cow work are just more ways to advance your skill level and give your horse real jobs to do.  It’s a real test on how well you and your horse are working together.   We spent a lot of time over the four days working on the soft feel at all gaits.  I was working in a hackamore.  I felt I had advanced to a ½ inch hackamore  with the idea of getting ready to more on to the two rein.  As the work in the class advanced with more loping, Buck pointed out to me that Button was really pushing back on me, so I changed back into our 5/8ths hackamore.   I had a better communication with him then and we were able to get some better feel between us.   I realized from the discussions in the morning,foundation class, on the flexions and soft feel, that these were not as good as they needed to be at the level Button was at in the advanced class.   The flexions and soft feel are ways of working to get the horses to engage his hind end and to be more balanced on all four corners.   These last few weeks after the class, Button and I have really gotten more balance between us,  I am being more assertive in asking for him to move in balance at all gaits, forward and backwards,  two tracking, side passing and during haunches in.  I am constantly thinking about my position in relation to where all four feet are of my horse.  Its getting to be a true feel between us so that when I ask for a change we change together, most every time, as it should be.   Photo by:  Jenny Hasz

Phot by

The weekend of December 3, 4 and 5^th,    was an exciting, educational and entertaining packed three days.  Buck Brannaman, Martin Black, Doug Jordon and Melanie Taylor all did a terrific job of tying proper horsemanship, that is fitting to the horse, together in their different areas of horse handling expertise.

Buck and Martin started each day with working with 2 colts to get them started over the 3 days.   Buck and Martin each have a different style but you could see how the approach was fitting for the horse they each worked with.  All the horseman repeated many times over the weekend, how there are so many ways to approach the horse and you are not wrong, but it is in your presence, feel and understanding of the horse, if you are to be effective and fitting.  Buck and Martin took turns commenting on what was happening with each colt as they worked along. It was amazing what the colts were doing by day 3.  Again, for a lot of us, this work would take a few weeks or months, depending on our skill level and quality of time spent with the colt. Buck and Martin both commented on how that is all right.  Time is not an issue to the horse, but quality is.

Mid morning,  Martin worked a colt with high energy in a cow working situation he calls the A-pen.  The colt had 6 to 7 rides before this clinic.  Over the 3 days Martin, introduced this colt to a cow and used a little pressure and a lot of relief to teach the horse to look up the cow.  Martin explained about the flight zone and balance point of the cow and horse positions.   The quality of the overall movements and transitions of the colt  really changed over the 3 days as the colt learned the 3 basics in a situation that also taught him to think.  These basics being going, stopping and turning.

First session of the afternoon was jumping with Melaine Taylor.   Melaine had Mindy Bower commenting with her and they had two ladies on jumping horses working jumps as Melaine directed.     Melanie stressed how no matter your specialty, the basic training is the same.  Melaine had the riders remove the martingales, even though they are part of the dress code for show.  She  had the riders warm up with lateral work, then moved on to work over ground poles and jumps.  Over the 3 days the horses improved   in their quality, height and difficulty in the jumps.  It was amazing to see this progress.  Buck restarted the Red dun on day three then switched to the jumping saddle and got the red horse a lot more confident and jumping the jumps a lot more correct, without the need to refuse jumps and balk.   Doug Jordan and Martin Black joined in the fun of jumping their cutting horses and bridle horses as Melanie directed.  It was great fun for the horses to do something challenging and different and really entertaining and heartwarming to see the different disciplines jumping together.

 Doug Jordan had the next session over the 3 days working different levels of horses in training working the herd and cutting.   Doug was letting the horses build  confidence and develop their own thinking to work the cattle.

 The last session of each day,  Buck and Martin, did cattle work with a herd.  They showed different approaches to working the cattle for green horses and starting green horses roping.  They increased the difficulty level of the herd work and roping each day and Martin rode the last calf they tied down, up.   You had to be there to see that, what great fun.  Something the ground crew does in the Great Basin.

There are several ways to box the cow, or get control of a cow when working in an arena.   I will discuss 2 ways of boxing; (1) one is for a trained horse,  the strategy for the show ring and (2) for training a horse to box or hold a cow.

