Californio Ranch Horse Association

est. 2006

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This page is dedicated to the discussion of all the things that people are curious about when it comes to Californio heritage, early California history, bridle horses, spade bits, riatas, hackamores, and more. E-mail us with topics or questions that you're curious about and we'll see if we can get someone to give you their opinion.

info@californioranchhorse.org

One of the things we want to do with this page in particular is to define terms and share opinions. The interesting thing to me is that there may be several different definitions of a single term or a single term used for a couple of different things depending on where you come from. So here we go...

Bear in mind, everything you read below is simply the opinion of the individuals who were good enough to share theirs with us.

Winter '08 in Quakie Camp

Bridle Trivia

This analogy is the result of a long winter with too much time to think:

A horse carrying a bridle properly can be compared to a human carrying a full bucket of water without spilling it...

-Pat Puckett, early Spring '08 where there is snow.

A bridle horse carrying the spade and working the cricket.

The Cricket

by Pat Puckett

When we speak of the bit, there are several parts that work together. The cricket or roller is just as important as the other parts. When you first present it to a horse, you need to pay attention to what the horse does. Most horses automatically start rolling the cricket and gapping at the mouth. Since it's something they have never experienced before, make no decisions or judgements right away. Just let it happen. From day one on, you will notice the sound of the cricket change as the horse becomes, not only settled with the cricket, but invites it. Some horses don't even roll it for the first few days and that's fine. It's a given that the cricket keeps the mouth wet but, like every other part of the process, if the human will listen, he can learn a lot about where he is with his horse. Have fun!

Sabine Shurter of Jemez Spings, NM, has been kind enough to allow us to print an article she wrote a little while ago. Enjoy...

The Californio Horse
Classical Horsemanship on the Trail and in the Cow Pen
— by Sabine Shurter

About three years ago, I went on a scouting ride in the Banco Bonito area of the Valles Caldera National Preserve. One of the participants was Ron Breines, the director of the preserve’s riding program.

He rode his horse in something called a rawhide hackamore and a horsehair mecate. His western saddle did not have the usual, pronounced swells. Instead it had a high cantle, a very large horn, and was equipped with so-called bucking rolls and silver stirrups—a slick fork saddle with a “Wade” tree. He was also wearing “chincaderos” or “chinks.”

His outfit caught my interest, and after talking to Ron for a while, I was astounded to hear him explaining advanced concepts of classical Dressage he used in cow work. Then he explained that his outfit also provided the basis for a very different style of western riding and cow work called Vaquero or Californio style.

Ron has become a mentor and good friend and has helped me to learn more about the Californios. Most important, I have learned more about my own horses, have developed a better feel for them, and have learned to appreciate ground work in the roundpen. My young horses are no longer ridden with bits but with rawhide hackamores: the initial stage of training horses Californio-style. And, I have taken up ranch roping— quite a concept for an almost 50-year old-woman who has ridden English all her life and never thrown a lariat.

Recently, I went to Southern California to ride to learn with Pat Puckett, a master of the reata (lariat or lasso) and the bridle. He has worked on ranches with horses and cows all his life and is a great admirer of classical masters such as Nuño Oliveira.

I also have learned that “Horse Whispering” is not an illusive art. It isbased on concepts picked up and further developed by the old Vaqueros of Alta California. Once taught only to protégés by masters, sometimes in complete secrecy, the art is now available to anybody who is willing to listen and learn.

This 8 year old gelding is bridled with a half-breed bit with traditional Santa Barbara cheek pieces. Although “straight-up” in the bridle, he carries a pencil bosal or bosalito with a horse-hair get-down rope which is only used for leading and tying the horse. To avoid hurting the horse’s mouth or ruining the expensive reins, the rawhide romal reins of the bridle are never taken down or used for tying the horse . With the rider in the saddle, the get-down rope is loosely tied to the side of the saddle. This Wade tree saddle has no bucking rolls and the lariat tied to the saddle can offer the rider a good grip without having to resort to the saddle horn. The horse is groundhobbled to keep him from wandering around and getting into trouble.

The Origins of Californio Style

The Californio style has its roots in riding styles that had developed over the centuries on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar, i.e., the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa. The predecessor of the Californio’s rawhide hackamore was developed by Moorish riders to train their Berber and Arabian horses. These Moorish horses became the foundation for the Lusitano and the Andalusian horse. Many of the horses later brought to the Americas were of the same stock and formed the foundation of the first mesteño bands in the North American west.

For centuries, the Iberian riders, who were taught by the Moors, were known and appreciated by rulers and war lords throughout old Europe for their superb horsemanship in battle. Their riding style was founded on the principles of lightness and responsiveness needed for a superior war and/or bull-fighting horse.

When the Spaniards conquered the New World, they brought horses, cattle, and the Iberian riding style with them, which then spread north into Alta California and Texas. The Californian Vaqueros integrated many classical European horsemanship principles that had been introduced by the early Spanish padres, dons, and soldiers into their cowhorse training. They adapted these principles to the rigors of working and roping wild cattle and horses (and even grizzly bears) in the open range on the wild south coast of California long before the land became part of the United States.

