It was great to talk with Jeff about why the Californian Central Coast were so different. We and also chatted about gear, some of the misinformation out there about how the Vaqueros trained their horse. Jeff's second book is nearly ready for sale so we spent some time talking about his books and if he will write another one. ( Yes we will)

 Jeff Sanders was born in Merced California and raised on the Central Coast, right in the heart of Vaquero country. Jeff is a 6th generation Californian. He is one of very few teaching the California Vaquero style of horsemanship
who was raised in the traditions and is truly a Californio himself.

Jeffʼs family has a long history of running cattle and riding stock horses in California, starting over 160 years ago. Jeff’s great, great, great grandfather started working as a vaquero in Petaluma California when he was a teenager in 1854, over a decade before the first big Texas cattle drives. This tradition followed down through Jeffʼs family and he can trace his horsemanship all the way back 160 years on one side of his family and over 100 years on the other side.

Having been raised in the California horsemanship traditions since childhood, Jeff’s parents passed the knowledge down to Jeff the same way it had been done for a couple of hundred years. Staying true to the Vaquero tradition of passing knowledge from generation to generation Jeff learned his horsemanship directly from the source. While books are good, nothing can replace learning both the oral traditions and the practical application directly from those who had it passed down to them from the old time California Vaqueros.

Jeff and his parents took the skills of the old time Vaqueros and applied them, not only on the ranch but also in the competition arena. Jeff credits his as well as his parentsʼ success in competitions to the fundamental principles of old style California horsemanship.

He has also been fortunate to have had the opportunity to apply the skills and philosophies of the old California Vaqueros while day working on ranches in California, Colorado, Wyoming and Nevada.

Jeff still day works when he is home but is steadfast in his dedication to spreading the traditions of the California Bridle Horse throughout the world. Traveling throughout the US, Australia, Western and Eastern Europe and even Israel teaching this style of horsemanship, Jeffʼs hope is that this proud tradition that respects the rider and honours the horse will not just survive but will once again flourish.