By
Carol Schaye
Arriving in Carson City, Nevada after a road trip across country, from New York City, I was anxious to see the men on horseback riding the dusty streets. Men who looked like Tom Selleck, the “Marlboro Man.” They were nowhere in sight. Carson City was a small state capital with sidewalks, restaurants and gift shops.
Movies and television had flavored my idea of what the west looked like. Where were Hoss and Little Joe of “Bonanza” fame? I’d been riding horses on the East Coast, for a good part of my life but had never been out west nor had I ever ridden western style.
Slowly as folks began to accept me, in spite of my coming from New York, they actually were surprised that I had not only owned but ridden horses before. So fair is fair, both coasts had misconceptions of the other.
Somewhere down the road I met and became friends with a young horseman who embraced everything I hoped a western horseman was. Standing six foot two, dusty barn boots and a quiet countenance, James was the opposite of a New York City woman (me), who had ridden English style, found horsemen out west ‘Charming’ and used four letter words as exclamation points.
James Dexter is calm, quiet and smart. That style, that grace, is not unsimilar to how James approaches his work with horses.
From California Doctors to Nevada Farmer/Ranchers
James’ grandfather was a physician. All of Jame’s uncles are physicians. Jame’s father said from a young age, ‘I want to be a ‘farmer.’
After meeting in college, Jame’s mom and dad moved to northern Nevada, worked as ranch hands, and lived in bunk houses until they saved enough money to purchase land of their own. Without a cell phone, ”They hooked a line up to their car, when the horn of the car started beeping on its own they knew they had a call.”
“My mom was a complete city girl. She used to be in a rock band. He (Dad) introduced her to his horses which he, of course, brought down to college. And since he was working at the farm, he’d kept them at the stables there. So he introduced her to the horses and she kind of fell in love with that. And next thing you know, she, I guess, fell in love with him, too.”
James grew up on a ranch, in Orovada, Nevada. Orovada is a census-designated place in Humboldt County, Nevada. The population was 155 at the 2010 census. He lived with his brother and parents on a cattle ranch of two thousand acres, with approximately five hundred head of cattle, (not big by northern Nevada standards). Many ranches in northern Nevada have been passed down from previous generations, Jame’s Mom and Dad were newcomers and dreamers. Growing hay (farming) was their main source of income.
The farm leased Bureau of Land Management land, moving the cattle on horseback from various areas for better grazing.
On the back of a horse before he could walk, using them for work to move cattle, horses were always there.
“That’s probably why I have my work ethic that I have nowadays. It was always a lot of work. Even as a little kid, we were frequently working 12 hours a day, 16 hours a day, even during the summer.”
“Yeah, I mean, the only way we would frequently have like our friends over, is if we promised our dad, like okay, they can help us with this chore. They can help us clean all the stalls. They can help us, clean out the trailers. We can we can do all that. It’s like, okay, one kid, two kids makes it. So, if there’s more than two then you don’t get any work done. You play much. So you can have one kid.”
“I want my children to have a similar childhood.”
After leaving Nevada for college and graduate school, James returned to northern Nevada to work on the ranch. Primarily working on the part of the ranch based in Fallon, Nevada. This time he turned his focus to the breeding, and training of horses.
Training and Breeding Horses, “Fifty Horse Ranch and Stable Pro”
Fifty Horse Ranch, Jame’s ranch focuses primarily on quarter horses.
“The American Quarter Horse is the most popular breed in the United States.
The compact body of the American Quarter Horse is well suited for the intricate and quick maneuvers required in reining, cutting, working cow horse, barrel racing, calf roping, and other western riding events, especially those involving live cattle.” (1)
James says working with horses, “Gives my life meaning. It’s just a matter of, I try not to overwhelm, I take it step by step and get them exposed to things, and then I show them what I want them to do and I demand that they do that”.
“There is something about the outside of a horse, that is good for the inside of a man” Winston Churchill
Working with a three year old filly, James was walking her with a halter and a lead rope. Leaving the indoor arena, the filly hesitated, briefly afraid of a pile of sand by the doorway. Waiting for the filly to feel comfortable crossing this new ground, not forcing her, she crossed the sand pile smoothly. It is his style to let the young horses be exposed to new things as he said, “Step by step.”
Horses are still used on ranches
“The west is rough country and still the best tool for herding and moving cattle is a person on a horse . Almost all of the eleven horses I have are quarter horses, they’ve been bred for the job.” Jon Griggs, Ranch Manager, 200,000 acre ranch in Elko Nevada
“Well, the confirmation, probably primarily, they’re they tend to be sort of short backed. They have a really big butt. Yeah, really, really powerful. I mean, and that’s important because, a lot of our work is side to side as opposed to straight ahead. You know, a thoroughbred wants to run straight ahead, go fast, but a Quarter Horse has to work side to side, a quarter horse is bred to play keep away.” Jon Griggs.
“Riding a well trained horse is like playing a fine tuned instrument. There is a spiritual connection.”
Pat Jacobsen Kelly, author and illustrator of ”A Horse Around the House.”