Both the Californio style practiced in Alta California and the cowboy style, which originated in Texas, were developed in the old west and were based on the need to manage more or less wild cattle roaming the open range. Both styles of cow management have their roots in the Mexican Vaquero and Charro traditions, which can be credited with developing the art of roping, unknown in Spain, and with applying classical riding principles to cow work.

While the Vaqueros of California, and later the buckaroos of the Great Basin (Northern California, parts of Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah), honored and furthered the Vaquero riding and roping style, the cowboys in Texas and neighboring ar-eas adapted to their specific cattle management demands. After the war with Mexico and the battle of the Alamo, the Mexican life style, including the Vaquero style of horse-training, fell out of favor in Texas as Anglo influences found their way into the Texas cowboy style of horsemanship and cattle handling.

How the Cowboy Style Came to New Mexico

Although New Mexico has been heavily influenced by Spanish and Mexican traditions, the cowboy style of western riding is most prevalent in th state. This begs the question: Why have Vaquero horseman-ship traditions not survived as well in New Mexico as they have in California? The answer is the cattle industry, which would have needed excellent cow horses, simply did not prosper well enough in early New Mexico.

One important reason was the permanent threat of raids by the Utes, Apaches, Navajos, and Comanches that put stock owners in ever present danger of losing their herds. Another reason was that possible markets for beef hides, tallow, and meat were distant or non-existent in New Mexico. In Cali-fornia, ranchers could sell tallow and hides to the Yankee traders traveling with their ships up and down the California coast. Such trading opportunities did not exist in early New Mexico.

By 1874, most Indian raids were subdued and ranchers could raise their herds with a much greater sense of security. The demand for meat had picked up and even ranchers in New Mexico could profit from this development. By that time Texas had started to develop its cattle industry and, as a close neighbor, New Mexico was open to Texan influence.

At the same time, the era of the great cattle-raising missions and Ranchos of California had passed. The California cattle industry had suffered great losses due to a prolonged drought in the mid-1800s. In addition, a change in fencing laws put the burden of containing cattle on the rancher. This made raising cattle unprofitable and put many ranchers out of business.

Many large cattle operations such as Miller & Lux moved east and north into North and Central California and the Great Basin. The California Vaqueros moved with these herds, taking their traditions and horsemanship into the Great Basin area. There the buckaroo style of cow work and horsemanship developed and prospered. This horsemanship style is closely related to the Californio style of training the reined stock horse.

Richard Caldwell's rawhide reata hangs on his slick-fork saddle.
(photo courtesy of Patti Martin)

Training a Horse Californio Style

The Californio style of working with horses and cows is very different from the Texas cowboy style in its equipment, cattle management, horse training methods, and time spent on training the cow horse.

The traditional Californio goes through several phases when training his horse to become a bridle horse. After extensive groundwork using body language to effectively communicate with the horse (much as is now also taught by natural horsemanship clinicians), he starts his colt in a large diameter (1 or 3/4-inch) hackamore made of rawhide with a rawhide core and a 22-foot horse hair mecate rope rein.

The hackamore works very differently than the snaffle. For example, the rider never pulls on both reins at the same time because this will spoil the horse quickly and teach him to disrespect the hackamore.

Great care is taken to maintain softness and lightness in the horse, just as envisioned by the classical dressage masters such as Robichon de La Guérinière, Antoine de Pluvinel or Nuño Oliveira. Attention is given to working the front and hindquarters properly and to gaining control over each of the horse’s feet without jeop-ardizing the horse’s natural lightness. It is all about feel, balance, and timing as explained so well by the great horseman Tom Dorrance. Leverage and muscle strength are used sparingly by the rider from the beginning.

The rider maintains a balanced classical seat, often with long legs. As the horse is taught to respond to the cues of the hackamore and the rider’s legs and weight shifting aids, he progresses through increasingly smaller diameter hackamores and mecates. Eventually he can be ridden with minimal cues in a 3/8 inch or 1/ 4 inch hackamore and mecate.

Next the rider can progress to the “two rein” set-up where the horse still wears the 3/8 or 1/4 inch bosalito and mecate in addition to a well-balanced “half-breed” or “spade bit.” Although some trainers prefer using the snaffle before progressing to the hackamore, ideally the horse has never before been ridden with a bit. His mouth has been untouched and has remained as “soft as velvet.”

At first the rider will use only the mecate reins to signal the horse, then slowly start to use the bridle reins. The bridle reins are attached to the bit with rein chains, which are used to balance the reins to the bridle. Again, he will spend a long time riding his horse in this set-up until he feels that his horse responds well and solely to the romal reins, even in difficult situations.

