Horse Abuse and Rescue

Not really what I wanted to write ending this year and going into the promise of the next, but the inhumanity that humans do to horses is not confined by the calendar. The good people at Perfect Harmony Horse Rescue & Sanctuary in Chaparral, New Mexico took in three (3) severely neglected horses on 29 December, confiscated by the New Mexico Livestock Board. Their New Years and the weeks and months following will be spent checking on these horses and providing small amounts at feed at 2-3 hour intervals round the clock. 

 This Rescue, chaired by Marianne Bailey and staffed with her husband Dan and daughter Jessica as well as several volunteers, see the worst in humans and the poorest horses. They never say no, even though it is usually a costly endeavor in funds, labor and the emotional toll, to provide neglected horses with sometimes just days of relief.

To the readers - I'm sorry to ruin your day by displaying pictures of these three horses below, but this is what Marianne and crew deal with on a routine basis. Perfect Harmony is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit and can surely use financial help. No donation is too small as they face a mounting feed, Veterinarian and Farrier bill to care for these horses. 

 If anyone can donate, these are the modes they can accept: 

PayPal at their e-mail, perfectharmony1@aol.com

Venmo at Marianne-Bailey-8

Cash App at $Perfect HarmonyRescue

Checks sent to Perfect Harmony Rescue, 636 Palmas, Chaparral, New Mexico 88081

Merry Christmas!

Horses should be soft in the tail

A couple months back I was lifting the tail of my horse Hays,   and a clinic participant asked me why I was doing it. I replied I was just getting him soft in the tail and it was helpful for several reasons. The participant asked what getting a horse soft in the  tail would be good for. Not exactly my reply, but I told him and the group that you should be able to touch a horse all over including lifting his tail without troubling the horse. As far as practicality, you may have to take the horse's temperature with a thermometer (use one with a string!) without the horse clamping his tail down and not letting you have access to insert or remove the thermometer. 

And being able to brush out the horse's tail without having to fight for control is another good reason as well as holding the tail out of the way when a horseshoer is trimming the back feet. Few things aggravate a farrier more than to get slapped in the face by a horse's tail.

You should strive to be able to lift the horse's tail without resistance. Whether it is lifting the tail up or letting it down.     

Getting my horses sorted out with flag work, where the flag doesn't mean anything to them without directing them, I'll slide the end of the flag up underneath the tail as the horse is walking then trotting around me on a lead rope.

If you have thrown enough loops with a lariat, especially in the early days of roping off horseback, you have invariably rim fired a horse. That is where the rope gets up underneath the horse's tail and he claps down his tail, like Scrooge with his wallet, and gets the horse troubled. Sometimes goes off bucking. Once I get a horse decent about lifting his tail, and moving it from side to side, I'll start on the ground using the lead rope to rub around the tail and underneath it. Don't be in a hurry to get a rope up underneath the tail, as standing back where you can handle the tail, it is easy to get kicked. So, I wouldn't even start this until the horse is good at combing out his tail and letting you lift the tail.  

Once I am pretty sure this doesn't mean anything to them, then I can start dragging logs and such, as I need to be sure that when I turn away from the lariat that if it gets up underneath his tail, he won't be troubled. The photo above, while stagged, shows what that may look like if you turn the horse's hip into the rope. 

What's odd about Hays, the Dun horse in the photographs above, is that he has been the most difficult horse I've had when getting him soft in the tail, but the quickest and least troubled about having a rope or flag shaft clamped underneath his tail, whether it's standing or trotting out dragging anything. That's kind of underscores that horses have different personalities. The horse's I still have with me that I have sorted out on getting soft in their tails, are still soft even after years of not having their tails routinely handled. And while I was reflecting on writing this, I remember Craig Cameron saying words to the effect that 'he works to get a horse soft from the whiskers on his muzzle to the very end of their tail.'  Why wouldn't we all want to do this for our horses?

