Craig Cameron at the 2015 Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium

If you haven't heard of Craig Cameron then you are likely living on an island in the Pacific Ocean, probably dodging head hunters. Craig Cameron, of course, is a Texas based clinician who travels tens of thousands of miles each year helping people with their horse, or rather, helping horses with their people through clinics - which he also hosts on his ranch in Central Texas. He has probably been the biggest influence on me and my journey developing my horsemanship.

Craig, sometimes called the "Cowboy Clinician" because of his rodeo and ranching roots, has a way of communicating to people where it is practical, helping people understand how horses react, think and learn all of which is necessary to help people communicate with their horses.

This year at the 2015 Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium, Craig and his son, Cole, brought in a 3 year old Red Roan and demonstrated putting a handle on a horse that was well along in his development. Talking and demonstrating how he works a young horse to give to pressure and being able to control the horse's back end, barrel and front end independently of each, Craig shows us what is possible with a young horse and more importantly putting a solid foundation on a horse in as low as stressful manner as possible. And I would say that most of the people watching Craig Cameron don't ride as well broke as horse as that 3 year old.

Craig likes to say that our most important job is to take the fear out of the horse. He goes on to say that he didn't always treat horses with respect, but I would say that he is more than making up for it now using his Cowboying background to connect to people teaching them that there is better way to work horses. The picture at left is Craig explaining how he approaches working with horses while his son puts the 3 year old Red Roan through his paces.

It's easy to see a horse giving to physical pressure like a bump on a lead rope or using the reins to tip the head in one direction or another, or, getting a horse to begin collection by dropping his nose and putting his forehead perpendicular to the ground. However, Craig also reminds us to consider the mental pressure that develops in horses and the body language and behavior that gives us an idea of how that is affecting the horse. The little Red Roan never had a troubled expression on his face the entire time.

If you get a chance, it would be worth your time and money to go see or ride with Craig Cameron, and you can also watch him on RFD-TV a couple of times a week. Safe Journey.

Guts and Glory Ride for Veterans

Craig Cameron recently hosted a 100 mile horseback ride to raise awareness and funds for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Called the "Guts and Glory Ride for Veterans", this is a worthy cause to support. Craig Cameron, the riders who rode with him and all that supported it, included the horses, are Great Americans. If you didn't get to see it on RFD TV, you can watch the shorter video below. It probably was appropriate that the ride started out in freezing weather.





Supporting wounded veterans and the organizations that provide care and support is a great thing to do. Some of these guys I count among my friends. Men like Chuck Yerry who lost a leg in combat, replaced it with a prosthesis, then was back in the fight. Chuck just retired but spent all his free time in the last couple of years working to make the Special Operations Forces K9 memorial a reality. As Sergeant Major Yerry explained, "for each SOF K-9 lost in combat represented one or more American soldiers saved."

Yet another Veterans organization that supports wounded warriors is the Task Force Dagger Foundation. TF Dagger was the organizational name of the first Special Operations Forces, mainly Green Berets from the 5th Special Forces Group, who entered into Afghanistan one dark night just weeks after the Twin Towers attacks to organize the resistance against the Taliban and drive these Islamic terrorists out of that country. TF Dagger has been immortalized in several books, but probably no more recognizable than the photo of Green Berets on horseback moving to engage the Taliban. You know that horseback warriors in heaven were sitting up watching this one.

Please pass the word on these worthwhile organizations. Safe Journey.

2013 Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium

My wife and I recently returned from our 13th trip to the annual Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium in Ruidoso, New Mexico. Ruidoso is a mountain town about an hour Northeast of Alamogordo, New Mexico and located close to the Mescalero Apache Reservation. It's nice to get up into the Mountains and get a taste of cold mornings after a long hot summer.

We go as it's our anniversary and we were also celebrating my wife completing cancer treatment and literally getting back in the saddle. As you can tell from the photo, my wife is beautiful, and more important, healthy,....... and really likes Kettlecorn! 

The Symposium is a two and a half day gathering of horse people, western artists and vendors, horse events - reining competition, horse training and mule demonstrations, and the headline Chuck wagon cook off. The big draw for us has always been Craig Cameron's demonstrations where Craig works with any troubled or green horse that is brought to him.  The Craig Cameron booth offering high quality working gear, from halters, to hobbles, to bridles, bits and books, and saddles was jam packed as usual.  All of the gear is available at the Craig Cameron website, too.

