IB Stables

10/04/2026

A Little History of Cowboy Spurs 🤠

Spurs have been used by horseback riders for centuries, but the spurs we associate with the American West owe much of their development to Spanish and Mexican horsemanship. Spanish riding traditions came to the Americas with horses, and Mexican vaqueros developed distinctive riding equipment and techniques that later had a major influence on the American cowboy. National Cowboy Museum

By the 1800s, spurs were an important part of a working cowboy’s gear. The small rotating wheel at the back is called the rowel, and spurs were used as a riding aid to give the horse subtle leg cues—not simply to make a horse go faster.

Spurs also became a form of Western craftsmanship. Makers decorated them with engraving, silver inlay and other ornamentation, turning a practical ranch tool into something that could show a cowboy’s personal style, region and pride. That tradition of handcrafted bit and spur making continues today. - National Cowboy Museum

And there’s a reason we associate cowboys with that unmistakable jingle of spurs. An 1897 newspaper account even reminisced about the old-fashioned cowboy whose spurs could be heard “a block away.”

From the vaquero to the American cowboy, spurs became one of the most recognizable symbols of life in the saddle and the Old West. 🐎

10/03/2026

My instructor, a former cavalryman, taught me how to slide when I was a boy. His lesson horses were that good that kids could slide them down a long slope into a creek. It was the 1950s when horses rode out over terrain more than in an arena. Most horses then knew how to slide.

The slopes in the pictures range from 30 degrees (top) to 60 degrees (bottom left). What they all have in common is the horses are all sliding with their hind legs and picking up the front legs as they slide. The western horse is lifting his knee in the cloud of dust.

The key to a safe slide is to slide the hind and walk the front because if there are roots or rocks that can catch a horse's front toe, the odds of a head over heels cartwheel are very high. The western and the lower left riders are leaning back in their slides. The lower right is forward, which is how I was taught. It's the military way.

Before my instructor went over the brink into his slide he always asked, "Why are we forward in a slide?" And we were very forward in the "C" position with feet way forward of the girth and our heads down by the neck in our slides. We raised our hands to answer his question and he picked a student to answer, "Because we make a smaller target, Sir." He was teaching recruits.

When I train a horse to slide, which is important for fox hunting horses, I go over the brink of a 30 degree slope at a walk with impulsion. Once on the slope I give a strong half halt. This breaks the hind feet loose and starts the front legs stepping. Continued repetition of this, using increasingly steeper slopes, teaches the horse to slide on the hind and pick up the front legs.

Eventing cross country courses always had a slide and now they are gone. It is one more sad example of the decline of horsemanship.

09/30/2026

One of the best barrel racing lessons I ever took was not a barrel racing lesson at all.

It was a dressage lesson.

It taught me how to communicate with each part of the horse instead of trying to control the entire horse with my hands. I learned how to move the shoulders without losing the hips, control the rib cage, create bend without pulling and use my hands, legs and body together.

It also taught me that good hands are not simply quiet hands. They move with purpose, release at the right moment and become still when the horse finds the correct answer.

As barrel racers, we can become so focused on fixing the turn that we overlook what is happening underneath us. A lot of barrel problems are really body-control, balance or communication problems that begin long before we ever approach the barrel.

That dressage lesson did not change the discipline I loved. It made me a better rider within it.

Never become so loyal to one style of riding that you stop learning from another. The goal is not to prove your way is the only way the goal is to communicate with the horse more clearly.

09/30/2026

09/26/2026

Worth the Read Wednesday

Sometimes a simple pattern can teach you a whole lot more than you think.

The Daisy Pattern is designed to help develop rounder, smoother turns, better shoulder control, consistent impulsion, and rider focus—all while giving you and your horse a clear plan to follow.

Here’s how it works:
🔹 Set up five cones—four in a large square and one in the center.
🔹 Start at the center and ride out to your first corner cone.
🔹 Ride around the corner, ride around the center cone, and then head out to the next corner.
🔹 Continue this pattern around all four corner cones, creating the “petals” of the daisy.

The real value comes from how you ride the pattern. Focus on maintaining a consistent speed and guiding the turns primarily with your outside rein and outside leg. This encourages the horse to make the turn with his shoulder rather than pushing his hindquarters out.

And don't be afraid to take your time with it. Steve recommends giving a new pattern several sessions to develop before expecting significant changes. Let your horse make mistakes, reward the try, and allow the pattern to teach you both.

That's the beauty of patterns—they aren't just about following a set of cones. They give you a way to practice important horsemanship principles while building communication, feel, focus, and consistency.

Want to see exactly how to ride the Daisy Pattern?

🎥 There’s a video tutorial of this pattern inside the Equine Masterclass, along with many other training lessons and exercises you can work through with your horse.

Whether you're looking to improve your turns, develop better control, or simply give yourself a productive exercise for your next ride, the Equine Masterclass gives you the tools to keep learning.

👉 Learn more and join us at: EquineMasterclass.com

09/25/2026

THE HORSE THAT GOD MADE

If there were one animal clearly built to carry a human and perform countless tasks, it would be the horse.
A horse’s heart and lungs are engineered for speed, strength, and endurance. With lungs that can take in about twelve times more air than ours, a horse can reach nearly 50 miles per hour, pull heavy loads, or travel close to 100 miles in a single day.

The horse also has a remarkable built in suspension system. The rear leg joints are angled so impact is absorbed through the joints instead of being driven straight up the legs. The front of the body is supported by powerful flexible muscles that suspend the torso between the forelegs like a natural shock absorber. Add in its built in “gears” that shift smoothly between walking, trotting, cantering, and galloping, and you get one of the most comfortable riding animals on Earth.
Its feet are just as incredible. The bones, hoof, and heel work together to provide strength, traction, and natural cushioning. No shoe ever invented comes close to matching what God built into a horse’s hoof.

Taken together, the horse is a masterpiece of purposeful design, serving humanity in farming, travel, sport, law enforcement, and so much more.

There is no proof that horses evolved from some other creature. We see different kinds of horses in the fossil record, but always horses.

Fun fact: when a foal is born, it has soft, rubbery “slippers” on its hooves. God designed them so the baby does not injure the mother during birth. Within a few days, they fall off on their own, revealing the fully formed hooves beneath.