Old West Visalia Style Headstall....Rival of the Visalia Saddle Design

Old West Visalia Style Headstall.......
Rival of the Visalia Saddle Design

The Old West Visalia style for horse tack started with the Visalia Saddle Co in 1869. The Visalia Saddle Company was started by Juan Martarell and his two associates, Alsalio Herrera and Ricardo Mattley. Mattley was a specialist in carving saddle trees from native oak and Herrera was an expert silversmith.


Their first store was in the community of Visalia. Juan and his associates started making his famous saddles for the vaqueros and herdsmen in the surrounding ranches.


The three men came from the Mexico state of Sonora during the gold rush in California. The famous signature style of the Visalia Saddle Company began. Juan Martarell called this style the Vaquero Saddle. This Vaquero saddle was lighter, stronger, and more comfortable for both horse and rider than the Spanish saddle that was used during this time. The Vaquero Style saddle quickly gained fame for Martarell and his associates.

The Visalia design idea came when a Vaquero asked Martarell to repair his worn Spanish saddle. Instead of repairs, Martarell completely converted the Vaquero's saddle. The new version lacked the high horn and long stirrups of the classic Spanish saddle. Martarell added a skirt to protect the horse rider's legs.

The Visalia Saddle Company also manufactured hand-braided riatas and jaquimas, conchas, quirts, tapaderos, stirrups and harnesses.

Buckaroo Leather has revived the classic Old West Visalia style.......

Old West Visalia Headstall

The Old west Visalia Leather Headstall is made with Genuine Hermann Oak Golden Bridle, oiled to a medium Honey color or Black, then rubbed from the finest heavy weight stitched leather for a smooth, rich, "broke in" feel. It is hand carved in the old Visalia designs, Wild Weeds or Old Basket stamp. This Headstall is a Double ear style or one ear. 1" width for the wide old tyme Visalia look but can be ordered in 3/4". Has easy change Buckles at the bit ends and has all engraved Stainless Steel buckles. Available in Regular horse, Large horse/mule and Draft.

also available is the Gag/Saddle Old Visalia Headstall

This headstall is made special with short cheeks to fit GAG bits properly! It is hand carved in the old Visalia designs, Wild Weeds or Old Basket stamp. This Headstall is a Double ear style. In 1" width for the wide old tyme Visalia look but can be ordered in 3/4". Has easy change 5/8" Buckles at the bit ends and has all engraved Stainless Steel buckles. Available in Regular horse, Large horse/mule and Draft.



Our family has been dedicated for 30 years in serving the
Western Horseman the safest most durable
Quality American made leather horse tack.......Buckaroo John Brand
Buckaroo Leather, The Brand to Demand
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Trail Drives of the 1800's- Cowboys, Horses, Longhorns, hardships, and stories

Trail Drives of the 1800's-
Cowboys, Horses, Longhorns, hardships, and stories

The trail drives of the 1800s were necessary to move the longhorn cattle from Texas to the north. In Texas a 4 year old longhorn was worth about $3 or $4. Up north, though, the same animal was worth $40. There were no railroads leading to Texas so the cattle had to be driven up on the trail.

The drive took 2 or 3 months from Texas to railroad shipping points in Kansas. It also took 6 months to drive the cattle to ranches in Wyoming, Montana, or the Dakotas where the cattle would fatten on the rich grasses of the northern plains before being sent to the slaughterhouse.

The Texas longhorns required more men than some of the other tamer breeds. There were 8-20 cowboys to trail a herd of 2,000 to 3,000 cattle. All trail drives included a cook, the trail boss, some even added an assistant called the foreman, and a horse wrangler (generally a young boy).

The trail boss is the man in charge of the outfit and was hired by the owner of the cattle to drive the herd to market. The trail boss had to make sure the longhorns got enough grass and water and did not lose weight during the drive. He decided how far the outfit would travel each day and where it would stop to bed down for the night. He also negotiated with the Indians and with the white settlers who objected to the herds crossing their land. A trail boss earned about $100 a month.

