Readers Questions -

I held onto several questions sent to me by e-mail, so I have enough of them to answer them all at once.

I often get asked who makes my Hat’s and what type of crease my hat has. I basically buy of the shelf hats, because I am pretty damn hard on them and can get immediate replacements. Generally I’ll buy a hat, chocolate brown in color, with a 6 inch crown and a 4 inch brim, then I form the crease into what I call the “Old Army” crease. This is a pretty common crease for Cavalry and standard Army hats in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Just seems to suit me.

When asked where I recommend buying some good working gear from, I always say there are lots of good tack makers out there, depending upon how much you willing to pay. Horse.com offers some really economy on general tacks such as bits, bridles, reins, and other horse gear. I probably have enough gear to last me several lifetimes. I have bought a lot of gear from Craig Cameron who offers very good working gear at reasonable prices. http://www.craigcameron.com

Two other great places for working gear are: Big Bend Saddlery and Sawtooth Saddle Company

I had a question on my rope, where I buy it from and how long of rope do I like. I buy my ropes from National Roper Supply and always get the 60 foot 5/16 inch nylon ranch rope with the Buckaroo Honda (or what I have been calling the Great Basin honda) which is a long oval, slightly curved aluminum Honda that swivels to allow for twists in the rope to be rapidly shook out. I will then cut my ropes to 50’ and burn the end. This is more than enough rope for me and keeps the coils as small as possible so I can get better control of them as I handle the reins. http://www.nrsworld.com

Someone must have been admiring my boots to ask me where I buy my boots from. I order store bought boots from the Olathe Cowboy Collection. These boots has an 17 inch upper, under cut heel with spur ledge, and, double thick leather soles. I prefer leather soles as they are quicker (and safer) to get out of the stirrup with. I actually order these boots from Drews Boots in Oregon. http://www.drewsboots.com/olathe.htm

Another question I am often asked is if there are what DVD’s are available on Horsemanship and what I would recommend. Hands down I would recommend Craig Cameron’s Ride Smart DVD and Book Combination. Also, his Back to Basics and Dark Into Light DVD’s are also first class and explain in common sense terms the modern day method of understanding horses and gentling colts. http://www.craigcameron.com

The last question I’m going to address in this post is what do I mean by "Functional Horsemanship". What this means to me is a combination of knowing enough to be safe with a Horse and giving that Horse a fair life. There are many exceptional clinicians and trainers who can greatly increase your skill and understanding of horses and training, but they are largely unavailable to most horse owners. And these horse owners are generally the people who need that training and education the most in order to be safe and give their horse a fair life. It just pains me to see neglected horses and I will be posting a video soon of the latest neglect case I am working on. Safe Journey.