Crabtree Saddle Works

12/03/2024

A.B. Blocker: The Legendary Texas Trail-Rider at 83

In San Antonio, circa 1939, an elderly cowboy by the name of A.B. Blocker stood as a living testament to the era of the great cattle drives. At 83 years old, A.B. Blocker was still as sharp and resilient as the Texas prairies he had traversed countless times throughout his life. A true pioneer of the trail, he was known to many as perhaps the greatest trail-riding cowboy of all time.

Born in the rough and untamed lands of Texas, A.B. Blocker epitomized the grit, determination, and resilience that characterized the state's early cowboys. With a lifetime spent on horseback, he was a figure larger than life, having driven cattle from the expansive ranches of Texas northward so many times that even he likely lost count. His prowess on the trail made him a legend not only in Texas but across the entire cattle-driving community.

But it wasn’t just his experience on the trail that set A.B. Blocker apart. Among his many contributions to the cowboy legacy was his design of the iconic XIT brand, a symbol that became synonymous with the ruggedness and enterprise of the Texas cattle industry. The XIT brand, standing for the "Ten in Texas," marked the vast XIT Ranch, which covered over three million acres in the Texas Panhandle. A.B.'s role in its creation is a testament to his influence and vision, leaving a lasting legacy on the landscape of Texan ranching.

A.B. Blocker’s reputation as a no-nonsense Texas man also drew the attention of esteemed folklorist and historian J. Frank Dobie, who immortalized his stories and character in writing. To Dobie and many others who chronicled the lives of these larger-than-life figures, A.B. was more than just a trail-rider; he was the embodiment of the cowboy spirit, a man whose life story deserved to be passed down through generations.

As he reflected on his life in San Antonio during his twilight years, A.B. shared a treasure trove of stories, each filled with the dust, grit, and adventure of the open trail. His tales were not just about driving cattle but about the friendships forged under the stars, the dangers faced from rustlers and stampedes, and the sheer tenacity required to guide massive herds across rivers, plains, and hostile territories. These stories, soon to be shared in full, promise to paint a vivid picture of a life spent in pursuit of excellence on the trail.

By 1943, when A.B. Blocker passed away, he left behind a legacy that few could rival. He was more than a cowboy; he was a trailblazer whose exploits defined an era and whose name should be remembered alongside the greats of Western history. In the coming days, his complete account will be shared—a narrative that promises to capture the essence of what it meant to be a true cattle-driving cowboy in the wild frontier of Texas. A.B. Blocker, at 83, was still every bit the indomitable cowboy, a living legend of the Lone Star State.

Take the time to share this incredible Texas history.

History courtesy of Historical memories.

11/23/2024

07/29/2024

04/30/2024

What kind of can we make for you?

𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝟭𝟬𝟭: 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘀

From the drovers of the cattle drive era to today's rodeo athletes, cowboys have long been wearing chaps. These leather leg coverings, often adorned with fringe and patterns, have become an icon of cowboy culture.

𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗗𝗢 𝗰𝗼𝘄𝗯𝗼𝘆𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘀?
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻—from thorny brush, weather, and other environmental hazards.
𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗽—When a horse gets broncy, leather tends to grip better than jeans.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘀?
𝗔𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘀 are the oldest style of chaps worn in the United States. This style originated on the haciendas of Spanish colonial ranches and is a closed, three-quarter-length design. They are secured by a strap around the waist.

𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 are thought to have been developed on ranches in California. This style is much shorter than armitas and is secured on the upper thigh. In terms of coverage, they occupy a middle ground between batwing and shotgun chaps—they fit close to the leg without being tight or restrictive.

𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗴𝘂𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘀 offer the most protection from brush, thorny plants, rain and snow. This style started with Texas cowboys, and the popularity of this style peaked in the 1870s. They do not have a flap like the batwing chaps, but they do flare enough near the bottom to fit over boots.

𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘀 are one of the most distinctive styles. They are more open, and over more airflow than other styles. The name comes from the flap design that makes the wearer look like they have “wings” on their legs.

𝗪𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 (pictured here) are a style that is little worn today but has been immortalized in the paintings of Frederic Re*****on. This style originated in the northern latitudes of the country where warmth was needed in winter. This style of chap is usually made with a fleece or cut from hair-on cow or buffalo hide, then lined with canvas for added moisture resistance. This style appeared in the 1880s and was popularized in early Western movies.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲?
These days, fringe is largely decorative, but its origin is functional: fringe funnels raindrops off the rider's leg instead of letting the water collect on the leather.

𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗛𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗛𝗮𝗽𝘀?
Short for "chaparejos" (shap-ar-EH-hos), the most accepted pronunciation of the word in ranching circles is "shaps."

𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦: 𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘭 𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘭 𝘊𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘜𝘛𝘈 𝘓𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘺. "𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘸𝘣𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘶𝘻𝘻𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴, 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦, 𝘛𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘴, 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘴"

04/24/2024

It helps to have a good saddle for your horse and seat too. That’s where we come in.

Did you know there is an authentic American riding method or Seat. Most people don't. In fact, most Americans think that their discipline is a Seat when this is not often true today. For example, Hunter Seat Equitation is not an authentic Seat. It is fifty years old while Xenophon's horsemanship, a method referenced since the 4th century BC being 2,500 years old, is a true method.