With one of the horses brought to Craig this year it was a 2 year old filly that was barely halter broke,..if you consider halter broke to be just wearing a halter and not leading up, facing or giving to pressure.

Craig said up front that he was going to try and make this filly better off but it might take longer than the scheduled hour demonstration time since it was going to be up to the filly to be accepting and he wasn't going to rush her. Craig reminded us that his objective is to take the fear out of the horse.  He reminded us that if this filly was handled more since birth she would have been in a better place to begin with this morning.

He started with getting her to move her feet, disengage her back end when asked, giving to pressure, facing up on the lead line and desensitizing her with a rope and flag.  You could see the changes in the horse come and soon Craig had this filly wearing a bare back pad. While she continuously got better, she still had a little trouble being driven or moved around the round pen, so Craig brought in his big gray horse to help and give the filly someone to follow.



Once she got comfortable moving around the pen with the big Gray, Craig got her saddled and did the same. After a few spurts of bucking, see photo at left, she settled down nicely.

Through what turned out to be about a 90 minute session Craig gave the fily short breaks which calmed the young horse and gave her a chance to absorb and accept was Craig was asking of her.





Craig also worked the filly from horseback atop his big Gray giving the filly a chance to accept a person towering above her and used the Gray to get the filly to follow the feel on the lead rope, getting some lateral flexion, moving her feet and disengaging her back end. See photo at right.





At the end of the session the filly was ridden in the round pen by one of Craig's apprentices. That session changed that horse's life for the better. You could see it in her as she changed in the round pen and when she left the pen she was leading up just fine. A lot of fear went out of that young horse that morning as she began to trust humans.  I hope she never gets let down.

2011 Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium

My wife (who incidentally is a better horse person than me) and I just returned from the 2011 Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium held in Ruidoso, New Mexico. We have been going for the past 10 years and in fact that was our first date 10 years ago and now is our anniversary.

Lots of reason to go every year,....good food, the very best and most interesting people you ever care to associate with,......Chuckwagons from working ranches cooking up some of the best grub anywhere. But we go primarily to watch the Craig Cameron demonstrations held twice daily.

I long ago recognized that when you are in the presence of a Craig Cameron demonstration you are not just being taught by a true horseman but you are also being taught by a master teacher of both people and horses.

Whether or not Craig is starting a colt, much the same way you have seen him do a hundred times before, the lessons and concepts he presents are as valuable now as the first time you have ever heard them.

I have said before that there are thousands, maybe tens of thousands of horse people and trainers out there that can make a difference in owners and horses' lives,......helping understanding basic concepts,.....helping with some common problem solving,......but you'll never spend better money if you can get in front of somebody like Craig Cameron and take your understanding of horses and journey to horsemanship a little further.

Now I know I am going to get Craig's parting wisdom a little wrong but at the end of most demonstrations Craig says words to the effect that "......take some time to get up close and look into one of the beautiful brown eyes of your horse and see if the reflection you see (which is you) is the same thing the horse is seeing and that is a person who is fair and just with the horse." My apologies to CraigCameron to certainly getting his words a little wrong, but I think the idea is the same, and that reflects Craig's true reason for doing what he does,....making the world a better place for horses by teaching humans how to understand horses.

Visit Craig Cameron's website, where you'll find some of the finest working gear and training equipment anywhere.

Beginning Roping

I received an e-mail request from Joanne, who if I remember right was from southern Georgia, and wanted to learn how to rope. Joanne didn’t say if she was interested in arena roping/team roping or if she was just interested in learning how to use a lariat as I believe it is a good tool for most all riders to carry.

Lets start with the rope. I prefer a 5/16 inch diameter rope, true or scant, in nylon, with a metal honda, in a XXS lay. I prefer the NRS ranch rope, link below, but Craig Cameron also offers a good rope. The NRS rope comes in 60 foot lengths, which I cut and burn at 48 feet just for my preference. More rope than that, is just too much to manage in my off hand with the reins and all. Craig's ropes come in 50 foot lengths and I have two of them, which I just leave at 50 foot. You would not be disappointed with a rope from Craig Cameron.

Craig Cameron 50 foot Horse Handling Lariat Rope

http://www.craigcameronstore.com/product34.html

phone: 800 274-0077

NRS Nylon Ranch Rope 60' Buckaroo Honda 5/16"

http://www.nrsworld.com/istar.asp?a=6&id=CA-RA1B!CALLA

phone: 800 467-6746

I must have about 6 or 8 Fastback or Cactus ropes, left over from when I was arena roping, but at around 31 feet they are too short for me as a working rope. The header ropes are going to be a softer lay than the healer ropes. The healer ropes are longer, generally 35 feet, but just too stiff of a lay for my tastes. I think the lay is more important than it being nylon or poly blend.

