Post by Okwes on Feb 9, 2007 11:46:15 GMT -5
Horse Program Passes on Tradition to Children
Horse program passes on tradition to children
Youngsters in Montana taught to care for Spanish mustangs
Bob Black Bull, founder of the Blackfeet Buffalo Horse Coalition, is
surrounded by some of the 127 Spanish mustangs on his prairie ranch near Browning,
Mont., on Tuesday. (Associated Press )
_Kristi Albertson _
(http://www.spokesman.com/news/bylines.asp?bylinename=Kristi Albertson)
Daily Inter Lake
December 3, 2006
BROWNING, Mont. – On a ranch just outside of town, the sound of thundering
hooves echoes across the prairie. Small herds of Spanish mustangs, with tails
streaming behind them, gallop across the wind-swept plains.
In the summer, children also run across the prairie. They learn to care for
the horses. They learn to ride. They learn about families by watching
stallions interact with their herds.
It's a safe, fun, adventurous atmosphere where children and horses thrive.
And that's the whole point of the Blackfeet Buffalo Horse Coalition, founder
Bob Black Bull said.
"The main focus is the children and the horses, the horses and the children,"
he said. "It's like the yin and the yang. You can't have one without the
other."
When he started the nonprofit organization more than a decade ago, Black Bull
was told his desire to provide space for children to learn about and from
the rare breed was a pipe dream. Today, however, more than 100 Spanish mustangs
roam the 633-acre ranch, and scores of children flock there in the summer.
"All I can say is the creator is running the show, because I was told 12
years ago it wouldn't make it," he said.
The ranch is successful, but it hasn't been easy. Money is often tight, and
Black Bull refuses to take money from the Blackfeet Tribe or the federal
government. He relies almost entirely on private contributions to feed the
horses, pay the bills and keep the coalition going.
This year, the ranch held an auction to raise money – selling stud colts at a
starting bid of $1,000.
The relationship between the children and the horses has deep-seated cultural
roots, said Olga Horak, who is coordinating the event.
"In the culture of the Blackfeet and, I believe, in most tribes, the children
were responsible for the horses," she said. "So, it's a natural
relationship."
Fostering that relationship and keeping other elements of the Blackfeet
culture alive are some of the coalition's goals, Black Bull said. In addition to
working with the horses, the children learn other skills, such as traditional
craft work, how to identify medicinal plants and how to read clouds to
predict the weather.
"These are things that need to be passed on," he said.
But the ranch is about more than preserving culture. It's also a refuge. It
gives children an alternative to experimenting with drugs and alcohol, Black
Bull said. It gives the rare horses hundreds of acres to roam.
Spanish mustangs are descendants of the horses early Spaniards brought to the
Americas. Those horses were prized by the Blackfeet and other plains tribes
for their speed, agility and hardiness. The tribes used the "buffalo runners"
to hunt bison.
At one time, the West was home to hundreds of thousands of Spanish mustangs.
Around the turn of the 20th century, however, the breed was on the brink of
extinction.
In 1957, Robert Brislawn, of Oshoto, Wyo., started the Spanish Mustang
Registry with the goal of preserving the horses. Currently, more than 3,100 horses
are registered. Black Bull's coalition owns 127 of them.
Simply caring for that many horses is a large portion of the ranch’s bill.
Spanish Mustangs thrive on forage that won’t support other horses, but even
so, Black Bull goes through 125 tons of hay and from 4 to 5 tons of grain each
winter.
There’s also the cost of getting the horses in the first place, though the
prices vary. Some foals have cost Black Bull as much as $1,500. Adults might
cost between $2,500 and $3,000.
It’s not as much as other horses might cost because the main goal isn’t
profit but preserving the breed, Black Bull said. And the mustangs’ real worth
can’t be calculated, he added.
“There’s no such thing as a price you can place on these horses. Their
life, to me, is as important as mine.â€
His love and respect for the horses is evident in the way he interacts with
them. He knows all 127 horses by name and is intimately familiar with their
quirks and personalities.
They all know him, too. Many never have been ridden or even worn a halter.
But they rush toward Black Bull when they see him approaching on his
four-wheeler, crowding around him and nuzzling his jacket, hoping for treats.
He talks about the horses like a father might brag about his children. He
has a story for nearly every horse. He praises their beauty and intelligence.
“They are phenomenal,†he said simply. “They are all wonderful horses.â€
Ten of those “wonderful horses†will be available at Saturday’s Buffalo
Runner Event. Previewing begins at noon at the Bar W Guest Ranch in Whitefish.
The auction will start at 2:30 p.m.
Purchased horses can be picked up that evening or by noon Sunday. Because of
uncertain weather and road conditions, buyers have the option of picking up
the horses at Black Bull’s ranch at a later date or may have BBHC deliver the
horse within Western Montana (free of charge) by June 1.
The event is more than just an auction, however. Singer Rob Quist, a
horseback archery demonstration and a Blackfeet dance in native regalia are part of
the entertainment lineup. Fine art, including a painting by Jack Hines, will
be available for purchase. Hors d’oeuvres, desserts and a nonalcoholic bar
will be available.
Tickets cost $20 a person, and children get in free. For more information or
to reserve a space, call Olga Horak at 257-1187.
Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at
_kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com_ (mailto:kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com) .
