Hangin' Tree Cowdogs - Gary Ericsson - Legacy Page

01/11/2026

Forging Ahead: A Future of Purpose and Promise

As a new year dawns and strength has returned, the horizon stretches out—different, but full of potential. Recovery shifted our trajectory, not as a setback, but as a pivotal moment for growth. The time spent healing was carved out for intention; we will not simply be returning to old routines but launching into a new chapter with a clearer map of evolving. Even the suggestion of change usually foments criticism but with most things…a lump of coal for some can lead to a diamond for others.

The fire in HTC never truly fades even if it does not include livestock. Just as an injury does not extinguish a person. It simply banks the coals, demanding that we tend the flame with greater care until it burns even brighter. As we step into the next adventure not weakened but transformed…we ask the HTC community to be part of the journey.

Sharing, growing, suggesting, and collaborating collectively.

This season of stillness was never a blank space. It was a forge. The legacy continues, tested by adversity and renewed by adaptation with a focus on the diverse partnership between handlers and their cowdogs.

Here’s to the new year! May it be stronger, bolder, and have the unmatched partnership of a HTC at your side—ready for every new command, every fresh horizon, and every challenge that shapes both legacy and future. The line continues—adapted, but unbroken.

KM Ericsson in collaboration with CW Ericsson

01/10/2026

A Legacy Tested and Refined

Looking back during the period of recovery, the doctor’s orders were clear: “rest.” The body echoes the command, but in the silence, another voice calls—the echo of a legacy. The partnership we share with our HTC’s may currently be different; however, it is tethered to generations of resilience and grit. Hands, usually busy with work, felt empty.

But legacies are not built on constant action. Their true strength lies in perseverance and adaptability. The HTC lineage, crafted for power and intelligence, demanded that we match its will, especially in unexpected ways during recovery. Our dogs watched, not with impatience, but with keen assessment. How do we move forward, evolve, and find new challenges.

Focusing on Potential New Foundations
• Timeless Standards: Revisiting the foundational obedience that every great working line is built upon and channeling it into said potential new areas beyond ranch work.
• Reconnecting to History: Hours were spent tracing our dog’s pedigrees, reminding us both of the vision that “Dad” Gary Ericsson created was not to be tampered with through cross-breeding, etc.

In these moments, the true meaning of legacy became clear. It was never just about the ability to work—it was about the will to adapt. Gary and Choc Ericsson forged the HTC line through partnership and resilience; we will be focusing on that principle.

KM Ericsson in collaboration with CW Ericsson

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12/14/2025

Yes…

We have been quiet, not silent, but rather using recovery time to focus on new and exciting perspectives. Injury forged deeper bonds in some arenas, letting go in others, understanding of an enduring legacy, and a focus on smarter paths forward for the new year. The next generation, so to speak.

But first, a prologue.

From Stillness to Strategy: Embracing the Pause
My husband was injured in the line of duty, which, in turn, also encompassed my family. For weeks, months, and the past two years…the regular pulse of a working partnership in law enforcement and emergency services faded into a quiet rhythm of surgeries, doctor appointments, therapy, making sacrifices, and just trying to gut it out. The only “calls” that remained were echoes in memory, and the daily work transformed into a stubborn, gentle labor of healing. An injury brings life to a halt, especially for those whose very existence thrives on movement and challenge. In that enforced stillness, frustration simmers; you miss the drive, helping others, and the sharp focus of work as we knew it. Then comes the anger and guilt of not being whole, being limited to what you can do for your family, and wondering how you move past being a different form of yourself. Injury also came during a period of coping with the tremendous loss and grief of now three parents and caring for a fourth. Lost in all of those weeds was a dog we inherited and another pup we acquired with the intention of trialing. Both of which, we were unable to “properly train” in the footsteps of Dad Ericsson. It is the latter that we asked with every glance, “What’s our mission now?” with our non-working HTC’s. We are a new generation, so the old ways of the family no longer apply when it comes to a non-working dog who still has the strongest genetic perseverance to excel.
During our pause, a realization dawned: this was not an empty time but a vital phase in progression. It was a strategic recalibration, a reset for mind and body. When movement is restricted, engagement shifts—and the “work” evolves into something deeper.

Reimagining Connection: New Forms of Engagement-Goals
• Featuring those who continue to embody Dad’s vision and training principles.
• Introducing handlers and HTC partnerships that are making new, groundbreaking progress, even internationally.
• New potential roles and evolution of the HTC as ranching changes.
• Modernizing time-proven training principles and making it more available on different platforms.
• Studying, planning, and sharing different concepts that harness the incredibly diverse genetics of the HTC.

This quieter period has taught our family patience, subtle observance, and trust that does not demand a full sprint. Additionally, the need for engagement. In the period of healing, our dogs, though hobbled…still exuded the heart of the Hangin’ Tree Cowdog and loyalty. A valuable lesson to us all.

More to come…KM Ericsson, in collaboration with CW Ericsson

12/14/2025

All the gratitude 🙏

09/25/2024