magazine February 2012

Our February Buckle Bunny

Diane Kazer

Kindred Spirits, Wild Horses

An Option for Adoptions

Americans Oppose Horse Slaughter

Photo courtesy of Bristol MacDonald www.bristolmacdonaldequinephotography.com

FEATURES

8 Herd roun’ the waterin’ trough...Calamity Cate

10 Kindred Spirits, Wild Horses...Sandy Elmore

24 Americans Oppose Horse Slaughter...EWA

28 An Option for Adoptions...R.T. Fitch

34 Our February Buckle Bunny Diane Kazer

44 Tragedy Disguised...Monika Courtney

46 The Wild Horse Conspiracy...Craig Downer

50 Good Reads by Carol Upton \\

Publisher Equine Angle Marketing & Publicity

California, USA

Editor in Chief ~ Producer Cate Crismani

Contributing “Wriders” Monika Courtney * Craig Downer * RT Fitch

Buckle Bunny Cover/Pictorial Photographer Flint Burckart

Contributing Photographers Christopher Ameruoso * Terry Fitch

Laura Leigh * Katia Louise

Advertising Posse Rich Richardson 760.696.6304

“Calamity” Cate Crismani 818.642.4764

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herd roun’ the herd roun’ the herd roun’ the herd roun’ the waterin’ waterin’ waterin’ waterin’ trough trough trough trough or from the desk of Calamity Cate or from the desk of Calamity Cate or from the desk of Calamity Cate or from the desk of Calamity Cate

I got an email last month from Carla Bowers, a

wild horse advocate and friend. She put me in

touch with a gal named Linda Redman who put me

in touch with her friend, Mara Brown, who has a

cable show in West Hollywood called “Living Your

Dreams”. Mara wanted to do a show on horse

slaughter issues as she had recently learned that a

beautiful mare, Sassy , she loved had met her

demise in a slaughter plant. Mara was heartbroken

but determined to make people aware of what is

happening to our horses when owners can no longer be re-

sponsible for them due to economics, health or extenuating

circumstances. Its tragic, but its happening. Our horses are

being sent to slaughter by the very people they loved and

trusted. I called my good friend, Katia Louise, who directed

and produced the documentary “Saving America’s Horses, A

Nation Betrayed” about the horse slaughter industry, its dirty

secrets and the beneficiaries of this horrific abuse. As plans

to do the TV show progressed, Katia learned of another TB

mare destined for slaughter whose name, ironically, is Sassy!

“Saving Sassy” become our team mission and mantra. Katia contacted

Sassy’s owner to make arrangements to move her to Southern California

Thoroughbred Rescue and Caroline Betts in Norco. But first we had to raise

enough money to keep Sassy boarded there for one year. Times are tough for

rescues and some can only take in new horses with a year’s board costs

covered. Determined to save Sassy, we got on the phone to our friends and

asked for donations...we got them...enough for one year and then some. We

raced against time to save this mare from slaughter. Katia got the sense that

Sassy knew she was being saved from death. I believe she did know and I

believe if we work together we can save more horses like Sassy. This was a

team effort and the reward was Sassy’s life. Priceless!

“Living Your Dreams” airs on cable Channel 36 in W. Hollywood, February

7, and runs through May. Enjoy! Besos!

www.buckarooleather.com

Kindred Spirits, Wild HorsesKindred Spirits, Wild HorsesKindred Spirits, Wild HorsesKindred Spirits, Wild Horses ...Sandy Elmore

Sandy Elmore is a horsewoman and photographer who lives in

Potomac, Montana, a small ranching community, about thirty miles from

Missoula, with her family, nine horses, two miniature donkeys, seven

dogs, four cats and twelve chickens.

What is the essence of this woman, now in her 50’s, who has artistically

rendered historical photographs of a dying breed’s moment in the sun?

Elmore is a champion to these kindred spirits and equine brothers to

humanity. “Horses have served us in wars and been our companions for

eons. They are our very symbols of freedom”, says Elmore, “I am one

woman who is trying to help the wild ones survive.”