The horse wrangler was in charge of the remuda ( from the Spanish word "remudar" meaning to exchange or change). The remuda was a band of saddle ponies. As mentioned above, the horse wrangler usually was the youngest member of the outfit. He was a boy who was old enough to do a man's work. The wrangler handled the 6-8 mounts needed for each cowboy, between 60-70 horses. He drove the horses by day, found a pasture for them at night and rounded them up several times a day so the cowboys could change mounts. The wrangler also worked as the cook's helper and clean up boy. The wrangler earned $25 a month.


The cowboys on the trail drives had very specific jobs. The 2 men or "pointers" at the
head of the herd pointed the steers in the right direction and set the pace of the drive.

In the middle of the herd were the "swing" and "flank" riders. These cowboys watched the middle of the herd.














The swing and flank riders rode on either side of the herd and patrolled the line to keep the cattle from wandering too far out from the herd. At the back of the herd was the hardest position- the "drag" riders. These cowboys rode at the end of the line and they caught all the dust from the whole herd. They also kept the slowest of the cattle from straggling to far behind. The trail boss would rotate this position because of all the dust-

" I have seen drag riders come off herd with the dust half an inch deep on their hats and thick as fur in their eyebrows" said Teddy Blue Abbott


The trail boss would move a herd 12 to 16 miles a day. If the animals were permitted to graze and gain some weight en-route, the pace would be 10 to 12 miles per day. The drive would cost the owner of the herd about $500 per month, so there was no dawdling.

The cowboys would supply their own gear and earned $25 to $40 dollars per month.

There were many dangers on the trail, stampedes, rivers, bad weather, and Indians.

The cowboys feared river crossings because they generally could not swim. Swollen rivers would also delay a herd for days and result in injured and lost animals.

Stampedes were dangerous to both the cattle, horses and the cowboy. A witness to an Idaho stampede in 1889 reported the grisly details.

"The stampede killed 341-cattle, 2 horses, and 1 cowboy. Several men suffered broken legs. The dead cowboy was literally mangled to sausage meat. His horse was little better."

Another danger was gopher holes. Horses could step into the holes and throw their riders. A foot tangled in a stirrup meant death or injury as the cowboy was dragged across the ground.

Information for this blog cam from the book "Cowboy's of the America's by Richard Slatta and from the book "Cowboys of the Wild West" by Russell Freedman




Our family has been dedicated for 30 years in serving the
Western Horseman the safest most durable
Quality American made leather horse tack.......Buckaroo John Brand
Buckaroo Leather, The Brand to Demand
Visit Our Unique Store Today
Buckaroo Leather Shopping Site

Californio Vaquero Horse Training in the Old West

Californio Vaquero Horse Training in the Old West

The Californio Vaquero's prided themselves on their horsemanship and horse tack. They took great care too hand braid their horse hair mecates and romel reins. The Vaquero hand braiding techniques are still used today.
The rawhide bosals, riatas and quirts, headstalls, hackamores, are all part of the Vaquero "tool box" to train their horses.

The Vaqueros trained their horses for 7-10 years, starting at 4 years old, to react with very little pressure from the rider. At the end of training, the horse and rider would be one.

The 3 stages of the Vaquero horse training....

The 1st stage - starts with a hackamore bitless braided rawhide headstall to teach the horse to yield to pressure. The reins were long hand braided horse hair mecates.

The 2nd stage - called "Two Rein". The Vaquero would use a thinner simpler version of the hackamore nose piece, the bosal. This bosal was lighter for this part of the stage. The mecate bridle had a spade bit and a braided rawhide romel rein. During this stage of the training the Vaquero would hold both sets of reins and the horse would be controlled with mostly the bosal and light on the bit. Then the Vaquero would transition to only using the bit and would then get rid of the bosal all together.

The 3rd stage- is called the "Straight upon the Bridle". The Vaquero handles the horse with just the spade bit. The Bit is connected with romel reins. The bosal and mecate are used under the bridle to lead the horse.

This extensive training enabled the Vaquero to control the horse with little pressure. The Vaquero's horse was a skilled cattle horse and would be tested....

The Vaquero use to test their horses skills by tying a thread to the links section of the chain part of the romel reins. The Vaquero would then bring the horse to a stop with a "light" pull of the reins. If the thread broke- the Vaquero needed to pull to hard.



Another way to show off their skills.....trying to rope Grizzlies!!!

Can you imagine the horsemanship skills and the communication of the horse and rider to stop and move in an instant to rope a Grizzly!!!!!

