A well-trained, responsive, and intelligent working cow horse is more than just a pleasure to ride or watch in action; such an animal is an integral part--a prized employee, if you will--of a ranch's workforce. How to find and then educate the horse to work cattle in pens and on the range, to negotiate a variety of terrains, and perform all the other tasks it will be asked to do (under a variety of often adverse conditions) is the subject of this handy guide. For example: Being able to open a gate from horseback is a mandatory job for any cowboy. A good place to introduce the young horse to this experience is by using a gate set up as part of an obstacle course. It is desirable and safer if the gate can swing freely and is without any attachments. Start by simply walking your horse through the gate when it's open. Reaching down and gently swinging the gate as you pass through it is the next step. If your horse is a little spooked by your reaching down, be aware that horses are naturally afraid of tight places. Once your horse can pass through an open gate, then attempt to open a closed gate. Be sure your horse fully understands your hand and leg cues before attempting this step, because he must be able to move off your leg to stand next to the fence, move toward the fence as it swings open to let you pass through, and then move around so you can close it. Written by an experienced rancher and horse trainer, 101 Ranch Horse Tips will show you how to start a young horse or improve an older one with techniques that can apply to performance and enjoyment on or beyond the cattle ranch.

Few equestrian sports are more exciting than barrel racing, in which horse and rider carve a lightning-fast cloverleaf pattern around three barrels, then gallop down to the finish line. Time is measured in hundredths of seconds, and winners receive substantial prize money and the admiration and respect of fellow competitors and spectators alike. As thrilling as barrel racing is to watch, doing it is even more fun, as thousands of people are discovering every year. To help them--and you--get started, champion racer and internationally respected instructor and clinician Marlene McRae shares her program that has taken hundreds of her students to success in the arena, as well as to becoming educated horsemen and-women: * Selecting Your Champion Horse: Choosing a barrel-racing prospect based on conformation and temperament; finding a qualified veterinarian to help you assess the prospects. * Choosing and Using Equipment: Determining the right saddle, bridle (including bits), leg protection, and other tack to buy, as well as their proper fit and use. * Feeding and Nutrition: Establishing a basic commonsense feeding regimen for your horse; the role of supplements, as well as their possible misuse. * Shoeing and Foot Care: Proper foot care, with an emphasis on working with your farrier and veterinarian to avoid foot- and leg-related injuries. * Conditioning and Exercising: A comprehensive program for developing your horse's stamina and fitness, along with ways to avoid unsoundness problems. * Getting Started in the Barrel-Racing Patterns: How to set up the pattern correctly; techniques for training the horse, with an emphasis on rider position, balance, and using hands, legs, and voice as communication aids. * Competing: Locating entry-level local events, clubs, and associations; the "mental game of competing to stay focused; achieving teamwork with your horse." Barrel Racing 101 is the perfect textbook for the sport. Study it and use it, and you're bound to finish at the top of your class.

Ground training is the key to a safe and pleasurable riding experience. Designed for easy reference while working with your horse, this guide can be hung on a post. Riders of all disciplines and skill levels will benefit from these exercises that reinforce good habits and help develop a strong bond between horse and rider.

From the author of the #1 bestseller The Man Who Listens to Horses, a book for all of us seeking to strengthen our human relationships "Monty Roberts will make you marvel."—The New York Times Book Review In The Man Who Listens to Horses, Monty Roberts revealed the depth of communication possible between human and horse. Touching the hearts of more than four million readers worldwide, that memoir—which spent more than a year at the top of The New York Times bestseller list—described his discovery of the "language" of horses and the dramatic effectiveness of removing violence from their training. Now, the world's most famous horse gentler demonstrates how his revolutionary Join-Up technique can be used not just for horses, but as a model for how to strengthen human relationships. With vivid, often deeply moving anecdotes, Roberts shows how the lessons learned from the thousands of horses he has known can provide effective guidelines for improving the quality of our communication with one another—from learning to "read" each other effectively, to creative fear-free environments, and, most importantly, teaching belief in the power of gentleness and trust.

This series of Western Dressage exercises are designed to improve suppleness, balance in movement, and responsiveness. Each exercise has a specific goal in mind, and they are organized by different areas of focus: softness, looseness, rider development, engagement, adjustability, and ground work. With illustrated step-by-step instructions and full arena diagrams, you’ll quickly be on your way to mastering this exciting discipline.

Phase III of DNA Consultants' Cherokee DNA Studies adds more than fifty new participants to what has become a classic project. They'd all been told there was no way they could be Indian given their DNA haplotype or mother's direct line. This book underlines the unavoidable conclusion that most "Indian" lineages in Eastern North America originally came across the Atlantic Ocean, not over any land-bridge from Asia. Update your priors with this sweeping attack on "big box" companies and know-it-all experts. Includes historical Cherokee photographs, genealogies, graphs, charts, references, index and raw data.

Get your horse in shape and maintain his overall fitness, regardless of his age or abilities. Equine Fitness will have your horse looking and feeling his best with a series of fun exercise routines specifically designed to enhance his strength, stamina, and agility. Clear step-by-step instructions and detailed illustrations make the exercises easy to follow, and the book includes a handy set of pocket-sized cards that you can use in the ring. Jec Ballou’s simple conditioning program promises lasting results for healthy horses and satisfied riders.

Kay Dowling was used to luxury, expensive pleasures, and the gentlemen who could afford them. But when she accompanied her wealthy family to her late grandfather's ranch, it was ordinary Tom McNair who caught her eye. Then Tom was arrested for a not-so-ordinary murder, and Kay's life was turned upside-down. But she was determined to help Tom prove his innocence, even if she had to put her own life in danger to do it.

"90-minute DVD, all 40 fundamentals fully demonstrated with narration by the author"--Sticker on dust jacket.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 151) and index.