Along the lines of “why cowboys dress like they do,” I have discovered a number of interesting facts pertaining to cowboy shirts. In the early 1800s, most vaqueros wore shirts that were hand-me-downs, or homemade from linen, a fabric made from flax. A pioneer family would have been able to weave their own cloth from the fiber grown in only a quarter of an acre of flax. The reason that they did not use cotton was that, though cotton was grown in Texas, it was required to be shipped to England where the cotton was manufactured into cloth and shipped back to America, causing it to be too expensive for the use of common folk, whose motto was “frugality, hard work and self-denial! “

After the War Between the States, many former soldiers moved into the west and participated in the great cattle drives from Texas to the new rail lines in Kansas, wearing old uniform shirts. These were mostly made from wool, which in Texas summers must have given new meaning to the term “beastly”. Around the turn of the century, a tailor named Jack Weil, living in Denver, Colorado, began making cotton shirts. These were long sleeved, with western cut double yokes, and pearl snaps. He called his company Rocky Mountain Ranch Wear, and he is credited with producing the first modern cowboy shirt. His original model has been endlessly modified since that time, but cowboy shirts are still predominantly cotton shirts with double yokes, and pearl snaps.

In the 1950s in the USA, and particularly in Texas, classical equitation was only a vague hazy notion. We didn’t even really know what dressage was, and we barely knew that there was such a thing as an Andalusian horse. We rode Quarter Horses, and roped and cut cattle, and we rode “throwed away”, or loose-reined. Our methods were predominantly derived from the influence of Mexican vaqueros a century before, but we knew little of the theory and practice behind that “Spanish” equitation, which was the root of French classical equitation.

Now, decades later, and volumes of books and weekends with clinicians, videos, and a whole nation-wide movement of “natural horsemanship” later, we have been gifted with a much deeper understanding of what it means to “put on a horse,” like putting on a suit.

Once one of my Spanish mentors quizzed me, “Glenn, what is rassamble’?” After I stumbled and fumbled with words trying to bullshit my way through an answer, he shook his head and smiled “It is when the center of gravidity of the rider is directly over the center of gravidity of the horse!” I have chuckled about his Spanglish many times. However, I have fought, striven, cried and despaired over the concept for over a decade. Only with the help of many teachers, books, articles, and videos have I experienced rassamble,’ otherwise known as balanced self carriage,  perhaps for two or three strides at a time!

Years ago I was asked to do an exhibition with a friend’s Andalusian stallion at a horse show in Houston. The essence of this performance was to be a Spanish vaquero mounted on his steed dancing around a platform, wooing a flamenco dancer. Since I am obviously not a flamenco dancer, I was to be the vaquero. Not long before the performance, I was attending the Andalusian National show in Fort Worth where I approached a well-known and well informed Spanish tack and attire importer at her booth. I explained that I was to do the exhibition and what it entailed and that I needed to look like a Spanish vaquero. I also explained that I needed to “do it on the cheap. “

Her response was one which has changed my life in many ways. She said, “N o, you are going to spend a thousand dollars and you were going to be completely correctly attired. And I’ll tell you why. When you ride out on that Andalusian stallion, you will not only be a Texan on an Andalusian stallion, you will be representing the Andalusian horse to all present, and in addition, you will represent the Andalusian people and their culture. You will want, for their sake, to be correct in your appearance!” Since that day, I have worn the attire, and ridden in the Spanish vaquero saddle for numerous exhibitions and Doma Vaquera competitions. Each time I perform, her words echo in my mind, “You are doing it for the breed, for the people, and for their culture.”

I have stood and watched horseman work with horses on the end of a long rope for over half a century. It’s referred to as longeing which is derived from a French word for working a horse on the end of a long rope or cord. Some Westerners referred to it as gypping. The purpose of this type of training I suppose, is to help A horse learn to give to pressure, but when I see someone walking all around an arena, essentially being dragged by their horse I have to question “who’s learning what from who? “

The famous French classical trainers used a pillar, or pole, to do longe work. They also had a lot of spare people around to help them. A strong piece of headgear was placed on the horse, a cord attached to the ring on this piece of equipment known as a cavesson (which actually translates head – gear) and the horse was taught to move in a circle around the pole. At first the cord was very short, and an assistant would lead the horse around the pole, while the trainer managed the rope. Gradually the rope was lengthened, and the assistant moved away. The horse then was encouraged forward, limited by the rope wrapped around the pole, which was immovable. The horse then had no choice but to make only perfect circles around the pole, and over time, to yield to pressure, becoming lighter as time went on.

In the west, we refer to the pole as a snubbin’ post, and we work colts around it with a Hackamore. They learn a true circle, and they learn to follow their head, and “give” to pressure. They don’t learn to drag the trainer around, rather they learn to respect the superior strength of the pole, and they become softer in their responses, while learning to yield to pressure and bend through the body. With repetition they translate this soft “give” to the hand of the trainer. An illusion is created by the use of the pole; “Them little two-leggeds sure is strong! “