Next it is time to move the horse straight into the bridle, i.e. riding him solely with a half-breed bit or the old Spanish spade bit. At this point, the horse works on mere, ever so slight, signals given by the romal reins and the rider’s body cues.

The bit is never used for leverage or pulling. It only helps the horse maintain collection and head set while working with fully engaged hindquarters, even at high speeds. This riding style promotes schooling of the horse’s mind and body so that he can use his body to its greatest potential.

Training a horse Californio style is time-consuming, with the handler/ rider working “on horse time.” Making a fine bridle horse takes up to five years and sometimes longer. Any shortcut is likely to be a setback. Any mechanical device used to make the horse do things which he is not inclined or not physically able to do are frowned upon and should be avoided.

There is no magic bullet to accelerate the training. The horse is prepared with ground work to further school his body and responses and to minimize dangerous surprises when first mounted. A Californio is proud when his youngsters do not buck on their first ride, although he will handle it well if one breaks in two Every step from the different sizes of hackamores into the “two rein” and then into the bridle must be followed and a horse must never be asked to do in the bridle what he cannot do in the hackamore.

3-year old filly in a 5/8" bosal

Roping Styles

Two different roping styles de-veloped, one in Texas and another in California. Both the cowboy (from Texas) and the Californio learned their art from the Mexican Vaqueros. While the Californio retained the Vaquero’s artistic roping style, the cowboy developed a different roping style using a 30 to 35 foot rope made of nylon, which he tied hard and fast without allowing it to slip.

The Californio prefered a 60 to 80 ft. rope with a large loop. The rope was dallied (wrapped) around the horn and eased out to prevent the cow from being jerked back when reaching the end of the rope. The reata, made of strands of rawhide, was the preferred tool although other materials such as nylon are now used as well. It was mandatory to dally the reata and let it slip because otherwise it would break.

While the cowboy used a few shots which were sufficient for handling cattle, the Californio had many shots in his portfolio and each shot worked best from a particular angle or distance.

The ranch roping style of the Californio was quite different from what we see at today’s rodeo con-tests. For the Californio, time was of little essence and the cow was sup-posed to experience as little stress as possible. An intricate well laid shot was by far favored over a quick and simple shot.

This was born out of the need to doctor cattle singlehandedly in wide open country. While working on his own, the Californio can lay down a cow and tie it with a figure 8 shot assisted only by his well-trained bridle horse.

Because ranch roping style is often slow paced, even people who have never laid their hands on a lariat in their entire life can learn to handle a rope and work with cows. Some horse trainers who have no need for working cattle find the lariat useful for working with their horses in the round pen, teaching them to ground-hobble and desensitizing them to anything that could catch their legs or suddenly touch their body and spook them.

The art of the Californios had almost been forgotten, but thanks to horsemen such as Tom and Bill Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Pat Puckett, Buck Brannaman and many others this style of horsemanship with ancient roots is experiencing a well-deserved comeback and has caught the attention of horse people around the world.

Pat Puckett holds down a critter by two front feet at Tejon Ranch's Old California Ranch Roping and Stock Horse Contest.
(photo courtesy of Patti Martin)

Why Californio Horsemanship?

This article does not explain all the intricacies of the Californio style of horsemanship. Like any classical approach, the Californio style requires a lot of time with the horse, and the rider must put considerable thought into his training approach. However, it is worthwhile for anyone who wants a well-trained, well-mannered horse that responds willingly without being dull.

This style complements the horse and its natural abilities. It does not subjugate nor pamper the horse. It trains the horse to be a reliable and content working partner.

The Californios train their horses with cow work in mind. However, a Californio-style trained horse excels in many disciplines as his foundations are well laid. Like many well-trained ranch horses, the Californio horse is a joy to ride on the trail, in the cow pen, or in the arena, and is easy to handle on the ground whether he is lead, groomed, loaded, or shod.

National magazines such as Western Horseman have published articles about Californio Horsemanship and trainers such as Mike Bridges. Ed Connell’s books on training the hackamore and bridle horse are selling well. Clinics offered by Californio trainers in New Mexico such as Ron Breines are well attended.

Pat Puckett sharing his knowledge with a group of people at a demonstration in the courtyard of the Santa Ynez Historical Society Museum, Santa Ynez, CA.

Our friend, Sabine Shurter of Jemez Springs, New Mexico, has submitted a series of questions. Here they are. We only have an answer to one of them. The rest of the answers are on the way so be patient and check back or submit your own thoughts and we will post them alongside the submissions we receive.

What is collection in the classical sense and how does it relate to training the Californio horse?

Richard Caldwell of Alturas, California, is a horseman and a cowboy who has successfully competed in the performance world. For more information about Richard, you can visit his web site www.vaquerohorseman.com. Here are his thoughts on collection:

"Collection is important in any type of horsemanship. A horse cannot properly execute a manuever if they are not collected. Examples of these manuevers are stops, rollbacks, and spins. It is essential in particular to have collection when working cattle. With collection, a horse is always in a ready position for proper transitions between manuevers. A horse has to be soft and round and this is accomplished with collection."

