RE-FINDING DIRECTION

(“Direction” – from John Curtin Gallery – by Nicole Slatter – 2008 oil on linen)

Well we are definitely  well into winter around here.  I have to say the snow is still  a powerful healing presence in  my life. I battle with it to get places or to stay dry or warm. But visually  and in some ways sensually it is very opening for that part of me that resides within myself.  I am still grappling with my idea of snow and what it conjures up in my mind.  I still find myself  saying that I don’t like snow, and I really do not like driving on mountain passes in blizzards.  But part of me really does like it – its healing and mystical presence in my life makes me feel cozy and complete inside.  Kinda how you feel when sitting on a river bank, or a mountain top, in a meadow or some other peaceful place of beauty.  Serene…

I feel serene here in Silverton in our wintry wonderland.  I just  have a difficult time seeing this as home. One of  this blogs readers commented on the last post Introspection – Walking The Red Road and brought me back to myself with her insight. See why I write my thoughts down here for all to read? You never know when some sweet spirit will come along to present a new world to journey through and investigate. Thank you My Shiloh Ranch for being that beautiful being in my life.  Your comment made me think past my emotions and desires to re-relate to my true self, I then set out to find other insights that would boost the power within me to be my true self in the face of my recent experiences. Another healing process I guess.

I came along this blog -  Allow Happiness and was pleased at how much beauty there is out there.  Allow Happiness shared a post listing their favorite blogs on happiness and I found them to be fabulous. So wanted to share them here with all of you.  The one in the the list that really spoke to my current situation is the Happiness Blog. Great stuff to think about.  So I am off of my recent introspection of how I got here and am back on what I am finding to be wonderful about being here.  I am also looking at the possibility that my ultimate happiness resides in a very different place  than what I have perceived or desired in the past.  When we think of what makes us happy, we have so many things to weigh that happiness against and those things come from our past as ideals or memories or experiences you want or do not want in your life at present.  Longings that you have nurtured, whether they are truly correct for your ultimate happiness or not. I’m going to do a little experiment on myself this winter. I am going to look to things that are new to me and unfamiliar and seek what within these odd to me things solicits joy from within me.  The first thing that comes to mind is bringing another greyhound in to my life.

(My Greyhound, Future  – 2004-2008 – in her favorite spot – How I miss her!)

Another is bringing Pro back home and getting back into the saddle making project.

(The Hope 1840′s saddle that I plan to build for Pro someday)

For just those two things to happen I am looking at another move and where is that to be?  I’m being pulled South. Toward Bayfield or Pagosa Springs or even Taos, New Mexico.  Taos would put me closer to the Spirits I crave to be close to.  It’s also a long way away from Heather, like 7 hours hours away from her.  There is a town an hour and fifteen minutes North of here called Ridgeway that might just be the ticket also.   The oddity to me here is that I have never considered Colorado a place I would permanently call home. It feels foreign to me to do so and I find myself searching elsewhere for that familiar homey feel.  But maybe I am home.  Maybe having horses in snow is a mystical magical beauty that my inner joy will abound with.  Maybe going camping near the Spirits will be my Church.  I don’t know yet. But I’m going to recreate my optimism for the adventure and see where I end up.

These are some of the things that bring instant sense of joy to me.

1) my horses on pastures

(found at: Western Open Edition Art Prints by Marye Roeser)

2) being near the Spirits

3) being near my daughter

4) my friends

5) being a free agent

6) being intimate with a/my lover

7) caring for and communing with my animal and plant friends

8 ) wearing pretty skirts

9) reading Terry Brooks Shannara books

10) eating breakfast outside

( I think I am going to go get me a breakfast and eat it outside to enjoy our beautiful white magical town)

11) being in control of my happiness

12) experiencing the most subtle beauties in any one moment.

