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The Legendary California Hackamore & Stock Horse
by Bobby Ingersoll
From the moment my father put a cowboy hat on my head and gave me my first pair of boots, I knew I was going to be a cowboy. Not just any kind of cowboy, but one who would follow the time-honored tradition sacred to the Spanish vaquero. A very old system based on taking a lot of time and patience to train a horse. I chose to specialize in training the California hackamore and stock horse. There should be a reason for a horse to stop and turn that makes sense to him. For example, the cow dictates to the horse what moves or maneuvers are required to hold it.
Horse training is a serious business and experience has taught me that a horse is trained in many steps. When a person is faithful in following established methods that have been around for more than 200 years, it is easy for a horse to flourish and advance during training. The end result is a horse that enjoys his work and is controlled with a light rein. Very little has been written about the proper use of the hackamore, and most of the legendary hackamore men are gone. This might lead one to ask, "Who was the real horse whisperer?" It was, in fact, a man names Magner who wrote the book "Magner's Standard Horse and Stock Book" in 1902.
Even though it took me more than three years to write all this down, I do believe this knowledge should be preserved because traditional California hackamore training is on the verge of vanishing. At first, I was just going to write about the hackamore, but for the Spanish system to make any sense it is important to explain, examine, and then move through all four stages of training in a methodical way.
Individuals who follow the California methods when training a hackamore horse know from actual experience the true value of what it is like to ride a well trained horse. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with some of the best reinsman of our time, those who knew how to use the hackamore and developed it into a fine art.
Take time to thumb through these pages and enjoy the magnificence, beauty, and physical prowess that only the legendary California hackamore and stock horses are famous for. Saddle up and ride into a different world whole enjoying a tradition that has been handed down through generations.
Forward from the book by Bobby Ingersoll