Comfort for Horses with Hoof or Tendon Problems on the Shoeing Stand

In a previous article I wrote about our 35 years old horse Charlie and his feed program due to age related problems not limited to his teeth and I briefly mentioned Charlie bowing both tendons on his front legs. g stout Quarterhorse who unfortunantly bowed both his tendons on his front legs a few years back. We have him on Equioxx pain meds daily and also gave him Devils Claw supplement which is a granular product containing Yucca, Devils Claw Root, Turmeric, Grape Seed extract and other ingredients. In the last six months I switched him over to Platinum Performance CJ (Complete Joint) which is really a great product and I have other horses on it as well. Charlie now moves pretty good, crossing over and under with the outside foot without giving. However, when on the shoeing stand for his trims every eight weeks or the ocassional grooming session, and the stand has hard rubber mats but he was still uncomfortably when a front foot or both front feet have to bear more weight. He trys to pull a foot away from time to time which is not helpful for horse and farrier relations and can even hurt my shoer. But it's understandable as Charlie has to deal with injury and age related pain. But we found a good solution.

So, after talking to a friend of mine who does equine therapy, and on her recommendation, I bought Physiopads from Wendy Murdoch. Wendy was known to me through articles in Eclectic Horseman magazine and she developed a system she calls the Sure Foot Equine Stability Program using a series of foam pads for horses to stand on. Readers will have to go to her website to understand what she is doing with this program. For my purposes I was mostly interested in Charlie's comfort and bought the Full Physiopads that my friend recommended.

When shoeing day came about we tried them on Charlie. I lifted each front foot and placed a pad underneath that foot then the other front foot. I envisioned a process of constant repositioning the pads but once I place his foot on the pad there it stayed. Charlie stayed on the pads and did not move or try to reposition his feet. Even when one of his front feet was off the ground where he had to bear additional weight on the other foot, he stayed rock solid still. I was impressed as was my shoer, who has probably seen every gimmick offered. And when Charlie was finished and asked to move off the shoeing stand, he did not exhibit any discomfort usually noticed on him giving a bit when a front foot was placed on the ground and weight transferred to that foot. 

Care of Feeding of Older Horse - Charlie's example

Recently we had a couple dozen people over for the annual Arena Challenge, some whom we have known for decades. They saw my wife's horse Charlie, a big (15.2 HH) stout sorrel Quarterhorse gelding with 3 white socks and a white stocking. That's him in the picture at right. 

Some of our friends have been seeing him for years and years as my wife rode him in competitions, trail rides and even doing some western dressage. Invariably we were asked "Good Lord, Charlie's been around forever. Just how old is he now?" Well, Charlie is 35 years old. And despite bowing both front tendons a couple years ago, he is doing well. His teeth are all worn down and he is missing a molar or two, but he maintains his weight, and you can even call him heavy, as you can tell from the photo.

Due to his inability to chew long stem hay, it's a colic risk for him to swallow hay that hasn't been chewed fully, Charlie's main diet consists of pellets and alfalfa leaves. He gets fed five times a day and always has fresh, clean water, as should all horses. We really don't turn him out with other horses anymore as we don't want him to get ran around and stress him mentally and to limit stress on his already degraded front end.   So anyway, this is his feeding program, and it has been working well for several years now. The pellets are measured dry prior to soaking.

Morning: 32 ounces of Standlee Timothy Grass pellets and 16 ounces of Standlee Alfalfa pellets, soaked in water. Some days he'll get an apple or carrot diced up small and mixed in.

Mid Morning: 32 ounces of Standlee Timothy Grass pellets soaked in water and about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds of alfalfa leaves. We spread these around several feeders so he keeps busy walking around to find the alfalfa leaves. If the alfalfa has small short stems, we'll feed that but try to limit his consumption of stems.

Mid Day: 32 ounces of Standlee Timothy Grass pellets soaked in water.

Mid Afternoon: Another 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds of alfalfa leaves.

Evening: 32 ounces of Standlee Timothy Grass pellets and 16 ounces of Standlee Alfalfa pellets, soaked in water.

Supplements: About a year ago, I stopped giving him Devils Claw powder and started putting Charlie on a half daily dose of Platinum Performance Complete Joint (CJ) since I use this on a couple other using horses and have had great results.

Medications: For the last two years we have had Carlie on Equioxx daily pain and anti-inflammatory medications - just a small tablet dropper into his pellets which dissolves when the pellets are soaked.  Lately, we have been giving him just a half of an Equioxx tablet on most days as we have concerns over years long use of pain meds. He also receives a dose of Pro-Bios once a week and additionally when the weather changes significantly.

