HARWELL HORSE & MULE
Jim graduated from Outlaw
Saddlery School in 1996. His favorite saddle to make and to
ride is the old-time half-seat or buckaroo saddle. Jim also
enjoys making other working cowboy gear and accessories such
as chaps, chinks, saddle bags, breast collars, etc.
Jim builds a custom saddle for the comfort and needs of horse
and rider. His saddles are made on a wood, rawhide covered
tree with quality U.S. tanned leather and handcrafted
workmanship. Jim has made saddles for trail horses, roping and
reining, and cutting horses. His saddles have gone to various
locations including Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, West Texas,
Montana, and Austria.
"I really appreciate the
tradition you so carefully preserved in the character of the
saddle and rigging. This is a truly functional work of art,
from the half-seat saddle to the matching rifle scabbard,
pouch, reins and chaps. Did I say it’s also darn comfortable?"
Mike Murphy, Dallas, TX
Join Mark and Dusty for a
private, guided expedition into a remote wilderness
area. Mark is an expert tracker and wild life
behaviorist. For years he has provided his expertise to
film crews, researchers, biologists and hunters on
commercial expeditions. Now, for the first time ever,
private parties can book with Mark & Dusty and explore
the far corners of the wild, untamed regions of the U.S.
and beyond on horseback!
You'll not only be trail riding, you'll literally be ON
the trail of Big Game Animals that are indigenous to the
area. When wildlife is spotted, Mark will help you to
safely get close enough for you own photographs. Also
along the way, you'll watch and help, as Mark locates
natural travel corridors, path ways, natural food
sources, or anywhere else big game animals frequent.
Once a HOT SPOT is located, you'll employ Infrared Trail
Cameras to catch these animals in their "undisturbed",
natural habitat. Mark uses a camera system that
automatically sends the photo or video directly back to
his computer in base camp so these shots can be viewed
every evening when you return to camp!
You and your group can choose your destination, consult
with Mark for adventures he may recommend for your group
to suit your special needs, or you can enlist for a
guided tour on Mark's schedule. Which ever you choose,
you will experience an adventure you and your horse will
never forget!
Private tours can include such amenities as wildlife
scouting, photography, campfire meals and extreme trail
instruction for you and your horse. A survival gear list
will be provided to each group in order to best prepare
for your expedition. Book now for the adventure of a
lifetime!
Bring your horse and leave the world behind. Open to
year round riding, this is your chance to experience
something hard to find anymore. Over 14,000 acres on the
ranch allow you to roam where you want and see what you
and your horse are capable of.
I have terrain that will challenge the BEST of horses
and riders, and there are miles of pickup trails through
the hills that suit even beginning riders. Bring your
camera and a smile and enjoy the fact that you or your
group may be the only people within miles.
At night we sit around the fire, eat a lot, swap wild
tales, tell a few jokes and just have a good time.
You can ride for a couple days and give your horses a
rest, situated one hour and a half from Deadwood, old
west gambling and rich in history, another hour to Mt.
Rushmore, Crazy Horse and all the Black Hills have to
offer. Also close is Devil's Tower located west of Belle
Fourche in WY along with the Bear Lodge Forest.
Traditions
When Buckaroo or Vaquero traditions are mentioned, some
people get too caught up in the aesthetic style of dress
and tack, and forget that the real Vaquero tradition is
to take the time to do a job well, whether it is roping
and doctoring or branding calves, or furthering a horses
training.
“The
Vaquero Tradition is reflected in how well you care for
your gear, your horse and the cattle. If a guy won’t
take the time to care for his tack or his horse, he
probably isn’t taking very good care of the cattle,
either. That can be a good way to judge or measure a
man’s worth as a cowboy. You can almost tell by the way
he leads and ties his horse,” says working ranch cowboy
Iain Davis. Iain is a horseman, a cattle handling
clinician, and co-founder of the Northeast Oklahoma
Ranch Roping Association. “The sense of pride in every
aspect of the Vaquero tradition appeals to me. Taking
the time to do a job to the best of one’s ability is a
big deal,” says Iain, who practices many of the
Vaquero traditions in both his horsemanship and cattle
handling.
LOW STRESS ROPING
Most ranchers these days don’t want ropes used on their
cattle due to the rodeo style speed element. It is rough
on the cattle and rough on the horses. It is more
dangerous for the cowboys, and the end result may be
that the treatment is far worse than the ailment from
the cow’s perspective. We have to keep in mind that
our job is supposed to be taking care of the cattle.
With
a long rope and a little knowledge of cattle, a rider
can throw his loop from outside the animal’s flight
zone, and catch a calf or cow before they even know they
are targets. If the calf runs, the dallies can be
allowed to slip a little until it is stopped, rather
than taking a hard jerk like at the rodeo. Then a second
roper can throw one of several different heel loops to
catch the hind feet. Every effort is made to keep the
calf as calm as possible through the whole procedure.
