I was raised on a fifth generation farm in upstate N.Y. and have been around horses for most all of my life. When I was much younger, I worked for packing, hunting and Dude outfits in Arizona and Colorado. We took city folk to the high country for a look at a world they only read about. I met some fine folks on those rides. A lot of my skills came from old cowboys. Passed down thru the generations. Even the oils I use on the leather are a recipe given me by a cowboy named Dick (he’s off to greener pastures now and I gave my word to him that I would not give this recipe to anyone. I have kept it to myself to this day). It gives leather a fine feel, doesn’t build up or turn waxy. Enough of that.
I left the farm when I was 18, I moved to Utah, where I earned my degree in Automotive Technology.
I left Utah after years of adventure in the many spectacular places that Utah offers, including Escalante, Bears Ears, the High Uintas, Snowbird-Alta, and Widowmaker Hill. I moved to Arizona, hired on at an outfit called Wilderness Trail Lobo. I kept all the trucks and trailers rolling, and worked with the horses when something wasn’t broke. And so the real education began. I learned my skills from the many old cowboys I met back in the 80s. Most of them are gone but not the old way of doin tack that ‘lasts longer than the cowboy’.
The affects of years of horses and hard cold ground (hitting it and sleeping on it) have left me stiff and walking funny, but my hands and head still work ( not open for debate). So, after years of living in the 4 Corners area, I’ve wandered farther west to Reno, Nevada.
There are some amazing people living here. The mountains are spectacular! Nevada is brimming with history of the old west, and yet another style and way of building tack. So it is here that I hang my hat and spurs.
- Joyce Rohring