Charlie is an intelligence horse, as most are, but he is special. He has learned to open gates that we have never seen other escape artist horses do, and when he escapes, he runs around our property like mountain lions are chasing him. We have took to chaining up his gates, but sometimes forget........as we do with leaving water hoses on. Sound familiar? We always cringe when he runs around at a full gallop as he'll be lame the next few days, but since we started him on Platinum Performance CJ, he doesn't get lame when he escapes, or when he throws a bucking fit in his paddock, nor does he show chronic front end lameness when he turns in a short radius. The only issue he has is with comfort is when standing for a period on time on the hard rubber padded shoeing or wash stand when being washed, groomed or trimmed. But we solved that problem using Wendy Murdoch's Sure Foot pads. I'll write a product review about those in the near future. We don't know just how long Charlie will be with us, but we do know that he'll be with us for the rest of his natural life. He has paid his dues to us, especially my wife, and we'll do what we can to help him be as mentally and physically sound as he can be.

More on Horsemanship Knots - Practical use

In this year's annual Functional Horsemanship Arena Challenge for the first time I included the requirement to tie several knots for the Stockhorse division. I felt that anyone aspiring to be a good hand should know some useful basic knots. Thinking that most people can tie a square knot, I settled on the clove hitch, bowline and sheet bend. I didn't ambush competitors with these knots to tie as I view the annual challenge as more of a learning tool then some sort of test, so I sent out an e-mail a month before the Event letting competitors know they would be required to tie the three knots; wrote an article on this site with photos and a video to help them practice; and, I included knot tying practice in the couple of clinics I did prior to the Challenge. Feedback was positive on including knot tying with the exception of one rider who commented that he would have liked to see a hangman's knot, so they could hang me for making them tie knots.

During the clinics I did get asked on what use these knots were for. So, I went over common uses mainly for the clove hitch and the bowline. I believe that when teaching someone a skills, minor or major, it really helps to impart the how and why of the usefulness of those skills. However, for the purposes of the Challenge I pretty much concentrated on just how to tie the knots as opposed to why they are important and how they are used. I did do a couple of earlier videos prior to the Challenge, that I did not publish prior to the Challenge but which I am posting below, to help better explain the usefulness of the clove hitch and bowline knots.

The Bowline knot. In the video below I have tied a bowline in the end of a short piece of rope and dressed that knot down (tightened it up) so it was about the size and resemblance to a honda on a lariat. About 18-20 inches down the rope from the bowline (honda) I made an overhand knot in the rope so when I fed the other end of the rope through the bowline that overhand knot becomes a stop from the loop closes down - so it's a simple knotted neck rope much like you would do with a lariat if you were roping unhandled or green colts for the first time.

The Clove Hitch. In the video below I show how I secure the lead end of a mecate to the saddle horn using a clove hitch. It is useful when I am on the ground and not using the lead portion of the mecate such as free lunging my horse, putting him a pen or trailer for a short period of time. Anyway, I hope that these two functional uses of basic knots begin to illustrate the benefits of knowing how to tie these knots.

2023 9th Annual Functional Horsemanship Arena Challenge Results

We concluded the 9th Annual Functional Horsemanship Arena Challenge with the smallest number of riders to date with 17 Entries across the four competitive divisions of Stockhorse, Open, Intermediate and Novice. Four people pulled prior   to the competition due to injuries/sickness and five riders did not show. Despite the small turnout, the day went on without a hitch, the higher than normal temperatures for this time of year and solar eclipse weren't much of a factor. When it was all said and done the division winners were: Stockhorse - Debby Hale (pictured above right); Open - LuAnne Benally; Intermediate - Gena Blankenship; and Novice - Mark Schleicher. The Horsemanship Award, which I think is the highest award, voted on by competitors and judges, went to Mikayla Loveland, a first time competitor at this event. That's Mikayla below backing straight through an open gate, and yes, her horse is that big, over 17 hands.