She has always loved horses, but it wasn’t until her adult years that

Elmore was able to do something about that love. Realizing the potential

the wild horses held in bringing a deep contentment to her life, Elmore

created a lifestyle for their inclusion with over twenty-five years of

involvement with the wild ones. Two of Elmore’s horses are wild

mustangs: one from Stewart Creek in Wyoming and the other from the

Pryor Mountains of Montana. She became passionately involved with the

Pryor horses starting in 2009, attending the roundup in September of that

year and weeks later adopted her beautiful grulla filly, Valerosa.

Elmore would sneak off into the Pryor Mountains to rendezvous with

equine friends Cabaret, Duchess, Kalika, Fortunatus, and Jericho, all of

whom were members of a wild Mustang family living in the pristine

mountains and, now, sadly gone. She knew their histories, bloodlines,

\the foals they had, their ages, what challenges they had confronted and

the magnificent courage they had shown in a beautiful but unforgiving

land.

“Photographing the wild ones was really more of a

technique for me to keep records of the horses”, says

Elmore. “It initiated me into a practice and a deep

study of the authentic bloodlines of these bands; link-

ing them directly to Spain’s Conquistador era, through

the Indian wars, and into the present and they need our

help to assure their survival in the refuge mountains.”

Elmore brings her cameras and camps among the re-

maining wild horses: talking softly to them, laughing

with them, and merging blissfully into this timeless un-

bridled aura of freedom that thrills to the very core of

one’s being. Her capabilities in video production and

her keen artistic sense could not have been more

appropriately directed than to land her in the

Northwest and the tranquil mountain life where her

reflections run deep and her inspirations nurtured so

fully as to feed a heart as big as the stunning backdrop

that is the Wild Montana sky.

Four years ago, Elmore picked up a video camera

with no idea of the passion that would inherently

unfold for her. Not only did she begin to take

beautifully inspiring footage, but she also uncovered a

talent for editing and producing her work as well. She

began her “YouTube” debut by recording her oldest

daughter Ambers’ mountain bike race. From there she

was enticed by Alex Brown to enter his “Horse

Slaughter” video contest. At that time in 2009,

Montana was trying to introduce a bill to re-install

horse slaughter there. She not only made several

videos on that subject, but also testified in Helena

against the bill. (Canada’s government in the northwest

currently has an open season policy on the wild

mustangs) One of her videos “America’s Wild Horses,

A Living Legend in Peril” screened at The

International Wildlife Film Festival as an Honorable

Mention in 2010.

Elmore travels to the Pryor’s several

times a year now, camping at the very

top of the 8,500-foot mountain. Her

current entry is a video project with

singer/songwriter Sharon Anderson.

Together along with Randy Nagel and

Chas Williams, they produced a beauti-

ful music video: “Wild Caballo”, to

honor the wild horses. It can be seen on

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=0nbx4WjjEaI

The song and footage of these horses

is an amazing peek into their days of

leisure, play, confrontations, wander-

ings, and sheer love of running the

wide-open landscape to their hearts

content.

Because of her intimate knowledge of

these horses, Elmore occasionally has

been assigned the heart-wrenching task

of identifying some of the horses that

have died. Fifteen horses are no longer

on the range including Cabaret and his

band. She was able to see his herd alive

in the fall of 2010 for the last time. On

her trip to the mountaintop in July of

2011, she set out anxiously searching

for them and again in August but the

search was in vain and she was unable

to locate them. When she returned in

September, Elmore and her husband

located the carcasses of some horses

that they finally identified as Cabaret

and his band. You can see footage of

this band in her “Wild Caballo” video.

This project is Elmore’s way of

honoring those horses.

“It is sadly ironic that after serving mankind for so

many years, the best our government can come up

with is to punish them for having the fortitude to

survive the severe climate and perils of such an

unforgiving place’, says Elmore, “they have made

these mountains their home yet we have not

embraced their presence. These herds contribute to

our ecosystems in many ways as well as having a

deep link with humanity.”

On a brighter note, Elmore also guides people up

the mountain to catch a glimpse of the wild

mustangs there. “The excitement on their faces when

they see the horses for the first time is a memory to

treasure for a lifetime”, she says.

