Ranch & Reata
Ranch & Reata is an acclaimed bimonthly magazine chronicling the culture of the contemporary North American West, with features on art, craft, music, film, cuisine, travel, agribusiness, environmental issues and more. The magazine is a three-time winner of American Horse Publications’ coveted General Excellence Award. $63/year
Undiscovered Country
A.J. Mangum has written about the contemporary American West for more than 20 years. His work has documented the working lives of the horsemen, artists and craftsmen who define the modern cowboy culture. Written over a four-year period (2010 through 2013), the essays and written portraits comprising Undiscovered Country offer an authentic, unromanticized look inside a way of life much of the world assumes disappeared generations ago. 152-page paperback. $14.95
Ranch Tales
The third in a series of books (including the wildly successful Horse Tales and Cow Tales) about ranch and family life in Idaho, Heather Smith Thomas’s Ranch Tales offers a collection of humorous, heartwarming and insightful true stories, each centered on the unique bonds that form between people and the animals – livestock, pets and wildlife – that populate a working ranch. 286-page paperback. $24.95
Rough Patches
Award-winning writer Deanna Dickinson McCall has assembled a powerful collection of stories centered on women in the American West. Shaped by challenging circumstances as well as the equally demanding landscapes they inhabit, her characters exhibit a brand of strength instantly recognizable to readers fortunate enough to know true “women of the West.” Against long odds, McCall’s protagonists courageously stare down adversity in both the frontier era and modern-day ranch country. 98-page paperback. $19.95
Basic Horsemanship
In clear, concise language, Idaho horse trainer and riding instructor Heather C. Thomas shares valuable insight on the fundamentals of horse-handling, providing a vital reference for new riders and a great refresher for experienced equestrians. 144-page paperback. $19.95
Cow Tales
Following the success of her acclaimed collection Horse Tales, Heather Smith Thomas has assembled Cow Tales: More True Stories from an Idaho Ranch, an entertaining lineup of autobiographical essays detailing her family’s adventures raising cattle in Idaho. In the tradition of James Herriot, each story centers on a particular animal or aspect of animal husbandry, offering insight into the resourcefulness required to manage a cattle herd and a heartwarming look at human-animal bonding. 325-page paperback. $24.95
Horse Tales
A collection of 22 non-fiction essays about the horses that helped define the author’s life in Idaho ranch country, Horse Tales is a unique memoir infused with the brand of wisdom that can be acquired only through an existence built around livestock and land. In the tradition of James Herriot (All Creatures Great and Small), Thomas centers each story around a specific animal, along the way sharing lessons on life, family and stockmanship. 282-page paperback. $24.95
Jim Rey’s Sketch Book
This collection features more than 180 of artist Jim Rey’s digital sketches and paintings – many of them studies that would serve as vital references for traditional oil paintings – as well as his insight on the potential advantages of adding a digital step to an artist’s conventional creative process. 206-page paperback. $29.95
Mustang Spring
Deanna Dickinson McCall comes from a family that began ranching in Texas in the 1840s. She has ranched in several western states, including 25 years spent raising her family on a remote Nevada ranch without phones or electricity. Riding on her own ranches, riding for day wages, receiving cattle at sale yards, and selling feed and vet supplies have given her fodder for her been-there, done-that stories and poetry. She and her husband ranch in the Sacramento Mountains of southern New Mexico. 98-page paperback. $19.95
Willing Partners
Peter Campbell, one of North America’s most influential horsemanship educators, shares with readers his lifelong journey with horses – an experience guided by mentors such as Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt – and offers his insight on colt starting, bridle-horse progression and more. In down-to-earth language, Campbell equips riders with the knowledge they need to achieve meaningful progress with their horses, along the way inspiring confidence and dispelling common myths about horse-handling. 90-page paperback. $17.95
Cowboys & Ranchlands
Since 1990, Con Haffmans has traveled the American West, photographing cowboys at work and the environments that define their identities. The resulting body of work, Cowboys & Ranchlands, is an honest and unparalleled tribute to the working cowboy, complete with insightful commentary by Haffmans, who offers poignant observations on western landscapes, horses and friendship. 136-page hardcover with dustjacket. $29.95
Saddles & Silver
Nearly two decades ago, saddlemaker Cary Schwarz and silversmith Scott Hardy began a unique creative journey that’s resulted in some of the finest western saddles ever made. Saddles & Silver reveals the story behind each of the pair’s collaborative efforts, and offers a rare glimpse inside the creative processes of two of the world’s most gifted craftsmen. 200-page paperback. $27.95
Saddlemaking: The Ground Seat (DVD)
Despite its fundamental role in a saddle’s architecture, the ground seat is perhaps the most misunderstood element in a saddle’s construction. Many riders aren’t even aware of its existence. Idaho saddlemaker Cary Schwarz, a founding member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association, leads viewers through the process of building and installing a ground seat in a custom saddle, sharing seldom-seen techniques and offering personal insight on this critical step in saddlemaking. 60 minutes. $45
A.J. MANGUM 