Jake Shoemark's interest in horses and braiding began when he was 10 years old living on the land in Australia, working with cattle, sheep and horses, collecting and devouring 'Western Horseman' magazine and plaiting kangaroo leather belts. His desire to excel with horses was so strong that he flew to the USA and spent over three years working for and studying directly with master horseman Pat Parelli. Jake graduated as a Parelli Professional and has multiple star ratings as a horse specialist. Jake currently handles yearlings, starts horses, and builds a horse's foundation for all disciplines.
Since moving to the USA Jake has become fascinated and dedicated to the history of the California Vaquero and traditional equipment. Jake is currently a full time Buckaroo in Northern California and has had fantastic opportunities to develop advanced braiding skills from multiple mentors. This education, combined with Jakes immense horse-man-ship knowledge and experience produces work unlike any other.
Jake's products are sought after world wide and items include: Bosals, Romal Reins and Reatas. Click Here to see a gallery of products.
Jake prepares rawhide himself from skinning the cow, scraping the hair to cutting and beveling his own string. He also braids with kangaroo leather and uses multiple colors in both rawhide and kangaroo.
Contact Jake by phone, mail or e-mail to order exactly what you want. You can request the length, firmness, strands of braid and color combinations for these products. If you are new to the Vaquero tradition, Jake is more than happy to guide you through the options to best suite your needs.