Finally, I’m a Horse Owner Again!

December 13, 2014 Tony Henrie 1 Comment

My readers will recall that last summer I had to make the difficult decision to put down my mare Penny. She foundered and I just couldn’t get her over it. My efforts and mistakes are fully documented in other posts. At the time, I knew I would be moving my family from Virginia to somewhere out in the western U.S., so buying another horse was out of the question until after the move.

We arrived in Utah in late August, intending to purchase a place where we could keep several horses, and where we would also be close enough to our children and grandkids to be involved in their lives. As it turned out, we had to sacrifice the former for the latter. We ended up buying a home in Salem, Utah in a neighborhood on about 1/4 acre. I was lucky enough to find a place within a mile of the house where I could board a horse.

Once I found a place to board a horse or two, I next turned my attention to buying a horse trailer that would answer my needs and desires for my future horse-related activities. I was able to find a 1991 Logan Coach Competitor 4-horse slant-load trailer that was in rough condition cosmetically, but solid and sound. I was able to buy it at a price that fit within my budget.

Now to find the horse.

During October this year, I had the opportunity to do a 1/2 day trail ride up near Strawberry Reservoir in north-central Utah with Jon Tanner. Jon was mounted on his Missouri Fox Trotter, while I was mounted on a large, very nice Tennessee Walking Horse. I quickly discovered that a TWH’s gait is very smooth and covers ground quickly when on level ground or climbing, but when descending a grade, their gait can shake your teeth loose. Jon was kind enough to let me try his MFT for a 1/4 mile or so, through varying terrain on a mountain trail. I was amazed at how smooth his horse’s gait was and how fast it could move in that Foxtrot gait. Jon’s horse can cover ground at up to 12 miles per hour in the Foxtrot, while the rider sits in perfect comfort. I have been a Quarter Horse man most of my life, but in that one ride I was converted. My next horse was going to be a Foxtrotter.

I started shopping for a horse toward the end of November, after we were moved into our house and starting to settle in. I perused the classified ads for the area almost daily, but found few MFTs for sale that would fall within my parameters. I was looking for a horse from 14-15 hands, from about 4-10 years old, and the price had to be reasonable to me. I was seeing ads for horses in the $7,500 range, which was above my price range. There were several horses advertised in the $1,500-4,500 range, but they were generally older than 10 years old.

Additionally, I had decided that if I were going to pay a premium for a horse, I was going to buy a good-looking horse. I have always wanted a paint, so that was on my mind as well.

Finally, I identified four horses I wanted to look at. In price they ranged from $800 for a rescued horse to $4,500 for a 4 year-old paint. In distance from home they ranged from Salt Lake City to Logan, Utah, to Blackfoot, Idaho, a distance of over 250 miles from home. I decided to prioritize my list, placing the horses I considered the best prospects first.

The first horse I looked at was a 10 year-old palomino, located near Logan, Utah with an asking price of $3,000. After nearly a 3-hour drive to see it, I was disappointed to find that the photo used in the ad was two years old, and that since that time, the horse had been used as horse for clients at an eating disorders treatment center, but that it had seen little use for quite some time, because clients were complaining that the horse was skittish under saddle. So, the horse had seen little to no use in over 2 years. It was overweight, lacked training and discipline, and was in poor condition overall. Not only that, but the horse was kept in a corral with 7-8 other horses, so it was somewhat beat up from fighting with the other horses. When I saddled the horse it tensed up and arched its back, as if it were expecting pain. I rode the horse in an indoor arena and found it to be quite skittish, although it gaited both the flat walk and the foxtrot pretty well, but acted undisciplined and afraid. It was registered and had good blood lines (as far as I know). In the end, I offered $2,000 for the horse, but was refused.

The next horse I looked at was in Blackfoot, Idaho. He was a 7 year-old MFT tri-color paint, advertised at 15’2 hands. The ad said he hadn’t been used in more than two years and was not for a beginner, but had the personality to become a kid’s horse with some use and training. It also said that while the horse is gaited, he must be made to stay in gait, due to his lack of use and training. The asking price was $1,500. I called the owner to ask a few more questions. The sense I got was that the horse lacked training, but was sound in every way. That I could handle.

I decided that since Logan was about 1/3 of the way to Blackfoot, I might as well go on from there. I let the owner know about when I’d be there and asked if they had a saddle I could use to give the horse a test ride. She assured me he would be ready. When I arrived I found the horse tied in a round pen covered in sweat. The owner explained that the horse has a lot of energy and is a bit unruly under saddle, so she had run him around the round pen for a while to use up some of his excess energy. Of course, that was a warning to me.

I was surprised to find that he was a perfect gentleman under halter in the training ring. I walked him around and moved him this way and that way. He was very easy to handle and obeyed every command. I was impressed. When I mounted him, that’s when the fun started. I found the horse to be undisciplined, buddy sour, untrained, and disrespectful. However, he had no buck in him. After riding him for a minute or two in the training ring, I asked to go out into a pasture to see if I could get him to gait and get a better sense of his abilities and training. The owner was reluctant to let me go out of the round pen until I assured her I was capable of handling him. Once in the pasture I found he was quite buddy-sour. His main intent was to get back over to the next pasture to see his buddies. He would side-step, back, turn in circles, etc, but he never offered to buck or do anything I considered to be dangerous. In fact, I found that he was quite athletic in the way he moved. Though the pasture was damp in places, he never slipped or tripped. After about 5 minutes of working with him, I found that he quickly began to respect my abilities and began to obey me. That indicated to me that he would be easy to re-train. The last thing I wanted to do during my test ride was to get him to gait. I could not get him into a flat walk, because he wanted to trot all the time. I finally got him into a good foxtrot for about a hundred yards. That satisfied me that he could be trained to gait.

Conformation-wise, he stands about 15’3 hands, I estimate, has a deep chest and somewhat fine hind quarters, and short back, as is common with MFTs. He is built well, with fairly heavy bones in his legs and good hooves. He is a little “turkey-toed” in his front legs, meaning he is a bit toed-out, but not enough for me to be concerned. He will not be a show horse or a breeder. He lacks good muscling, due to not being used for two years, but it appears to me that he has a very good, stout frame and that with some work the muscle will fill out his frame very well.

The owner told me that the history of the horse was that he was registered, but that the previous owner had not provided the papers and had said he could not find them. She and I both agreed that a horse without papers is not registered and the price should reflect that. She had bought the horse for her husband to ride, but quickly found out that the horse was not well enough trained and was hard to handle for an inexperienced rider. So, the horse stood unused for more than two years before she made the decision to sell him.

The thing that attracted me most to the horse was the same thing that brought me to buy my mare Penny: The horse had a very personable way about him. He was not afraid of people and genuinely seemed to like being around and handled by people. He was not head-shy at all and seemed “interested” in what was going on around him. That is very important to me, as I do not enjoy riding a horse that has no desire to be out on the trail with me. I believe this horse will enjoy the trails as much as I will.

So, I overlooked the fact that he was untrained, that he is poorly conditioned, that his front feet are a bit “turkey-toed” (toed-out), and that he may not be registered, and offered $1,000 for him. We settled on that price with the provision that the owner would provide the Coggins test, A certificate of general health, and a brand inspector’s ownership transfer form. I would return to pick him up the following Friday.

Everything fell into place and I picked him up yesterday. We had a bit of trouble loading him into the trailer, but once in he settled down and the 4-hour trip back to Salem was uneventful.

During the drive home, my sister called me to ask whether I had been able to pick up the horse yet. I told her I was heading back home with him. We talked about our horses and other things for a while, when the topic of a name for my new horse came up. I told her his name was Ringo, but that I intended to change it, because every time I heard his name it brought to mind an appaloosa she had owned during our high school years. In my mind the name just didn’t fit this new horse. I was looking for a name that reflected what we were going to do together over the coming years: travel a lot of miles in the mountains. My sister suggested the name of Ranger. At the first sound of it I liked it. By the time I arrived at home, I had decided that Ranger would be his new name.

I arrived back at home at about 5:15 PM, after which I took him to his new pasture and unloaded him. He backed out of the trailer carefully and slowly, just the way I like it. I left him in a pasture with the resident “old gelding” that looked so much like him that I had some difficulty determining which horse was mine for a few minutes.

