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'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.
Cutting
saddle: Has a deep seat and wide swells allows the rider to sit
deep and
securely
through sharp stops and turns.
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.
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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