Richard and his hackamore colt as they come to a stop.

John Saint Ryan came to the USA 14 yrs ago with an English background of Classical Riding, he subsequently immersed himself in the western style of working with horses studying under the tutelage of the Masters of this work Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt. His passion and interest in Doma Vaquera stems from a visit to Spain almost 20 yrs ago. Doma Vaquera is a style of horse riding which enables the rider to carry out daily duties on horseback on a working cattle ranch. It was especially developed out of the use of the horse for handling the fighting bulls of Spain and grew out of decades of daily work with them in the open countryside. You can reach John at his web sites www.johnsaintryan.com and www.domavaquerainstruction.com . Here are his thoughts on collection in the classical sense and how it relates to the Californio horse:

If you have ever wished your horse could react quickly and smoothly. Move forward, backward, left and right both laterally and obliquely with balance and grace. Then you have simply wanted true collection in the classical sense.

Having said that, no amount of fancy outfits, be they German Bits and bridles or Californio Spade Bits and Hackamores, are going to get you and your horse to that point any quicker.
This also begs the question: What point?

At what point do you consider your horse ‘finished’? Surely this is a ‘moot point’ indeed. As in one mans ‘Broke Horse’ is another mans ‘Ranch Horse’. It is all up for debate and dependent on so many variables including culture and usage.

In the 18th Century, the Earl of Pembroke said, ”Equitation is confessedly a science. Every science is founded on principle and theory….because what is truly correct and beautiful can not depend upon chance.”

However, in many respects there is no paradigm in horsemanship i.e. there is no absolute worldview governing the methodology of horse training. Although many European countries have sought to standardize this with set rules, regulations and oversee the qualification of those teaching horsemanship. Nevertheless you can still walk in to any number of stables within a 100 miles radius and still find disparate methods of training that have somewhere along the line been of benefit to a number of horses………despite being what might be termed classically incorrect.
So now we have come full circle. For although there is no paradigm in horsemanship we can refer to the studies of those individuals who truly loved and honored the horse and discover what is not only functionally beneficial to the development of the horse but also what is humane and intelligent. For if nothing else, the human is capable of reasoning and impartial observation. If they try.

If not, then they often follow like sheep into the next pasture, (which appears greener), and offers perhaps some recognition in the form of a certificate or title. This is not to deride anyone with such a certificate, so long as they carry with them Michelangelo’s words, who at 87 years old said “Ancora Imparo”. I am still learning.

Now we’ve got that out of the way! Perhaps we can seriously consider the initial question.
Collection is a posture that has its roots within the core structure of the horse.
The visible outward manifestation of collection has caused many problems for horse people. These problems exist because they are looking on the surface first. It may be the position of the head, the apparent shortening of the back or a horse just being ridden with a double bridle or a spade bit. This is not collection.

To achieve true collection, even on the ground/in hand, the horse must first be calm. Then he should, if ridden, with support from the human hand, leg and seat,

1. Begin to coil his loins underneath him.
2. Relax the muscles of his topline and raise the free span of his back.
3. Finally he should raise the base of his neck.

At no time have I suggested a ‘position’ or ‘set’ of the head. This manifests itself naturally if these three prerequisites are followed.

Why is collection so important?
Well consider that collection is defined as a particular posture that makes weight bearing easier. This is not to say that you must ride your horse in constant collection, it would be impossible. But if you are asking for a good stop, turnaround or change of lead then collection will be something you desire.

In a nutshell, research those wonderful people who truly loved and honored the horse.
My suggestions would be:

1. Xenophon.
“ For what the horse does under compulsion…….is done without understanding, and there is no beauty in it either, any more than if one should whip and spur a dancer.”

2. Tom Dorrance.
“ You need to learn about what’s going on inside the horse. But, the inside of that horse is right in his innards, you might say; and what brings on trouble is disturbance, both mental and physical, being brought to the inside of the horse – right in his innards. If you can feel this, it will tell you a lot about what’s causing his trouble.”

3. Nuno Oliveira.
“ As for myself, lightness is characterized by the simultaneous achievement of the following conditions: activity of the hind legs, and suppleness of the horse’s back, both of which permit him to have, from the start of his training, a certain degree of collection, without making him give in (ramener) by the direct intervention of the rider’s hand.”

4. Gustav Steinbrecht.
“ I want to add the serious admonition, not to hurry any of the exercises and to let them all follow one another in such a way that the preceding exercise always constitutes a secure basis for the next one. Violations of this rule will always exert payment later on, not only by a triple loss of time, but very frequently , by resistances which, for a long time if not forever interfere with the relationship between the horse and rider and often jeopardize the success of the entire enterprise.

5. Charles de Kunffy.
“ Classical horsemanship is based on love for the horse; it is not practiced for the glorification of the rider.”