Final placement and scores in each division were:

Stockhorse: Debby Hale 620; Don Carpenter 577; LuAnne Benally 567; Jessica Bailey 537; Mark Schleicher (riding two different horses) scored 463 and 445

Open: LuAnne Benally 601; Erin Weich 587

Intermediate: Gena Blankenship 534; Marianne Bailey 525; and Nikol Endres 446

Novice: Mark Schleicher 277; Dan Bailey 240; Mikalya Loveland 223; Jessica Bailey 219; Edith Deleski 196; and Shelly Clark 161

To keep tasking the riders with new skills, several new requirements were added for this year's challenge in the Stockhorse division including a hip shot, scoop loop and tying knots requirements. The Stockhorse division is heavy with rope skills as the riders also had to throw a head shot, trap shot, rope a barrel and trot around it stacking coils, and trot off pulling a heavy log. The three knots each rider had to tie were a clove hitch with one piece of rope, a bowline with a second piece of rope, then tie both ropes together with a double sheet bend. Jessica Bailey was the only rider to tie all three knots correctly. LuAnne Benally is shown below tying her knots.

The Open division harder tasks were riding the trot in tight circles and a 50 foot serpentine backup. Open, Intermediate and Novice were also tasked with a dismount and remaining in a box while backing their horse up with a soft feel. L shaped and straight side passing, 360 and 180 degree turn on the hocks, navigating a cowboy (rope) curtin, opening and closing gates were some of the other tasks riders and their horses had to perform. Mark Schleicher shown below negotiating the gate.

After the conclusion of the competition, a lunch of street tacos, rice, corn, beans and peach cobbler was served then the awards ceremony. In addition to a plaque and ribbon for each division winner, as well as a trip to the well stocked prize table, the Stockhorse winner received $200 in Starr Western Wear gift cards; the Open winner received a $100 Boot Barn gift card and a sterling silver ribbon pendent with turqiouse and silver necklace made and donated by jewrely maker Tami Rafoul of San Antonio. The Intermediate division winner received a $100 Boot Barn gift card. The Horsemanship Award winner received a Painted Pony statute as well as a $100 Starr Western Wear and $100 Boot Barn gift card. This year we gave Vicky Maly of VCM Equine Services a sterling silver horse head pendant and silver chain, also made and donated by Tami Rafoul, for her lifelong commitment to the greater El Paso horse community.

Good to know knots - for the Arena Challenge

I used to tell people that when I was growing up, as a condition of being fed supper, my Pa would make me tie knots. The truth is that yes, I often had to tie knots before supper, but he never withheld the evening meal. If he did, I would look like an Ethiopian refugee, so poor I was in the early days of tying knots. I am glad that later on I learned the value of knowing how to tie a few knots and I am truly amazed that many people can only tie 'granny' knots.

We face situations several times a week where building good knots would come in handy. Whether it's tying up boxes or hay bales; anchoring a guideline for a tarp; tying open a gate or tying it closed due to a broken latch; tying two different diameter ropes together to make the length of rope you need; or securing reins to the saddle horn to name a few.  I'm sure each of you could think of several other things right off where a good knot would be useful.    

In this year's Arena Challenge Stockhorse Division, competitors will have to tie several knots. I usually do several clinics leading up the challenge, but in case some can't make it or want a guide to practice, I'm including a couple of those knots below. And I'm not above also having a surprise knot for competitor to tie. I'm also putting a video at the bottom on what Stockhorse competitors will likely see at the Challenge.  

Sheet Bend

This knot is commonly used to connect two different diameter ropes, usually in order to make a longer rope when needed. It can be used on ropes of the same diameter as well.

Bowline

This non slip knot can be used at the end of a rope, or in the middle, but for horsemanship purposes the end of the line bowline is more common. Among the many uses are to tie at the end of a rope and create a honda for an expedient lariat or to fashion a halter. I have used this many times for a catch rope or what some call a neck rope, to bring horses in from a pasture, or even to pony a horse when the rider couldn't ride or walk the horse in and I didn't want to pony that horse using reins connect to a bit.

 

Clove Hitch

I ride pretty much exclusively in mecate's so when I free lunge horse or put him into a pen to rest a bit when saddled, I'll used the close hitch to tie up the lead part of the mecate to the saddle horn. The Clove Hitch is a common way to secure an end of a tarp to an anchor stake so that it can be easily tightened or released. And one great way to have fun with the clove hitch is to set the knot up and loop it over an unsuspecting person's feet then clang some pots together or otherwise make a racket and watch them standup in a panic and try to move.

