Spotlight and Giveaway: Beau: Cowboy Protector by Marin Thomas

Beau's Saddle-Making Hobby

In Beau: Cowboy Protector, the hero's hobby is saddle-making.  He became interested in working with leather in middle school and basically taught himself the art of making a saddle.  

Beau's a busy cowboy rodeoing and helping out at Thunder Ranch but in his spare time he makes saddles that Austin Wright sells in his store, Wright's Western Wear and Tact on Main Street in Roundup.  As a matter of fact, the store is across the street from the Number 1 Diner and Sierra often catches herself starring at the saddles through the diner window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Beau when he comes into town to see if he sold one. 

Beau doesn't have the best relationship with his father and while growing up there were times when Beau just needed to get away and cool off, so he'd retreat to a room at the back of the barn and make leather items.  As he became more gifted, he made saddles and earned extra money.

The Western saddle is the most common saddle used with working horses on cattle ranches. They are the "cowboy" saddles familiar to movie viewers, rodeo fans, trail rides at guest ranches and the heroes in romance books use them. The saddle was designed to provide security and comfort to the rider when spending long hours on a horse, traveling over rugged terrain. The design of the Western saddle derives from the saddles of the Spanish vaqueros- the early horse trainers and cattle handlers of Mexico and the American Southwest. It was developed for the purpose of working cattle across vast areas. A very functional item was also added: the saddle "horn." This style of saddle allowed vaqueros to control cattle by use of a rope around the neck of the animal, tied or dallied (wrapped without a knot) around the horn.

      Roping saddle: Heavy, sturdy saddle that usually has a thicker horn for securing a rope, low cantle, and slick fork that allows rider to dismount quickly when needed.

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Cutting saddle: Has a deep seat and wide swells allows the rider to sit deep and

securely through sharp stops and turns.

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Reining saddle: Has a deep seat to allow the rider to sit deeply and more freely-swinging fenders for more leg movement on the rider's part.

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Barrel racing saddle: Lightweight saddle with wide swells and high cantle which

allows rider to sit securely but also allows the horse to perform fast sprints and

sharp turns.

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Giveaway: I will be giving away a copy of my Harts book Beau: Cowboy Protector and Texas photo frame to one lucky Winner. 

To Enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter Form Below and post a comment:  You know….there's nothing more sigh-worthy than the sight of a cowboy in the saddle….don't You agree?

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***** HARTS Blog Giveaway Alert : There will be a new giveaway posted here every week, where I will be giving away a copy of Beau: Cowboy Protector + Texas Gift to one lucky winner.

PLUS a GRAND PRIZE of $25 GC and a copy of Beau: Cowboy Protector to one lucky winner. ****

(To be eligible to win grand prize - you must have posted a comment on the weekly blog post)

About the Author

Marin Thomas Best-selling Harlequin author Marin Thomas grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin. She left the Midwest to attend college at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she played basketball for the Lady Wildcats and earned a B.A. in Radio-TV.  Following graduation she married her college sweetheart in a five-minute ceremony at the historical Little Chapel of the West in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over the years she and her husband and two children have lived in seven different states but have now come full circle and returned to Arizona where the rugged desert and breathtaking sunsets provide plenty of inspiration for Marin's cowboy books.  Beau: Cowboy Protector is Marin’s 22nd book for the American Romance line. For more information on Marin’s books visit www.marinthomas.com and stop by her blog, All My Heroes are Cowboys, www.marinthomas.blogspot.com where Marin chats about the men who wear Stetsons and Wranglers