Her goal with her photography and video work is

to share her experiences and allow as many people

as possible to get a glimpse into the lives of these

beautiful animals and communicate with all the peo-

ple involved with them. Elmore’s many video pro-

ductions can be seen at her YouTube channel (http://

http://www.youtube.com/user/sandyelmore490?

feature=mhee) including one with Canada’s favorite

son, Cowboy singer/songwriter, Ian Tyson, perform-

ing his wild horse tribute song entitled, “La

Primera”, as well as her newest effort “Wild Ca-

ballo”.

When Sandy Elmore is not camping in the Pryors

she can be found playing with her horses or riding in

the mountains on the miles of trails surrounding her

home.

To contact Sandy Elmore email her at

viento3@aol.com

www.returntofreedom.org

A poll conducted in January by Lake Research Partners for the

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)

found that 80% of Americans are strongly opposed to horse slaughter.

The highly respected research group based its survey on 1,008 voters

giving the results a 3% margin of error. The poll found opposition was

consistent across all sectors, including horse owners.

The findings are all the more remarkable given the huge media effort

that was mounted by the horse slaughter lobby following the closing of

U.S. based horse slaughter plants in 2007.

While the effort appeared to have worked on Congress, causing them

to restore funding for horse slaughter inspections, it had the opposite

effect on voter opinion. A similar poll performed a decade earlier indi-

cates that opposition to horse slaughter has increased by almost 10%.

The slaughter lobby, supported by some of the most powerful agri-

culture groups in the country, including the Farm Bureau, the National

Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), the Pork Producers Council

(PPC), the American Veterinary Medicine Association and the Ameri-

can Quarter Horse Association has engaged some of the top lobbying

and PR firms in Washington in a concerted effort to push back against

what they saw as a victory for “animal rights” supporters.

EWA’s John Holland explains “The horse slaughter issue has

unfortunately become part of a much larger battle between big

agriculture and animal welfare advocates. Big agriculture has decided

to protect itself with an aggressive in-your-face strategy designed to

preemptively crush its opponents, real and imagined.”

Hands Down, Americans Reported by the Equine Welfare Alliance

The promotion of horse slaughter is just one of the proxy battles

being waged by the Ag giants. In July of 2011, the NCBA and the

PPC opposed a plan already agreed to by the United Egg Producers

(UEP) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to re-

place existing battery cages with equally efficient environments that

create better living conditions for laying hens. The move showed a

willingness to attack even other animal agriculture associations who

appeared to be bending toward better humane standards.

Perhaps the most bizarre example of this aggressive strategy is SB

610 introduced into the Virginia Legislature this year by State Senator

Dick Black. The bill called for working dogs to be reclassified as live-

stock, effectively removing their humane protection as companion

animals. Following an avalanche of criticism, Black announced he

was pulling the bill and admitting that he had introduced it “to aid the

agriculture and farming community at their request.” He went on to

mention the Farm Bureau and the Agribusiness Council by name.

“This newest poll should serve as a warning to politicians who have

yielded to big Ag bullying” says EWA’s Vick Tobin, “Voters are not

with you on the horse slaughter issue.”

The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues-free 501c4, umbrella

organization with over 220 member organizations and hundreds of

individual members worldwide in 18 countries. The organization

focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation

of wild equids.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Hands Down, Americans Oppose Horse Slaughter Reported by the Equine Welfare Alliance

www.thecloudfoundation.org

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

The BLM (Bureau of Land Management) will be conducting a removal

operation of wild horses within the Stone Cabin and Saulsbury HMAs.

The Tonopah Field Office (TFO) is planning to conduct trap site adoption

for people interested in bringing a horse from these ranges into their

homes. This trap site adoption could be considered a “home range” option

for adopting wild horses or burros.

This option allows prospective adopters to bring their horse home from

the range instead of obtaining the animal from a short-term holding

facility.

Bureau of Land Management Battle Mountain District Manager Doug

Furtado believes that integrated trap site adoptions are the right thing to

do. Mr. Furtado states “In the past, BLM has conducted satellite adoption

events as well as trap site adoptions. Integrated trap site adoptions are

cost effective as no additional expense is incurred as the wild horses and/

or burros are adopted on site prior to shipment to a temporary holding

facility. Secondly, and most importantly, adopted wild horses or burros

are taken directly from the gather to their new homes.”

