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TIERRA ENCANTADO • New Mexico Cowboy
Four hundred years ago, Spaniards introduced the horse to the American West. El caballo, as the Spanish called him, had a profound effect on this new world. The horse provided transportation for the padres, gave Native Americans mobility. And for the Vaqueros, he provided the underpinnings for the ranching culture and the foundation for the American Cowboy.
The descendants of those early settlers still live in New Mexico and many of them still speak the dialect of the Conquistadors. The foundation the Spaniards laid for ranching is still practiced on the big spreads — the Bell Ranch, Pecos Ranch and San Cristobal Ranch. It’s all part of this great Southwestern melting pot where Spanish, Indian and Anglo come together, each preserving their own traditions, but forging a colorful culture unique to Tierra Encantado — the land of enchantment. 96 miunutes. BUY NOW
SCENES FROM TIERRA ENCANTADO
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Spaniards brought the ranching traditions to the West. Historian Donald Chavez, a descendant of those early settlers, describes Onate's 1609 expedition from Mexico to Santa Fe in 1609.

Boca Colonial Horses.The horses the Spaniards brought changed the West and profoundly changed the American Native culture. Joty Baca, through selective breeding, has kept the bloodline strong. These little colonial horses are intelligent and have amazing endurance.

Cattle on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Artist, cattleman Gary Morton lease land on the reservation to fatten his cattle during the summers. He and his crew rough it in range tepees. This gives Gary inspiration for his cowboy paintings.

The Bell Ranch. One of the most famous randhes in New Mexico is the Bell Ranch. So large it had it's own zip code. This ranch became a cattle ranch when Texas punchers brought herds up the Goodnight Loving Trail. You saw a lot of Texas influence here... the crew all use the hard and fast style of roping.
Branding Season on the Singleton Ranches. Branding starts late Spring and crews from all the ranches work together over several weeks to get all the cattle branded. Their day starts at 4 am and by lunch they will have branded a couple hundred calves.

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