I went out this morning to see him. He had been separated from the other horse, as the old gelding had been running him around the pasture the night before, after I had left. I checked him over and found one good bite mark, but nothing to worry about. He came up to me in the pasture and followed me as I went to the trailer to get the halter. He was easy to catch, which pleased me immensely. There are not many things I like less than a hard-to-catch horse. He seemed happy to see me, although I’m not sure he really knows who I am. I think he just likes people. I brushed him, which he seemed to enjoy, then trimmed his hooves. I did a little ground work with him to see what he does and doesn’t know. I’m pretty pleased with his aptitude for learning and his demeanor. I think we’re going to get along well as trail partners. I kept this first session short and sweet, just sort of a “get-to-know-you” session.

Snow is falling now, so I may not be able to work much with him for few days. I’m looking forward to getting to know him and starting to get into his training as a trail and pack horse.

Stay tuned for more.

Tack and Gear, Western Trails

Trailer Buying for Idiots….like me!

December 13, 2014 Tony Henrie 1 Comment

I recently bought a used horse trailer. The process of elimination that brought me to this particular trailer might be educational for others. Thought I’d post a few comments and photos about how I went about it and things I learned in the process.

As you all know by now, I am retired and looking to spend a good portion of my retired life in the saddle. I have identified about a thousand…wait….1,783, I think it was…places I want to go ride. Some of these places will require me to haul a pack horse. Sometimes I will want to take a friend or two…and maybe a pack horse as well. Sometimes getting to the starting point may take two days to get there or sometimes I may get to the starting point after a full day of driving, so I would like a nice, comfortable place to spend the night. I have on occasion come back to the trailer after several days on the trail wishing I could shower and sleep in a nice, clean, warm, soft bed. There have been times in which I have been caught in terrible thunder storms and almost had my camp washed away. It would have been nice to have been able to just go into the trailer’s living quarters and enjoy the sound of the rain and thunder while sipping hot chocolate. These and many more thoughts, born out of my experiences on the trail and my desires for future riding, went into my decision-making process about what kind of trailer I wanted.

I decided that I wanted a four-horse slant-load trailer. First and foremost, it had to be able to handle four horses. I know from experience that I will often need to haul at least three horses, sometimes four, but, in all likelihood, I will most often be hauling only my own horse for day rides in the mountains. A four-horse answers all these facts about my riding habits and desires.

I also decided that I wanted, but did not necessarily need a small living quarters. Not anything in the realm of recreational vehicle long-term-living quarters, but something very basic. I would like a space large enough for four people to sit at a table and enjoy hot soup and good conversation about the day’s ride. Therefore, I would need a sink, stovetop, and maybe a microwave, which would require a generator….eh now I’m getting extravagant. I would like a shower and toilet, RV style. That would be nice. I would probably want a refrigerator, propane/electric. How about an air-contidioner? That would be nice in the hot Arizona summer afternoons.

Ah, yes. Storage. If I’m going to have a LQ, then I can’t use it to store all my tack, so it’s going to have to at least have a rear tack and preferably also a mid-tack room. Also, a hay rack on top for extra storage would be nice for those long pack trips that require a little extra room for gear.

Still, I didn’t want a trailer that is 75′ long, but it had to be long enough for at least a little LQ and some tack storage. After spending some time hauling a 28′ RV trailer around, I decided that was the maximum length I would consider for a horse trailer. Any longer and I would never be able to get it into some of the places I want to take it…at least not without significant damage to the trailer.

So, with these criteria and thoughts in mind, I started shopping on the Internet. I quickly found that trailers, even used ones, even used ones more than 10 years old, were well above my budget range. The closest trailer I found, and it was perfect for me, was offered at the excellent price of $16,000 or best offer. It had everything I needed. I simply couldn’t afford it. Maybe after I get rich and famous from my Mexico-to-Canada pack trip….eh, probably not. So, I started watching the classified listings to find what I could that would come as close as possible to exactly what I want, but in the $4-8,000 range.

What I found was 1991 Logan Coach Competitor trailer, listed for $6,000. I had also looked at several other trailers that were under consideration. I made a list of them in a notepad and began contacting owners and scheduling appointments to look at the trailers. I scheduled the best prospects first. The Logan was third on my list. I looked at the other two trailers and decided against both. The fourth trailer sold the evening after I first looked at the Logan trailer, obviously taking it out of the running.

Upon inspecting the Logan trailer, I found some glaring issues right off. Both fenders had been bashed by cutting too close to some hard object and dragging the trailer across it. There were places where rust had started beneath the paint, but these appeared to be cosmetic. Several of the interior rubber wall pads were missing, however, the trailer did have rubber floor and wall pads. There were several broken clearance lights and there were a few minor obvious wiring problems that would have to be dealt with. However, the trailer had a front tack room that had been partially converted to a living quarters. While there were no fixtures installed, there was room for me to create a rudimentary living quarters. In addition, there was a rear tack compartment with a saddle rack for four saddles, as well as saddle pad racks. Additionally, the horse compartments had a manger shelf running along the left wall, which created a large storage compartment beneath it, accessible from two large doors on the exterior of the left side of the trailer. There was a hay rack on top as well. The former owner had Gerry-rigged a cable for a generator to be installed on the hay rack, which would power four flood lights affixed to the top edge of both sides of the trailer. There were four welded tie-points on the outside of the trailer, each with a bracket for holding a feed bucket, something I had never seen before on a trailer. The trailer had four good trailer tires and a spare (truck or car tires on a trailer is a no-no, they will not last and can have catastrophic failures that can damage your trailer). For the most part the paint was decent, except for the few rusted areas and seams on the roof that had been sealed with roofing tar.

All-in-all, it was a solid trailer that actually exceeded my minimum criteria, although I thought the $6,000 asking price for a 24 year-old trailer in that condition was a bit high. I compared it to three other trailers I had yet to look at. These three all had small front tack compartments that would be useless as a LQ, except to sleep in, however two of them also lacked a rear tack, which meant I would not even have a sleeping area without transferring all the tack into the horse compartment at night. The fourth trailer I was to look at, as previously mentioned, sold that evening, before I could see it. That trailer was in excellent condition and about the same age, but a bit smaller. It was offered for $4,800, but likely sold for several hundred less. The next trailer I was to look at was listed at $7,600, but was a newer Sundowner that was in almost new condition, having seen very little use and excellent care, but had a small front tack and no rear tack, and no extra storage or roof rack.

I contacted the owner of the Logan and offered him $5,000, explaining that I was comparing his trailer to other similar trailers in better condition, for which I would pay more, but have less work to do bringing them up to snuff for my needs. He asked if I would come to $5,500, but I responded that I was intending to offer him $4,500, but the trailer I was holding as the second option had sold the night before, such that my second option was now a more expensive trailer in excellent condition, hence my higher offer. My offer of $5,000 reflected my consideration of the labor and expense I would have to put out to bring his trailer up to good condition. Despite the fact that his was closer to the configuration I wanted than the other, the other trailer was in excellent condition with no work required. If he declined my offer, I was willing to pay the extra money for the second option, rather than pay more for his trailer. At length he accepted the offer.

I was quite proud of my negotiating prowess and felt like we both received an equitable price for our efforts. I paid the man his money and made arrangements to pick up the trailer several days later.

After picking up the trailer and heading home I started discovering where the holes were in my inspection. On the way to the Department of Motor Vehicles to apply for a new title and get license plates, a right rear brakes started grabbing. By the time I got home it would lock up when I used the brakes. The next morning I took the trailer to a shop to have the bearings re-packed and the brakes checked and adjusted. (This should be done whenever you buy a used trailer of any kind. In all likelihood the bearings have not been greased since it was new. It is one of those things that get neglected on a trailer that is not used on a daily basis or has gone through several owners.) After getting the trailer back (and a bill of $243) I started to sort through the electrical problems I had noted. The previous owner had provided several replacement clearance lights that he had apparently purchased, but never installed. I replaced all that were broken. I found that two still will not work, apparently a wiring problem. None of the interior lights, in the tack room nor in the horse compartment, work. There was no license plate bracket or light (required by most states). As I was working on the license plate problem, I found that the bottom of the loading door was completely rusted out and crumbling. This could not be seen without pulling back the rubber pad installed on the inside of the door.

I also discovered that the right rear running board had been run over a rock or something, breaking the welds at the rear, rendering it rather loose. The steel diamond plate cover actually came off in my hand. I’m glad I discovered that at my home and not by watching it bouncing down the freeway in my rear-view mirror! As I checked the lights in the front tack, I also discovered that one of the sliding windows had been broken out. I never would have found that had I not attempted to close the window. The window screen sort of hid the fact that the window was missing. Happily, I discovered that the trailer tack compartment had been properly wired, including a breaker, lights and outlets, for an electrical plug-in, rendering the Gerry-rigged generator wiring unnecessary.

