Examine both climbing and rambler rose plants for broken and diseased stems. Prune them all, making your cut 3 inches into healthy wood. Discard the cane pieces in the trash as you go.
Trim two of the older canes at the base of both types of plant each year. On climbing roses, only cut canes that are older than two years. For ramblers, retain canes that are 1 year old and younger so next season's blooming isn't affected.
Cut your climbing rose's lateral stems back to 3 inches. Remove enough primary canes -- those that grow off the plant's main trunk, so eight are left. Retain only three or four primary canes if you feel your climbing rose didn't have a vigorous season.
With EXTREMELY overgrown climbers and ramblers, I remove the lateral branches, all together.
When removing older canes, I also use wood glue (in a mustard / ketchup squeeze bottle) to coat the wound. It will help keep pests and fungal infections out of the cut.
I REALLY try to emphasize safety. Please wear protective eye gear when pruning. It is too easy to have a thorny branch scratch your eye. Your hand and arms may suffer enough.
An investment in welding gloves is more practical to me than rose gloves.
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