Ralph: 2093 books

"No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples."-- Blessed John Paul IIWith the encouragement of Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, discover a renewed urgency and growing enthusiasm for sharing the Gospel with those...

A colts first day of training is probably the most important day of his life. Starting colts takes as much time thinking about it as it does doing it. Here is a good primer on starting them the right way. First encounters leave a lasting impression so make it a good one. When you leave the pen it...

Hobbles are a good tool for horsemen. If you train your horse to respect them, you will save yourself a lot of trouble and always have a way to keep your horse in a confined area. It pays dividends when you want your horse to graze in a small area or don’t have anything to tie him to when you have to dismount and leave him for a while.

How sensitive is your horse? They can feel a fly land on them so what do they think when you are aggressive with your spurs or reins. Learn how to cue your horse in a soft manner and you'll be surprised how well your horse responds with the lighter touch. That little fly can teach us a lot about a horse.

Horses perform great feats on the ranch and arena. I've wondered what form of communication the rider conveyed to summon that wonderful performance. The more I thought of the great rides I’ve had the pleasure to witness, I began to realize that many of those rides were made by Women.

Bummer is the ideal calf to have on your place. He doesn’t eat or drink and just hangs out until you have work for him to do. He was named after a bum calf we raised years ago. This new Bummer is a mechanical contraption that runs back and forth on a wire and trains colts.

Will James and Will Rogers put their mark on the West and forever inscribed the lore of riding, roping and rodeo in the hearts of people everywhere. They left us a legacy of the cowboy way and their teachings revolved around the same main ingredient–horses.

Steamboat is a Cowboy Chatter article about a famous bucking horse that became a legend in the West. Steamboat was voted The Worst Bucking Horse of the year during the Pendelton Rodeo in 1906 and 1907. He was called “Old Outlaw Horse” and “the worst to come off the range in many a year” by newspaper writers of that same era. This is the story of Steamboat's life.

You have to be able to catch your loose horse and mount him whether you were bucked off or simply dismounted. Getting on is never more important than when you’re alone. Spend time making your horse stand still when you want to mount. It will pay off when you’re alone and need to depend on him to get home. Here's how.

Gates have made fools of all of us. I've smashed fingers, lost blood and even my horse while trying to open or close ranch gates. They test your skill, patience and strength trying to open or close them. Problem gates always show up when you have an audience, a nervous horse or runaway stock.

Why are some animals better keepers than others. They can live on half the rations and maintain themselves in better shape with less sickness and have more resistance to bugs, ticks, worms and mosquitoes. Some horses have less injury and hardly ever come home with wire cuts, bumps, bruises or packing a leg. What's the reason?

Sometimes it’s the little things that keep you out of trouble. Trouble can come from a lot of different places but the worst kind comes when you least expect it. Experience is the best teacher and these little things will give you a heads up to prevent injury and unexpected wrecks.

Here's the low down on remote cow camps. All about the riders that live in the camps, their work, play and how they live in the solitude of the range. They've got to have a myriad of skills not required of people working near the home ranch. Wrangler, farrier, doctor skills for horses, people...

The term Californios is an honored name given to the best of the early Vaquero horsemen who first brought Longhorn cattle from Mexico to California in the 18th century. The Vaquero style of horsemanship has influenced natural training methods for centuries. The Vaquero history has a special meaning to horsemen. It was the beginning of the working cowboys in North America.