Welcome to the Extreme Cowboy Association 

We are excited about 2009 and the many fun filled and exciting Extreme Cowboy Racing events that are on the schedule.  The formation of EXCA has been an thrilling and challenging adventure! Many people have worked tirelessly to create an association that you will be proud to tell your friends about.  This is the latest issue of your monthly newsletter, The Brave Horse.  

You will receive it each month electronically around the middle of the month.  The Brave Horse will be full of interesting stories, EXCA event results, point standings, human interest stories about EXCA members and Tips and Tales from our founder, Craig Cameron.  We encourage you to communicate your suggestions for stories and ideas that will make  The Brave Horse fun, better and more informative.  

The Brave Horse the best newsletter in the equine world.  Please forward your ideas and suggestions to Bill Hull at bhextremecowboy@gmail.com.

PRESERVING THE COWBOY WAY

This month is the conclusion of a four part series by EXCA Founder Craig Cameron sharing his thoughts on Preserving the Cowboy Way.   We know you will enjoy reading it!

The Cowboy Way 

When I was young, during the summers I lived with the Hamer’s – a famous Texas Ranger and his ranching family.  I stayed with C.P. and Harrison Hamer, who were old time cowboys.  I grew up around men who were tough, and from them I learned about the “Cowboy Way”.  They taught me that a person is all about his word and his reputation.  That means that if you say you are going to do something, by God do it!  If you have a job to do, do it – even if it means staying up all night or getting up early.

I learned from the men that you either gain or lose respect every day.  For me, the American West – the cowboy way – is about working for what you want.  It’s not about anyone giving it to you.  Nobody can give you experience; you have to work at it.  You can’t make a great horse without working at it consistently.  The horse keeps us honest in that way.

I have been working in public for over 20 years doing demonstrations.  At sixty years old, I am still starting literally hundreds of colts each year.  These are horses I have never seen before; I don’t screen them first, so I end up getting some very tough horses.  People used to say to me, “Craig, aren’t you scared getting on all those horses?”  Now they say, “Aren’t you scared getting on all those horses at your age?”  I have to stay fit to do that, so when I’m on the road, I work out in the room every night.

Giving these demonstrations, I don’t just deal with the nature of the horse; I am dealing with the nature of the human being.  The nature of the human being says, “Craig Cameron’s coming to town?  We’ve got a horse for him!” and they bring on the tough ones.  To do that, I have to stay physically and mentally tough and I have to be positive.

I rode bulls for a long time and that is a sport about positive thinking and believing in yourself.  Like my friend Ty Murray says, “Never weaken.”  I always try to avoid the bronc ride, but some times you have to make one, so you have to be fit and keep a tough attitude.  You don’t quit; you cowboy up.  A champion is not a man who never loses – a champion is a man who never quits.

I see the old cowboy way dying out; and that’s what I wouldn’t want us to lose.  The many luxuries we now have in the horse industry have become necessities, and I don’t want to see us become soft or dependent on these things.  We need to still be willing to get out there and work; to go back to our roots.  Cowboying is such a wonderful thing that sometimes I ask myself why anyone would want to do anything else.  It’s the greatest life in the world.  Not so long ago, being a cowboy was about getting up early every day and working the cows.  That’s what I like about some of the big riding outfits – the true cowboys are trying to hang on to those ways.  This is what being involved with the horses does; it brings us back.

It concerns me that many of the kids today don’t have a very strong work ethic, and they don’t have a sense of history. Our history is essentially about being in a place where you worked for what you got, and it should be that way today.  It is about having respect for your elders and still saying “yes, sir” and “yes – ma’am.”  When you say “yes-sir” to a man who deserves respect, you are also showing respect for yourself.

Everyone has a little cowboy in them.  I travel a lot, and for me, the last open range is the highway.  I find freedom in going from one place to the next.  At times I go to live with the Crow Indians in Montana, and I like being with the traditional Indians because they appreciate being close to the land and the animals.  Being close to the land is an important part of getting back to our roots.  In fact, the best place to ride a horse is across the countryside; I avoid working in the arena when I can.