National Day of the Cowgirl - September 15th

The National Day of the Cowgirl was created in November 2021 by Durango Boot Company, according to the National Day Archives, to take place every September 15th. Created to celebrate to the spirit, wisdom, strength and resiliency of the American Cowgirl, these are the women, known and unknown, who raise and tend livestock (and families for that matter), rodeo for a living or just for fun, or those who simply live the Western life of self responsibility, independence, integrity and will.

If a woman was writing this she would likely include those women who clean up the messes and fix the mistakes that men make - that would be true and accurate. And would probably agree that raising girls on horseback, respecting people and animals alike, and teaching them to rely on themselves and not be dependent upon men, is the best way to ensure the American Cowgirl continues to exist.  So let people know about this day so it can continue to grow in popularity. 

2023 9th Annual Functional Horsemanship Arena Challenge

Our annual Arena Challenge, the 9th year in a row, will be held 14 October 2023. This event is a little unique in horse competition for non-Pro riders as       we try to blend different facets of multiple disciplines into an event where all riders can ride   and compete be they Cowboys, Dressage riders, Eventers, Team Ropers, Trail riders, and yes even Barrel Racers can compete on an even of a playing field as I can make it. Although the former has to keep their yippy dogs home. Sorry, I kind of always make the joke.  No offense to Barrel Racers!

My objective in this annual event, other than for competitors to have a safe and fun event, is to promote horsemanship and the desire to increase knowledge and abilities. The focus on horsemanship is paramount. I try to design each competitive division (Stockhorse, Open, Intermediate and Novice) course as a safe but doable challenge the horse and rider. Each course is a combination of basic, intermediate or advanced maneuvers and obstacles as appropriate to the competitive division. Common maneuvers and obstacles that have been used in the past and may be used this year include: turn on the hocks; turn on the forehand; backing straight; backing in a serpentine; backing in an L shape; backing in a circle; trot through serpentine cones, move bending through switchback vertical poles; crossing a bridge; trot around a short circle using the Garrocha pole; trotting tight figures 8's; go through a cowboy curtain; retrieve ball from bucket and place on cone; open/close a gate; cross a tarp; retrieve and put on a slicker; dismount/remount; ground tying; backing a horse in hand; trailer loading; crossing ground poles; leg yield; shoulders in; transition from slow walk to fast walk; transition from slow trot to faster trot; canter departures on designated lead; simple lead changes; walk to trot transitions; trot departure to a canter transition; side passing straight; side passing in L shape; and side passing with front feet on platform; and blind folding a horse and leading on ground are just representative of some of the tasks that a competitor may see.

I use some the same tasks over several years in a row to stress certain performance. One year the riders were required to dismount, stand in a box and back their horses using just a feel on their reins or get  down rope, then drop their reins/lead and walk away to demonstrate their horse ground tying. The next  year the same was required and an observer could   see who worked on it and who did not. Another task was draping a towel over their horse's head and leading their horse blindfolded, such as bringing a horse through the smoke of a fire or out of a burning barn.  

Photo at above right is Paola Talamas, who won the Horsemanship Award in the 2022 Challenge trotting her horse over the cloverleaf obstacles on a nice loose rein.  

It can be challenging for a working cowboy to have to cross an arena on a leg yield or a shoulder's in maneuver. Likewise, when a Dressage competitor has to draw a   slicker off the fence and put in on, or, open and close a gate, may be challenging as well. Some may find an 8 foot turn around box hard to do on their horse with forward momentum, and yet others crossing a long narrow bridge difficult. A canter departure on a given lead will be easy for some, while others may find backing their horse in a circle or a serpentine is something they may need to practice.  Photo above is Celeste Hudgens who ran away with the Open division honors.  

In the Stockhorse division rider’s will be required to throw several loops on roping dummies and perform other roping and ranch horse related tasks. Most rider's in this division can throw head shots and heel trap loops - it's their stock in trade for Cowboys and Team Ropers. But I'll ask them to something different like throwing a loop to their off side and pivot their horse underneath the loop facing up on the roping dummy. Stockhorse competitors may al.so have work their horses on a Pro Cutter flag.  Other tasks may include dragging a heavy log; throw a loop around a barrel and trot around the barrel feeding out their slack and wrapping it around the barrel; and, trailer load their horse. Photo above is Don Carpenter, a retired rancher from Arizona and competitive team roper, who has previously won Stockhorse Division in past years.

