Friday, May 22, 2009

Old West Cowboy Tack- Rage of the Sage....

Love The Old Styles in Tack coming back in fashion...
The old west headstalls have tear drop cheeks, scallops
and lots of beautiful silver conchas & buckles....
Chinks and chaps are great for the vaquero look and
leg protection....
Also the old west cowboy style martingale breast collars designs 
are a better fit up over the shoulders of your horse for a more
comfortable position...
The old California Vaquero influence is coming back strong with 
the tack and training methods by all the clinicians...

Rage of the Sage.....

Our family has been dedicated for 30 years in serving
the Western Horseman the safest most durable Quality
American made leather horse tack.......

Buckaroo John Brand

Buckaroo Leather, The Brand to Demand
Visit Our Unique Store Today
Buckaroo Leather Shopping Site

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Cutting Horses-How it all Began


Cutting is an equestrian event in the western riding style where a horse and rider are judged on their ability to separate a calf away from a cattle herd and keep it away for a short period of time.


The horses involved are typically Quarter horses, although other breeds may be used, such as American Paint Horses or Appaloosas. A horse that instinctively knows how to keep a calf from returning to the herd, and is trained in a manner to be shown competitively, is considered a cutting horse.


In the event, the horse and rider select and separate a calf out of a small group. The calf then tries to return to its herdmates; the rider loosens the reins ("puts his hand down" in the parlance) and leaves it entirely to the horse to keep the calf separated, a job the best horses do with relish, savvy, and style.


A contestant has 2 1/2 minutes to show his horse; typically three cows are cut during a run, although working only two cows is acceptable. A judge awards points to the cutter based on a scale that ranges from 60 to 80, with 70 being considered average.


Cutting is one of the fastest growing forms of western horsecack riding/equine sports in the world. In 2006, the contestants at the NCHA Futurity competed for more than $3.7 million--over a hundred times the offering of the first year.



Here is the story of how it all began for this fast growing equestrian sport.


When American cowboys of the 1800s began using their best horses to separate individual cows from a herd, it was part of the daily job. Cutting's heritage runs strong and deep, like the centuries-old mesquites that flourish on the Texas plains. From Chisholm Trail to present day, cutting horses have been indispensable tools in the cattle trade.


During the era of the open range, cattle from one outfit often drifted and mingled with those of other outfits. Twice a year, in the spring and the fall, neighboring ranchers would join in a cattle roundup to sort out their brands.


Every outfit traveled with a remuda of horses. Within the remuda each cowboy had a string of horses, some of them more suitable for one job than another. For instance, a cowhand needed a steady mount to patrol the herd during the night, but in the morning he could ride last year's bronc to the far reaches of the roundup circle.


The cutting horse was an elite member of the remuda. A typical cutting horse might have started out in a cowboy's string, but his sensitivity to cattle brought him to the attention of the roundup boss. He was the horse that pricked his ears toward a cow and followed her with his eyes. He instinctively knew not to crowd her, yet was wary of her every move. He made the difficult job of separating cattle easier and quicker.


As big cattle outfits gave way to small farms and ranches in the twentieth century, pickup trucks and squeeze chutes took the place of cow horses. A few large ranches still rounded up cattle the old-fashioned way, but cutting horses were fast becoming obsolete.


The first advertised cutting contest was held at the 1898 Cowboy Reunion in Haskell, Texas. Fifteen thousand people, lured by ads in the Dallas News and the Kansas City Star, attended. Since the nearest railroad was fifty miles away, they came on horseback, or by wagon and hack. The cutting contest offered a prize of $150, a substantial sum in those days, and 11 riders entered.



The first record of cutting as an arena spectator event came at the Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show in Fort Worth, Texas, when a cutting horse exhibition was added to the annual rodeo in 1919. It became a competitive event the following year.


By 1946, there were so many cutting horse contests being held, under so many different sets of conditions and rules that a group of 13 cutting horse owners met at the Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show and decided to form an association to establish standard rules and procedures for holding such competition.



The first show was held in Dublin, Texas, in the fall of 1946, and the rest they say is history.


The bond between people and horses that make this sport so special, also links it to the sweat and dust of the Old West, and sets it apart from all other events.



To find out more about the Cutting Horse Sport please visit our Squidoo Lens and the links section for Cutting Websites.



Buckaroo Leather Cutting Horse Tack

American Made Leather, Timeless Quality


Quality Leather Horse Tack is vital for the performance for both horse and rider.


The type of cutting horse tack used is harness leather split reins and harness leather headstalls for working and cutting horse training...


