Natural horsemanship methods helped renew Jimbo Humphreys’ infatuation with the Western lifestyle, while ranch-horse versatility competitions taught him how to develop a meaningful relationship with his horses.
Natural horsemanship methods helped renew Jimbo Humphreys’ infatuation with the Western lifestyle, while ranch-horse versatility competitions taught him how to develop a meaningful relationship with his horses.
AS IS THE CASE WITH MANY COWBOYS’ sons, Jimbo Humphreys wasn’t sure cowboying was for him when it came time to make his way in the world. His dad, Jim, was general manager at the Pitchfork Ranch, and Jimbo called the place home for his first 20 years. He always enjoyed being around horses, but felt the training methods of the time left a lot to be desired.
“I always thought there had to be something better out there,” he says now. “But it was during a time when there was a void, at least in West Texas. There were some great things going on in California, but it just wasn’t happening at the ranch during that time.”
With no Internet or clinicians’ videos to turn to, Jimbo simply walked away from it all.
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“I got plumb away from horses for 10 or 15 years,” he admits. “I just knew there had to be more to the horse deal than I was experiencing on the ranch. But I was still always sort of hooked to the ranch life in some way. I ran a fencing crew that worked on big ranches, ran chuckwagons for ranches, and some other things like that before I came back to it full-time.”
The evolution of natural horsemanship methods paved the way for Jimbo’s return and eventually led him to the Stock Horse of Texas Association. Less than a decade after first entering a SHOT show, Jimbo is among the association’s top open riders. He’s also a frequent contestant in American Quarter Horse Association and Ranch Horse Association of America shows.
“I’m still not completely sure what the draw is in the show deal,” Jimbo says. “I guess since I work on a ranch every day, it’s a good test to see how my homework is doing. I’ve been able to continue to refine my skills thanks to the shows, so I guess that’s the challenge for me.”
“WHAT I LIKE ABOUT the stock-horse competitions is that I develop a real relationship with my horse,” Jimbo says. “There’s more to it than the guys who just ride reiners or cutters or other specialty horses. A lot of those guys drill on one thing, put the horse away, drill on the same thing with another horse, and so on.
“But by doing four or five events with a horse, I have to have a relationship with him. We’ve got to know what the other one is thinking. That’s what holds me to this more than anything.”
A one-man crew on the Guitar family’s Spur, Texas, ranch, Jimbo concedes he has the perfect setup for developing such a relationship.
