As many of you have surmised, I’m not a Western rider. I don’t have anything silver on my sissy endurance saddle, I don’t wear Wranglers – I wear stretchy tights eegads, I haven’t ever worn a Western hat but I do wear a helmet and I don’t own even one Quarter Horse.
But, I loooove the Western culture.
Put me on a Boardwalk in some dusty cowtown filled with Western art, leather furniture, carved wood tables, handmade headstalls, glinting silver and a few real cowboys and … I’m IN! I’d look totally out of place but I’d hang out until they kicked me out. I’d bury my face on an animal print chair in some log framed lodge and breath it all in.
Anyway, my point is that I gravitate towards Westerny stuff, even though you’d never think it to look at me.
I totally enjoy this magazine!
SO, THE MAGAZINE ‘AMERICAN COWBOY’… (no affiliation)
One of the things I like about the Western States Horse Expo that I attend every year, is that there is a magazine booth that offers great deals on subscriptions if you bundle. I like to bundle so it is perfect for me.
Last year, I bundled several horsey magazines. One of them was AMERICAN COWBOY.
While I was at the gityermagazine booth, I didn’t even look through it. I just kinda thought the cover was nice and that maybe I would find some nice photos or artwork inside. I figured I’d have not much in common with the mag since I perceived it to be about meat and spurs or something like that.
Lo and Behold, when the magazine showed up, I flipped through it and was so shocked! – I was totally wrong! It was well written, diverse, had beautiful photography, elegant ads and was marketed to the traditional cowboy/girl who had transitioned into the 21st century.
I really enjoy it!
So, since it is Sunday and I have time to peruse it, I thought I’d bring you along for the ride!
AMERICAN COWBOY – AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2012
I’m just going to post articles I liked so you can get a tidbit of what is generally inside one of these mags…
Inside the front cover was this ad for old movies! I am a movie fan so this interested me. I liked that they release a new one every Tuesday!
I saw this ad and was mesmerized by how this girl could ride-n-rope and still look THAT GOOD. Sheesh! ;)
I always like interviews…
I found this bit of history interesting… This man had an incredible record for capturing bad guys. Way better than anyone today – with no internet!
Trivia in sidebars always catches my attention.
Every issue they compare one thing three different ways. I like that! I also like the graphic presentations.
This is my new favorite monthly article. They poll two famous people who have opposing views on an issue. I find this very interesting and thought provoking.
Yummy! I tend to tear these types of articles out and put them in my wishbook.
ROADTRIP!
They featured this great article on the Quarter Horse. I don’t have any quarter horses so I learned quite a bit…
I cut this out for future reference…
I’m a sucker for charts so I read this totally and referenced every photo.
I COULDN’T BELIEVE this wonderful article was in there!!! They wrote about the Carson City Prisoner Trained Mustang Program! This is where i adopted Rojo! Yay! I hope it brings more success to this already successful program – for the inmates and for the already rounded up mustangs.
These shots accompanied part of the article on the Prisoner Trained Mustangs. I sat in those same bleachers when I adopted Rojo. He carried that same American Flag and was first out when the inmates did their running flag drill!
OK, I’m a fan of the show TOP SHOT – are you? I kinda love it. Anyway, this sort of chart was fun for me and it reminded me of Top Shot.
Well, being a producer, I always gravitate towards TV trivia and movie stuff. So, I pore over the Review part of the magazine. They talk about books, TV shows, movies… and this piece about popular TV Western themes.
This woman is my hero and I was surprised to see her in the magazine. She is the blogger who has become very popular and supports herself through her blog… I wish! Anyway, she writes well (including cookbooks) and has a huge following. I think she has a TV show and a movie deal. I wish, again…
This was on the inside back cover. I’ve written about Wild Rags and find this sort of flair on otherwise quiet Cowboys to be so disconnected yet fabulous! I love the fabrics and colors! So expressive. Anyway, this article talks about wild rags and mentions Buckaroobrand.com.
THANKS FOR HANGING WITH ME AND READING A MAGAZINE TOGETHER! So perfect for a Sunday…!
HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
July Bucket Fund for blind Spirit who was running with a large herd – this is her spine. She is totally scarred and battered. To read her story, click image.
Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
P.S. My son is a Boy Scout, and my daughter was a Girl Scout for 12 years. We have always entertained ourselves by comparing the two organizations. The Girl Scouts will toss you out of camp on your ear for packing so much as a penknife, while the Boy Scouts actually had an axe-throwing event at one camp my son attended. !!! Same idea as the article – see how close to the target you could land one. The “throwing area” was more or less roped off by a single sagging line on traffic cones… I was laughing fit to bust over what the GSUSA folks would have had to say about THAT!
Rose, that’s what *I* wanna know – not bad, huh? ;-)
I am far, far less Western than even you, Dawn, but I, too, would enjoy this magazine. I was trying very hard to read the article about the slave-turned-lawman – that sort of thing is right up my alley. I know exactly who our friend Pioneer Woman is, and yes, she is very admirable in her ambition!
I did have to snork at the AQHA article, though; unfortunately, a great many of today’s Quarter Horses have strayed VERY far from their avowed ‘ideal,’ that’s for sure. Funny how the horse in the drawing has actual sloping pasterns and angles in his hind legs, isn’t as long a bus, isn’t downhill by 3″ and above all, doesn’t resemble a beef cow on steroids…
If you like the western feel, check out the little town (I think it is a town) of Love Valley in NC I have never gotten to ride there but have been there on foot. It is so cool. It had that vibe. One day I will get to take my horse. http://www.townoflovevalley.com/
Love your roundup from the magazine! All very relevant, except I had a startled laugh at the “how to” for throwing an axe, yikes! I get magazines from the same publishing group, but don’t think I’ve gotten more than 1 or 2 American Cowboy. I love the West! (I’m in California :) ) Corinna
Who is the cowboy on the cover???