We like to stress that the rider is really evaluating 

him or herself and not competing. In fact, it's nice 

to see someone complete their run and tell tips to others yet to compete. And in the lead up to the 

Arena Challenge, I'll out on several weekend clinics for registered competitors. These clinics are not practice for the Challenge, but are really problem solving sessions, working on getting horses softer 

and handier. I try to limit entries to this Challenge 

to 28 and usualy have 8-10 people on a list in case 

a competitor drops out at the last moment to open 

up a slot.

We are thankful for the great support in the past from many companies. Notable supporters for past Arena Challenges include the Cashel Company, Covenant Special Projects, Tractor Supply Company, Animal Health International, VCM Equine Management, Starr Western Wear, The Edge Equine Co., Camel-Bak and Hoof Wraps. When the awards ceremony has ended and everyone has been fed lunch and collected awards and prizes, I'd like to think that each and every competitor believes they value for themself and their horse when competing this event. 

Riding Good Circles

One of the things I work with my horses is trying to ride good circles. Its tougher than it sounds but getting better at  it also helps with straightness. In clinics and the annual Arena Challenge I put on, there is almost always riding in    a circle as a task. This year's challenge will likely be no different - there will be a circle to trot. 

Riding circles is such a good exercise as so many things need to come together in order to ride that near perfect circle. If there was an actual circle on the ground the horse's head would be directly over that line and the rider would be able to see the corner of the horse's inside eye, while the horse's tail does the same at the back end. The rider needs   to use his/her legs judiciously to keep the horse's barrel  over the line of the circle.

I like to use both a circle to ride around so you have a visual of a circle, which will be to your inside, as well as ride inside a circle as in a round pen, where the circle will be to your outside. Out in the desert circles can be ridden around large mesquite mounds or smaller Yucca bushes. They all help. I'm pretty sure I haven't ever ridden a perfect circle, but it doesn't keep me from trying.

And when trying to get that perfect circle there are several rider caused problems. Using the reins too much or with too much pressure causing the horse to bend his nose too much to the inside or outside, and slowing momentum especially when too much pressure on the reins is used. What works best for me and my horses are to use the inside rein, slightly higher than the outside rein, to tip the horse's nose inside enough so I can see the corner of his eye. I set it up so the inside rein is loose once the horse achieves this. If his nose moves to the outside of the circle he bumps into the rein. The idea is to get him to seek the loose rein which is when his nose is tipped inside.

The outside rein is used in case he tips his head too much inside, but that is not really common. I mostly use the outside rein to signal for softness when I get when the horse's poll to bend and his nose gets more vertical. I like to have his poll even with his withers or close to that, but I have been guilty until fairly recently for asking for too much of a lower head set. I suggest not making my mistake and accepting the level of softness that the horse will give you.      

Less likely, at least for me, but still a fairly common problem is too much pressure with the inside or outside leg pushing the barrel or backend of the horse off the line of the circle. I try to ride with my inside calf so it is used to bend the horse around the circle, but it is very light, touching his side really, while the outside leg is just a bit further back and used when necessary to keep forward momentum and the horse's barrel from swinging too much to the outside - we are talking a difference of inches, but in the beginning you may have to exaggerate this for the horse to understand your leg pressure. What helps with the control of the back end before trying to trot perfect circles, is the doing those exercises in controlling the back end when in the saddle when you can ask for just a shift in the balance on the hind end to asking for and getting a complete turn on the front end.

Anyway, I hopes this helps someone reflect on any issues they may be having riding circles. One more thing that helps me is when I having a little problem keeping the center of the horse's head over the line of the circle (where I can see the corner of his inside eye), is that I'll trot smaller circles until the horse will feel more comfortable on his own with the proper head position. This is useful for the rider to feel how the horse is balanced and try to carry that forward into larger circles.