Our family has been dedicated for 30 years in serving the
Western Horseman the safest most durable
Quality American made leather horse tack.......Buckaroo John Brand
Buckaroo Leather, The Brand to Demand
Visit Our Unique Store Today
Buckaroo Leather Shopping Site

Support Breast Cancer Awareness with Horse tack

Buckaroo Leather, Susan G Komen for the Cure, Boise Affiliate and Traditional Mohair Cinchas are proud to support breast cancer awareness with a custom piece of western horse tack.

"CINCH UP FOR THE CURE"
Buckaroo Leather will donate $20 from every Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Cincha
(item #C11V) sold to the
"SUSAN G. KOMEN FOR THE CURE, BOISE AFFILIATE".

Buckaroo Leather now offers the Buckaroo Cowboy Cincha (cincha on the right) with custom color combinations and the Breast Cancer Awareness ribbon.

The pink ribbon traditional handmade (cincha on the left) Vaquero cincha is a custom made mohair cinch. The inspiration for this unique piece of traditional western horse tack came from a Breast Cancer survivor. It was a special gift to herself, a reminder, of her second anniversary of recovery.

The mohair cincha has the recognizable pink cancer awareness ribbon, with the colors, pink for breast cancer, white for purity and black to honor those who have lost the battle.

This inspirational cincha is hand woven with care one thread at a time by Traditional Mohair Cinchas.

"The Vaquero cincha with the pink ribbon is an ever vigilant symbol of victory over breast cancer and a reminder that early detection of breast cancer saves lives".- Vicki Geretschlaeger (owner)

"It's great to be able to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. Not only are our pink chinches promoting health for women, they are also helping horses these women ride, be more comfortable." - Val Littfin (owner)


How does this mohair cincha benefit the horse? Mohair, a natural animal fiber, is the long, silky hair of the Angora goat which has been carded, spun and corded. Not only does mohair wick sweat and moisture away from your horse, it is breathable, soft, resilient and durable.

Mohair cinches are a good choice for horses who chafe or are allergic to synthetic or non-breathing materials commonly used in today's cinches. Mohair's durability and breath ability make it an ideal material for comfortable, sturdy and long lasting cinches.


If you have a loved one, friend, or are a breast cancer survivor yourself, and are a horse enthusiast, help Buckaroo Leather and Traditional Mohair Cinchas raise awareness and hope.........

Seventy-five percent of the proceeds raised by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Boise Affiliate are awarded via grants to organizations for programs that offer breast cancer education, screening or treatment.



Our family has been dedicated for 30 years in serving the
Western Horseman the safest most durable
Quality American made leather horse tack.......Buckaroo John Brand
Buckaroo Leather, The Brand to Demand
Visit Our Unique Store Today
Buckaroo Leather Shopping Site

HorseGirl TV Innovative Horse Care and Tack Tips

HorseGirl TV is an innovative online series to educate both young and old about the equestrian world and give the Horseman innovative horse care and tack tips.

HorseGirlTV® is an award-winning, forward-thinking online series focusing on the positive aspects of the equine industry.


The mission at HorseGirlTV® is to educate the equine community while simultaneous entertaining and educating kids, families and mainstream audiences exposing the wonderful world of horses to the world thus enriching and expanding our industry.


HorseGirlTV's goal is to continually create unique, quality equine entertainment for the wired generation.

HorseGirl TV approached Buckaroo Leather for an interview. Of course Buckaroo Leather was honored and proud to do the interview with Angelea Kelly Walkup, the talented creator of Horse Girl TV and CEO and Chief Equine Officer.

To hear the 2 interviews please click the links below......


HorseGirl TV interview #1

HorseGirl TV interview #2

If you are interested in staying informed and up-to-date on innovative Horse Care, Horse Tack and Horse accessories, we suggest you subscribe to this group of Podcasts and Videos found at Horse Girl TV

Thank you to HorseGirl TV for the interview and I encourage all horse enthusiasts to visit HorseGirl TV website and blog and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Our family has been dedicated for 30 years in serving the
Western Horseman the safest most durable
Quality American made leather horse tack.......Buckaroo John Brand
Buckaroo Leather, The Brand to Demand
Visit Our Unique Store Today
Buckaroo Leather Shopping Site