Buckaroo John's Blog

As you shop in a tack store, or are on-line browsing the many styles of headstalls available, have you ever wondered what the purpose of a slide ear headstall is?  Ever wondered why you would want to choose a slide ear headstall versus a browband style headstall? Is it all about fashion or is it all about function? Is it both? We will look at both types of headstalls. The first consideration is the type of bit you will be using with your headstall.  Each type of bit has a different action and different effect on the headstall.  When a...

The “female Jesse James”…the “bandit queen”…..all names associated with one person, Belle Starr. Belle began her life on February 5, 1848 as Myra Maybelle Shirley in Carthage, Missouri. Her father, John Shirley, was a successful farmer and owner/operator of the Carthage Hotel. Belle was an educated woman who attended the Carthage Female Academy. Belle’s family moved to Texas, after Belle’s brother was killed during the Civil War riding as a Southern guerrilla. Her family traveled to Texas in two Conestoga wagons. Belle, only 16 at the time drove one of those wagons. After the war, in 1866 Belle married a...

We wanted to dust off this video back from 2008 and share with you how to rig your saddle's laitgo and off side billets. We all have a first time we've had to do this, and I'm sure each one of us has scratched our heads a time or two! Enjoy!  Head over to www.buckarooleather.com to view our selection of latigo and billets!

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...

I'm sure we've all read this before, but some days it just needs to be shared again! This was written by Patty Barnhart and originally published in The Arabian Horse World magazine in 1992. "When I am an old horsewoman
I shall wear turquoise and diamonds,
And a straw hat that doesn’t suit me
And I shall spend my social security on
white wine and carrots,
And sit in my alleyway of my barn
And listen to my horses breathe.

I will sneak out in the middle of a summer night
And ride the old bay gelding,
Across the moonstruck meadow
If my old bones will allow
And when people come...