This is an option that may facilitate a faster adaptation to ‘home’ life

minimizing trauma of transport and the movement that occurs at the

holding facility. This will allow the new owner more control of stimulus

presented to the horses.

“Having an adopter come to the animals home range has other benefits

as well” states Laura Leigh, a wild horse advocate and founder of

Wild Horse Education and VP of Wild Horse Freedom Federation,

“the new owner may gain an appreciation of how this animal has lived

and survived that may also facilitate a deeper understanding and

relationship.”

AN OPTION FOR ADOPTIONSAN OPTION FOR ADOPTIONSAN OPTION FOR ADOPTIONSAN OPTION FOR ADOPTIONS By R.T. Fitch

Wild horses

and burros

removed from

the range are

offered for

adoption to

qualified

people through

the BLM’s

Adopt-a-Horse

or Burro

Program.

Potential adopters must have the proper facilities and financial

means to care for an adopted animal, and we always hope that they

have experience (or experienced assistance) working with a wild horse

or burro, which will help ensure the gentling process. All animals

adopted in this “home range” option will be subject to compliance

check and all provisions will be identical to those adopted at a facility.

No horses will be “sale authority” through this adoption.

If you do not have an approved application and are interested in this

adoption option please begin your approval process as soon as possi-

ble.

To facilitate the public and assist with questions and paperwork wild

horse and burro specialists from the BLM will be on site. Wild Horse

Education will also be present and available as a resource for the pub-

lic.

“This option is being done with the intent to offer the public and

horses something that may prove beneficial,” said Leigh “toward that

end I have volunteered to assist the BLM by helping to answer ques-

tions, offer input on problem solving and follow through.”

http://rtfitchauthor.com

“Working together to find options presents many new possibili-

ties,” said Furtado. “Perhaps through this process we can begin to

expand dialogue into the future.”

“The focus of our advocacy work has always been to improve

conditions for each horse and improve communication,” states

R.T. Fitch President of Wild Horse Freedom Federation “it is

with sincere hope that actions like these begin to facilitate that

end.”

If you are interested in adoption please contact Thomas Seley,

Field Manager, Bureau of Land Management Tonopah Field Of-

fice at (775) 482-7801 or Wild Horse Education at Wild-

HorseEducation@gmail.com

Wild horse photo courtesy of Laura Leigh. All rights reserved.

www.wildhorsefreedomfederation.org

www.wildhorserescue.org

“My heritage may be barely over 5%

Chippewa, but my spirit is 100% Native

American”, laughs our striking February

Buckle Bunny, Diane Kazer. “I was raised with

an appreciation of nature and leadership of a

chief.”

No stranger to competition, hard work and

dedication to obtaining her goals, Diane went

from playing soccer professionally both in the

United States and Germany, to the consuming

regiment of her financial investment company

to a world-class body builder and always

rooted in her Chippewa heritage, love of life

and respect for all living creatures, especially

horses. “I fell in love with horses millions

of years ago and other lifetimes...seriously”, says Diane, “I have had a love

of horses in all forms; with wings, horns, hearts on their gluts, since I can

remember.”

“I started a financial investment business after my soccer career, that I

later sold to pursue a career in fitness and nutrition and that led me to body

building and personal fitness and nutrition consultations to help others.

My current work is multi-faceted and fulfilling. I had no idea when I sold

my investment company, that I would come this far as a personal trainer,

nutritionist, yoga instructor and owner of a wellness and vitamin company.

I own a franchise of ‘Market America’, whose products I utilize in my

practice to help clients completely revolutionize their health from weight

loss to energy increase, pain elimination to anti-aging, non-toxic household

items to mineral make up. I receive dozens of notes daily about how my

advice is helping people feel better, think clearer, look younger, and love

deeper. I’m a totalitarian in that I counsel on every part of the body, unify-

ing the mind, body and spirit just as the Chippewa do”, smiles Diane.