All these things showed with embarrassing clarity, that with all my efforts to study things out and get the best deal for my money, I still let my excitement and pride get to me. I did not conduct a very good inspection before buying. I should not have missed any of the things I mentioned that were discovered by surprise after the purchase. Not that I would have changed my mind on the trailer, but I might have offered the $4,500 I had originally intended to offer.

Now, for what I have learned upon using the trailer.

After getting the major problems of bearings, brakes, and lights squared away, I took the trailer on its shakedown cruise by driving from Salem, UT to Blackfoot, ID to pick up a horse I bought. That is 8 hours of driving at speeds up to 80 mph. I was absolutely pleased with how the trailer performed. It pulls better than any trailer I have ever pulled. I am impressed with the smoothness of the dual torsion spring axles, as opposed to leaf spring axles on other trailers.

By one thing I was greatly surprised. I had believed the manger shelf in the trailer would be a useful and desirable amenity, especially for the additional storage space created beneath it. What I discovered, though, was that the manger shelf makes a very difficult and somewhat dangerous operation of the simple matter of loading and tying-in a horse. As I loaded my horse into the trailer, I felt somewhat trapped, being inside the trailer with a horse I was unfamiliar with.

The fact is, that is a very dangerous position to be in. The trailer has no escape door. You have to go into the horse compartment with the horse in order to close the dividers and lock each horse into its respective stall. In addition to all this, you are somewhat limited in your escape route through the loading door, because of the rear tack that takes up the left half of the rear of the trailer. I found myself unable to reach the tie ring as I lead the horse into its stall. As I turned to unlock the divider from its open position, being untied, the horse took this opportunity to try to turn around. I could not then close the divider, because his head was turned the wrong way. All I could do was lead him back out and try again. I was unsuccessful in getting him to load and stay in the first stall and had to close that divider and load him into the second stall, into which I successfully enclosed him without tying him. I had to go outside the trailer, open the window, and reach in to tie him. That would have been even more frustrating had it been raining.

This same process without the manger shelf is a simple matter of leading the horse into the trailer, tying him to the appropriate tie ring, closing the divider, and on to the next horse, in just about the amount of time it took to type this paragraph. My next trailer will likely not have a manger shelf, despite the extra storage area. I’d much prefer a mid-tack anyway.

An additional unanticipated issue appeared as I was tying my horse into place. The trailer has pre-installed tie ropes with safety buckles on the horse end and loops braided into place on the tie-ring end, such that they are not removable except they be cut off. I hooked the tie rope onto the horse’s halter, and just about that fast, he had turned his head and put it over the divider. As he did so, the safety buckle dragged across the top rail of the divider and unsnapped. Easy as pie. He was loose again. I decided to tie him with my lead rope, close enough that he could not get his head over the divider again. I was afraid he might get stuck while in transit and panic, causing injury to himself and/or damage to the trailer. As it turned out, the trip home was uneventful, but I stopped a couple times just to check.

In taking a good, long look at the front tack/living quarters, I have decided that with some good planning and design, I can make an adequate rudimentary living quarters there, which will include a propane stove, heater, and possibly a refrigerator, as well as a sink and port-o-potty. I think I can make a fold-down table that will seat at least two persons comfortably for an evening or morning meal. The bed, of course will be in the over-bed portion of the front. I am not in a hurry for this, so I’ll take my time and study things out so I can make it as efficient and comfortable as possible.

Overall, I am quite impressed with this trailer. Logan Coach obviously makes quality trailers. There are a number of things on this trailer that bespeak durability, strength, and smart engineering. I am impressed with how well this trailer, which has been poorly maintained and ill-used, has survived and retained it’s structural integrity and value.

So, while I still feel like I bought a quality trailer that suits my needs at a price I could afford, and overall I’m pleased with it, I think I might have done a little better had I performed a closer inspection before making my offer. I don’t think I did badly, I just think I might have done a little better.

Water under the bridge. This is about the last time I’ll think on that aspect of this purchase and I’ll go on with my plans and enjoy this trailer to the fullest.

Checklist for the future:

– Quick once-over for first impression
– Slow methodical second go-over for details
– Hook the trailer up and check. Note all electrical deficiencies
– Tow the trailer for a test drive to check the brakes and bearings (feel the hubs for heat after towing a couple miles)
– check each window for functionality
– check floor boards – lift the floor mats and look, also look from underneath the trailer
– check for frame rust and cracks. Look under the trailer from front to rear on both sides
– Check roof for rust, recently sealed seams, dents and cracks in metal, etc
– Check the bottoms of all doors for rust.
– Check tires. Ensure that all are actual trailer tires and they are in good condition. Also check the spare, to make sure it is the same size as the rest and in good condition
– Check all moving parts for function. Note any deficiencies
– Using your notes from your inspection, conduct research to find out what repairs may cost before deciding on an offer amount.
– Never get in a hurry. Urgency will cost you money, while patience will earn it.

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A Friendly Contribution from William Healey of Horse.com

August 7, 2014 Tony Henrie

Last week I received an email from William Healey of Horse.com. He complimented my blog and website and posted a link to an informative article he has written about fitting western saddles to horses. He gave me permission to post the article on the website.

I decided that it would be more appropriate to simply post the email and the link to his article, giving full credit where it is due.

Thanks Bill.

Here’s the email:

Hello, Tony.

My name is Bill Healey, and I am the content writer for Horse.com. I was searching for article ideas on an assortment of topics related to western riding and just riding in general when I came across one of your older posts “How to Get on a Horse” on the Western Trail Rider website. Love your site and the Facebook page! I think you discuss everything there is to cover about how fun and exciting riding can be. I also enjoyed how your website was the perfect blend of entertaining and informative.

Last year we created a guide to measuring and fitting western saddles that your readers may find helpful. The article covers everything from how to fit the saddle the horse, fit the saddle for the rider, how to properly evaluate the saddle on the horse and how to avoid common saddle fitting mistakes.

Here is the link – http://www.horse.com/horse-articles/measuring-and-fitting-western-saddles/9843/

I think some of your readers could potentially find the guide pretty useful and, hopefully, entertaining.

Keep up all the great work,

Bill Healey
Horse.com

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Finished My First Pair of Chinks

July 17, 2014 Tony Henrie

Today I finished my first pair of chinks. Of the three pairs of chaps I’ve made (batwings, Arizona shotguns, and these), these were the most complicated. However, my skills and knowledge have improved a little and I have bought a few more tools, so there were no real difficulties.

These are from Bob Klenda‘s Red Rock Chink patterns. The patterns are sufficiently detailed for a beginner (I fall into that category), however I ran into a few minor details where a little more information, or some prior experience and knowledge would have helped. I’ll get to that in a minute. These chinks have three leg straps on each side with 5/8″ brass buckles, making for good adjustability for leg size. The back belt is solid, so the chinks are adjusted for waist size by the 1/2″ front belt.

As with the other two pairs of chaps, the leather is 5/6 oz oil-tanned chap leather I purchased online from The Leather Guy. I have been happy with all three sides of leather I have bought through this outlet. Much of what they sell is blemished in some way, and is therefore considered #2 quality, however he provides excellent photos of each piece of leather and provides detailed descriptions. You purchase the piece in the pictures. All three sides I have bought were exactly as described. I have been very pleased, not only with the leather, but also with the service, prices, and shipping costs.

I began as I did with the other two pairs of chaps, by laying out the pattern on top of the leather and tracing around it with a #5 overstitch wheel. The overstitch wheel marks the leather sufficiently to transfer the pattern lines to the leather without cutting the pattern, so the pattern is preserved. After that, I cut out the first legging. I then used the first legging as a pattern to mark the second legging, by tracing around it with the tip of a stylus or awl. Make sure you cut both a left and right leg!

I made the yokes and shields for the conchos out of 7/8 oz tooling leather, onto which I stamped a basket pattern. I seem to be getting a little better at stamping and I am pleased with the way they came out. I stamped the same pattern on the belt as well. The leg shields, where the legging buckles attach is made of chap leather, stitched into place.

After stitching everything together I cut the rivet holes and oblong holes for the concho strings. The conchos are held in place with the traditional “bleed knots”, however, per the plans, the buckle straps on the back side are fixed in place with a rivet that runs through the strap, the concho string, and the tooled shield on the front. The rivet is covered by the concho. I like the way Bob designed this. It makes for a very durable pair of chinks that are very adjustable in leg size. Having said that, I didn’t assemble the straps and conchos until after I cut the fringe.

