Ranch roping is at the heart of all ranch work, and unlike the rodeo variation of calf roping, the “vacquero” tradition calls for techniques that result in a skillful and graceful throw and catch. Buck Brannaman, a world-renowned master of the art, describes the essential tools, the partnership between horse and rider (incorporating the Natural Horsemanship approach for which the author is famous), and the mechanics needed to become a successful ranch roper, whether in competition or in actual cattle work. One-hundred full-color photographs of Buck in action enhance the step-by-step methodology that leads to mastering this essential Western skill. Whether you ride or rope or just wish you could, here's a book for everyone who is captivated by Western traditions and contemporary life.

Buck Brannaman, a lifelong working cowboy and one of the most popular clinicians working today, shares his insights on the practical application of roping. Buck explains the fundamentals of rope-handling, basic and advanced swings, the efficient and humane use of a rope on cattle, and safely roping a horse. 40 pages, with more than 100 color photos.

For more than a hundred years, American cowboys have made their living through the skilled use of horse and rope. Whole libraries have been devoted to the horse, but no one, until now, has written a thorough study of the origins and evolution of ranch roping--which differs from arena roping as practiced by rodeo cowboys. Author/cowboy John Erickson studies ranch roping from every angle: its origins in the Old World; old-time loops and throws; the influence of modern team roping; and the endless debate between those cowboys who rope "hard and fast" and those who "dally." Mixing scholarship with his working--cowboy's knowledge of the subject, Erickson tells stories of cowboys who could not resist fitting their loops on "things that ort not to be roped," such as elk, deer, badgers, bears, and bobcats. He tells of jackrabbit roping contests, and of cowboys who roped mice, geese, hogs, wives, or a runaway milk wagon. Anyone who has ever "built a loop" or even thought about it will find this book hard to put down.

Straight-from-life reminiscences of Hafen's youth growing up on a southwestern ranch. Throughout these personal essays, Hafen addresses important issues of land use and management currently affecting the West.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 151) and index.