6. Duke of Newcastle.
“ A boy is a long time before he knows his alphabet, longer still before he has learned to spell, and perhaps several years before he can read clearly; and yet there are people who, as soon as they get on a young horse, entirely undressed and untaught, fancy that by beating and spurring they will make him a dressed horse in one day only. I would fain ask such stupid people whether by beating a boy, they would teach him to read without first showing him the alphabet? They would beat him to death before they would make him read.”

7. Colonel Alois Podhajsky.
“ To master a living creature, one must first and foremost master oneself.”

The above photos show John Saint Ryan riding Doma Vaquera(left) and ranch roping (right).

How is collection affected by the horse's conformation?

Deb Puckett has ridden since she was 7 years old. She had the typical small-town childhood that included running her horse everywhere, joining the local 4-H Club and going to all the little shows and gymkhanas that her mom and her grades would allow. Then the English jumping bug bit her and she became a 3-day eventer. Years later, with a trashy, off-the-track Thoroughbred that was trying to kill her, she met and married Pat Puckett. After travelling to Spain, she and Pat decided they had to try their hands at Doma Vaquera. So, they purchased the only Azteca gelding they could afford. Their red dun Azteca gelding, Companero, is featured on the this web site's home page. Deb is the CRHA's treasurer and she works alongside her husband running cattle and sheep and working dogs at the Spring Valley Ranch in Sierraville, CA:

"Alright, I'm going to take this one. Keep in mind, this is one woman's opinion.

I've seen quite a few horses come through our barn that my husband, Pat, has either started or fixed or that we've acquired one way or another. Some of them have come to collection easier than others and I've seen first hand how their conformation has influenced their abilities. There are horses that defy all that I'm going to say. They get by on pure heart. In general though, if you start with a horse that has the right conformation, you're half way there before you start.

First, I've got to define what I mean by collection. To me, collection relates directly to self-carriage. It has very little to do with the position of a horse's neck and head. Rather, collection is the transformation of a horse that allows for athletic maneuvers. In collection, the horse's weight shifts decidedly to the hind quarters, the hocks drive underneath the horse, the back lifts up, the poll lifts upward and outward. This RESULTS in the head being perpendicular to the ground but just because a horse travels with his head perpendicular to the ground does not mean he is collected.

With this in mind, a horse that is built in such a way that his withers are slightly higher than his hip, with a neck that comes out of his shoulder on the high side, and hocks that are slightly camped under, makes the rider's goal of collection much easier to attain. When you visualize such a horse, the Andalusian, Azteca, Arabian, and some Quarter Horses come to mind. Unfortunately, in today's performance world, what you see are low-necked horses that are built as if they are permanently going downhill. This makes collection an uphill battle - if you'll, excuse the pun!"

Deb Puckett riding Companero at their first Doma Vaquera competition at the LA Equestrian Center in 2003.

Deb Puckett riding Companero in the hills of California near Ventura.
(photo courtesy of Patti Martin)

What/how/to what extent? How to keep the horse light in the hand and not fall into the trap of pulling with the hand and pushing with the forward aids.

Pat Puckett writes:

This question is a really good one. I really enjoy talking about this because the topic addresses the biggest difference between two disciplines of riding a horse. It also nails down the fact that all the responsibility lies on the rider, not the horse.

I'm going to give a few exercises so we can establish the ground rules:

If you ride in a snaffle, do the following exercise. Put someone on your horse and stand next to your horse's head so you can watch his mouth while the rider backs him up. Your first clue occurs if you can look inside the horse's mouth while he's backing. If this happens, you have failed with your riding. The second clue occurs while the horse is backing up with his mouth gapped open and you observe that the horse has put its tongue in an 'S' shape and is pushing its tongue against the mouth piece. This is a defensive move to counteract pitiful riding habits. The third clue is if you see that the reins are tight as the horse backs and the horse's front feet are dragging in the dirt. At this point you might consider taking up golf...JUST KIDDING!

Believe me, if you want to ride better, it's worth doing that exercise. After watching the horse from the ground, you get a bettter mental picture of what the horse is doing when you are the rider. The reason I bring this up is to point out another common mistake made by riders. That is, while schooling, the rider leans to one side so they can watch the horse's skull. If you do this, you have betrayed your horse because of improper weight distribution.

If you ride in a bosal, ask yourself the following question: Why did I put the bosal on my horse? If your answer is any one of the following, there might be a problem:

A. Because it looks cool.

B. I've ruined the mouth so I'll try something different.

C. With the bosal, I can get the nose and jaw sore so the horse will respond.

Some of the results of poor riding in a bosal are as follows:

1. The horse has learned to go through the bosal, e.g., when you pull on the reins the horse sticks his nose out.

2. If you have to pull to stop.

3. When riding, your horse's back is hollow.

If you ride in a bridle, it is very simple to check yourself out. Simply ask yourself if your hand is being used as a lever or a signal.

I know people talk about signal bits and leverage bits. The fact is that no signal bit works as a signal unless the human presents himself correctly and in the right hands, even a leverage bit can turn into a signal to the horse.