At four A.M. James is drinking coffee, getting ready to work with the horses. His day ends around eleven P.M. James has a full-time job off the ranch which helps pay for his dream of breeding great quarter horses. Without a television, “My dog knocked it off the table, so I never replaced it,” his evenings are spent working with horses, riding them on the ranch, while introducing them to creeks and rivers and enjoying what he says gives his life meaning.
Aiming to raise the level of breeding he has one filly of which he said, “She is worth more than my truck.” (His truck is very nice).
This commitment to breeding and training horses is only part of his work on the ranch.
James bult an indoor riding ring, a barn with boxstalls and turnouts, several paddocks and a tackroom.
Cattle will return to the ranch, but this time to be part of a cutting horse, cowhorse, ranch horse, training program.
There will be a connection to the indoor ring, to house the cattle for training purposes. Other horsemen trainers will use the facility as well.
“Fifty Horse Ranch”, provides a bunk house for potential buyers, to rent, while they stay at the ranch getting to know the horse.
To paraphrase the great Yogi Berra, “it ain’t over till the paperwork is done.” And this applies to the folks who, like James, are working hard to raise and train horses as much as it does in so many other tasks. It is important to recognize that horse trainers are essentially small business operators. The actual hands-on training is just part of that job. As a business, it’s important to connect with potential clients, keep track of appointments, schedule events, track expenses as varied as feed and insurance, and ultimately track billing and get paid.
To stream-line the whole business side of the operation, James developed a software suite called Stable Pro. (www.stablepro.us)
Stable Pro is designed for use by stables and trainers. Clients utilizing Stable Pro can track expenses broken out to their own client animals. Because Stable Pro follows the SaaS (Software as a Service) model, it can be accessed on a desktop computer or a smartphone. It’s that last point that adds a whole new level of utility. The trainer can easily and quickly add entries to the files for individual animals while still in the field.
Though Stable Pro is not yet it’s own app, it can be accessed via a web-browser. This removes the need to transfer scribbled notes, or worse rely on memory, to create files relating to the care of a client animal. For example, if a horse requires a dietary supplement, a few quick keystrokes on a smartphone can update files to reflect that point, log the date and time of this service, add an entry to the invoice-in-progress reflecting the value assigned to this task including the cost of materials, and ultimately print out and send an electronic invoice to the customer. Similarly, if there is some additional service required for the horse, A few keystrokes can note the service and add to the invoice. There’s even an option to receive electronic payment of the invoice.
The ultimate customer has their own Stable Pro account to access information and invoices related to their own horse. There is separation between the various owners’ information.
Because of feedback received, James is planning for more functionality to be added to Stable Pro. For example, there’s a desire to add calendaring to the program. Special lessons or additional training can be scheduled in a convenient and accessible calendar. And there’s the possibility to provide visibility to the ultimate customer to assist in scheduling. Recognizing the fact that todays horseman/trainer is actually a small business has led James to look for efficiencies and to add value to the job.
Using his earnings to grow the ranch, he usually does one event a year primarily for fun, like a concert. This doesn’t mean he cant have fun on the ranch. James bought this Andalusian gelding and says, “I’ve had a lot of fun with him, riding him while practicing with my bow and arrow shooting at targets.”
How did Andalusians get in this story
Andalusian horses are elegant and strongly built with a straight or slightly convex profile. Ultra convex and concave profiles are discouraged in the breed, and are penalized in breed shows. Necks are long and broad, running to well-defined withers and a massive chest. They have a short back and broad, strong hindquarters with a well-rounded croup. The breed tends to have clean legs, with no propensity for blemishes or injuries, and energetic gaits. The mane and tail are thick and long, but the legs do not have excess feathering. Andalusians tend to be docile, while remaining intelligent and sensitive. When treated with respect they are quick to learn, responsive, and cooperative.
Not knowing exactly what he was getting into, James came upon a backyard horseman who had Andalusian foals in a twelve-by-twelve paddock in his backyard. Although he couldn’t get near them, they were so unschooled, James put down the twelve hundred dollars (relatively inexpensive compared to the quarter horses he was purchasing and or selling) for each horse and took them to Fifty Horse Ranch.
Due to his characteristic easy going, firm kindness, the Andalusian horses are now gentle and rideable. Whatever horse he approached, the horse came to greet him, then followed him like a dog.
“…we must never forget, every time we sit on a horse, what an extraordinary privilege it is: to be able to unite one’s body with that of another sentient being, one that is stronger, faster and more agile by far than we are, and at the same time, brave, generous, and uncommonly forgiving.” —
William Steinkraus, Olympic Equestrian
I found the ideal western horseman, his name is James Dexter and there is something about his insides that is good for the insides of a horse.
Carol Schaye has had several short stories published by McFadden’s Women’s Group, Sierra Nevada Ally and other publications. Carol has written for two west coast newspapers and has worked extensively in television. A fan of Flannery O’Connor, Carol studied acting with Lee Strasberg and Austin Pendleton and writing with Salem Ludwig. She attended Marymount College majoring in theater.
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