Has anyone else been watching that series on the Paramount Channel about a group of reining professionals? It's fascinating but seems to spend little time on the horses. That part has been disappointing. Some huge egos going on as well.

The horses are amazing but we have lost interest in the show. It follows "Yellowstone" which, IMO, is the best since "Lonesome Dove".

The horses used on Yellowstone in the reining they were doing were all patients of mine from Texas. The bald faced mare (Gidget as we know her) I have known since birth.

Of course 25-50% of the people you saw the show leading up to The Run for the Million are clients and friends.

Reiners and Cutters make up 90% of our patients.

I also really like "Yellowstone". This season has been really good. I do wish they did more episodes before ending the season. Evening TV in the summer is so limited.

Lane, many of those reining horses look overweight to me and not very athletic looking. Do they have a lot of leg issues?

What is the name of the reining show?
Please and thanks.

Found it. “Last Cowboy” nope. Great horsemen and women but cowboys; not. Some of the reined cow horse folks might come close to cowboy but most of those have passed on. The remaining cowboys don’t see the inside of a competition pen much. Old cowboys like Ray rope a bit in the pen but they are few.

quote:

Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:
I also really like "Yellowstone". This season has been really good. I do wish they did more episodes before ending the season. Evening TV in the summer is so limited.

Lane, many of those reining horses look overweight to me and not very athletic looking. Do they have a lot of leg issues?

They have there share of leg issues as basically that is all I work on as an equine orthopedic surgeon. But...they are very athletic horses.

While fed well and kept on the upper end of body condition scores...they are not obese. If you are not used to looking at Quarter Horses...they are all thick by breeding.

Supreme athletes. The muscle mass and flexibility it takes to sustain these maneuvers are all funneled down through the legs. Just like NFL athletes, there is much stress damage over time. There is no free lunch in performance.

I am a Cris Cox fan, He is on RFD television and his approach to most aspects of training is spot on..Ive trained horses all my life and still do my own horses, mostly team roping horses, and I still pick up some good pointers from time to time from him. He is a cowboy.

^
I have his book “Ride the Journey”. I like his training philosophy.

BH63

My problem with Yellowstone is Hollywood gives a different look at all my ranching neighbors. They spend more times fist fighting and gunfighting than doing the 16 hour days required to run a big ranch. They don't even get their gear worn out or clothes dirty!! Trust me ranching just ain't that dangerous unless you have a pen of mules to break or wild cattle to deal with...

It is a bit dramatized. Many of my clients are some of the larger ranchers in several Western states and I haven’t heard of a huge gunfight yet. Cool show though.

I'll have to look up Yellowstone. Don't watch much TV.
My daughter went to Baylor on a reining scholarship (Lane knows this), and she got all of her horsemanship genes from her mom, I am embarrassed to admit.
Watching a truly great cutting horse and rider is very nearly a religious experience.

Bill, the program is a very modern cowboys and indians. Interesting as it is hard to tell who the good and bad guys are at all. It's pretty entertaining as the characters are well developed. Just wish it had a longer production year.

Bill, Im with you, it is a religious experience to watch a cutting horse perfrom or a race horse run, especially in slow motion! I suppose it has to be in your DNA to really see the beauty in it..I know it can damn near bring me to tears and that ain't easy to do...

Think about two horses, two men, one steer all coming together to make a fast 4 second run,in the team roping, what are the odds for that? its exciting to me..

Some years back at the National Finals a $600 dollar horse and Charmayne James, competing in the barrel race made her run, the bridle bit and all came off at the first barrel as I recall, was hanging between Scampers front legs, Scamper finished the run and won the world for the umpteenth time and never missed a lick..I brought me to tears, and that ain't easy..That horse is in the cowboy haul of fame today, He was One of the great horses of all time, passed away some years..He was owned and loved by a great lady..

If you can't rope, you sure ain't a cowboy, the rest old men can do, reining, cutting, and they have their place in scheme of things, but 99.9% of good ropers can do it all and reinging and cutting is necessary but easy learned and most weekend Lawyers and doctors can do that, few can rope. They will certainly take offense to my opinion on the subject! And riding a bucking horse is a handy attribute to being a cowboy, and it happens when breaking colts sometimes, best left to the younger generation, I still do that but Im real particular about picking my colts for disposition, havedone my share back in the old days when dad said "ear that SOB down put half dozen rides on him so I can get him sold" Today I expect to put 120 days on one, and don't expect him to buck at all, and if he shows a tendency to buck I'll do some more ground work, if I ever fear a horse, I'll never get on another one..but being overly carefull is just damn smart.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
If you can't rope, you sure ain't a cowboy, the rest old men can do, reining, cutting, and they have their place in scheme of things, but 99.9% of good ropers can do it all and reinging and cutting is necessary but easy learned and most weekend Lawyers and doctors can do that, few can rope. They will certainly take offense to my opinion on the subject! And riding a bucking horse is a handy attribute to being a cowboy, and it happens when breaking colts sometimes, best left to the younger generation, I still do that but Im real particular about picking my colts for disposition, havedone my share back in the old days when dad said "ear that SOB down put half dozen rides on him so I can get him sold" Today I expect to put 120 days on one, and don't expect him to buck at all, and if he shows a tendency to buck I'll do some more ground work, if I ever fear a horse, I'll never get on another one..but being overly carefull is just damn smart.

That’s always been my feeling no as well. I’ve seen more fat guys hanging on to the saddle horn of a cutting horse that could no more go catch a yearling, tie it down and doctor it than my ex-Wife could. I guess it could make you an outstanding cutting horse person but it certainly doesn’t make you a cowboy.

I worked summers for EP Epenaur out of Marfa as a kid, and he taught me a lot about cutting as he owned Bar HUg, Ceasars Pistol, Pistol Hancock,George Hancock, and several other at the time, all world champions in the early 1950s..I was put on a ranch in Madera Canyon out of Ft. Davis, texas by the McDonald Observatory by myself and he put those high dollar horses for me to ride fence, check cows do the cow workm gave me a PU to go to town on Sat or Sun..It made me nervous having those $100,000 horses to do cow work but he told me make a horse out of them,if you hurt one haul him to the vet..I did use them pretty hard but I never crippled one, I just let them work at their pace..They were the best I ever rode, and great horses trained by Orville Braswell..Orville was a great horse trainer but got entangled with a married woman, and her husband and some friends tied him to the kitchen table and casterated him and poor Orville bled to death, the culprits went to prison...Guess thats the cowboy way!! and dad told me you let that be a lesson, keep it in your pants...I tried..

quote:

Orville Braswell

You have lead an interesting life Ray.

Fury, I keep telling Ray he needs to write a memoir.

It would no more be believed than Elmer’s is. People measure truth with the stick of their own experiences, or wishes that life was instead of how it is.
I am sure I would enjoy a writing of Ray’s life.

Im too lazy, more like a town dog under the steps!

I don't mind sharing a little if makes you guys laugh, thats what lifes about..

but no book from me, too damn lazy in my old age.