I marked out on the face of the chinks, freehand, where I thought the fringe line should be, with white chalk. The plans call for 5″ fringe, but mine worked out to 6″. Next, I marked guide lines to help me keep the fringe cut at the proper angle, as I worked around the pattern. I hung the chap on my leg, to see how it would hang, then marked the lowest point (the knee) so that the lace at that point would hang straight down when I was standing. Then I marked guide lines up each side, gradually changing the angle to make things look right.

The preferred method of cutting fringe, according to several leather workers on Leatherworker.net , is to use a round cutting wheel, such as are sold in fabric stores, however, some use the traditional round knife, and others use utility knives with polished blades. Whatever you choose, make sure it is razor sharp. As one fellow apptly put it, “It could cut you if you looked at it wrong.” I found I could not keep the leather from moving when I tried cutting from the inside toward the edge with a utility knife. The very end would move causing the end of the fringe to cut poorly. After several tries with the utility knife and an exacto knife, I tried my round knife. I found that by cutting from the edge toward the middle, with a steel ruler as a guide, I was able to cut straight fringes. It took a little practice to do it smoothly, though. I was very careful not to let the knife blade skip and gouge the legging. Occasionally, the round knife would not cut all the way through on parts of the fringe, so I finished those cuts with a utility knife.

I found that by cutting small wedges out of the fringe every few inches, starting about 1/4″ wide, or smaller, on the outer edge and tapering to nothing at the inside fringe line, I could keep the proper angles of the fringe, according to the guidelines I had chalked on the chap legging as I cut around the pattern. As the fringe is fairly limp, these wedges never show up and one cannot detect, even on close inspection, where they were removed. After the fringe was cut, I assembled the leg straps and conchos, as mentioned above.

For the front belt, instructions on the pattern called for the belt to be made of 9″ of 1/2″ chap leather, doubled and sewn to make each side of the belt. This is then riveted in place through a slot in the yoke. I made my belt of 7/8 oz tooling leather, as I didn’t want to have to try hand-stitching that 1/2″ wide belt strap.

For the back belt, I went with Bob’s suggestion of lacing it in place. I have seen other designs that cut the belt as an integral part of the yoke, and then lace it together in back, but Bob’s design uses less leather and allows you to cut the belt to size, and replace it in the eventuality of a change in waist size…as sometimes happens. This back belt is what determines the waist size of the chinks. Instructions for determining the proper length is provided on the pattern.

Herein is the part where a couple notes on the plans might help a rank novice like myself. Bob suggests 1/4″ or 3/8″ lacing. Since my backbelt is 1-1/2″ wide, I decided to go with the 3/8″ lacing. Bob provides a pattern for the lacing holes, with the proper spacing for each size lace. I have never laced anything before, so when I eyeballed this part, and started to think ahead on it, I quickly realized that I had no idea what size holes I needed to punch. After a little trial and error, I just decided that a number 5 worked for the edges and 4 for the middle holes. I tried making lace out of chap leather, but they looked terrible. Chap leather simply is not strong enough to skive to a thinness that looks right. Not having a clue as to what kind of leather I should use, I finally called Bob and asked him.

That’s something I really like about Bob Klenda. I have called him on several occasions and each time it is Bob who answers the phone. He is very pleasant and always willing to take the time to answer all my questions. Never has he seemed to be in a hurry, or impatient, or made an excuse to get off the phone. I have truly enjoyed the short conversations I have had with him, and I appreciate the help he has offered to assist me in making my chaps.

Anyway, Bob told me he makes his lace out of 7/8 oz latigo, which he cuts to width and splits to about 3 oz thickness. He then bevels the edges. As I don’t have a splitter, I asked whether he might consider making up a pair of laces for me and mailing them out. He was willing to do so, but about that time I realized I had recently ordered some latigo saddle strings from Sheridan Leather. I had them sitting in my shop. I decided to try splitting them the old fashioned way, with a knife. I thanked Bob for his help and let him get back to making his high-dollar custom saddles.

I took a saddle string and ran it through my Australian lace cutter, set at 3/8″ width. Then I used a wood chisel to gouge out a groove in a piece of 1X4 poplar I had lying around. The groove was about 1/2″ wide and about as close as I could come in depth to the thickness of 3 oz leather. I held the edge of my round knife on top of the board over the groove, and had my daughter help keep the lace taught as I pulled it through the groove under the knife edge, effectively and fairly accurately skiving off about half the thickness of the latigo lace. The grain side of the lace must be down against the wood when this is done. I then polished the edge of an exacto knife on my strop board and stuck the point of it in my worktop at about a 45 degree angle. Using my thumb to guide the lace, I pulled it past the blade edge and beveled each edge on the flesh side. This is the way it was done before the advent of the lace cutters/bevelers we have available today (the Aussie lace cutter does not bevel). These homemade laces worked like a charm and I am very pleased with the way the lace finished off the design. If I were to change anything, I might have used larger holes for the lacing, maybe #5 and #6 holes.

I finished the tooled leather off with several applications of 100% pure neatsfoot oil, followed by a coat of Sheridan’s RTC Resist and Finish. After letting the finish dry, I applied some Sheridan Brown Antique Finish. I let that set a while and buffed the excess off with a paper towel. I applied a finish coat of the RTC over that. Be careful not to get any of the dye or finish on the chap leather.

So, I have finished my first pair of chinks.

This pair of chinks will go to my dad, from whom I inherited the love of horses and horsemanship. They are a belated gift for his 80th birthday.

Happy Birthday, Dad, from a grateful son.

Book Reviews, Good Stories

Book Review: Dakota Cowboy, My Life in the Old Days, by Ike Blasingame

July 8, 2014 Tony Henrie

I just finished reading for the second time one of the most enjoyable books I have ever found about the life of a cowboy back in “the good ol’ days”. Dakota Cowboy, My Life in the Old Days, by Ike blasingame, is a non-fiction documentary of Ike’s own life as a bronc buster and rough-string rider for the Matador Land and Cattle Company from 1904 to around 1912. The setting is in South Dakota, where Matador and several other major cattle concerns had set up huge ranching operations on lands leased from the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Indian Reservations, through cooperation between the Indian Tribes and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Ike takes us through all aspects of ranch operations, the lives of cowboys, their bosses, their horses, the land, and the cattle that gave them their livelihood.

I found myself completely engrossed in Blasingame’s way of describing and explaining things from a cowboy’s perspective, providing a window to the past, framed in cowboy common sense and frankness, that is largely closed nowadays, in our time of extreme opinions and political correctness. I learned the origins of some of the idiomatic expressions we use today, but think little of.

For instance, we’ve all heard the expression, “That really chaps my hide!” Take a minute and read Ike’s delivery of how a cowboy’s hide got “chapped”.

“Cowboys made a worthy attempt to be manly, to act in accordance with what was right, no matter their surroundings – mud, wind, rain, heat, or fine summer sunshine. There was little rough talk, other than simple swearing which seemed more a part of that way of life than disrespect and offensiveness. Obscenity was frowned upon. Any indecent act was met with stern disapproval. Improper talk about women or lewd jokes had little part in the regular everyday busy life these men lived. And the man who persisted in overstepping these rules was punished, not by arrest or by going to jail, but by the cowboys’ law which governed such breaches of decency and order.

If a man didn’t believe his ideas and deportment could be changed, it took but one or two trips to a good-sized bedroll over which he found himself stretched so that the seat of his britches were good and tight. A pair of heavy leather chaps held by the belt and wielded by a big-fisted cowpuncher in a way which brought the bottom of the leggings smartly down across the offender’s posterior a dozen times usually corrected any such false ideas. To be offensive enough to be “chapped” was a painful experience that no one relished.”

Reading about the sheer size of many of the old ranches was fascinating to me. For instance, according to Blasingame, Matador’s range lease on the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River reservations comprised about forty-eight square miles. In addition, outside the reservation Matador and several other large operations shared, by gentleman’s agreement, the free range to the west of the reservation boundaries. Matador also held a sizable range lease north of the Canadian border. In its heyday, the Matador ran nearly sixty thousand head of cattle.

Despite the size of the Matador cattle operation, Blasingame keeps things simple by taking us with him through his daily tasks of breaking broncs, hunting wolves, managing and rounding up cattle, and moving them across the Missouri river to Evarts, South Dakota for shipment to market by train. He describes operations of the range wagons (the true home of the cowboy), the various levels of management and the divisions of their respective duties, as well as the daily chores expected of each cowboy.

