Ray Hunt was one of the most renowned horse trainers in the world, and by all accounts he was a legend in his own time. In a career that spanned several decades, Ray Hunt and his wife Carolyn traveled continually, holding clinics throughout the United States, and overseas as well. Ray's teachings influenced people from every kind of riding discipline. At the same time, his message could be elusive...
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Recently we took a road trip through northern California / southern Oregon. We were driving through a rural area, and looking for a breakfast spot, hopefully one with good country cooking and local atmosphere. The first sign we saw sounded appealing but the place was closed. Further on, there was another eatery but it was boarded shut.
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We first blogged about Brown Butter Sea Salt Cookies in August of 2012. We had stopped off at a little bakery called Brown Butter Cookie Co. in the small town of Cayucos on the coast of central California. We grabbed coffee and a bag of the house speciality cookies - to go. As we drove along the coast in the fresh sea air and against the backdrop of cresting white caps, I took my first bite. I felt as if the sea salt spray was melting in my mouth.
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Cowboy Poetry: A Cowboy's Conscience by Dan Hess. Reprinted with permission to recognize and honor the senior equine ...
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In a world that is relatively well populated with “horse whisperers” Buck Brannaman stands apart. Buck has always made a point to honor his elders -- Ray Hunt, Tom Dorrance and Bill Dorrance. And rightly so, because his lineage is directly through that line. But the concepts and practices of those teachings gained a wider audience in the 1990's, with Hollywood’s own rendition of what this mysticism is all about -
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Tom Dorrance (May 11, 1910 - June 11, 2003) is recognized by many as being the founding father, the original source, the place where an approach called "natural horsemanship" or "resistance free training" originated. Tom was a primary teacher and mentor to Ray Hunt. Ray claimed Tom was the man who made it possible. However, Tom was modest about such accolades, claiming that what he knew he got from the horse.
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People move to rural environments for various reasons - for two-lane main streets instead of traffic-jammed freeways, for smog-free blue sky days and star-filled nights, low crime, friendly faces, and a slower pace. But high on the list is love for our critters and the desire to give them a suitable home with room to roam.
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On July 20, 1999, Bill Dorrance, a Salinas-based rancher and rawhide braider, passed on. He was "crowding 99" and had lived a long and full life. Fortunately for all who aspire to excellence in horsemanship, his legacy, a book called True Horsemanship Through Fee
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An estimated 30 to 75 million buffalo once roamed over about one third of North America. The vision of large herds of buffalo moving en masse across the plains is part of the heritage of the great American West. Large herds of buffalo depicted in feature films such as “How the West Was Won” and “Dances with Wolves” have forever etched these images into the American psyche.
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