u/CinchAndGiggles

I make cinches. Not terriblly pretty but functional. Earlier I put together two new cinches for one of my mules, the Cocoa Bean. A packers cinch and an English girth. I started putting together a western cinch but got sidetracked. I’ll get the western finished later this week. There’s something satisfying about building tack specifically for a critter instead of trying to find store bought that is close enough. Cocoa is the reason I started making cinches. The sizes that fit her aren’t found in catalogs. The rest of the mules get cinches that match their tack.

Made two new cinches for the Cocoa Bean. A packers cinch and an English girth. I started putting together a western cinch but got sidetracked. I’ll get the western finished later this week. There’s something satisfying about building tack specifically for a critter instead of trying to find store bought that is close enough. Cocoa is the reason I started making cinches. The sizes that fit her aren’t found in catalogs.

Not sure which saddle I’m going to take for her for the BCHO rendezvous next week. Probably her western rig but we’ll see. Will I see anyone from here at Sisters Cow Camp for the Rendezvous? 

Made two new cinches for the Cocoa Bean. A packers cinch and an English girth. I started putting together a western cinch but got sidetracked. I’ll get the western finished later this week. There’s something satisfying about building tack specifically for a critter instead of trying to find store bought that is close enough. Cocoa is the reason I started making cinches. The sizes that fit her aren’t found in catalogs. Before long one cinch turned into another and eventually clinics, books, and loom kits shipped around the globe. 

Not sure which saddle I’m going to take for her for the BCHO rendezvous next week. Probably her western rig but we’ll see. Will I see anyone from here at Sisters Cow Camp for the Rendezvous? 

Working on the trailer book this morning and was noodling a question I get asked a lot “what’s the best trailer?” My stock answer is “it depends” I think a better response would be “ there isn’t any best, only best matched to your current needs.” A nomadic full-timer who lives on the road with her beasts will have markedly different needs than someone who hauls a couple of horses to the vets once a year, or someone like myself who just wants to live comfortably at the trailhead immediately before and after a 10 day pack trip. Best is relative. After a few decades of hauling critters I’ve come to realize that everything is a compromise and that people often purchase trucks and trailers for their one dream bucket list trip instead of the hundred normal trips they’ll actually use it for. The best trailer isn’t the fanciest, biggest, or most expensive. It’s the one matched to your horses, your truck, your skills, your budget, and the life you actually live.

 So now I’m curious. What matters most to you in a trailer, and what feature turned out to be more important than you expected?

A fresh issue of Horsemen’s Corral showed up in the mailbox today with my “You’re Always Teaching Something” column inside, and I’ll admit it still feels a little strange seeing my words in print after all these years.

I’ve written for the Corral for a long time now, and there’s still something about a physical magazine that digital just can’t replace. Ink on paper. Folded corners. Coffee stains. The kind of thing that belongs in a tack room or sliding around on the seat of an old truck.

Part of why this one matters to me is that I’m originally a Buckeye. These days I live up in the PNW, but growing up in Ohio shaped a lot of how I see horses, people, and the outdoors. Writing for an Ohio publication feels a bit like staying connected to home.

This month’s column is about one of my favorite subjects: the quiet things horses teach us when we’re paying attention. Usually right after they’ve humbled us first.

Curious how many folks here still read physical horse magazines. Are any of you still getting tack-room magazines in the mail, or has everything gone digital now?

If anyone wants to read the full piece, I’m happy to share the link.

She’s a 1-year-old heeler who just joined the herd. We’re still figuring each other out, but so far so good. Lots of treats, “good girls,” and supervised investigations into everything. Today is our first father-daughter shopping trip to pick out a new collar. She’s already trying to figure out the mules.

That is all. I'm looking forward to the high country melting out. Time to put the ponies to work.

For me, one of the best things I've worked on with my ponies is teaching them to come when called.

At home it’s convenient. In the backcountry, it’s peace of mind. There’s something reassuring about hearing a horse moving your direction light is fading, and you don’t want to hike looking for your critters. I’m under no illusion that my horses love me. Heck, some days I don’t even think they like me all that much. But they are absolutely food motivated, and I can live with that.

Not “my uncle showed me once” or “I’ve hauled for years and never had an issue” taught. But actually attended a course with a curriculum and testing rubric? I was asked to do a trailer safety clinic in Denver a few months back and wanted to do better so came up with a list of the things that are most important for horse haulers to know and created a 4 hour course around that and a test to assess retention. It was very well received. The 4^(th) go-round is on the 16^(th) in central WA and I’m looking forward to seeing how people in a different region feel about it.

What topics are most important for you when you haul? For me it's tires, and matching payload with tongue weight.

Grabbed my helmet this weekend like I always do, but for whatever reason I checked the manufacture date:

October 2016. Ruh roh.

This thing has seen some country, Arizona deserts, Washington high country, and a fair number of Wilderness miles. It’s done its job and kept my noggin in one piece.

What caught me off guard is why they need replacing. It’s not just crashes—apparently the materials break down over time:

• foam brittle
• shell weakens
• adhesives lose strength

It still looks fine… but it’s not the same helmet it was when new.

Most manufacturers recommend about 5 years, so I’ve been pushing that timeline more than a bit. Oops.

Hard to let go of one that fits just right. But I guess it’s also a good excuse to go find the next one.

Curious—how often are you all actually replacing helmets?
And bonus question: anyone ever repurposed an old one? (Half tempted to turn this into a planter…)