A quality rein can make the communication between horse and rider superior, creating a stronger performance. Below is a listing of some of the finest American made reins available at Buckaroo Leather.



Professional Heavy Leather Split Rein-(pictured to the right) 5/8" width with an 8' Length. These TOP OF THE LINE Quality Pro Horse Reins are for everyday use by the Professional Horseman! These are heavy hand picked uniform Split Reins with Hand Beveled edges and rubbed with extra oil for a soft supple feel-Providing the Best ready to use Feel! Great for reining, training, Cutting, etc.Famous Lined and Oiled Split Reins




Split Lined Reins (Pictured to the right) 5/8" width with 7' or 8' length. The finest Quality Split Lined Reins are sure to become your favorite! They have the uniform balance through out the complete length Because we take care when cut side by side they are PAIRED together, BORN together for that exact same feel & weight for the ultimate signal and communication! This is the only Rein of its kind on the market! Great for reining, Cutting, trail riding and stock horse events.






Pulling Breast Collars by Buckaroo Leather



Cutting horse breast collars are very popular also because the horse is so fast and athletic it is needed to hold your saddle in place. The pulling breast collar, martingale breast collar (sometimes called choker) and over the neck breast collars are the most popular.

And in the cutting horse shows they often add silver conchas and buckle sets to accent and bling up their cutting horse tack...


Pulling Breast Collars-Tooled - (pictured to the right) Hermann Oak Leather Buckaroo style Pulling Breast Collar. The width is 2 1/2" wide with Nickel Plate hardware. This Breast Collar has an over the shoulder fit. It is designed to wrap through the saddle swells, perfect for a pulling position.











Pulling Breast Collars (pictured to the right) We have added 4 beautifully hand engraved Antique Berry Conchas to this Pulling Breast Collar. This Cowboy Pulling style Breast Collar is American made of Golden Bridle leather, is 2 1/2" wide, oiled & stitched with a soft chap lining and finished with Nickel Plate roller buckle hardware. The Breast Collar has an over the shoulder fit and is designed to wrap through the saddle swells, perfect for a pulling position.









Pulling Breast Collars - (pictured to the right) Quality Hermann Oak Leather Pulling Breast Collar. The width is 2 1/2"with a Golden Bridle leather color. This Cowboy Pulling style Breast Collar is oiled & stitched with a soft chap lining and finished with Nickel Plate roller buckle hardware. This Pulling Breast Collar is designed to wrap through the saddle swells, perfect for a pulling position.



Quality American Made Horse Tack



Our family has been dedicated for 30 years in serving
the Western Horseman the safest most durable Quality
American made leather horse tack.......

Buckaroo John Brand

Buckaroo Leather, The Brand to Demand
Visit Our Unique Store Today
Buckaroo Leather Shopping Site

Friday, May 8, 2009

All About T.H.I.S. Cares A Charity for Sick Children and Horse Lovers


I have been manufacturing quality leather horse tack for over 30 years and have always enjoyed being able to give back to others.


Buckaroo Leather is proud to be a sponsor of T.H.I.S. Cares. It is a non-profit charitable organization helping equine families in times of need. T.H.I.S Cares stands for "This Horse Is Silent Cares" (T.H.I.S. Cares). They lend a helping hand to the family and address their specific needs and then they silently leave.


While most families medical bills are paid for the families suffer financially because of the time taken from work. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon situation for parents to find themselves in when their child is ill. T.H.I.S. Cares helps equestrian families with catastrophically ill children by using the donation money to make house payments, pay utility bills, buy groceries, and make vehicle notes. 100% of the money raised is used to help the families!


They raise money by putting together trail rides for the equine community! What an amazing way to help a catastrophically ill child. Enjoy a beautiful trail ride and give peace of mind to a family struggling with so much.


Please visit T.H.I.S. Cares website for more of their truly inspirational story and find out how you can participate in this amazing charity.





Our family has been dedicated for 30 years in serving
the Western Horseman the safest most durable Quality
American made leather horse tack.......

Buckaroo John Brand

Buckaroo Leather, The Brand to Demand
Visit Our Unique Store Today
Buckaroo Leather Shopping Site

Monday, May 4, 2009

Buckaroo Leather's Favorite Cowboy Websites

I had such a great response from my first Blog on this subject, that I decided to write about more of my favorite websites.


Since starting my own blog, website, and now a new monthly newsletter, I have encountered and met some passionate and interesting people in the horse world. Listed below are their websites and brief description of each. I encourage you to visit and pass along these websites.


If you have any websites you would like to share, please feel free to leave a comment. Also if you are interested in subscribing to my new monthly newsletter, with updates on new horse tack and great discounts, please click on this link, Newsletter, to sign up for The Buckaroo Newsletter, The Newsletter to Demand!