13) creating (anything)

A lot of White Medicine I see here…

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Something from me…  where the wild horse issues are concerned the answer is not slaughter.  Not mass slaughter for certain. Ethical behavior is the answer.  Not every horse will live out his life as in every other species including mankind, someone will parish.  Mass murder of a species is not the answer to government issues, wild life issues, grazing and rancher issues, pipeline for a greener America issues.  Creating a sustainable environment that addresses those issues and the habitats of wild horses is the answer.  When we elected our President  and Representatives and Senators to lead America toward a greener world, we did not elect him or them to murder our horses to do it.

The “Government” does not own those horses.  We “THE PEOPLE” of America do not own those horses, “MOTHER EARTH” owns them.  They are her children.  Stop killing the children!

AHO

“WILD HORSES” – by: Mike “Hawk” Huston (excerpt from Bulls and Beavers)

Captain Smith slows his tired gelding to a stop. Every man and horse in his regiment is either tired or nearly broken. For the life of him, he cannot figure how the savages and their wild horses can consistently outrun and outmaneuver his highly trained and conditioned men and military stock. For ten years, he has chased, tracked, and pursued the savages, and never once has he caught a lone warrior… even on open ground. Maybe instead of shooting the Indian ponies at every opportunity the army should consider commissioning the wild stock and using them for troop movement. Never! He and his regiment would be the laughing stock of the western army…

A modern victim of wild horse slaughter as seen “Straight From The Horses Heart:

Mike Hawk Huston continues…

Today, the wild mustang is still wild and free upon the western plains and mountains; but who can say for how much longer. Their habitat is under attack by those wishing to use the land to graze cattle, sheep, as well as those hoping to open the wild horse habitat for oil exploration. Often times the majestic wild mustang is viewed as vermin by those wishing to profit from their home range. I do not begrudge the rancher for needing graze for their cattle, nor the oilfields for drilling American oil. The media would like everyone to believe that the horses are in need of a drastic decrease because of overpopulation. The truth is, their home range is being taken away so quickly and loss of food sources on crucial winter range to overgrazing is causing the wild mustang to have to fight for survival within their own designated habitat…

(The entire story can be found at Bulls and Beavers)

Livelihoods at stake…

Toas Art School – Wild Horse Photography

Now for some more FANTASTIC (these are must see) images of wild horses by another Photographer check out the link Naturescapes – Wild Mustangs of the Rockies

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Yeah yeah I know I said I was going to cut the links to all the posts to my blog  except for the  Thankful Thursdays etc.  But after asking a few people their opinion, I have decided to leave them.  Plus when I check out the visitors on my stats page most are coming to view those very pages. Ones like Sunday Historathon – 1800′s, maybe I should continue it?, and create a Saddle series, and continue the Cowboy life.  I have a piece from someone I met on Twitter that I have not posted yet for the Cowboy Life series.  It’s a good one too.  There is a gal who may start posting her Thankful Thursdays on THE PONY EXPRESSION too.

I like how this blog reflects my life history both sad and happy, but also has interesting things outside of me for folks to read.

Lesson learned there are no final decisions.

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THE SADDLE

The last couple of saddle posts have generated some good questions, so I decided its time for me to produce my Sunday Historathon – 1800′s entry and Arizona Trail Ride research piece on Paisano’s saddle.  I had planned to post it Sunday, however, WordPress thought otherwise.  So it’s up now.  Go ahead and enjoy it.

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“In 1858 Maricopa Wells was a key relay station for the famous Butterfield Overland Mail Line, the longest mail line in the world.  Later it became even more important in the growth and development of the southwest when a mail route was established from Maricopa Wells into the Phoenix area.  Anyone traveling from the east to the west and all points north had to travel through Maricopa Wells during these years. This mecca in the desert continued to be one of the most important places in southern Arizona until 1879.”

A 16-mule freight team at Maricopa Wells ca.1870. Courtesy of Casa Grande Historical Society

The Above photo and excerpt were reprinted at   85239.com  from “Reflections of a Desert Town” Edition II, by Patricia Brock.   ”Reflections of  Desert Town” can be purchased at the Maricopa Library, Secondhand Pages Book Store, or the Maricopa Chamber of Commerce for $25 and 100% of proceeds will go to the future Maricopa History Room.