Some of the old ways are disappearing, but as long as there are horses, there will still be a lot of cowboying going on.  Horses have much to teach us about hard work, attitude, and understanding; and sometimes, we choose to learn the hard way!  The amazing thing about the horse is that, if he kicks you or bucks you off; he’ll do it with no apologies and no regrets.  He won’t turn around and say, “Boy, I’m sorry about that.”  Instead, what he is trying to say is, “I’ve been telling you – you should have seen it coming!” When that happens, it’s time to be tough, to be humble and to work as long and as hard as necessary to reach an understanding with the horse.  That is the cowboy way.

State and Regional Championships

The State and Regional Championships are just around the corner.  Please remember, that in order to accurately crown your State and Regional Champions, it is absolutely necessary to be sure the EXCA office has received all of the results of local events prior to the State or Regional Championship.  When results come in to the EXCA office, the points will immediately be posted to the database.

The 2009 EXCA World Championship

The 2009 EXCA World Championship is less than two months away!  Qualifiers will begin receiving notification as the Regional Championships are completed in each Region around the country.  Be sure to send in your Entry Form and Entry Fee as soon as you are notified.  It will be a tremendous help for us as we finalize the schedule for each day.  We look forward to seeing many of you in Topeka.  It is always nice to be able to meet personally and put a face with the names that we have been communicating with throughout the year.

It is time for us to begin recognizing the sponsors that are helping us with the 2009 EXCA World Championship.  The presenting sponsor is Purina-Mills; a very special thank you to Ernie Rodina, Nancy Shearer and the Purina-Mills dealers. Big thank you's also go out to Antelope Creek Fly Control, Big River Ranch, Boulevard Brewing Co., Carpenter Farm Supply, CBY Boots, Colt Firearms, Equiface Saver, Instant Replay Video, Intervet, Maynard Buckles, Merrick Studios, Roy Frey Western Lifestyles, Twister Trailer, Wild Rags by Laurie and Y Bar H Outpost and Pet.

We are proud to announce that we have formalized our relationship with Western Shooting Horse magazine as our official publication.  Western Shooting Horse is about a lot more than mounted shooting.  It is about all of the extreme horse sports including Extreme Cowboy Racing, Super Horse, Mustang Makeover, CMSA, SASS and other extreme horse sports.  Each issue of Western Shooting Horse will include an article by EXCA Founder, Craig Cameron.  You will find the article in the section named Extreme Cowboy Corner.  In addition, the EXCA schedule of events will be in each issue along with some timely articles about interesting EXCA members.

We are also proud to announce that we are establishing the Extreme Cowboy Association Hall of Fame.  The EXCA Hall of Fame currently has one charter member.  It is not hard to figure that our Founder, Craig Cameron is the original charter member.  We are adding one member to the EXCA Hall of Fame for 2009.  If you have someone you would like to nominate, please submit that name and the reasons you feel they deserve the honor of being in the EXCA Hall of Fame. Please submit your nominations by email to: bhextremecowboy@gmail.com.   

EXCA Members Are Riding Smart and Riding Hard !

 Your 2009 Extreme Cowboy Association season is racing ahead at full speed with events being held nearly every weekend across the country!  We are receiving reports every week about the excitement and enthusiasm.  We want to extend our gratitude and appreciation to each and every one of you for the tireless effort , commitment and enthusiasm that is making your inaugural season so successful. 

Congratulations go out to all of the following Horse/Rider teams that have finished in the top of their Divisions at EXCA events to date this year: 

All of the top finishers in each EXCA event are listed here by Event name and location and by Division. They are listed in detail on the EXCA website.

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The Brave Horse the best newsletter in the equine world.  Please forward your ideas and suggestions to Bill Hull at bhextremecowboy@gmail.com.