Californio Ranch Horse Association

Mission Statement

The mission of the CRHA is to preserve the skills and traditions of the Californio.

The term “Californio” is the word used to describe the people who settled California prior to statehood. These people were a mixture of Spaniards, Native Americans, and Europeans.

The Californio ranch horse is unique because historically its training was a combination of Spanish-style riding which was adapted to the California ranching lifestyle. The early California style of ranching evolved around the vast Spanish Land Grants and the idyllic Mediterranean climate which closely resembled Spain.

The primary business of the early ranchos was managing large herds of cattle that roamed free in the hills and valleys of this sparsely populated paradise. The Native Americans in California were largely peaceful and welcoming unlike our neighbors to the east who had to contend with hostile tribes.

The Don’s (owners of the land grants) prided themselves on the raising and training of the finest horses in California so the vaqueros were on a constant quest to make the best trained horses in the land. In addition, these brave-hearted men had to deal, not only with the wild cattle, but also the native grizzly bears that shared this new land. For this reason the Californio ranch horse had to be trained to balance most of his weight on his hind quarters in order to be able to quickly and accurately move in any direction. The very lives of the vaqueros depended on their skill with a rope and the agility and maneuverability of the horses they were sitting on.

As with all good things, California's Golden Era came to an end. Many of the great ranchos were broken up. Some of the Californio vaqueros, still respected for their knowledge, stayed in California to work for the new land owners, while some moved east. We see their influence today in the buckaroos of the Great Basin and the horsemen who still hone their skills under the peppertrees of California...