“I have a beautiful horse named Deco since

2008. Deco loves speed and Gymkhana

events, as his father was a million dollar

thoroughbred racehorse in France. We love

trail riding together in the Anaheim Hills. In

fact, he has helped me through my toughest

life transitions. NO money or therapist could

give back to me what he has”, smiles Diane,

“and I recently became aware that although

U.S. horse slaughterhouses were closed in

2007, Congress recently failed to continue

defunding horsemeat inspections, making it

legal for horse slaughterhouses to reopen. . I

am involved in a program called Helping

Hooves, that connects horses to those less

fortunate and have witnessed the positive

impact and benefit these horses have on spiritually needy individuals.”

“I’m organic and raw, the same way I enjoy my food”, laughs Diane, “I

hold nothing back and speak the truth, which is the very blessing that our

horses give to us. If a horse is in fear of something, they show us, if they

don’t like something, they tell us, if they’re hungry, we hear about it.

Perhaps we should let horses inspire us for once, and let them be our guide.

I talk to my horse, Deco, all the time, like he’s a human. I do believe he

and I shared past lives together at some point, and denying our connection

would rob me of my practice of connecting with other humans. I put

horses in the same spiritual playing field as dolphins…intelligent creatures

brought to us by God to teach us something…we just have to open up our

hearts to listen.”

‘Live your truth is my theme for 2012 and get out of your own way”,

smiles Diane. We couldn’t have said it better and are honored to have

Diane Kazer participate in tCmag and anticipate we’ll be hearing more

from her and her quest to raise awareness of our mighty horses!

For more info and to contact Diane Kazer, you can visit her website at

www.dianekazer.com and email her at info@dianekazer.com

Shot on location at Anaheim Hills Saddle Club,

Anaheim, California

Photographer: Flint Burckart

Videographer: Evan Hesse

Wrangler: Byron Mantooth

Creative Director: Cate Crismani

Uber Horse: Deco

Hats by Peter Grimm supplied by Hollywood Hat

Lounge

On Cover: Black fringe top by YASB Apparel

Where in the wide world can man find

Nobility without pride, Friendship without envy

Or Beauty without vanity? Here, where grace is laced with muscle,

And Strength by gentleness confined. He serves without servility,

He has fought without enmity. There is nothing so powerful,

Nothing less violent; there is nothing So quick, nothing more patient.

All of our past has been borne on his back. All our history is his industry,

We are his heirs, he our inheritance. Ladies and Gentlemen –

The Horse.

~ Ronald Duncan ~

Saddle up, SubscribeSaddle up, SubscribeSaddle up, SubscribeSaddle up, Subscribe!!!! Help Support Our Mission to Save Help Support Our Mission to Save Help Support Our Mission to Save Help Support Our Mission to Save

Our Wild Mustangs & BurroOur Wild Mustangs & BurroOur Wild Mustangs & BurroOur Wild Mustangs & Burro

wwwwwwwwwwww....ttttrrrruuuueeeeccccoooowwwwbbbbooooyyyymmmmaaaaggggaaaazzzziiiinnnneeee....ccccoooommmm////ssssaaaaddddddddlllleeee____uuuupppp____ssssuuuubbbbssssccccrrrriiiibbbbeeee

A story, long overdue to be told, reflects the sur-

vival plight of America's last wild horses and bur-

ros. The proof of their evolution in North America

is evident thanks to the works and painstaking

research such as Craig Downer’s, a nationally

renowned wildlife ecologist who reveals their

archeological and fossil evidence and how they

contribute to both the ecosystem and humanity.

The very officials charged with their protection

have over the course of decades inflicted grave

injustices towards these magnificent icons on

whose back this nation was built. Special interests

have taken over the agenda and whole herds of wild

horses have already been extinct, whilst cattle leases are taking over the

very habitat assigned to our mustangs by the 1971 Wild and Free Roaming

Horse and Burro Protection Act.

Mining, drilling and monopolized water control have played a significant

role in pushing our last mustangs and burros into extinction. Fairy tales of

range deterioration, forage depletion and starvation have greatly added to

the deception tactics applied by those assigned to protect these equines. It

is clear: the cruelty inflicted during these stampedes have shocked the

nation with recent footage filmed by press members who not only have to

fight for our mustang's survival, but their very own rights to be present

near a round up to observe the “operations”... which unfortunately are

being dismissed with the clever excuse of “safety issues”. Video footage

of foals run to death, mares collapsing under helicopter and stallions break-

ing their necks... is not a benign affair and, certainly, the agency does not

want you to see.

