Reclaiming the Cowboy Way

Time constraints and mechanization can get in the way of horseback cowboying traditions. A veteran cowboy offers his advice on increasing your riding time, and becoming a better 21st-century hand.

A Horsemanship Crossroads

Argentine trainer Esteban Mera blends Patagonian horsemanship traditions with North American methods, creating a unique blend of horse-handling wisdom.

Riding and Learning at Hat Creek Ranch

During an eight-day clinic at trainer Peter Campbell's Wyoming ranch, student riders balance formal lessons with real-world riding, forge lifelong friendships and savor a learning environment like no other.

Reinless Rollback

When Stacy Westfall performed her championship run at the National Reining Horse Association Futurity in 2003, the crowd was impressed by her control without the use of a bridle or neck rope. But after the competition, the question Westfall heard most: "How did you do a rollback without reins?" Husband Jesse Westfall says he hasn't seen another rider perform a rollback without a bridle in a winning program. So how did she do it?

Fresh Start

You turned your colt out to pasture for a winter break. Now it's time to bring him in and pick up where you left off on his training last fall. Before you saddle up, however, "the key is to first get your colt ready to work again," says Rick Gaudreault, an American Quarter Horse Association Professional Horseman, cow-horse trainer and clinician. "He's rested and matured all winter. I can almost guarantee that if you saddle up on a frosty spring morning, he'll feel really good and buck, and could injure you or himself."