The authentic American seat is called the Fort Riley Seat, or sometimes the Balanced Seat in civilian books. The images below represent the evolution of our national American riding method. The story of our national method begins with Fredirico Capprilli, an Italian Captain Cavalry (top left) who came up with his Forward Seat in 1904. Prior to Caprilli, the nearly universal method, generally called the "chair seat", of riding went back to Xenophon. There have been several significant changes since Xenophon, such as those from William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle, in the 17th century that included improvements more natural for the horse.

The top right image reflects the next step in the development of the American method that came from the French Cavalry School at Saumur. This step includes an unsettled controversy between the Italian Cavalry and the French. The Italians claim that soon after 1904 the French stole Caprilli's Forward Seat and renamed it the Saumur Seat. Be that as it may, the next step in development of the Fort Riley Seat came in 1914 when the US Army, seeing that WW1 was inevitable, decided that the US Army needed a central cavalry training school to replace the long standing, Colonial regimental system of training cavalry.

At the time of this decision, the US Cavalry did not have a horsemanship training manual with each regiment having their own training tradition. This made it difficult to transfer cavalrymen between regiments. The French came to our rescue when they provided the US Army their Saumur classified cavalry riding manuals. The French manuals were the basis of horsemanship training at the Fort Riley Kansas Cavalry School until the 1920s.

After WW1 Harry Chamberlin, shown jumping in the bottom left image (with the 1940 US Olympic Team from Fort Riley beneath him), updated the Saumur manuals creating the final version of the Fort Riley Seat. While the Fort Riley Seat is little more than 100 years old, its roots go back thousands of years to Xenophon and through horsemen Cavendish. This is very different from the new riding methods or styles from individuals like Morris, Parelli or the other new fragmented variations on authentic horsemanship like modern reining, current western pleasure and modern dressage.

Lastly, the bottom right image of a cowboy represents the western ranch riding influence on the Fort Riley Seat. Chamberlin, an intense student of horses and riding methods, appreciated the cowboy's practical effectiveness he saw in Fort Riley recruits. Many Fort Riley instructors, like Gordon Wright, came from the ranks of the Cavalry cowboys who thought nothing of sixteen hour days in the saddle.

Our uniquely American Seat became the envy of the horse world until the 1960s when US military riders began to retire or pass on. As a boy, I was fortunate to have a Fort Riley method instructor starting in 1953, ten years after the US Cavalry replaced the horses with mechanized fighting vehicles.

The family tree of global horsemanship is ancient and has many branches. The methods that have endured the test of time. The changes in horsemanship since Xenophon up until the 1970s were the result of new military battlefield advantages with horses. When one nation's cavalry found a better way, other country's cavalry copied and adapted innovations from their enemies or allies.

After the 1970s American horsemanship has been in chaos having lost its connection to military goals and standards, while most European countries kept theirs. Later I will explore these horsemanship methods from countries like the Spanish Riding School, the Russian Hussars, the Ottoman Empire horsemen as well as others like the Portuguese and Spanish methods.

The point is that if you are receiving riding instruction, it is important that you are learning an authentic riding method or seat with an evolved history. The American horse world is now confused by the many instructors who teach the new commercial methods, from Morris, Parelli, etc. or a random combination of methods they usually call "my own combination of what I learned".

These instructors have no real method and you, in order to learn how to ride safely and effectively, must have an instructor who teaches an authentic Seat. It is OK if an instructor includes other influences, but they must teach from a core system or Seat in order to give you a safe practical way to ride.

04/22/2024

Catch Tammy live this morning on K**I News at 9:40am sharing about Saddles In Service 🇺🇸

Saddles In Service, K**I, Veteran Non-Profit, Supporting Veterans and First Responders, Horse Therapy

04/18/2024

Honored to be named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in the world.

Every day, I wake up with the goal to keep Texas the #1 place to live, work, and raise a family.

I am proud to serve as Governor of the greatest state in the greatest nation.

04/18/2024

Congratulations to Mo Brings Plenty who will be the first ever recipient of the Western Heritage New Horizon Award. An enrolled Lakota from Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Brings Plenty carries the legacy of his grandfathers who fought at Little Big Horn. Best known for his role in "Yellowstone", he's also a horse stunt rider, rancher and advocate for Native communities who believes in preserving culture and tradition, making him a perfect choice for the award's debut. To learn more visit https://bit.ly/49mdEUV.

04/18/2024

The cover shot on 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻’𝘀 latest album, “𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿,” tells it like it is.

That’s no staged photo using a hired hand model and makeup artist to make it look like a cowboy’s hands at the end of a hard day’s work. That guitar-picking hand doubles as this country-music star’s roping hand, and the one that finds the chords on stage had just held the reins all day while working cattle with a few of his cowboy friends at home on his Texas ranch.

That’s his own blood and sweat, and why those who live this cowboy life like he does relate so strongly to this particular singing, song-writing platinum artist. When Cody Johnson’s not making music for sold-out crowds, he’s riding, roping and right at home on the range. Learn more about his American Quarter Horses in the March-April issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal.

04/14/2024

Did you know the term “cowboy” was used during the American Revolution? Look it up. It’s an English term to derogatorily refer to American colonists and does not come from the Spanish word “vaquero”. Look it up.

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