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.

Horse Training – Overstepping or Overreaching

Laura from Virginia e-mailed me and asked is it a common problem for horses to reach too far forward with a rear hoof and clip the back of the front hoof.

Laura, this is called over-stepping or over reaching. Short backed, long legged horses may have this problem. You did not tell me if your horse was young, what breed and size. A picture would help. But this is a common problem which is usually exacerbated at faster gates – particular the fast lope (canter) or gallop.

The terrain you ride in can also affect this. For instance, thicker looser soil or sand can cause a front leg to momentarily “stick” and the back hoof to clip the heel or the heel bulbs of that front leg.



I had a Paint Horse, half Tennessee Walker - half Quarter Horse, who had this problem. I resorted to Bell Boots on the front end to protect the heel bulbs of his front legs. I was also fairly careful about not letting him really take off go in deep sand or unknown terrain. I had this horses as a 6 month old foal and he did get much better over time about not over reaching. I think that’s pretty common too that as the more your ride a young horse, the more comfortable they get carrying weight over different types of terrain.

I’ve seen over stepping result in the back leg clipping a front shoe and pulling it half way off, but another common injury is a bruise or laceration to the heel bulbs. Bell Boots come in handy to protect the heel and heel bulbs. If you didn’t use them and your horse clips his bulbs, then the Bell Boot also comes in handy to protect the injury after your clean it and dress it up.

I use Pro Equine Bell Boot. They are thick Cordura with double Velcro straps and have a tab in the back that fits between the heel bulbs to help hold the boot in place and keep it from rotating.

Check with Horse.com and look for Bell Boots or Overreach Boots – two names for the same thing. This is an inexpensive training aid to have on hand when training or working horses who may over reach or over step from time to time.
Good luck with that horse and safe journey.