I particularly enjoyed Blasingame’s chapter on horses. He talked about the “rough string” and why these horses were under his particular care. He spoke affectionately about those horses that worked as hard as he did, and somewhat critically of those that had to be “watched” all the time, so as to head them off when they got ornery. It was interesting to me how Blasingame would give each horse its due credit and praise for the work it could perform well, despite its ill temper or how difficult it was to ride. Take this excerpt from the chapter on The Rough Broncs:

“Spokane had a reputation as a hard-bucking horse. He was a slim blood-bay, weighing 1050 pounds. He had good shoulders, high hips, and was probably a good deal thoroughbred. He had been handled some and didn’t fight saddling; in fact, if a man could ride him until he had his buck over with, he worked willingly. But there was the pinch! Spokane saved himself for furious, hell-to-set pitching after a rider mounted. It was sport for him, and he had thrown more cowboys than had ever ridden him farther than three jumps. Spokane’s reputation followed him when Dode shipped him to South Dakota and came north himself as manager. Dode liked the horse.

“I want to see what our South Dakota bronc rider can make of him,” he said, preparing to leave Texas, and from the time that Spokane snorted down the chute, filled his belly and ran free a few weeks on rich grass, he was primed to jar the gutfat off the best of riders. He was one of the really snaky ones to come to the Dakota outfit.

Brown knew that Dode had brought Spokane along for me to ride, and he was present the day Dode pointed to the horse and said, “If a man can stay on him, that bronc has the makings of a top cow horse.”

Since I could ride my horses wherever I wanted to while training them, Brown saddled up, too, and went around with me considerable, looking at the new range and getting acquainted with it. He got quite friendly, and jogging along he continually preached “hell-roaring Spokane” to me. He declared the horse was one of the worst buckers ever when he cut loose with all he had, and hinted that even Dode was skeptical about my being able to rode him. The more Brown talked about Spokane, the more I wanted to get a rope on the salty cuss and see for myself how tough he really was. I had found few horses that were hard for me to handle – still, I also knew that “for every man, there’s a horse he cannot ride.”

In Dakota Cowboy ,Ike Blasingame paints a truly vivid picture in words of the life of the cowboy in the Dakotas during the era of the great cattle empires. But not only that, he provides a much greater backdrop against which the picture is viewed than most stories of the “old west.” Blasingame expands his treatise to include a broad range of ranching topics, from cattle management, to horses, the weather and seasons, to the interaction among the various ranching empires, and even their inter-relationships between the federal government and the Native American peoples from whom these ranching empires leased their range. As informative and factual as these details were, however, they never overcame his descriptions of the cowboys he knew and the stories from their daily lives on the range. More than once I found myself chuckling out loud as I read Blasingame’s relation of one story or another of some cowboy prank or his way of describing some noteworthy occurrence he recalled.

As a reader and student of old west literature, Blasingame gave me a clearer and broader understanding of the life of a cowboy than any other source I have found. It was a fascinating read for me, both times. One of the best and most enjoyable books about “the good ol’ days” I have ever encountered.

I highly recommend it.

Click on the image and it will link to the book on Amazon.com

Uncategorized

Finished My Second Pair of Chaps

June 24, 2014 Tony Henrie

Just finished my second pair of chaps. This is a pair of Arizona Shotgun chaps, after patterns by Bob Klenda, Klenda Custom Saddlery. I’m not sure where the designation “Arizona Shotgun” came from, but it may be the fact that there is no zipper or mechanical closure. These are true shotgun chaps, with fully closed leggings, but rather than using a mechanical closure of any kind, the legs are laced permanently together with a 1/2″ leather lace. Well, they can be unlaced, if necessary, but you don’t do it every time you put them on or take them off.

Arizona shotgun chaps are put on by turning the legs backwards, so that the toe of the boot is toward the laces, The natural bend of the leggings, as well as the way they are laced, allow the boot to slide down into the chaps easily. The leggings are then twisted around and pulled up into place, then secured with the belt.

Whereas most chaps use an assortment of hardware, buckles, snaps, rings, conchas, rosettes, etc, to hold them together and keep them in place, Arizona shotgun chaps use only one piece of hardware: a 1-1/4″ cart buckle for the belt. Of course, any similar belt buckle can be used, but the cart buckle is specified by Bob, so that’s what I used. I purchased the buckle online from Sheridan Leather. Sheridan only carries that particular buckle in solid brass, which, in my opinion, is perfectly appropriate for these chaps.

The Arizona shotguns were much simpler to make than the batwings I recently made, both from a pattern perspective, as well as from my own additional touches. Whereas on the batwings, I used 7/8 oz skirting leather for the yokes, pocket flaps, and belt parts, and then tooled them to taste, on the shotguns I used chap leather, turned rough-out, for the yokes and pocket flaps. I used an old belt blank I had for the belt parts and tooled them with a small basket weave pattern. For the chaps themselves, I used 5/6 oz oil-tanned chap leather from The Leather Guy. As before, I am very satisfied with the leather. It was exactly as described on the website. As with the batwings, everything was hand-stitched together. They went together quickly.

While the batwings pattern was coincidentally made in my size, I had to increase the upper thigh measurements for the shotguns. That was easy to do, simply by adding an inch to the side of the pattern that wraps around back of the leg. As per instructions written by Bob Klenda on the patterns, if length (outseam) must be adjusted, care must be taken to add or subtract equal parts from above and below the knee of the pattern, so that the knee of the chaps remains at the knee of the customer.

I felt like I made the legs of the batwings just a tad loose, although they were comfortable in the saddle, so for the shotguns I decided to fit them a little tighter. Once I tried them on, I wished I had given them one more inch at the upper-most thigh measurement. They are a bit snug, but still comfortable. After making two pair of chaps, I have determined that when measuring for size, one should measure the thigh measurements (upper thigh at crotch, mid-thigh, and above the knee) with a cloth tape, and it should only be pulled as snug as you wish your chaps to fit. Measure over pants you would normally wear in the saddle. A snug fit with the tape will result in a snug fit of the chaps. While chap leather will conform to the leg, even if tight, getting them on is a hassle, as you have to pull them up, then reach down and pull your pants down inside the legging, while holding the legging up at the same time. Even so, once I get my shotguns on, they are comfortable. I was able to adjust them just a little, by leaving the top lace a little loose.

All-in-all, I really like these chaps. They were easy to make, don’t have any zippers or other hardware to break, rust, or freeze up while out on the trail, and they are a little lighter than the batwings. They are very comfortable, as well.

I expect I’ll be wearing these on a lot of future horse pack trips.

Happy Trails!

Tack and Gear

Finished My First Pair of Chaps

June 18, 2014 Tony Henrie

Finished! Well, almost. I just have to apply a leather finish to them.

The chaps are batwings, made from patterns from Bob Klenda Saddlery. Bob is a well-known saddle maker, who makes some beautiful custom saddles. As I recall, one of his saddles once sold at auction for $20,000. Yet, when you call his shop, he answers the telephone and is more than happy to help you get just what you want and offer all the help and advice you need. I ended up asking all sorts of questions about leather, hardware, fitting, etc, and he never once made me feel like I was wasting his time. A very pleasant and helpful man. I hope I get a chance to meet him in person sometime.

The leather I chose is 5/6 oz chap leather with a pebble-grain finish, which I purchased online from The Leather Guy. The leather offered on that website is generally #2 leather, which has some blemish or other, so they are priced accordingly. They have a large selection and show very good pictures of the actual piece you are buying. Mine has a large brand on it, which I thought was sort of novel. I situated it to show up on the wing of the chaps. I am pleased with the quality of the leather. It is exactly as described on the site. I also purchased leather for two more pairs of chaps at the same time.

I bought the hardware for the chaps from Sheridan Leather. I looked all over the Internet to find a place that sold all the pieces I needed, so I wouldn’t have to pay shipping from several vendors. I couldn’t find anybody who had all the items, so I finally called Bob Klenda to see where he gets his stuff. He recommended Sheridan Leather. They had everything I needed to make Bob’s chaps, and a lot besides.

These chaps required eight 5/8″ spring clips (also called chap clips), eight 5/8″ rings, eight 1-3/8″ leather rosettes, eight 1-5/8″ leather rosettes, and a 1-1/4″ cart buckle (sometimes called a chaps buckle). Sheridan only carries the 1-1/4″ buckle in brass. I ended up ordering several other leathercraft-related items as well. Their prices are good and they shipped quickly. There was an error on my first order, but it required only a phone call to straightened it out to my satisfaction. I appreciated their quick and courteous service.