Now, since you've hung in there through this ongoing sermon, we can now address the original question. The fact is, to avoid the above problems, you must be disciplined, develop a feel for the horse and your skeleton, and hone your timing skills. You'll notice that I put feel before timing and discipline first.

Disipline: Be honest - no stories, no excuses. From the time you catch your horse until you turn it loose, be aware of how you are presenting yourself.

Example: When you catch your horse and lead him out of the corral, is the lead rope tight or is the horse leading you out of the corral? Either one is incorrect. You have allowed this to happen. FIX IT. Your horse should walk behind you, relaxed and moving with you. When you stop, he stops. If you don't have this going on, there's no point riding him.

Developing a feel: Horses are sensitive and people are not. The good news for us is that horses are very forgiving. To me, riding with a feel means PAYING ATTENTION. When you are schooling a horse you need to make sure of two things:

a. That the horse understands what you want.

b. That you can feel when the horse gets it - not after he gets it but WHEN he gets it.

Example: One of the most misunderstand concepts in horsemanship is the soft feel or breaking at the poll or bridling up or whatever you want to call it. (See, it's so misunderstand that we can't even agree on what to call it!) I believe that when you pick up on your reins correctly, you are simply saying "Excuse me" to the horse. The horse in turn checks in mentally and physically (by raising his back, extending his poll up and out, and tucking his nose down and in) and says back to you "What can I do for you?" Then, with your skeleton, whether it is your eyes, your back, your seat bones, your calves, or a combination of several body parts, you share with the horse what you want him to do. That is riding with a feel.

Timing: Whether it be used in pressure or release, timing means the difference between creating an invisable ride and pedalling a donkey. How quickly can you be there with your skeleton to show your horse what you want and how fast you want it. And how quickly can you release the pressure and get out of his way when he responds. That's timing.

Now, if there's anybody still reading this, you have a lot to think about. For myself, the road to the bridle horse gives me the opportunity to always keep learning new things and to have a really good life.

I'd love to hear from anybody who read this and would like to discuss it further. You can e-mail my wife at debpuckett@gmail.com and she'll make sure I get the message.

Explain how natural horsemanship relates to the vaqueros.

Pat Puckett wants to address this final question. Here goes:

Let's start way back in history with the Greek, Xenophon, who wrote about rewarding a horse who tried to do what his rider asked instead of punishing him for not doing it.

During the Renaissance, the mentality of the war horse changed to horsemanship as art resulting finally in masters such as Nuno Oliveira.

And we can't forget our friends, the original Californios, a select few men who spent hours working on collection, slide stops without pulling on the reins, spinning by simply turning their torsos, the invisible ride.

Then there are past and present day vaqueros who can take their horses from a standstill to a dead run and back to a standstill simply by moderating the energy in their hands and bodies.

Then, along came the Dorrance brothers. These were men who started colts without bucking them out. I believe the phrase "Natural Horsemanship" was coined after someone put a label on what the Dorrance's did for a living. It then became a discipline taught by clinicians to the general public. After a while, like all disciplines, it started to change. Some clinicians hung on to the Dorrance brothers' style and values while others branched off into what used to be called "Liberty Training." Liberty Training is a style used to train circus animals and teach tricks for the movies. This style uses whips, sticks, and treats. So, the term "Natural Horsemanship" is the same as the term "religion." It means something different to everyone. I prefer the Dorrance brothers.

Pat and four Bar Shoe H fillies on Day 10 of their training.

Britani Cook, the niece of Pat and Deb Puckett, is nearly 16 years old which makes those of us who have watched her grow up feel terribly old. We coerced her into writing a little bit about cowboying:

Brit and her Haflinger gelding, Mickey (foreground), do a little heeling.

I like everything that I do with my aunt and uncle cowboying. From early years, 7 or 8 years old I learned to ride in a ranch setting. I also began to learn how to rope.

I enjoyed especially gathering and moving cattle with my aunt and uncle on a friend's New Mexico ranch, going to ranch roping competitions, starting with breakaway, and going to practices. I'm no longer doing breakaway, I'm doing actual roping now.

I got my own first horse,a two year old,when I was ten years old. My aunt and uncle helped me to get more experienced and taught me how to train and work with my horse to develop a Californio-style bridle horse. Six years later my horse is doing well and becoming a pretty good bridle horse.

I also enjoyed summers on a ranch with my aunt and uncle, riding, roping, branding, trail riding, and helping my aunt with a "Cowgirl Camp". It was cool to compete at the big Tejon Ranch Fiesta with my uncle and another one of his students in the pro-amateur division and get third place! And it's always fun to go to the Fiesta at Rancho La Mentada in Baja California. I'm looking forward to spending more summers doing ranch work and horse training.

If there are any kids out there that want to talk about cowboying, you can reach me through this website.

Brit (center) hanging with some friends at Rancho La Mentada.