On the ’Net: _http://www.buffalohorse_ (http://www.buffalohorse/) .org
Horse program passes on tradition to children
Youngsters in Montana taught to care for Spanish mustangs
Bob Black Bull, founder of the Blackfeet Buffalo Horse Coalition, is
surrounded by some of the 127 Spanish mustangs on his prairie ranch near Browning,
Mont., on Tuesday. (Associated Press )
_Kristi Albertson _
(http://www.spokesman.com/news/bylines.asp?bylinename=Kristi Albertson)
Daily Inter Lake
December 3, 2006
BROWNING, Mont. – On a ranch just outside of town, the sound of thundering
hooves echoes across the prairie. Small herds of Spanish mustangs, with tails
streaming behind them, gallop across the wind-swept plains.
In the summer, children also run across the prairie. They learn to care for
the horses. They learn to ride. They learn about families by watching
stallions interact with their herds.
It's a safe, fun, adventurous atmosphere where children and horses thrive.
And that's the whole point of the Blackfeet Buffalo Horse Coalition, founder
Bob Black Bull said.
"The main focus is the children and the horses, the horses and the children,"
he said. "It's like the yin and the yang. You can't have one without the
other."
When he started the nonprofit organization more than a decade ago, Black Bull
was told his desire to provide space for children to learn about and from
the rare breed was a pipe dream. Today, however, more than 100 Spanish mustangs
roam the 633-acre ranch, and scores of children flock there in the summer.
"All I can say is the creator is running the show, because I was told 12
years ago it wouldn't make it," he said.
The ranch is successful, but it hasn't been easy. Money is often tight, and
Black Bull refuses to take money from the Blackfeet Tribe or the federal
government. He relies almost entirely on private contributions to feed the
horses, pay the bills and keep the coalition going.
This year, the ranch held an auction to raise money – selling stud colts at a
starting bid of $1,000.
The relationship between the children and the horses has deep-seated cultural
roots, said Olga Horak, who is coordinating the event.
"In the culture of the Blackfeet and, I believe, in most tribes, the children
were responsible for the horses," she said. "So, it's a natural
relationship."
Fostering that relationship and keeping other elements of the Blackfeet
culture alive are some of the coalition's goals, Black Bull said. In addition to
working with the horses, the children learn other skills, such as traditional
craft work, how to identify medicinal plants and how to read clouds to
predict the weather.
"These are things that need to be passed on," he said.
But the ranch is about more than preserving culture. It's also a refuge. It
gives children an alternative to experimenting with drugs and alcohol, Black
Bull said. It gives the rare horses hundreds of acres to roam.
Spanish mustangs are descendants of the horses early Spaniards brought to the
Americas. Those horses were prized by the Blackfeet and other plains tribes
for their speed, agility and hardiness. The tribes used the "buffalo runners"
to hunt bison.
At one time, the West was home to hundreds of thousands of Spanish mustangs.
Around the turn of the 20th century, however, the breed was on the brink of
extinction.
In 1957, Robert Brislawn, of Oshoto, Wyo., started the Spanish Mustang
Registry with the goal of preserving the horses. Currently, more than 3,100 horses
are registered. Black Bull's coalition owns 127 of them.
Simply caring for that many horses is a large portion of the ranch’s bill.
Spanish Mustangs thrive on forage that won’t support other horses, but even
so, Black Bull goes through 125 tons of hay and from 4 to 5 tons of grain each
winter.
There’s also the cost of getting the horses in the first place, though the
prices vary. Some foals have cost Black Bull as much as $1,500. Adults might
cost between $2,500 and $3,000.
It’s not as much as other horses might cost because the main goal isn’t
profit but preserving the breed, Black Bull said. And the mustangs’ real worth
can’t be calculated, he added.
“There’s no such thing as a price you can place on these horses. Their
life, to me, is as important as mine.â€
His love and respect for the horses is evident in the way he interacts with
them. He knows all 127 horses by name and is intimately familiar with their
quirks and personalities.
They all know him, too. Many never have been ridden or even worn a halter.
But they rush toward Black Bull when they see him approaching on his
four-wheeler, crowding around him and nuzzling his jacket, hoping for treats.
He talks about the horses like a father might brag about his children. He
has a story for nearly every horse. He praises their beauty and intelligence.
“They are phenomenal,†he said simply. “They are all wonderful horses.â€
Ten of those “wonderful horses†will be available at Saturday’s Buffalo
Runner Event. Previewing begins at noon at the Bar W Guest Ranch in Whitefish.
The auction will start at 2:30 p.m.
Purchased horses can be picked up that evening or by noon Sunday. Because of
uncertain weather and road conditions, buyers have the option of picking up
the horses at Black Bull’s ranch at a later date or may have BBHC deliver the
horse within Western Montana (free of charge) by June 1.
The event is more than just an auction, however. Singer Rob Quist, a
horseback archery demonstration and a Blackfeet dance in native regalia are part of
the entertainment lineup. Fine art, including a painting by Jack Hines, will
be available for purchase. Hors d’oeuvres, desserts and a nonalcoholic bar
will be available.
Tickets cost $20 a person, and children get in free. For more information or
to reserve a space, call Olga Horak at 257-1187.
Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at
_kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com_ (mailto:kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com) .
On the ’Net: _http://www.buffalohorse_ (http://www.buffalohorse/) .org