The yokes and pocket flaps are made from 7/8 oz skirting leather, which is a little less expensive than tooling leather, but takes tooling just as well. I purchased it from an eBay seller named “leather_alternative”. The price was right, shipping was reasonable and quick, and the leather was quite good. I bought about 14 square feet of it, but only needed a little of it for the chaps. I plan to use the rest to re-cover an 1860’s McClellan-type saddle tree.

I figure the set of chaps cost me a little under $100 to make. Not bad, when I see equivalent chaps (maybe a little better than mine in the fine details) going for $275. For about $300 I bought enough leather for three sets of chaps with some left over. The hardware for all three sets of chaps I intend to make came to about $60.

After taking the appropriate measurements for my legs, I realized quite happily, that the chaps pattern was made for my size. That was by coincidence, though, and instructions are provided on the pattern for adjusting it to size.

My first step, in making the chaps caused the most anxiety: Deciding where to place the pattern on the leather for marking and cutting. The side I bought was wide enough to allow me to place the yoke of the pattern at the back and the batwings at the belly area for both legs, which gives you consistent thickness and stiffness for the entire length of both legs of the chaps. However, since I wanted the brand mark on the leather to end up in a particular position on the batwing, I reversed that and put the belt in the belly area and the batwing in the stiffer back area. The leather was sufficiently consistent throughout that it turned out fine. Some sides of leather won’t allow this, so you must turn the pattern long-wise on the side to fit both legs of the chaps within the side of leather. Try to choose the position of each leg, so that you get consistent stiffness and color for similar portions of the chaps. In other words, don’t cut one yoke from the stretchy belly area and the other yoke from the stiff neck area of the side. Try to make the left and right legs of the chaps consistent in stiffness and texture.

Once the position of the pattern was decided, I positioned the paper pattern on top of the side of leather and used an Osborne #5 overstitch wheel to trace the pattern. The points of the overstitch wheel marked the leather through the paper without cutting it, so I was able to retain the pattern and all it’s written instructions intact. After marking one leg, I cut it out, then used that one as the pattern for the other leg, marking the leather by following around it with the tip of an awl. Make sure you make a right and left leg! A mistake here can be very costly, since you won’t likely have enough of the side left to make a third leg!

I cut out all the leather pieces with a utility knife, because it takes less talent and experience to use than my roundknife. Make sure you have plenty of fresh blades, because you want to change them out often, or the knife edge will begin pushing and deforming the chap leather as it cuts. After cutting out all the parts, I edged and burnished the edges of all the parts made of the 7/8 oz skirting leather, using an Osborne #3 edger and a burnishing tool. I then prepared the decorative parts for tooling.

For the yokes, pocket flaps, and belt parts, I wet the leather with a sponge, or quickly dipped it in water, and let it sit while I prepared my tools and work area. The leather is ready to tool when it begins to return to its original color. You really have to get the moisture content of the leather right in order to do the decorative tooling well. If it is too dry, the stamp will not imprint deeply enough, and will damage the grain of the leather. If it’s too wet, the leather gets sort of rubbery and the stamping will cause it to stretch and distort, and will cut too deep. I tooled the yokes, pocket flaps, and belt with a basket weave pattern I like. I used a good weighted mallet, and a worktop of 1-1/4″ granite, which helps get consistent hits on the tools, to make the stamps cut to a consistent depth. This is a talent that takes development (I’m not very good at it yet, but learning).

I laid out the pattern on the leather, starting with the border. I traced the border lightly on the damp leather with a divider, then cut it in with a Craftool swivel knife. The border needs to be wide enough to accommodate a stitching groove, wherever there will be stitching. Then I did the basket weave stamping, beveled the border around it, then added a border stamp to edge the basket weave pattern. The stamping tools I used are the basic Craftool swivel knife with a 1/2″ blade, and Craftool #B200 beveler, #534 Basket Weave stamp, a #511 Basket Weave stamp (a little smaller for the belt), and #431 Border stamp.

For the areas that would be stitched, I used a Craftool stitching groover to create a groove in the center of the border to receive the stitching. This keeps the stitches below the surface of the leather, decreasing wear from use on the stitches. It also makes the stitches easier to keep straight and even. I then used the overstitch wheel in the groove to mark where each stitch would go. The parts are then glued in place with contact cement (read the instructions on the cement), prior to stitching.

I used a diamond shaped blade in a stitching awl to punch the holes for stitching the pockets, however, I tried something different for the yokes, pocket flaps, and belts parts, which were made of 7/8 os skirting leather. I used a technique taught by Dusty Johnson, in his book, Saddle Making Construction and Repair Techniques. I pre-drilled all the holes with a Dremel tool and a 1/16″ drill bit. The bit automatically centers in the stitching groove and the divot left by the overstitch wheel. The resultant stitching looks very straight and even. The only cautions are that each hole must be drilled quickly, to avoid burning the leather with the hot drill bit, and the dremel tool must be held perfectly perpendicular to the leather, so that the stitching line on the backside is straight and in its groove. I used a scrap of wood as backing, so as not to drill into my worktable. The process goes very quickly and makes stitching go more quickly as well.

I hand-stitched everything together, using 5-strand linen pre-waxed thread and #517 harness needles. I clamped the parts to be stitched in a stitching clamp I am making, but haven’t yet completed. It is very difficult to hand stitch without a stitching clamp and have it turn out nicely. Once stitched, the yokes were trimmed even all around.

I made “cowboy buttons” for the pockets. They are strips of leather rolled tight, with the tapered tail passed through the middle of the roll. The tail is then attached to the pocket by weaving it through three holes. I like the looks of them and they are quite functional.

I made all the miscellaneous strings and straps from scraps of the chap leather with an Australian lace cutter. One string 1/4″ wide X 24″ long and eight 1/2″ wide by 12″ long were required.

I then assembled parts and gave the whole thing an application of 100% neatsfoot oil. I will likely give it two more applications, to make sure the finish is an even color, then finish the chaps with Feibing’s Tan Kote. If you decide to follow what I did for a finish, make sure to use 100% pure neatsfoot oil. Other leather products labeled as “neatsfoot oil compound” are combined with petroleum product additives that are harmful to leather and can accelerate deterioration. Also, avoid over-oiling the leather. I use a rag soaked in neatsfoot oil, wetting the leather until it is dark and wet, then wipe off the excess. I oil both the grain and flesh sides where possible. I let it sit until it appears dry, anywhere from one to several hours. If the color is not even, or not as desired, I apply additional coats until I am happy with it.

As this is my first pair of chaps, and since I haven’t worn chaps since I was a kid, I wasn’t sure how to fit them, so I made them a little large, figuring I could cut them down if necessary. I think they came out pretty close to the right size, although I probably could have tightened up a couple of the leg snaps a bit. I’m looking forward to trying them in the saddle to see how they feel. They are pretty heavy, but I wanted them for packing and other work use, not as show chaps. I selected the leather for weather and puncture resistance. I think I got that.

My first pair of chaps (Click on photo for full-size)

My first pair of batwing chaps, Bob Klenda style

Final notes:

I made a few rookie mistakes on the tooling. It was a learning experience. You can see where the tooling pattern runs out at the top of the pocket flaps. I got it pretty close to right on the yokes, though. Laying out the initial lines is more than simply laying down a diagonal line and starting to stamp. Learning to strike the stamping tool with consistent pressure, to get consistent depth and definition on the leather, and getting the pattern straight and even, are part of the learning process, as well, and simply take practice and experience to master. I’m still a long way off the mark on that score, but I’m confident I’ll get there…eventually.

Up next, a pair of Arizona Shotgun chaps.

P.S.: The hat you see me wearing belonged to my great grandfather. It is an original Stetson, likely over 100 years old, which I had restored last year by Shorty’s Hattery, http://shortyshattery.com/ . They did a nice job on it.

Good Stories, Western Horsemanship

Good Memories on Father’s Day

June 15, 2014 Tony Henrie

I have one of my married daughters and a grandson visiting for Father’s Day (2014). Got me remembering a horse I once had.

I picked up Max from a horse trader, who informed me Max was a 5-year old mustang (not a branded BLM mustang, but a mustang nonetheless) who was taken off the range and gelded a few months before I came across him. He was stout, not too tall (about 13.3 hands), good hooves, and looked like a tough little gelding. Just what I wanted. When I bought him he had obviously been “cowboy broke” and really didn’t know much of anything. He was submissive, but not trusting and not completely gentled. He has a handful on the ground because of that.

