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Part 1
The vaquero lifestyle is as much a way of life as it is a style of dress and tack. Meet Iain Davis of Northwest Arkansas, a living example of the true vaquero way of life, profiled and photographed by Laurie Harris
TRADITIONSWhen 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.
“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.
“Part of the real tradition is to make most of your gear yourself or to trade something you made for something a friend made… the same with your horses.” Most of the tack on Iain’s horse, pictured here, was made by Iain himself.
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.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Iain’s roping and horsemanship methods have been partially influenced by Buck Brannaman, Ray Hunt and most significantly, Bud Williams of Bowie, Texas, who teaches stockmanship. Some good resources for ropes or gear are HoulihanHorseGear.com, Capriolas.com, BuckarooGear.com, and BigBendSaddlery.com
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 EQUIPMENTI 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.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Iain’s roping and horsemanship methods have been partially influenced by Buck Brannaman, Ray Hunt and most significantly, Bud Williams of Bowie, Texas, who teaches stockmanship. Some good resources for ropes or gear are HoulihanHorseGear.com, Capriolas.com, BuckarooGear.com, and BigBendSaddlery.com
Iain's comments: “Over the past sixty years or so, we have forgotten how to handle animals. We have such a tendency to rely on equipment and facilities that we have gotten out of touch with nature.”
“People are so focused on the concept of time that everything is oriented to attempt to be fast. Animals just don’t respond well to that approach.”
“People are so focused on the concept of time that everything is oriented to attempt to be fast. Animals just don’t respond well to that approach.”
To learn more about Iain Davis visit his website: www.iaindavis.net or email iain@iaindavis.net. For more information about the Northeast Oklahoma Ranch Roping Association visit: www.longropes.com
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