Night Latches and options

I don't often get phone calls but I had a pleasant conversation recently with Jim who called to ask about using tie rings then asked me what I thought about using night latches. He said he found out that the horn isn't always the easiest thing to hold onto when going up and down hills. 

A night latch is generally a strap with a buckle, like a short belt, that goes between the gullet of your saddle to give the rider something to hold onto when a horse goes to bucking. The name came from riders watching a herd at night would grab ahold of the night latch with one hand in case they fell asleep in the saddle. Yes, it happens - I've fallen asleep riding. Also, Night Latches are useful to hold onto when a horse bolts, or when moving up or down a steep hill.

There are some riders who find holding onto anything, like a night latch or the saddle horn, distasteful or even amateurish. I don't at all. Unless you are riding bucking horse in a ranch rodeo, I don't see anything demeaning about holding on to the horn or a night latch when you think it is needed. When riding downhill I often put one hand against the horn to brace myself. 

The problem is that the horn of a saddle generally requires a palm down kind of grip which places your elbow out and away from the rider's body where they are weakest. The bigger the horn in diameter, the harder it is to hold onto to, including hard for me as I have Wade Saddles with fairly big diameter horns. The Night Latch requires a palm towards the rider grip which turns your elbow in towards the body and allows the rider a stronger hold.

I have a Night Latch from Craig Cameron which is made out of stout harness leather with a really good roller buckle.  See photo at right.  They are sold at thi link: Craig Cameron Night Latches.

There are also any makers who make similar night latches, and perhaps the best design I saw was one with a rolled leather section making it easier on the hand to hold onto.  

Years and years ago, when I used to pony my daughter around, I used an old pants belt I had cut about 2/3rd length off, then punched buckle holes in, and ran it through the gullet of the saddle so she had something to hold onto. So, if anyone wanted to try out using a night latch, an old belt can be modified quite easily for that purpose. 

Now having wrote all that about night latches, I just use my lariat as a hand hold when I need it. It kind of depends on the type of rope strap you are using. My saddles all have rope straps secured to the right side below the horn - see the photo at the top right if this article, also acting as an anchor point for the mule hide horn wrap. I wrap the rope strap tight, with four or five wraps then the end of the strap goes across the saddle to a buckle on the left side. It's secure enough and easy to grab. Your palm won't really be facing you, but still turned in somewhat keeping your elbow closer to your body to make your hold stronger.

 

The National Day of the Cowboy

National Day of the Cowboy is celebrated on the fourth Saturday in July- this year being 22 July 2023. Recognition of the American Cowboy with a dedicated day for reflection and celebration started 

in Wyoming in 2005 and I believe Arizona was the first state to declare a National Day of the Cowboy. 

 In any event, this day as well as the lifestyle, skills and legacy of the Cowboy are celebrated and practiced all over the world. Many of best horsemanship clinicians, Buck Brannaman and Randy Rieman among many others, routinely conduct clinics in Europe and especially Italy and Germany are sponges for skills of the Buckaroos.

Cowboys and Buckaroos represent the calling to be free to follow your heart, placing what's good for your soul over making money. And most of them if not all of them would simply say they feel blessed to live and work that way.

The iconic Cowboy hat is recognized all over the world, and I mean everywhere.  And while some people lump all western movies into the category as Cowboy movies, some of the more famous movies bear small resemblance to the Cowboy life. The current television series "Yellowstone's" best moments are when the cast is moving and working cows, and showcasing working and performance horses. There was a quote in this show where one of the actors says words to the effect that "someday no one will ride horses." Well, I'm old enough to know that day will be long after I'm in the ground, but it's still sad to think of that day may be coming. By the way, if someone wants to talk movies, the remake of "Monte Walsh" with Tom Selleck is about the best Cowboying movie yet made. If you haven't seen it, then you really should.

Recently, friends of mine called to elicit my help finding a good home for their father's horse. I said "I can't imagine you dad giving up his horse" They replied "Well, we haven't approached him about it yet, but he is getting too old to ride." I said "Please don't do that to him. Even if he doesn't ever ride again, but just visits with the horse, it's worth the time, money and labor. He can just rub on that big stout but aging Quarterhorse, and talk to him in a soft voice about what they used to do together. That's what Winston Churchill meant when he said "the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man."