Most Americans do not know what is being taken from them. The

mustangs, evicted from their rightful range and our public lands, are

auctioned off to cattle use.

Tragedy Disguised By Monika Courtney

Their damage has far more caused harm on the range, yet the few horses

which are enhancing our ecosystem by keeping wildfires in check thru con-

sumption of nutrient-poor, flammable grasses, herbs and shrubs for example

- are being driven off by helicopter chases whose inhumane substandard

have caused a public outrage. This administration is continuing the same

secretive and destructive war on wild horses as Bush started - and Obama's

promise on change rings hollow. BLM increases cattle to run on same public

lands where they are removing horses, despite a congressional mandate to

protect them. BLM ignores its federal mandate to remove livestock from

federal horse management areas and if this continues, your grandchildren

may never see a wild horse in the American West again. You, the American

tax payers, are funding this

gross injustice. The likely illegal

continuance of these round ups

is not only inhumane at best, but

is challenged with litigation and

increasing public pressure. It is a

sad day, when the truth is clev-

erly disguised to benefit special

interests and BLM keeps spend-

ing millions to quickly eradicate

an irreplaceable piece of Ameri-

can history. Biased press cov-

erage is no help either. The traumatizing of the horses is real; the suffering

by cruel treatment a fact, the deaths and killings are not a fabricated John

Grisham thriller, but the story of the reality, which must be told. You and

your grandkids deserve to know, and it is high times we do something

before it is too late.

America's mustangs are the victims of a conspiracy, and you, the tax

payer, the product of a scheme which not only uses your funds to sponsor

this tragedy, but is fooling the American public into a major cover-up which

affects us all. For more information, read Craig Downers latest book, which

includes beautiful photos of wild horses and burros. The title is “The Wild

Horse Conspiracy”. Help save and restore America's last wild horses and

have pride in keeping them in the wild, on our public lands, where they

belong.

Photographs courtesy of Terry Fitch. All rights reserved.

THE WILD HORSE

CONSPIRACY Craig C. Downer

This stirring and amply illustrated book fully justifies America’s

magnificent wild horses and burros while countering the

biased machinations against them. Written by ecologist Craig

Downer, who grew up observing these animals in the West,

it presents new evidence concerning their history and evolution in

North America then describes their many positive contributions to

soils, plants, animals and people. Many of the author’s personal

experiences with these animals, their diverse herd areas, and the

multicolored people involved with them are herein vividly shared.

Urgently required now at the 40th anniversary of the

Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act is a strategy to reverse the

negative schemes that are causing their demise the wild. As described,

Reserve Design provides a way for establishing self-stabilizing popu-

lations through intelligent and caring programs executed with enthusi-

asm. Their lesson for humanity concerns how to share freedom and

the land with such paragons of nature. Soaring beyond mundane petti-

ness and with an inspired vision for the future of all life, the elevated

perspective and compassionate spirit of this book will prove

key to accomplishing its critical goal.

In the wild the vigor of any kind is preserved. And the entire horse

family—as the Earth itself—needs America’s wild horses and burros

to continue at vital levels into the future here in their

evolutionary cradle and worldwide.

Order Craig Downer’s groundbreaking book today.

Visit www.andeantapirfund.com and click on PayPal.

Contact the aurthor for book signings & speaking engagements at

(775) 267-3484 or (775) 901-2094. ccdowner@aol.com.

www.horseworship.com888.60.HORSE

featuring the Wild Horse photography

of Kimerlee Curyl Designed by

Pamela Robbins

The “Freedom Collection” from

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GOOD READS Reviewed by Carol Upton

www.dreamsaloud.ca

Half Broke Horses

A True Life Novel By Jeannette Walls

Since I grew up listening to Dad, I always understood

him completely, and when I turned five, he had me start

helping him train the horses.~ Jeannette Walls

Anyone who has spent time around horses will appre-

ciate the historical tales of Lily Casey Smith, a character

based on the distinctive grandmother of author Jeannette

Walls. The chapters are short and the style is no-

nonsense, almost like a journal whose author did not

have a lot of time to write – and time may have indeed

been very scarce.