Well when I set out write today’s Sunday Historathon I intended to outline the early travel modes across the American southwest desert.  I was foiled in nearly every attempt to uncover exactly what I was looking for.  However the gems I did run across are quite interesting and fun to explore.

First I ran across this journal covering  The American Southwest – Footsteps of the Ancients Expedition, and found the exhaustive research available on this website fabulous reading.  Since much of the Arizona Trail runs through areas covered in this journal,  and the discussion within the journal are based on historic and archaeological studies, I thought it might help everyone get a better minds eye of the kind of country, and historic experience Arizona Trail ride will offer. 

Then off again I commenced looking for stage coach travel in the Southwest.  The best I could come up with was this website  The Overland Trail  about general stage coach collecting.  It does share a lot of interesting facts about many of the makes and models of stage coaches, their producers and collectors, that were in use during the 1800′s and early 1900′s.  While still engrossed in stage coaches I found this encyclopedia’s account which led me to… 

 Jesse James…   who is again appropriate since one of our Spanish Mustang favorite foundation stallions was the famous Jesse James.  Arizona did have its share of stage coaches which led to its share of stage coach robbers which led to…   more interesting outlaw goings ons where stage coach and other misfortunates are concerned here at  Legends of America.  I’ve been lost on this site all day.  I am amazed at how many outlaws Arizona had in the 1800′s.  You never really hear about them less the OK Corral crowd in Tombstone. But this state had its share of bad guys.

So forcing myself back on track I switched from stage coaches to chuck wagons and found this interesting webpage  Chuck Wagon Central can be found on this website,  Lone Hand Western.  Some great history, good chuck viddles, music, and a chuck wagon registry can be found here.

Photo Courtesy of  Ghost Cowboy.com

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Okay its Monday… So I’m a day behind.  Yet I fee compelled to get this historathon on its way.  From here on out every Sunday look for a new photo and new information referencing horse life in the 1800′s

We begin this fun pictorial journey through the 1800′s as seen by horseman and horses.  My purpose for this weekly Sunday post is to share some of the research I am doing on the era in regards to riding Paisano in authentic 1800′s equipment.  In preparation for the Arizona Trail ride and for other equine exhibitions I thought it would be fun to hold a Sunday Historathon.  If others choose to pick up the idea and run with their own Sunday Historathon on any era or subject, that would be fun to follow as well.  I got this idea from our Thankful Thursdays, this blog “Old Photo of the Day“  where the author holds Saturday Mystery Photos contest and readers guess who are in them, and Macro Monday, check out Simrat’s entries here.

So here is my first Sunday Historathon – 1800′s entry:

Set of 8 pamphlets written by Professor Jesse Beery These were mail order books designed to help teach folks how to train their own horses and were actually self published in 1908.  By that time Professor Beery was a well established horse trainer who gathered his information from having lived and trained horses through the  1800′s period.

Prof. Jesse Beery was a probably the most famous horse trainer of his time. He used very interesting equipment, techniques, and theory to accomplish his goals with horses he trained.  I use to have this set of books and like a dummy I sold them.  Bad idea.  The books cover everything from horse temperaments and conformation to stopping run-a-way horses, from trick training to performance training. You may find the information within these books here at Horse Training Book.com.

A little on Professor Jesse Beery can be found here at Miami County, Ohio  Geneological Society.

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I ran across a site today that really excited me. It has to do with custom saddles, horse and cowboy equipment, and Colorado.  So I posted an update to my Dreaming Colorado pages here.  This is a real treat!  Enjoy!

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Hope…  what a big word in my life recently.  Funny thing how it trickles down into very unexpected aspects of life.  Like say, my saddle? 

In the quest to find a saddle that not only fits my horse but also allowes me to explore varying ways of enjoying my horse, I ran across the Hope Saddle of the 1800′s. 

First before we explore the saddle, lets first explore what I want to do with my horse.  Paisano is a Spanish Mustang of above average calibre. He is a very upright imposing sort of horse.  He has Flash and Dash, and he is very sweet. 

