A “Tie One On” Buckaroo Boot Camp Weekend

June 18 - 20, 2010

A “One of a Kind” Western Pennsylvania Adventure/Experience with Patrick King of Patrick King’s Colt Starting and Horsemanship and Bob Sagely of Sage Horsemanship.

Clinic price is $225.00/person. Fee includes Saturday night "camp dinner". Boarding your horse can be arranged through Patrick King. People accomodations are to be arranged on your own. Greensburg and Latrobe, PA are minutes away from the clinic site.

Sessions Outline

Session 1 - Horsemanship Skills for the Cowboy/Buckaroo

Test yourself and your horse on the skills needed to effectively work cattle.

1. Walk-trot-lope-stop without resistance, smoothly and willingly.
2. Turn around the forehand and hindquarter – both directions.
3. Backing, two-tracking and side-passing.
4. Standing quietly. Standing still for mounting and dismounting.
5. Standing tied. Optional - Ground-tying and Hobbling.
6. Opening and closing gates from horseback.
7. Rollbacks and direction/lead changes.
8. Ground-working ability.

Session 2 - Trail Ride with Patrick and Bob

1. Using natural obstacles to build handiness in the horse.
2. Water crossing how-to’s.
3. Tricks for moving through the trees.
4. Uphill and downhill – Helping your horse give you a good ride.

Session 3 - The Long Rope – Roping lessons on the ground.

1. Learn the history of the riata and the Californio style of roping cattle, types of modern ropes you can use and how to coil that darned thing properly.
2. Building a loop.
3. Swinging the forward/forehand swing.
4. Head and heel catches on the dummy with the forward swing.
5. The backhand swing and the houlihan swing.
6. Head and heel catches with the backhand and the houlihan.

Session 4 - Cattle Handling Introduction

1. Your horse and cattle – Acclimating your horse to cows.
2. Reading cattle and horses – How to know when enough is enough.
3. Handling cattle – The basics of moving cows where you want them to go.
4. Sorting and penning cattle.

Session 5 - Holding Rodear, Sorting and Penning

1. Holding rodear.
2. Parting, sorting or cutting cattle.
3. Holding the cut.
4. Penning cattle.

Sessions 6 - Breakaway Roping Session

1. Fun for the beginner, always good practice for the experienced roper.
2. Get checked out as a “roper” for the Mock Branding.

Session 7 - Gear of the Vaquero Traditions – The Bridle Horse of the Pacific Slope

1. The Making of a Californio Bridle Horse
2. The Snaffle in the Bridle Horse Tradition
3. The Hackamore (The bosal, headstall, fiador and mecate)
4. Tying a Hackamore Rein
5. Using the Hackamore
6. The Two Rein
7. Straight Up In The Bridle – (Mouthpieces and what a spade bit really does)

Session 8 -  “Roping and Laying Down Cattle the Old Californio Way” - Demonstration by Patrick and Bob.

1. Roping from the rodear.
2. Helping each other set up shots.
3. What to do when you catch one.
4. Heeling techniques and positioning for a shot.
5. Laying down cattle.
6. Holding Down Cattle and the Third Person.
7. Tying Down Cattle and the Third Person.
8. Releasing Roped Cattle.
9. Optional -Tying Off when you don’t have three people.
10. Optional - Single Person Roping and Doctoring.

Session 9 - The Mock Branding – A simulation of work in the branding pen.

1. More practice holding, sorting and penning cattle.
2. The etiquette of the rodear.
3. Mock branding of cattle.
4. Roping for fun.

Tentative schedule here. Dates are June 18 - 20 so contact us now to reserve your spot in this unique clinic offering.