- It is impossible to have a horse dull to your leg and light to your hand.
- Proper use of spurs requires independence from the spur; not dependence on it.
- Riding in a western saddle without a rope is like not wearing underwear.
- You may never work cows, but a horse prepared to use a rope will be the best riding horse ever.
- Think about the position of your body so that you aren't taking energy away from your horse.
Rope Work (click to enlarge)
In this exercise the student lopes (canters) around Mr. Brannaman and his horse. As he moves his horse along, the student must ride so that the rope doesn't touch the ground.
Students also loped around & around a barrel, letting out their rope and winding it around the barrel like thread on a spool. Then they had to turn around and lope the other direction, around & around the barrel, while unwinding the rope and coiling it neatly with their hands. Here, Kathleen and Hollywood are preparing to lope around and unwind their rope from the barrel.
Check out the fashion in cowgirl hats being worn by the gals riding in the clinic. They aren't wearing the traditional cowboy hat that has the brim turned up on each side. These brims are flatter and the hats look more like a ladies sun hat you might buy at a fine department store. Very stylish. If they came with ear holes I'd wear one too.
Cowgirl Hats
Looks like an interesting clinic. I do like the hats, good for keeping the sun off your face and out of your eyes. Not everybody looks good in a traditional cowboy hat. And I do think you could definitely get one with holes for ears.
ReplyDeleteI remember those games from my 4-H years. I completely forgot about them.
ReplyDeleteThe hats are definitely cool!
Thanks for sharing from the clinic, Once Upon and Misty!
ReplyDeleteAnd the hats were stylish, with or without ear holes. Maybe mostly without, come to think about it.
Misty, I believe you would look better in a fly veil, with matching color to your new boots perhaps?
I loved the Buck clinic I audited! I noticed those Vaquero style hats were chic, too. Buck has so much wisdom to share at the clinic (I watched for two days), I always wished I'd written it down. Thanks for sharing some! :)
ReplyDeleteVaquero style hats! That's what they are. I didn't know what to call them. Thanks Pony Girl. You are our western fashion expert. I took a few notes and bought his groundwork video.
ReplyDeleteHorseOfCourse, your are funny. I do have a fly veil for Misty, but it doesn't match her boots.
Thanks for commenting JeniQ. I like your blog. I'm thinking that cantering around a barrel with our big girls might be a challenge.
Thanks GreyHorse, it was interesting indeed. It was one of his more advanced groups. And sometimes got a little scary to watch. I'm surprised there weren't any wrecks in the arena.
Looks like an interesting clinic -- I would like to learn to rope someday, although I am still wearing my helmet. Silly western people, always willing to crack open your noggins! The helmet nazi speaketh!
ReplyDeleteeventer79, In the Horsemanship I course in the morning, there were a few people wearing helmets. This group, Horsemanship II, no helmets. Wouldn't it be funny to take the brim off of one of those Vaquero hats and put it over a helmet? I think I'd feel naked riding without a helmet. I've become used to it. Just like I can't ride in a car without a seatbelt.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure Rosie CAN canter around a barrel. Well I'm sure she can but it takes A LOT of coaxing to get the big girl to even think about canter. Bonnie's been used for barrel racing and I didn't know until I set up a pattern for my daughter to work on bending around the leg. Samie started the pattern at a jog and Bonnie finished it at a dead run.
ReplyDelete