Pat Puckett is a cowboy and a horseman. Here, he shares his thoughts on how he strives to present himself to his horses so that they will respond off of a feel rather than mechanically. Pat can be reached by e-mailing his wife at debpuckett@gmail.com .

Pat on his bridle horse, Gypsy (photo courtesy of Patti Martin)

When you are of the Californio discipline, there are many aspects to the process of making a bridle horse. Something I have learned is that none of the equipment works unless you make a committment to discipline your own presentation. What this means is that if you don't balance your skeleton and learn to adjust your body prior to asking your horse for a maneuver, you will end up with a mechanical horse as opposed to a bridle horse.

A proper presentation is a two-part process - pressure and release. The key to success is release. How good can you get at it? Let me give you an example:

Pressure: Kick a horse until it goes.

Release: When it goes, stop kicking.

Now, let me give you a bridle horse example:

From a stand still, raise your bridle rein an inch off the saddle horn, lift your seat bones, drive your spine toward the saddle horn, look where you're going and tighten your calf muscles. As the horse starts to move, relax your calf muscles equally and maintain your skeletal position until you want to stop or ask for a different direction.

The point is that sitting on a horse as a passenger is, in fact, one way of riding. Most people ride that way which is fine for them. However, if you choose to be a horseman, then you must be aware of your skeleton so you can stay out of the horse's way and complement this amazing animal.

Making a bridle horse is, after all, an art form.

Bruce Sandifer trains horses and some people in Santa Barbara, CA. He's cowboyed all over the west and has also stepped into the performance horse realm. He has kindly written down some of his thoughts on the kind of things he looks for in his horses and the goals of his breeding program. You can contact Bruce at thebridlehorse@aol.com .

Bruce on "Monte"

The breeding program at the Sandifer Bridle Horse Company is based on one goal - to breed the most well balanced and versatile horse we can. Our program is very small and that allows us to be selective. Our main stud at this time is a son of Montana Doc out of Docs Buena Chex. “Monte” is a nice, well-balanced horse with decent size standing 15.1 with good bone, an incredible disposition, and a ton of cow. With this horse as the foundation, our main concern is to pair him with mares that will bring out his great traits while trying to improve on some of the things I think this stud lacks. One of these is size. We like our horses to stand around 15.2 to 15.3 with smooth gaits so that's what we look for in our mares. We start all our mares. If they don't have a good mind and aren’t easy to train, we don't breed them . The most important thing we look for is balance and good conformation for what we do which is train bridle horses. Our main objective is to have a show quality cow horse and still retain all the qualities of a great ranch horse. Our horses need to be able to cover country like a big outfit horse should plus maintain the high degree of quickness, agility, and calmness that's required in competition. Much of this is the responsibility of the rider. However, if you start with proven bloodlines, the process is much simpler and more enjoyable.

I've included some photos of horses that we've raised that show the balance that I look for. The first horse is a two year old I really like. As you can see by the lines on this photo, this horse is what I call balanced in that his neck shoulder and hip are all the same length and tie in nicely one to the other. He’s not too long or to punched up. He’s well muscled yet not too thick, just right in the middle all the way around with no extremes. For me this is a good blank for me to mold into the type of horse that is my vision of perfection. Yours may be different. The next photo is of a horse that has started his schooling at the time of this photo he has just turned four and has almost a year of training. We usually start our horses a little later than many trainers these days as we feel we get many more sound years on the backside when the horse is fully trained and of more value to us not to mention more enjoyable. Another reason I start our colts later is that I use the traditional California method of starting horses in the hackamore going to the two rein till they are strait up in the spade. For me, if I start the horses too young, many times when their ready to go into the bridle their teeth are not set. I have found it works better for me if I don't try to put anything into their mouths until they're fully developed. For me they don’t seem to develop as many mouth problems and actually bridle faster if I’ve done my job in the hackamore. But I digress. As you can see by this photo, this horse has the balance to start to carry himself in the form of the bridle horse and that's what we breed for - the proper conformation so the horse can do his job easier. Of course, no matter how correct the horse is naturally, if you ride him like a burro, that’s what you’ll end up with.

Kim Kinnear is our secretary and our friend. She runs the web site www.bajahorse.com in addition to keeping us organized and up to date on what's going on in the real world. We can always count on her to answer all of our technical questions like, "Kim, what's a blog?" or "Kim, how come my cell phone/computer/printer/vacuum cleaner/television/ satellite/etc. is making that strange noise?" and finally "Kim, who's the Big Bopper?" to which her response is to immediately smash a bluetooth (what a shame) thingy into her ear, whip out her handy smartphone, and patiently walk us through each dire emergency we encounter. We couldn't do it without her...:) Like many of us, she started her love affair with horses as a young girl. She has offered to share what initially attracted her to this style of riding and what has kept her going when easier methods in the horse world abound. To chat with Kim, you can e-mail her at info@bajahorse.com .