Photo by Simrat Khalsa Fine Art and Photography

This is a pretty accurate picture of what Paisano looks like as a gelding.

You can picture this horse decked out under a Confederate General, or a Mexican Vaquero, or an Indian Chief, even a West Texas Cowboy on a cattle drive.  He’d be the favorite.  Paisano so easily invokes images of the times during the Civil War, the Mexican hay day, cattle drives and Indian wars, basically the 1800′s period.  So it really is a no brainer to set an 1800′s period saddle on his back.  This saddle will allow me to do the following with my horse:

• Ride in period and breed exhibitions
• perform in gaited shows
• trail ride
• show in trail course classes

These are the things that call to me and are things that Paisano has clear talent for.  They make it possible to use one saddle, one horse, and explore several avenues to enjoying that horse.

The saddle style (tree) that I have settled with is the Hope tree. It was used across this country by men of military stature in the Civil War, cowhands all across the country, vaquero’s in Texas, New Mexico and California. It birthed the Santa Fe and Californio style saddles.  It was the tree of choice that in many cases sat on the forefathers of our Spanish Mustang breed. 

Below are two saddle makers who specialize in correct authentic replication of the Hope treed saddle of the 1800′s period.

http://www.ushist.com/saddles-tack/period_saddles_military.htm#item-m3

USHistory.com  produces two military versions of the Hope saddle. One the Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston version shown here…

…and the Edward L. Gallatin inspired saddle claimed to have been ridden in by Union General Hugh Kilpatrick  pictured here… 

Below Shooting Star History Saddlery has made a dreamy version of a Santa Fe civilian saddle.

http://www.shootingstarhistory.com/saddlery/hopesaddle.htm

In the end I am really liking the minimalist paired down version. Less is more on this saddle in my opinion.  So my thoughts of new, are to build my own saddle using these prototypes as guides and simplifying them further.

Yes I did say that!  I am going to build my own saddle on the Nikkels http://www3.telus.net/nikkelsaddletrees/  built Hope tree  I am having made for Paisano. I am still considering whether to put sheepskin on the underside or not.  Because of the way the saddle is made I am not worried about having to back track and add it later.  So all is good and happy saddle making ahead!

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After spending a good hour on the phone with Doug Davis of Shooting Star Saddlery http://www.shootingstarhistory.com/saddlery/ we have come to the agreement to have Doug build Paisano’s saddle.  It will be an exactl replica of the saddle pictured below but with a matching breast plate and tapaderos.  Doug and his wife participate in living history reinactments and Doug takes pride in his authentic 1800′s saddles.  Since I want to do exhibitions in authentic 1800′s (the glory years) period tack and costume with Paisano Doug and his Shooting Star Saddlery fits the bill for my saddle maker to a T. This is also the saddle I will be showing in and pleasure riding in.

Thanks Doug, I am looking forward to working with you on this project.

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Well I’m not too certain about the color of the tree and stirrups on this saddle. Part of me really likes it yet part of me thinks it may be too much flash on an already flashy horse.  This is a Hope tree with a 1840′s Santa Fe replica saddle built  on it.  In trying to get this saddle to skew to fit Paisano I was able to see how badly most any tree that is not made specifically to fit him will bridge on his back.  Also if I have this saddle made the rigging will have to move forward about an inch.  This particular tree has ample wither space so should fit Paisano’s withers and high neck set.  If the stirrups were covered with minimalist tapaderos I think the look would be stunning actually.

Another issue I see right off the bat is the placement of the stirrups and fenders.  If I decide to have this saddle made there are few things the saddle maker and I would have to go over to make it work.

An interesting point about this saddle is that it does not have fleece under the saddle. The tree in this case is built onto two large smooth peices of leather that create the bottom surface of the saddle.  I would sit this saddle on a felt pad.

The saddle maker is Shooting Star Saddlery http://www.shootingstarhistory.com/saddlery/

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