The Best Horse Sense
What I Need for the Future I Learned in the Pasture.



A great website for all horse lovers! Whether you are a western rider, trail rider, or just for leisure, you will appreciate the horse sense!

Below is some information about this website.


Some of the most important life lessons I have learned have been from the back of a horse. I learned to love horses in my late thirties. Unlike someone who has been around horses since childhood, I have learned horsemanship through an adult’s eyes. As a result, those lessons have spilled over into the rest of my life. I have become a better person since I started playing with horses.

I want to share those lessons on leadership, understanding, forgiveness, and love that I learned from my horses. Come join me on this adventure.








We all know horses need a farrier! John has some great articles on how to keep your horses hooves' healthy. Great information for all breeds of horses, western riding, trail riding, competitive riding and overall horse health.

Below is some information about John,


John Silveira is a Farrier, Aikido practitioner, spiritualist, born and raised in San Mateo California the bay area. For information on his shoeing method and the 100% track record just go to http://care4horses.com/ and leave contact information. Thank you and remember to Care4Horses.

An excerpt from his website-


Uncovering more controversy with Barefoot vs Shod horses. To be perfectly honest with you this Barefoot thing is the ONLY area i get any flack from when i address issues surrounding it. And it's ALWAYS from the Barefoot People. So be it !! I want to be clear - i'm NOT against barefoot horses - it's just that not all horses can go barefoot - just won't happen.






I have long been fascinated by relationships. Whether it is the relationship between humans and their pets, a person and a higher power, or musicians and their instruments, I have studied it in an attempt to understand it and help the person deepen those relationships and achieve harmony.


Talk2theAnimals.net is designed to be a place to gather and disperse information on animal communication and animals.





Thomas Herding Technique-Discovering the Communicated Equine



Communication between horse and rider is vital. If you are competing in one of the various competitive equine sports, such as trail trials, Gymkhana, or Cowboy Mounted Shooting, you need to be able to know your horse and communicate. This website is a great resource!


Below is some information about the site and their mission statement-



A spiritual connection with the horse is paramount to the physical, For it is this higher power that transcends and controls all that follows.


The mission of Thomas Herding Technique is equine behavior and stress management through better human/horse communication.









A wonderful ranch and website! Below is some information-

Being able to move to the USA (1995) and especially to the Black Hills was a gift from Heaven. I brought my horse along, Djinni-Fee, my dreams and visions of living in and with nature, surrounded by horses, learning more about natural health care and turning my passion for painting portraits into recognized works of art.


None of these dreams would have become reality if not for my husband Jack, humble, patient and alway encouraging. He generously invited me into his heart and Plenty Star Ranch. Together we turned this most beautiful place into a guest ranch and horse camp, where I can also offer natural horsemanship clinics, using some of our awesome herd of Spanish Mustangs. Come visit - coffee is always on!






Smoke Creek Ranch is located in the south central area of Pennsylvania. We are a young operation, raising and training AQHA and APHA bred horses. Our breeding herd is built on the famous "Three Bars" bloodlines, Zippo Pine Bar, Doc Bar and our favorite, Sonny Dee Bar.





The Pulling Breast Collars!- Buckaroo Leather's fastest growing new product
This Breast Collar is very popular among Western riders, particularly ropers. Instead of crossing a horse's chest from side-to-side like some other styles, pulling breast collars sit just above the line of a horse's shoulders buckle around the pommel of the saddle. According to ropers and other riders that prefer pulling breast collars, it allows the horse more freedom of shoulder movement and better leverage when pulling.





Quality Hermann Oak Leather with a width of 2 1/2". This Pulling style Breast Collar is oiled & stitched with a soft chap lining and finished with Nickel Plate roller buckle hardware; the BC65 version is stitched heavy harness leather. Both Breast Collars have an over the shoulder fit. It is designed to wrap through the saddle swells, perfect for a pulling position.












With a traditional Cowboy look this Pulling Breast Collar is designed for roping or heavy mountain horse riding. The quality leather color is Golden with a Hand Tooled basket design. The width is 2 1/2" wide with Nickel Plate hardware. This Pulling Breast Collar has an over the shoulder fit. It is designed to wrap through the saddle swells, perfect for a pulling position.





Our family has been dedicated for 30 years in serving
the Western Horseman the safest most durable Quality
American made leather horse tack.......

Buckaroo John Brand

Buckaroo Leather, The Brand to Demand
Visit Our Unique Store Today
Buckaroo Leather Shopping Site