I think everyone, recreational rider or cowboy, needs to carry a rope and at least have a rudimentary idea on how to use it. I coached more than a few people on the basics of roping. And I'm just a mediocre roper. I really suggest partnering with a roper in your area. Face to face, in person learning is much better and practically any team roper will fall of his/her horse to help someone learn. If not then I suggest Buck Brannaman’s excellent book “Ranch Roping with Buck Brannaman”, available from www.westernhorseman.com


Roping videos are available through National Ropers Supply as well.

I have used my ropes for impromptu halters or ponying horses out of the desert. Once I used it to pull a partner of mine up a hill when he had to climb down an embankment to get his hat.

I like the metal hondas as they swivel and are much easier to get kinks out of so you can build a faster second loop when your first loop misses. Been there a million times. Plus I think the metal honda gives you a few feet more of reach - important when a cow is stuck in a mud hole and you want to rope her to get her out with your horse on dry or solid ground.

Hope the video can provide the basics for you to work on. Start real close to your target,…a traffic cone works well,…..when you spin your loop, try to keep it parallel to the ground, release and turn your hand over (palm down) and helps to point your index finger at your target. And keep your thumb up when you draw the slack out of the rope after your throw. This is a good habit to keep you from dallying around a saddle horn and pinning your thumb to it with the rope. People get their thumbs cut off that way.

hope this helps, safe journey.

Craig Cameron - The Cowboy's Clinician

I have mentioned Craig Cameron, a Texas based trainer and clinician, a couple times before. However, he will be the last one to call himself a clinician. He simply calls himself a student of the horse,...a aspiring horseman. I recently had the opportunity to watch another of his clinics, for the 30th or so time, this time up at the 2010 Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium in Ruidoso, New Mexico.

Craig say's his first job is to take the fear out of the horse and he demonstrates by starting colts, which he has never seen before he gets in the round pen with them. In the interests of time and demonstrating in front of a crowd, Craig hurries things up a bit and ends up puts the first ride on these colts within the hour.

Think about it,...taking a fearful young horse in front of a large noisy crowd and within the hour gentling this horse enough so the horse will accept a rider and behave himself (for the most part) for a first ride.

Below: Craig answering questions from the crowd as the Paint Mare he just finished with looks on.

Craig with a troubled Palomino Mare who he nonetheless got to willingly accept him in the saddle within the hour.

It is certainly worth a long trip and expense to either go to one of Craig's clinics or to see one of his demonstrations.

Craig is the author of one of the best selling, if not the best selling Horsemanship book, titled "Ride Smart". This book is a must have reference book for all horseman, experienced or not. The best way to get one of his books is at a riding clinic of his; second best way is to buy one after watching one his demonstrations; the last way to get a copy is to buy from his web site, www.craigcameron.com or through the link at the bottom of this page.

Craig Cameron - 2010 Road to the Horse Winner

There is no better horse trainer in my thinking than Craig Cameron, known as the “Cowboy’s Clinician”, although I doubt Craig puts much stock in that title. I could just hear him say something like “I’m just trying to help the horse”.

I said months ago that the savvy horseowner would seek the guidance and knowledge of those professional trainers who make a living training horses and teaching riders. Impossible for some, due to financial or other restraints, to travel to a clinic and either participate as a rider or watch as a auditor – the next best thing is to obtain one of the many great books on horses, horse training, and horse problems.

Craig’s book, Ride Smart, is one of a series of many Western Horseman books. Ride Smart is my favorite reading material outside of a restaurant menu. Craig’s common sense and horse sense come out in the book. His side bar stories help articulate what he’s talking about, be it sacking out a colt or doubling a horse against the rail. What is slightly missing is his great sense of humor which is in abundance at any clinic he conducts all across the country.

From Bluff Dale, Texas, Craig was recently crowned the 2010 World Champion of Road to the Horse, which is a colt starting competition hosted every year in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Craig also has a ranch near Lincoln, New Mexico, where he also conducts clinics.

You can go to Craig's website to order his book. http://www.craigcameron.com/
or to the Western Horseman site: http://www.westernhorseman.com/
or through the Amazon Link on the left side of this page.

Safe Journey