Y’all talk about some horse trainers who have written books. Well, which people and which ones?
And can you give me a thumbnail sketch of the book’s scope along with your opinion about why you think it belongs in the list of Foundational Literature For Western Culture?
Thank you very much.
Well the only one I have that would be related is “True Horsemanship through Feel” - wait, I actually just got another one about training the hackamore horse, but I don’t know how it is regarded and I haven’t read it yet…“The Art of Hackamore Training.”
Ok, I do have two more - Buck Brannaman’s “Faraway Horses” and “Believe.”
Really, that’s it. 
But I’d be interested in hearing more and what everyone else recommends!
True Horsemanship Through Feel
Never much got along with True Horsemanship Through Feel personally, nor do I think too much of the Dunning Hackamore book (pretty pictures of gear, not my interpretation of the proper means of using it).
My favorites:
Heard good reviews of everything here: http://www.elvaquero.com/Books.htm
Training-wise though, as much as I hate to say it as a voracious reader, I haven’t really found books very helpful in learning vaquero horsemanship. Clinics, and to a lesser extent videos, were FAR better at doing this. People use the same words for VERY different things.
The schooling of the western horse, by young. Out of print, but you. Can still pick up copies on amazon.
[QUOTE=tinah;7192882]
The schooling of the western horse, by young. Out of print, but you. Can still pick up copies on amazon.[/QUOTE]
Interesting book, but not a big fan of his rant on spade bits in there. He didn’t seem to have all that much respect for the vaquero traditions, so while it might be an interesting read, maybe not for this particular thread.
I have several of Ed Connell’s books and Mike Bridges’ book on my wish list, but haven’t read any yet.
On a related subject, has anyone watched the Vaquero series of DVDs? (http://www.tapadero.com/)
I got the one about mules (“Mula”), the 7th in the series, because someone recommended it. I didn’t understand that it was part of a larger series until I watched it. I really enjoyed the DVD, but in some parts did feel like I had kind of stepped into the middle of a story. Wish I could find someplace to rent the rest, but since I think that isn’t likely, will probably eventually buy them.
Edited because upon rereading, my comment about not knowing Mula was part of a larger series makes me sound like an idiot, since it is clearly identified as #7 of the series. What I meant was that based on what I was told, I thought each of the individual videos was a completely stand-alone product, but upon watching it, I felt like that was not really the case.
Worth owning since the set as a whole gets discounted often, but giddyupflix rents them too. Great set, my fav is probably Los Primeros
How on Earth did I not know about giddyupflix? Thanks, aktill. And I’ll keep an eye out for a sale on the whole set.
He’s not really part of the whole neo-vaquero movement, but a good book on training and setting things up right for the horse is Jack Brainard’s If I Were to Train a Horse. I think you can still order it though his website, which can be found with a web search.
I also learn better by watching so don’t read a lot. I’ve had “True Horsemanship through Feel” for about 10 years and haven’t read it all the way through yet. ;)Mostly because I didn’t really “get it” until after going to BB’s clinic.
I recommend Giddyup Flix for those who learn by watching videos - there are a lot of good ones on there. I’m on my fourth Mike Bridges video right now. He shares a LOT of information and he looks to be very patient with the horses. He also looks like he has nice hands - literally! He almost looks like he’s got surgeon’s hands to me . . . hard to explain.
[QUOTE=NoSuchPerson;7193131]
How on Earth did I not know about giddyupflix? Thanks, aktill. And I’ll keep an eye out for a sale on the whole set.[/QUOTE]
No problemo. Here’s one, goes on sale occassionally: http://www.eclectic-horseman.com/mercantile/product_info.php?cPath=32&products_id=684
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