Buckaroo John's Blog

Bucking rolls are two padded pouches that are added to the front of the saddle seat. Most bucking rolls are filled with wool, trimmed from bark-tanned sheepskin. Bucking Rolls supplement the swells on a saddle and help a rider stay secure in the saddle. They are designed to be used with slick fork saddles, which have very little width to their swells. Modern day bucking rolls seem to have had their start in the late 19th century in the Northwest.  Early models were made of a tube-like construction that extended from one side of the saddle to the other, just to the...

    Many working cowboy ranches embrace the traditions of the Old West Vaqueros. These cowboy ranches use traditional Vaquero horse tack and teach the Vaquero ways of horse training and horsemanship.In keeping with this traditional Vaquero style, the Get Down Rope has become popular with not only the old west working cowboy ranches, but the casual riders following the Vaquero style.The "Git Down Rope " is also very popular in the competitive ranch classes at rodeos and horse shows. These horse competitions demand the use of this rope as well as the Bosalito.The traditional cowboys used the “git” down rope to...

  The cinch (girth) has been in use for nearly 3000 years. The cinch made an appearance around 700 B.C. in the Middle East when Assyrian warriors added straps to their decorative saddle cloths. In western riding, the girth is referred to as a cinch. The cinch is a piece of horse tack used to keep the western saddle in place on the horse. The purpose of the cinch is to anchor the saddle to the horse as comfortably as possible.  The cinch should not interfere with the horse’s action. The cinch passes under the barrel of the horse. It...

Evidence exists that the predecessor to the modern saddle was in use by the Assyrians in 700-800 BCE. It consisted of a simple cloth fastened onto the horse with a surcingle. These early saddles had neither a solid tree nor stirrups. By 300 BC, the Samaritans added a breastplate and girth to keep the saddle on. The development of the solid saddle tree was significant; it raised the rider above the horse's back, and distributed the rider's weight on the animal's spine. This change greatly increased the comfort of the horse and prolonged its useful life. The invention of the...