Soon after I bought him, my young daughters (ages about 11 and 9) wanted to come see him. Of course they also wanted to bring some of their friends. I agreed and gave them all a dress code of long pants and shoes (no sandals or flip-flops). I stopped by the feed store on the way and bought several brushes. I had an idea.

I haltered Max and walked him out to the round pen and tied him pretty short to a solid post. I messed with him until he settled down a bit. I then gave each girl a brush and warned them about getting stepped on. I then gave each one instructions as to what I wanted them to do. I started working on getting Max to let me lift his hooves while each girl picked a different spot on him to brush.

At first Max didn’t know what to think, but since there were so many people working with him at one time, on so many different parts of him, he couldn’t focus on any one thing to worry about, and since it all felt pretty good, I suppose, he quickly settled down an spent the better part of an hour just letting the girls mess and brush while I worked on getting him to let me lift and clean each hoof. He was truly relaxed and seemed to be enjoying the experience completely. I have read that the Nez Perce indians, who were known for their horsemanship and gentling methods, used a similar technique after capturing a wild horse. By the time we were done, he was a different horse. I think we became his “herd” that day.

It was amazing what that short little gentling session did for Max. He and I still had our go-rounds as we figured each other out (he was the second horse ever to put me in the dirt more than once), but he turned out to be a very good trail horse and a good friend to me. He was always hard to handle for other riders, but for me he was just what I needed at that time of my life. I had a lot of good rides on him.

When he was about 10, I was transferred out of country. Had to leave him. I gave him to the daughter of the people who owned the pasture I kept him in. She loved him, but was afraid to ride him. He lived in a 40-acre pasture with about 4-8 other horses, depending on the year, and I don’t think he was ever ridden again. I visited him about three years later, with two of my daughters. We drove out into the pasture and parked. I whistled for Max, the way I used to, and was pleased to see his head come up and his ears perk. He immediately started our way, leaving the small herd of horses without hesitation.

There we were, with no halter, no lead rope, no brushes, but we all got around him and just rubbed and petted him. It was obvious he missed that. The older daughter (age 16 then), asked if she could get on him. I told her I didn’t think that was a good idea, since we had no halter or lead, and I didn’t know how he would react, since I was sure he hadn’t been ridden, or even handled, since the last time I rode him years before. She insisted, so I told her that if he reacted, she was to simply slide off his side and into the grass, and not try to stay on.

I gave her a leg up and she slid easily onto his back. Max simply stood there and seemed to be pleased. My youngest daughter (age 9), seeing that, wouldn’t be left out and insisted she be allowed to get on behind the first. So I gave her a leg up and she slid up behind. Old Max didn’t seem to mind at all.

Back when Max was my horse, when I couldn’t ride I would often take my kids out to see him, put them on his back, and lead him around the pasture at a walk – of course, with a halter and lead rope. With him standing there so calmly, I wondered if he would remember. I started walking away from him, with my two daughters on his back, bareback, with no halter or lead rope. Max simply turned and followed. I walked all over that pasture, through the trees, over the irrigation ditch, around the pond, with Max contentedly following at my shoulder, and my girls smiling all the while.

That was the last time I saw my old mustang Max, and it was a good day.

Max and Ed, taken during a horse camping expedition with one of my daughters

An excellent memory for a nice Father’s Day.

Great Western Trail, Western Horsemanship, Western Trails

Making Steep Ascents and Descents on the Trail

May 12, 2014 Tony Henrie

A recent post by Jon Tanner on the Horse Trails and Camping Across America facebook group about a ride he took to Robber’s Roost, in southern Utah, brought some comments that showed a wide range of experience (and lack thereof) with regards to ascents and descents on a horse. There have also been a couple other related threads recently with regard to trail riding. Thought I’d offer a post about it, based on quite a few years of experience riding the rough trails, hoping to dispel some of the misgivings and erroneous ideas I saw posted.

Dropping into Robber's Roost, southern Utah (Courtesy of Jon Tanner) — Dropping into Robber’s Roost, southern Utah (Courtesy of Jon Tanner)

When one is riding mountain trails, even ones that are well-maintained, there is always the chance that you might have to deviate from the trail for a short distance to avoid a problem in the trail, be it a wash-out, a fallen tree, or even a dead animal (or maybe a live one!). This could require you to make a steep ascent or descent, or both, to circumvent the obstacle. I was once reading an article in Trail Rider magazine in which the author provided a picture of a mountain trail that was somewhat narrow and a bit washed out, with the caption that the trail “was obviously impassable”. I found that caption to be somewhat humorous, as I run into worse trails on my pack trips quite often. Differences in experience and training, I suppose.

Riding rough trails in southern Utah (Courtesy of Jon Tanner)

In recent years, many of the older, lesser-known trails in wilderness areas and on public lands outside state and national parks have fallen into decay, as the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management no longer maintain them. Often, the only remaining vestiges of a trail are the ancient blaze marks on large pine trees. These are the trails I love the most. These are the trails that take you to places no one has visited in many, many years. In trying to follow these trails, frequent detours are necessary, due to fallen trees and washouts, and more recently, wildfire burns. Most of them, however, are still “passable” with a little care and thought. These are the trails that are not for the faint of heart, and where experience and training, both for the rider and the horse, really pay off.

Imagine running into a washed out trail on a steep sidehill 20 miles into a 50 mile pack trip. Now what do you do? What if you have a pack horse or two in tow, how do you turn them around on a steep hillside? Often, the safest thing to do is to simply keep going and let the horse pick its way around the obstacle, but sometimes it takes an experienced hand on the reins, and even a touch or two with the spurs to safely pick out an alternate route and keep the horse on it.

In my training of trail horses, I make regular steep ascents and descents to teach the horse a couple of things. First, I want the horse to learn that I am in command, no matter where we are and no matter what I ask of the horse. It must learn to trust me…or at the very least to be obedient. Second, I want the horse to learn how to manage my weight on his back during ascents and descents. As the horse gains experience, it will begin to learn to pick out its path and to place its feet well to keep itself balanced with the load on its back.

Coming down into a canyon (Courtesy of Jon Tanner)

Some people believe that the horse should be given its head and allowed to choose its own path up or down a grade. Once a horse is experienced, that is somewhat true, but an inexperienced horse can put itself and rider into dangerous situations. An inexperienced horse, when faced with a steep descent, will often get partway down, hesitate, then attempt to turn and head back up to the trail. When this happens, one must have a firm hand on the reins and may need to use a quirt or spurs, or even the loose end of the reins, to coax the horse to continue down the slope. If the horse is allowed to turn and attempt to head back upslope, it puts itself into an imbalanced position, as your weight shifts from his shoulders to his hips, and your weight could easily pull him over backwards, which could very well become a deadly situation for both horse and rider.

A similar situation can occur with an inexperienced horse trying to make a steep ascent. Horses tend to be more willing to make steep ascents, however, a horse inexperienced at carrying the weight of a rider, and up to 75 pounds of tack and gear, up a slope may very well choose a route that is too steep for the load he is carrying. If a horse should choose to abort an ascent and turn and head back down to the trail, the situation is much less dangerous than a change during a descent. A horse can easily turn and head back downhill, even with a load, without much problem. The load of a rider shifting from the hips to the shoulders is much more controllable for the horse than the reverse.

A steep descent on rocky terrain (Courtesy of Jon Tanner)

Some have said that a horse should not be allowed to turn sideways on a steep hill. In my experience, the danger comes when the horse attempts to turn in a descent and go back up the hill. I have no problem allowing a horse to turn sideways to rest or to traverse the hill for a short way to access a better descent route. The same in an ascent. The caveat here is the footing. If, as in the photos Jon showed, the footing is the “slickrock” Utah is famous for, straight up or down allows the horse the best chance of remaining balanced if he should slip. If the footing is deep soil, sand, or gravel, I still prefer a straight or slightly angled ascent or descent.

If the ascent or descent is a long one, say 100 feet or more, an angled approach may be the best way, as the horse will be exerting himself a little less, particularly in a long, steep ascent. Again, I have no problem allowing the horse to stop sideways on the hillside to rest.

