Return to Questions and Answers Index Q&A Questions and Answers: QUESTION: Why do western leather jackets have fringe; is it just style or did the strips of leather serve a purpose on the range? B. D. ANSWER: The correct answer is “All of the above”! In the early days, fringe served several purposes. One of […]
Surcingle A Surcingle is a strap cinched around the front part of a horse’s belly, usually equipped with rings for training reins or other aids (as with this Lipizzaner stallion), or a running W. A Surcingle is also occasionally used to help hold a saddle on or for trick riding. Photo by Bob Lemen. All […]
It’s mostly advertising hype, but Wrangler has been the “Official Jeans of the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association” (PRCA) since 1974. It seems strange that an Eastern firm should have 20 percent of the jeans market and claim that theirs are the only ones “real cowboys” wear — especially since Wrangler jeans didn’t even exist until […]
Return to Questions and Answers Index Q&A Questions and Answers: QUESTION: Hi, My 11 year old quarter horse has a big problem with throwing her head. My husband and I have tried just about everything. The tie down is useless and we’ve gone so far as to use a wire across her nose. I know […]
ANSWER: When you’ve spent a hard day on the trail, the last thing you want is to spend an uncomfortable night — tossing and turning on the hard ground or shivering in the cold night air. To solve this problem, the cowboy brought along his “sugan” (sometimes spelled soogan or sougan). A sugan was a […]
ANSWER: I hope these responses will help a bit with your daughter’s report. (If you have time, you’ll find other little bits and pieces scattered throughout my website.) 1. Job description: The cowhand’s job description was, essentially, “whatever it takes to help the ranch make a profit.” That could mean playing nursemaid to a newborn […]
Return to Questions and Answers Index Q&A Questions and Answers: QUESTION: What is a “be nice” halter? G. W. ANSWER: At first glance, a “Be Nice” halter looks pretty much like any other halter… until you look at the ring where you attach a lead rope. Rather than being attached to the halter itself, the […]
Return to Questions and Answers Index Q&A Questions and Answers: QUESTION: I have a question. I just bought my horse, Scooter, a month ago. I love horses and have all my life, but I have never had the means {land, money, etc.} to own one. A little over a year ago we moved to the […]
To make your stay here more interesting, I’ve stashed a bunch of photos, horsemanship tips, and other fun stuff in all sorts of nooks and crannies. One section is now huge: an online illustrated “Cowboy Dictionary” with more than 1,200 entries and hundreds of graphics! The Home Spread now has more than 800 pages, so […]
Return to Questions and Answers Index Q&A Questions and Answers: QUESTION: My wonderful calm horse startled today and as I pulled back on the reins to stop him, he turned sideways and basically pulled me off. I spent 3 months in a wheel chair 20 years ago for this type of unplanned dismount. My current […]
QUESTION: We have an old wooden bucking roll in our display here at the Grain Academy Museum. To date I have not been able to determine the true purpose of the bucking roll or how it was placed on the saddle. The word that we are given was that it was used with the old […]
Return to Questions and Answers Index Q&A Questions and Answers: QUESTION: Hey Bob! Love your web site. I always see lots of questions about horses and the cold, but what about heat? I live in Georgia and I’ve been looking at new trailers but I wonder if it doesn’t get to be an oven in […]
Return to Questions and Answers Index Q&A Questions and Answers: QUESTION: Hi Bob. I love your web site! Its nice to “meet” a fellow Minnesotan who has a love for horses. I have a question that I thought you may be able to answer or redirect. I am a “fledgling” breeder. I currently own a […]
Return to Questions and Answers Index Q&A Questions and Answers: QUESTION: Recently my six-year-old paint developed the habit of rearing when leaving the barn or hitching post. I ride western and do a lot of trail riding, three to four days a week for about five hours a day. He has been very well behaved […]