There are certain things in the UK (and around the world) that we stereotypically associate as 'American'. But the United States is an absolutely huge country, so what may be commonplace and typical in one area, say the West, certainly wouldn't be in Manhattan or Chicago! Nonetheless there are so many things I've always wanted ...
Straight Outta Aiken: Where Horses Learn to Fly & Champions Never Die
Aiken - a name that is steeped in rich racing history and glory for those who live and breathe the sport of kings, and yet will often draw a blank for those who know little of the racing world. But I can guarantee that racing aficionados and novices alike will fall in love with Aiken when they ...
Cold Creek Ranch
Between Black Jack and Rustler Creeks, in the shadow of the prickly pear mesa lies the prettiest ranch I ever did see - Cold Creek Ranch. The Ranch House The outside of this huge ranch home doesn't betray the treasures within, and I literally mean treasures as the house is crammed full of pieces from all over ...
Guns N’ Horses: Learning to Shoot in the Wild West
Back home, America and Americans are often caricatured to be gun totin' rednecks who live and die by the second amendment (their right to bear arms). A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. I have always been taught that ...
Silver City, New Mexico – Land of Enchantment
It just so happens that the closest vet to Cold Creek Ranch is located in Silver City and so when Smoky the Arabian and Butter the Mustang needed a check up, we loaded them up in the trailer and set off from Arizona across the border to The Land of Enchantment, as New Mexico is ...
Cooking with Joe
At 82 years old, there are few things that Joe Cannon hasn't mastered. All the typical cowboy tricks of course, how to ride a horse, how to move cattle, how to lasso a coyote, how to survive on biscuits and canned plums for a week in the snow when you're only 8 years old and ...
The Vaquero Dictionary
So you think you speak Spanish? Well, if you're planning to go and spend any time on a ranch in Mexico, whether you're going to visit on holiday, work there, or even study from an anthropological perspective, there are some Vaquero words that you'll have to add to your dictionary in order to survive. Vaquero/a - ...
20 Things I Have Learnt Living on a Cattle Ranch in Mexico
I have now spent over a month living at Rancho Los Baños in the Sonoran desert of Mexico and I feel like I've been here forever. I've taken to the outdoor life (and the sun) so completely and learned so many things here that I thought I'd share a few... 1) Burning cattle flesh doesn't smell I always ...
Cabalgata de Reyes – Ride with the 3 Kings in the Traditional Spanish Parade
After the new year, when many people across the world are packing away their festive decorations and resigning themselves to the anticlimax of January with a heavy sigh, the Spanish are still waiting for the big event: Reyes! On the 6th of January the whole of Spain celebrate Reyes, the day when the 3 Kings - ...
Flying in the Fifties – A Retrospective by Christopher George
I love to write about travel, and nothing has opened up the world of travel to us so much as aeroplanes, so I decided to call in an expert on aviation and early flights to give me a feel for what it was like - my father. Not only did he step onto some of the ...