Riding in lightness, collection on a loose rein, skillful and humane cow work, reata or vaquero style ranch roping - these are the things that make up the horsemanship called Californio.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no offical definition of what a vaquero, a buckaroo, a Californio, truly is. The local definitions change a little bit for each community, all the way up Alta California, all across the country and around the world. Furthermore, every hundred years or so even the local definitions somehow get adapted to the thinking of the day.

This discussion group ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Californio) and an associated web site (http://www.sagehorsemanship.com/californio/californio_index.htm), seeks to discover, discuss and define the traditional Californio and the modern Californio. Without abandoning the considerations of generations past, new definitions attempt to capture the flavor of the Californio of today, even if some of the ingredients are not true to historical fact.

In it's most refined form the Californio rider is costumed in the vaquero/caballero (Californio) tradition, the catch rope is long (often sixty feet or more) and the tack is Spanish/Moorish - but the horse holds his head up similar to a dressage horse. The jaquima or bridle and bit are what is appropriate for the horse and it's level of training - with the single most important feature that the reins are held slack - the collection is obtained on a loose rein and the horse ridden from signals rather than through leverage and force.

Please feel free to join in and participate in the understanding of a new (old) style of riding. Come share with us your questions or experience.