The Art of Making a California-Style Vaquero Bridle Horse

Written by Mike Bridges, "an internationally known clinician and horseman in the California Vaquero Style, with more than fifty five years of making a living on the back of a horse..." The Vaquero Style originated from the Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors who brought this tradition of riding from the Iberian Peninsula to the New World. This book details every step in "making such a horse, (which) takes many years...it is not quick fix advice, nor an easy process." From the Foreword: "In the following pages, we will explore the development of the California-Style Vaquero Bridle Horse. This exquisite style of horsemanship was developed in Mexico and spread into what is now California over the past 450 years. Its purpose was, and remains, specifically for managing the huge herds of cattle with the greatest amount of efficiency and grace. Long before gold and silicon, the Western economy was based on cattle and remained that way for approximately 270 years. Within only the last 130 years, however, this horsemanship spread to Oregon, Nevada, Idaho and other places throughout the western United States. More recently, it has begun to move around the world... "...I started to learn how to develop or "build" them at age 15 when I started buckarooing for a living. As of this writing, I'm 70 years old, and this journey of learning how to build a better-balanced horse will never end. It is important for both you and your horse that you enjoy the journey. My 55 years of working cattle, the miles ridden and the long hours in the saddle, alone or with other buckaroos, was the high school and college time I spent to learn this discipline. The last sixteen years of teaching clinics in the United State and in Europe, of imparting this vaquero style, has helped me to think through and analyze precisely how I do things in the training of this style of horse. I think that has made me a better horseman. "The things I was taught and the things I have learned is what I know today. My style of riding and the steps I use to build this California-style bridle horse are a reflection of all of that. What I do is not the only way it can be done, nor the only way it is done today. But I believe this older, more methodical way builds a better horse that has the strength through his back to still be doing his job of working cattle into his old age with quality of movement. "Most of the suppling and gymnastic exercises I use to develop my horses I learned as a boy and a young man. Most of the time, the old-timers used slang western words to describe them. Up until the time I was exposed to some people in the eastern United States and Europe, I, too, used western slang, which made it difficult for the people I was trying to help to understand what I was saying. I found that beyond the world of the buckaroo there is a universal language of words, phrases and expressions to describe the movements of horses. Some of my friends have taken the time to help me learn this language. It has certainly helped me in teaching, but I have not yet mastered it in my ongoing education. "My grandfather used to say, 'Patience is a virtue and you should exercise it whenever you are around livestock.' Let the journey begin." Softcover, 185 pages, black and white photos.