Lily lived her early childhood in a Texas dugout, a home with a packed earth floor

made by shoveling out a big hole in the side of a riverbank. The reader is treated to

details of what was required just to keep life going in such a space, where the walls

turned to mosquito-infested mud each time it rained, and goats grazing on the roof

regularly put a hoof through and got stuck. Tornados, droughts, and flash floods were

also simply a part of life. Daily chores were done by hand, as electricity had not yet

reached west Texas, and so children were recruited for every job imaginable. That in-

cluded helping to break horses that had been running in the pastures until two years of

age. The dramatic vignettes contain descriptions of hopping on bareback and basi-

cally hanging on for dear life, learning to let go and roll off to the side if you couldn’t

right yourself.

As a grown woman, Lily married and ran a large Arizona ranch while raising two

children, one of whom is the author’s mother, Rosemary Smith Walls. Life continued

to be an extraordinary challenge, but Lily was never one to back down.

This book, written by an excellent storyteller, is a deeply engaging read.

Jeannette Walls was born in Arizona. Her award-winning memoir, The Glass Castle,

is an international bestseller and has been translated into twenty-three languages. She

is married to writer John Taylor and now lives in Virginia.

Available at local bookstores and Amazon.com

COWBOYS?

by Jeff Hildebrandt

Do cowboys still find time to rhyme when cattle’s bedded down?

Or do they just hop in their cars and beat it back to town?

Do cowhands still swap stories like those hands did years ago?

Or is that bit of history gone like the buffalo?

The romance of the range lives on around the campfire’s light

in the minds of all the wannabes who spend each day and night

doing what those cowboys did a hundred years ago.

And it’s up to full time buckaroos to let them think that’s so.

They long to ride Ben Johnson style with

smooth and flowing grace.

Have a showdown with a grizzled cur and spit right in his face.

They’re living out a fantasy in hats and chaps and vest,

pretending to be real cowhands in the wild and wooly West.

Say what you will of tenderfeet, of dudes and wannabes

but if the West is to survive it’s up to folks like these.

Cause, were it not for wannabes, why use a horse at all?

They’d round up cows from ATV’s while making cell-phone calls.

http://cowboyupamerica.blogspot.com/

WWW.SAVINGAMERICASHORSES.ORG

There’s a Mare By Rob Pliskin

There’s a mare flying ‘cross the range

Mane tangled in the wind That’s blowing ‘cross the vast Nevada steppe

Her tail’s an endless banner A riffling in the breeze

And she’s far from being close to winded yet

You won’t see words as she flies by Upon that silky tail

But pictures painted in red filaree Of all the mares and their bands She’s running to protect with

Des colores of her heart to keep them free

Under the moon this desert night She’s circling with the herds

No dallys taken nor none gave away Outrunning all the hungry men

With money in their eyes Giving peace to her remuda one more day

So if you look inside your heart Des colores you will see and

If you find they seem to be the same Splash them on your wild flanks

And wheel into the wind To follow the mare with the tangled mane

Cause she can’t do it by herself

It‘s never just been one To hold back the howling hounds of hell

Make your peace and join her give Your courage as a gift

For the mares and their herds I wish you well

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Beautifully handcrafted, keep sake jewelry made

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Embellished with sterling silver charms and end

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MERCANTILE MADNESS market for your every day shopping!

Horseworship Apparel debuts its newest line

“The Freedom Collection” featuring the wild

horse photography of Kimerlee Curyl on long &

short sleeve t-shirts and warm hoodies on the front,

and an original poem by Pam Robins, Horsewor-

ship owner and designer, on the back and benefit-

ting Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary in

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complex printing process. We encourage you to em-

brace the subtle differences that make this a one of

a kind garment A perfect gift for the holidays and

a perfect way to help the wild mustangs of

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The materials that go into the making of

Buckaroo Leather Tack and the craftsmanship

employed in its making are elements of the highest

importance. It represents an organization proud of

its establishment in 1979, and ever since catering to

horsemen and women with two generations of

experience and knowledge applied in the making of

riding equipment to the most exacting standards.

Beautiful Hand crafted Old West styling scalloped

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