Steep trail with drops and ledges (Courtesy of Jon Tanner)

Back to the topic of allowing the horse to choose the path. It is my experience that an experienced trail horse is very good at watching and placing its hooves, but not very good a picking a path. They tend to look no farther ahead than their next two or three steps..which is exactly what I want them to be doing. Therefore, in my opinion, it is the rider’s responsibility to pick out the best route and the horse’s job to safely get them both there. As a side-note, I have discovered over the years, that the horses that I have left barefoot during their training and for most of the year are better at watching their foot placement than horses that are regularly shod. However, all horses, regardless of training, shoes, or barefoot, seem to get better at watching where they walk after about the second day in the mountains. Many are, as my dad used to call me, “stumble-bums” when they first hit the trails.

Other tidbits:

I like to keep a fairly firm hand on the reins during a steep descent. It allows the horse to use the leverage of your hands on the reins to keep himself balanced and keeps the horse from getting ahead of itself and descending too fast. While this may be hard on the horse’s mouth at times, it can allow a slipping horse to pull itself back into a balanced position. The opposite is true if the horse is asked to jump up or down a drop. In this case a very loose rein should be given, to allow the horse to jump and extend his neck and head without hitting the bit.

When traversing a particularly bad spot in the trail, I will sometimes pull my feet from the stirrups, or at least from the downhill one, and prepare, in case it should be necessary to bail. I want to be able to land on the uphill side of the horse, should it slip and roll over. I have had to make a quick escape from the saddle more than once.

Dropping down into Robber's Roost, southern Utah (Courtesy of Jon Tanner) — Dropping down into Robber’s Roost, southern Utah (Courtesy of Jon Tanner)

There are times when it is the wisest course to dismount and walk, allowing the horse to make the ascent/descent without the burden of a rider. This is particularly true if the rider is inexperienced or fearful. A panicked rider can easily pull a horse off balance that would otherwise easily handle the detour. However, a person on foot should avoid getting directly downhill or uphill from the horse. If you must lead a horse through a steep descent or ascent, use a long lead rope and try to stay to the side of the horse’s path. The horse will want to follow your path, so stay well ahead of the horse, and if possible, lead the horse on a path slanting up or down the hill. This will keep you from getting directly below or above the horse on the slope. If another horse has gone down before you, simply tie up your reins to the saddle and let the horse follow the other horse down the hill. When leading a horse up an ascent, again, stay to the side of the horse’s path, or at least a good couple yards ahead. If you get directly above the horse on the slope, it may try to turn directly toward you and begin lunging uphill. A lunging horse can easily run upon you and cause you severe injury. If you are following another horse that has gone up before you, again, simply allow the horse to go ahead. He’ll be fine. If your horse has been trained to allow this, you can also hold the horse’s tail and allow him to pull you up the slope. Most horses don’t mind this, especially while they are concentrating on getting up the hill.

In summary, there are times when steep ascents and descents will be unavoidable on the trail. Normally, the best course of action is to remain mounted and let the horse do its job, however, there are times when dismounting may be the best alternative, when done safely. Training and experience are invaluable in such situations and can turn what some may perceive as an “obviously impassable” trail into an opportunity for good photos and a great post on facebook, during a memorable trail ride.

Happy Trails!

P.S.

I would love to have been able to add a bunch of great photos from my rides to go along with this post, but when one is trying to work through a difficult situation like those described, nobody is thinking about the camera! All my pictures are in beautiful spots where everything is peaceful and pretty. That’s something I’ll have to work on in the future.

Jon Tanner graciously provided several photos from his rides that worked out great for the post. Thanks much, Jon.

If you would like to see a horse and rider doing a descent even I would wince at, watch the movie “Big Jake”, starring John Wayne. There is no movie magic in that one. Just a gutsy rider on an exceptional horse.

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My Old Mustang, Max

March 1, 2014 Tony Henrie

A post on the facebook group Talking Horse got me to thinking about my first mustang.

I had just moved to Farmington, New Mexico and was in a position, for the first time since high school, to be able to keep a horse, so I went shopping. I have always preferred to buy a horse that was in need of some training…mostly because they come cheaper…so I came across this five year-old mustang gelding owned by an old cowboy horse-trader. Beware of those types. I was told he was broke and trained, but it was obvious he was pretty green. I mounted him and rode him around a few minutes and found he was pretty jumpy and more than anxious to go anywhere and do anything I wanted, including jumping into a trailer. I wanted to take a look at how he moved from the ground, so I put my son, about 14 years old, on his back while I led him around a bit. The horse got to fidgeting, hit a bit of mud, slipped and landed on his side…on my son’s foot. Broke his foot in five places.

So I bought the horse.

Once I started working with him, I figured out pretty quick that the horse had been taken off the range at five years of age, castrated, cowboy broke, then sold to the first sucker who came along…me. This was the first and only horse I’ve ever been bucked off of more than once. He was about as green and rank as they come. It took a while for him and me to come to an understanding.

The first good thing that happened was that my young daughters immediately wanted to go out and see my new horse. Of course they had to invite their friends. I went by a tack shop before hand and purchased several brushes and curry combs, hoof pick, and other miscellaneous items I was going to need, in preparation for beginning my training with this horse. The first time I took all the girls out, I had them stand back while I haltered and tied him to a post. I messed with him a little until he calmed down, then I invited each of the girls to take a brush or curry comb and start brushing a different part of the horse. You have never seen a horse settle down so quickly. This became sort of a ritual whenever the girls came out to see him.

I named the horse Max. No reason behind it, the name just seemed to fit. He and I did a lot of training together. He wasn’t the first horse I had trained, but I was a little older and took it a little more seriously with this one.

I expected to keep this one and put a lot of miles on him over the years. I started studying various techniques and trying to implement various things I understood and liked from a number of trainers. Eventually, we came to an “understanding” and we began to enjoy some very nice rides. He became a horse I trusted to get me “there” and back again.

Max wasn’t big, being only about 14 hands tall, maybe a mite shorter, but he was quite stout and strong. He was mustang strong, had very sound hooves, and absolutely never, and I mean never, got hurt. Additionally, he was a very easy keeper. There was a year when the area was suffering from a heavy drought and there were too many horses on the pasture for the feed available. While the other horse owners were supplementing feed to keep weight on their horses, Old Max remained fat as a butter ball. Seemed he could eat about anything.

There were times when I didn’t have time to ride for months at a time, but I would go out to the pasture and check on him often. My three daughters loved to go out with me and he always came to us and stood to let them brush him. I would often put a halter on him and sit the girls on his back and walk him around the pasture. The girls loved him.

It was funny to me how the girls could get on Max and ride him around the pasture, but when my oldest son got on his back, it was another story. My son, the one with the broken foot, honestly tried to learn to ride and to like that horse, mostly to please me, I think, but it just wasn’t to be. He didn’t like that horse and Max didn’t like him. It was amazing to me how they clashed, but my younger daughters could ride him around with no problems.

Then came my transfer. I was transferred outside the country for several years. There was no way for me to keep him. I was about to start advertising to sell him, when I learned that the pasture owner’s daughter had been feeding him apples in the pasture and had become attached to him. They pleaded with me not to sell the horse. I gave him to them and ended up selling them a saddle, bridle and all the tack they needed for $100. They gave the horse to their daughter for Christmas.

Several years later while taking my oldest daughter to college, we passed through Farmington on a visit. We took the opportunity to go out and visit Max. I told the girls that he hadn’t been ridden, or even messed with, since we left and that, in all likelihood, he wouldn’t even come up to us. They wanted to see him, nonetheless.

We drove out to the pasture and spotted the horses. We got out of the car and I let out a loud whistle. We saw Max’s head immediately come up and he left the herd and headed our way out of a 40-acre pasture. We had nothing to feed him, no halter, no brushes, but he came to us all the same. It was gratifying to know he remembered us. My two girls and I gathered around him and began to rub him with our hands while he sniffed and nuzzled.

Amy, then 16 years old, asked if she could sit on his back. I told her I didn’t think it was a good idea, because we didn’t have him haltered and I didn’t know what he would do. She insisted, so I relented, instructing her to jump off if he decided to take off or act up. He didn’t. He just stood there, seemingly enjoying our company. My younger daughter, Gina, then 9 years old, asked if she could get up behind Amy. I lifted her into place. Still no reaction from Max. He just looked at me expectantly. I started off walking out into the pasture and he followed at my elbow, just as if I were leading him, like we had done so many times years before. We walked around the pasture for more than half an hour like that, while I relived many good memories of the past.

That was the last time we saw Old Max. I expect he’s still there in that pasture, but he’d be around 25 years old now. I miss that old mustang. He holds a big place in the fabric of my life that tells the story of who I am.

Good memories.

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