Kim riding her Azteca gelding, Morro (photo courtesy of Patti Martin)

"How I became involved with the CRHA and why I have made a committment to the Californio-style of horsemanship:

I have been around horses my entire life, in fact I was riding before I was walking. My childhood was spent on horseback, riding with no tack and no instruction, imitating every horse movie I saw. Yes, my friends and I raced pell-mell up and down the steepest hills and jumped our horses out into the middle of the local pond – why none of us died I will never know. I took lessons from a local trainer during the summer when I was 15, the only time I had ever had any riding instruction. I began showing horses in equitation and pleasure classes and also got involved in local rodeos and won often. I was quite cocky about my riding accomplishments due to the wall of ribbons and trophies that grew every year and from constant compliments on how well I rode from friends, judges, and other competitors. Buoyed by that success I turned my hand to adopting and training a mustang. I was successful (or so I thought) when I got the horse to accept everything I thought he should know – from ground manners and trailering, to saddling and accepting a rider. How shocked I was a few years later to learn that I knew nothing . . . and that my horses had accomplished everything in spite of me, not because of me.

I remember a friend inviting me out to a local “fiesta” where there would be roping and food and fun. In all my years at the rodeos I had never wanted to learn how to rope. I watched the team ropers and saw only that it was very hard on the horses and the stock and I did not want to be a part of that. So, thinking it was more of the same rough team roping I had watched before, I reluctantly agreed to attend with my friend – I think it was the knowledge of homemade tamales for lunch at the fiesta that really made up my mind. We arrived at the fiesta and settled in to watch the roping. From the first moment I was astounded and could not believe what I saw. I saw 3 riders rope a steer and gently lay it down to the ground, all at a walk with no harm or stress to the animals. I was speechless. The entire procedure was done slowly and with a finesse that I had never seen, and everyone, including the riders in the arena, were having a great time laughing and joking. As I watched the rest of the day, I saw many other things. I saw the beautiful gear the riders used on their horses. Every piece had purpose yet each one was a work of art. I saw the slow gentle way the riders handled their horses and the stock. I saw horses respond to cues that were invisible and get the job done. I saw loops thrown from anywhere in the corral that literally flipped and danced in the air before they caught a steer. Watching all of this, I had chills and then an epiphany – I needed to know everything about this style of riding and roping.

My friend then did something I will always be indebted to her for – she introduced me to Pat and Deb Puckett and they in turn opened a door that I went through and never looked back.
I started small, attending horsemanship clinics that the Pucketts taught and learned to communicate with my horse from the ground and then from the saddle. I learned that less is more and to teach the horse to understand what I want rather than use levers to force him to do what I needed. I threw out all of the riding techniques I had learned over the years and basically started over. I did this because I knew this was “it”, the way that was most right for the horse and for me. I even decided to learn to rope like the people I had observed on that fateful day in June. I began entering fiestas and was humbled by the fact that everyone, even the top people in this style of riding and roping took time to welcome me and give advice. I was a nobody, a beginner, and yet everyone treated me as family. I quickly became so absorbed in the Californio style of riding that I attended every event, demonstration, and clinic I could find. I spent all of my available free time practicing what I had learned plus basic chores like preparing a reata or branding a steer, invaluable insight into ranching operations both old and new, and even the unwritten rules of conduct, the Code of the West.

My most poignant experiences to date have come with purchasing a young horse and training him in the traditional Californio way. The steps are many and require patience and a lifetime commitment. I do not deny that I have gotten discouraged at times when the progress seemed slow, but when my horse finally understands what I ask of him and performs some intricate maneuver when I subtly shift my weight, I am renewed in my choice.

The decision to devote myself to this style of horsemanship was an easy one, drawn from my past and the comparisons I have made from then to now. I see so many riders that have not had the good fortune to be exposed to this style of horsemanship and therefore are unable to make the same choice. It was a simple decision for me to be a part of the Board of Directors of the Californio Ranch Horse Association. I can do my part to help preserve this way of life for others to discover and learn as I was able to do. Today, I ride in many different events in order to show the Californio riding style and the accomplishments of my horse and myself. Inevitably, we draw a crowd of people wanting to know what I'm doing, and where they can learn more about it. They admire all of the gear I use and are genuinely interested to learn that every piece has a practical purpose and every piece is hand-made by traditional artisans. To be able to share my journey with others and watch them become eager to learn is an incredible feeling. The opportunity to ride and train horses in this age-old style until I'm too old to throw a leg over a horse is priceless."

These photos were taken last Spring at Dana Adobe Heritage Days in Nipomo, CA. That's Kim sporting a horsehair headstall on the left. On the right is Kim, Pat Puckett, and Deb Puckett.

Kim and Morro competing in the Stock Horse Class at the Old Reata Roping and Stock Horse Contest at Tejon Ranch, Lebec, CA. (photo courtesy of Patti Martin)

In memory of our friend, Ray Harmon and his partner, Roanie.