1.  SHOW RING STRAGEGY

Boxing the cow is a term that is common in the Working Ranch Horse event, Stock Horse events, Ranch Horse Versatility Classes and Stock Horse classes in Futurities.  The judge is looking for you and your horse to step up to the cow that has been turned into the arena and for the horse rider to take control of the cow at one end of the arena.   You get control of the cow and hold the cow at one end of the arena before taking the cow to other places in the arena, according to the type of class and the directions given by the Judge.   Ideally, when the cow enters the arena, after you have informed the gateman that you are ready for the cow, you will be at a distance from the gate and have your horse moving towards the cow.  The cow will see your movement and know you are there.  A cow does not always recognize a stationary object as something to be concerned about.  If you are stationary when the cow is turned into the arena the cow may not see you and ignore you when you do go to moving.    The horse rider should approach the cow with confident offense.   You will walk up to the cow and mirror the cow as it moves.  The horses’ head is positioned at the  cows’ shoulder to be in a neutral position.  When the cow takes off you will keep your horse in this position, but then take over the cow, by getting your horses’ head even with the cow’s head.  Most  cows will   duck their head slightly to prepare to turn and go the other way.   By keeping you eye on the cow, you are reading the cow and will be ready for any move the cow makes.  In the show ring you will stay right with the cow.   Point your horses’ head to a stopped cow and walk towards the cow’s head to get the cow to move.   By keeping you eyes on the cow and not your horse, will keep your position in the saddle to move with your horse any direction the cow goes.  Your horse will mirror the cow to show it has control of the cow and will keep the cow at one end of the arena no matter how hard, or how quick the cow moves or changes direction.     When you have shown that your horse has control of the cow, you will then be ready to move your horse behind the cow and follow the cow like a trailer hooked to the cow and push the cow to another area of the arena.   The boxing part of a cow working event lets you read the cow, lets you see how the cow responds to the pressure of your horse, will help you determine how much speed and turn this cow will have for the rest of your class.

2. TRAINNING A HORSE TO BOX THE COW

To train the horse to box a cow, you first have to be sure your horse is comfortable around cattle.  You need to ride your horse quietly around cattle until you feel that the horse is relaxed and attentive.  Depending on the horse, this may take a couple minutes to several sessions over several days to accomplish.

TRACKING CATTLE:  Follow a single cow around a pen or arena to help you and your horse to get used to the movement of a cow.  Follow at a far distance at first and get closer and closer as the cow slows down.  Anytime your horse has his ears forward and is looking at the cow, this is a horse try.  Sit very still in the saddle and go with you horse and be sure you have no pressure on the horse with your hands or legs.   When your horse is hooked on the cow (looking at the cow and following quietly) several times, reward the horse try by stopping and letting your horse rest.   Following cattle is also known as tracking.  The horse gets behind the cow and follows at a set distance as the same speed as the cow. 

TIGHTEN A HERD:  Put a small group of cattle in a round pen or small arena and practice pushing the cattle into a tight herd.  Walking your horse around and around the cattle teaches the cattle to honor your horse and look for the herd as a safe place to rest.   You watch for any cattle looking to walk or trot away from the herd. As you walk behind any cattle looking away from the herd, your goal is to turn them back into the herd.  Two track your horse away from the herd a step or two as you come behind a cow looking out of the herd and then walk towards the head of any of the cattle trying to leave.  This will make them turn and head back into the herd.  Keep your horse walking around the herd until the cattle will stay in a fairly tight group or herd in the center of your working area.  This is a good way to help you learn to “read” cattle.  Watch the body language of the cattle as you go around and around.  When you and horse are comfortable folding cattle into the herd, you can speed up into a trot around the herd.  It helps with the settling of the cattle and builds confidence in your horse.  Be sure to make your circle large enough that trotting does not disturb the cattle.

1. CUTTING OUT A COW:  When the cattle will stay in a herd, you can then enter the herd.  Ride through the cattle to split the herd into halves or thirds.  This splitting the herd will put the horse ride in position to drive a cow out of the herd.   After you have driven a cow out, keep you eye on the cow at all times and watch its movement.   Use your horse to step towards the cow to drive it away from the herd and encourage the cow to stay at a good distance from the herd by keeping you horse parallel to the cow on one side and parallel to the herd on the other side. 

BOXING THE COW:  This is where actual boxing the cow starts to take place.   You will use  two tracking away from the cow to keep your horse parallel and not too close to the cow.  When the cow stops, ride your horse past the cow, one step at a time until the cow turns away from you and looks to find the herd.  Let the cow draw the horse.  It the horse does not respond within a second, use your outside leg and inside rein to bring your horse back towards the cow to catch up with the cow.  After several repetitions of this, the horse will start to turn on his own and will not want to go past the cow.  He will start to develop a stop when the cow stops and wait for the cow to turn. The stop and turn by the horse on his own is what you are looking for to take to the show ring.  To help develop a good turn on your horse, you will back the horse a few steps, rock his weight onto his rear end, and then ask him to roll back over his hind legs so he is in proper position to beat the cow.   Most horses develop and realize how their position can stop and control the cow rather quickly, if the rider is aware of how to let the horse learn this maneuver.  Using a herd will let you cut and box a cow several times in working session.  Whenever you horse gives you a few good horse trys, be sure to reward you horse and take a break.

My training is in the Buckaroo Way and I offer consultation services to those who believe in partnership of horse and rider.  

 Honoring the horse and horsemanship through the western buckaroo way.