I met Tom and his wife Pat in 1970. They owned a small horse ranch just around the corner from my ranch near Vista, California. Tom was a quiet spoken native Californian with Spanish blood. His wife was a beautiful blond haired woman with German or English blood. They were horse people and Tom earned a living trimming and shoeing horses in North San Diego County. He came to my house to shoe my horses, and once he castrated my dog. He did it in the old way without using antiseptic. The dog healed quickly with no infection and lived a long life. Tom was friendly to me and I visited him frequently. I asked him questions to gain knowledge about horsemanship. He spoke to me outside as we looked at Abu Awad his champion bay Arab stallion. The horse protected his yard, and Tom asked me not to get too close to the horse. I sat inside Tom's cozy old house and asked Tom many questions. Tom was polite but likely to keep his knowledge to himself.
Once I rode a high spirited gelding to Tom's house. I complained that the horse stood on his hind legs and that the horse wouldn't stop prancing or trying to run away. Tom's advice was short. He said, ÒSell him and buy a horse that is safe.Ó
No matter how I pressed, Tom kept his advice to himself as many cowboys do. Even my uncles let me ride their horses but never showed me how to do it right. But Tom's wife Pat was willing to tell me some good things about Tom. She said he was the leading cowboy helping to run cattle at the more than four hundred square mile ranch Rancho Santa Marguerita later known as Camp Pendleton. There he became a noted horseman. She said that Tom worked with Hollywood to make a western movie and that they tried to hire him for more movies. Tom's mother helped him refuse the movie contract because she felt the movie life would be bad for him. Tom spent many years working with horses at the huge ranch.
Tom became a member of the California Horsemen a group of cowboys known as reinsmen. The horsemen learned to ride in the old Spanish style using the spade bit. The horses were so well trained that the rider was able to control without ever pulling hard on the reins. It was not easy to become a California Horseman because a man had to be chosen.
Tom used a bosel to start a new colt. The bosel is like a stiff rawhide halter with no bit. The bosel controled a horse by causing pressure under the horses mandible or lower jaw. Tom said, "I believe the mouth of a horse is tender. To train good cow horses you need to be slow and easy with them. Never jerk on the reins of a horse that wears a bit in his mouth. You need to keep his mouth tender so he will learn to follow your movements without stress. A hard mouthed horse is no good. I use a bosel to begin teaching the horse to rein. Then I use a snaffle or broken bit in the horses mouth without reins, but still I use the halter bosel. When the horse is familiar with the bit, I put on reins to the snaffle bit and gradually use the bosel and snaffle together. Everything I teach the horse I do slowly. I never hurry. Gradually the horse begins to have respect for me but not fear. A horse that has fear of you will not do anything you want him to. You need to have respect for and from him. He learns to trust you. Finally I introduce the spade bit. I still use the bosel and gradually teach him to follow the spade bit. It takes a long time."
Tom kept several horses when I knew him. He rode a well trained race horse he used for trail riding, and he used the spade bit. Each year he led a group of riders from Vista through the Pala Indian Reservation to the top of Mount Palomar. It took four days to go up and back. One year my barbershop quartet was hired to entertain the Palomar Riders where they camped out on their way back to Vista. In about 1980 Tom allowed me to join a group of riders he led from the north of Camp Pendleton. We spent two nights camped out on the trail and ended the ride marching down a hill to San Luis Rey Mission to celebrate an annual historical event.
Tom was probably 80 years old when he died. His wife Pat Ramoss took care of his horses, and Abu Awad lived to be 37 years old. Abu had sired many champion Arab horses. Tom Ramoss and his wife Pat will always be a part of San Diego history.