What We Do

Promote the Vaquero style of horsemanship in Ontario. This is hopefully achieved through blog articles and information sharing. If are you interested in learning more about this style of horsemanship we would like to help you get started.  We can help you learn some of the basics of using the Jaquima (traditional rawhide hackamore) and spade bit along with some of the fundamentals of Vaquero horsemanship  We can help!

We can provide one on one or small group introductions to the proper techniques for groundwork and foundation building through to the round pen and beyond.  Communication is the key to understanding the Vaquero art of developing a feel.  We can help you understand the fundamentals of using a signal for communication that is not only applicable to the Jaquima but may also be applied to the snaffle bit as well as the two rein and spade or any other communication device you may choose to use.

We can help connect you with clinicians and resources that assist in guiding you to the traditional Vaquero methods.  We will post event schedules of including colt starting, cattle handling, roping, rodeos and advanced horsemanship across the region and north America.  When we have contacts in other countries we will provide links to their sites and events.  Our blog section will slowly develop with a variety of useful information, videos and articles from horsemen practicing the Vaquero traditions.

This site is intended to be informational and does not sell any products or services – but we will do what we can to help you get started on your jou

TWO REIN & JAQUIMA


The two rein is an intermediate step between starting training in the Jaquima and becoming a finished Bridle Horse. The two rein requires using two communication devices to signal the horse.

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The Jaquima is a very simple bridle used by the Vaquero but it is fundamental to the development of the seemingly magical communication between horse and the Vaquero. The Jaquima consists of three component parts.

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WADE VS. VISALIA SADDLE


The Wade Saddle was also developed in the late 1800’s but by an unknown saddle maker. The original saddle was passed from father, Aron Wade, to son, Clifford Wade, and then copied by Hamley’s, in Oregon, in 1937 at the request of Clifford Wade.

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The Visalia Saddle was one of the more popular saddles of its day and is still a saddle being made and in use by Vaqueros. The tree and the saddle were originally developed around 1870.

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FRENO


Freno is a Spanish word that means “stop” or “brake”. The Vaquero would train a horse from Jaquima a Freno or “from hackamore to spade bit”. The spade bit is a “balance bit” that sits on the horse’s palate more comfortably, despite its size, than a snaffle bit or other forms of bit.

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