Once it is heeled, it is taken to the ground and can be
doctored, castrated, dehorned, branded, vaccinated, etc.
By
knowing how to rope in a way that is less stressful,
cattle can get the attention they need right away. There
is no excuse not to treat or doctor them immediately.
I’ve worked on ranches where it was five miles to the
nearest headcatch. If I had to drive a sick calf that
far to give it a shot, it might never have made it, or
at best it would take half the day.
At
branding time, roping and dragging to the fire is faster
overall. It is better on the calves because the stress
is over so quickly. They are back with their mothers
right away, rather than being crowded into an alley,
sorted badly with a gate, then crowded more into
increasingly smaller pens until they are finally put up
the chute and into the headcatch. When they finally do
get back to their mothers in the pasture, none of that
stress is ever taken off of them.
A
GOOD HORSE
A
good saddle horse of any sort can be suitable for roping
off of. I have personal preferences for Quarter Horses
and Thoroughbreds. The more well trained the horse, the
better. A horse should, at the very least, have no fear
of the rope swinging or being thrown, should back up
freely and should pull willingly. Being capable of a
turn on the haunches allows the rider to face his horse
to the calf before the dally comes tight. A turn on the
forehand allows him to stay faced up without putting
slack in the rope and letting the calf pull him. Leg
yields, side passing, shoulder-in, and haunches-in all
allow the rider to influence the herd or individual
cattle in the herd to set up a shot at a particular
calf.
I
like a horse about 15 hands to 15-2 with good feet and a
good shape to his withers and back. A bigger guy may
want a bigger horse, but in Arkansas and Oklahoma, we
really don’t need the huge type of horse one might need
in Montana where the snow was deep. Most of mine run a
little smaller than I would like, but a working
cowboy makes the best of the string he has rather than
going through fifteen horses to find one he likes.
TACK AND EQUIPMENT
I
have two saddles that I use daily, which I made myself.
They are both slick-fork saddles, one has a post horn,
and the other is a regular dally horn like you would see
on a team roping saddle. They both have mulehide wrapped
horns, so the rope will slip. Rubber wrap locks the rope
and is hard on the horse and the cattle, and it ruins
the rope pretty quickly. My saddles are ¾ rigged, which
helps keep the saddle forward. If I use a back cinch, I
fasten it snug against the horse, but for the most part,
using back cinches or breast collars is up to the
individual. Having a long rope and a slick horn, and
knowing how to use them makes all the difference.
I
have several different ropes that I pick from depending
on what I’ll be roping, the weather, etc. I won’t use my
reata, made of rawhide, in the rain or with heavy dew.
Poly ropes are the most versatile, and I like to use a
small diameter 8mm poly unless there is a strong wind.
I’ll use a 9.5 in the wind or if it is raining a lot. A
length of 60 feet is pretty standard. Some of mine are
75 ft. I use those for roping 1800 lb. cows off of a
1000 lb. horse. It’s a little like a big trout on a
light line.
You need a good saddle, one that fits your horse and is
comfortable to you, something to wrap the horn with,
latigo or mulehide, a 60 ft rope, poly or maybe xxxs
nylon, and you are set. You aren’t saving any money by
buying cheap gear. It could cost you dearly when it
really counts.
There is room for other ideas and methods within the
general approach to either training horses or handling
cattle. I encourage people to have an open mind, to
listen and learn from anyone they can, take the best of
what they see and find a way to fit it to themselves.
You are never too old to learn, and it is never too late
to start.
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With
a long rope and a little knowledge of cattle, a rider
can throw his loop from outside the animal’s flight
zone, and catch a calf or cow before they even know they
are targets. If the calf runs, the dallies can be
allowed to slip a little until it is stopped, rather
than taking a hard jerk like at the rodeo. Then a second
roper can throw one of several different heel loops to
catch the hind feet. Every effort is made to keep the
calf as calm as possible through the whole procedure.
Once it is heeled, it is taken to the ground and can be
doctored, castrated, dehorned, branded, vaccinated, etc.
A
good saddle horse of any sort can be suitable for roping
off of. I have personal preferences for Quarter Horses
and Thoroughbreds. The more well trained the horse, the
better. A horse should, at the very least, have no fear
of the rope swinging or being thrown, should back up
freely and should pull willingly. Being capable of a
turn on the haunches allows the rider to face his horse
to the calf before the dally comes tight. A turn on the
forehand allows him to stay faced up without putting
slack in the rope and letting the calf pull him. Leg
yields, side passing, shoulder-in, and haunches-in all
allow the rider to influence the herd or individual
cattle in the herd to set up a shot at a particular
calf.