november 2011 magazine

Our Buckle BunnyOur Buckle BunnyOur Buckle BunnyOur Buckle Bunny

BarbieBarbieBarbieBarbie HardrockHardrockHardrockHardrock from Austria, from Austria, from Austria, from Austria, with lovewith lovewith lovewith love

Wild Horse Nation

And what And what And what And what becomes of becomes of becomes of becomes of the babiesthe babiesthe babiesthe babies????

The Horse Boy’s Horseman

Photo courtesy of Bristol MacDonald www.bristolmacdonaldequinephotography.com

FEATURES

8 Herd roun’ the waterin’ trough

10 Wild Horse Nation...Jeanne Bencich Nations

20 I am a horse...Jim Gath

24 And what happens to the babies…Lynn Gunner

27 The Horse Boy’s Horseman...Charlene Worthley

36 Our November Buckle Bunny...Barbie Hardrock \\

Publisher Equine Angle Marketing & Publicity

California, USA

Director , Producer & Editor Cate Crismani

Contributing “Wriders” Cate Crismani * Jim Gath

Lynn Gunner * Charlene Worthley

Buckle Bunny Cover/Pictorial Photographer

Robert Schoeller

Contributing Photographers Christopher Ameruoso * Jeanne Bencich Nations

Betty Johnson * Charlene Worthley

Advertising Posse Rich Richardson 760.696.6304

“Calamity” Cate Crismani 818.642.4764

SUBCRIBE TODAY

Paypal Online & Apple iTunes Store

www.truecowboymagazine.com

By check (USA only) made out to:

Equine Angle

15021 Ventura Blvd, Suite 521

Sherman Oaks, CA. 91403

trueCOWBOYmagazine, trueCOWBOYradio, Buckle Bunny, Buckle Bunny Corset(s),

Vivo Los Mustangs are trademarked and owned by Equine Angle/Cate Crismani.

All rights reserved. No portion of tCmag may be reproduced without written consent.

tCmag has the right to final edit of total magazine content inclusive of articles,

ads and photographs. We reserve the right to refuse or accept

any advertisement and content. Gracias & besos, tCm.

Please take a moment NOW and make your Please take a moment NOW and make your Please take a moment NOW and make your Please take a moment NOW and make your taxtaxtaxtax----deductible donation www.ispmb.org deductible donation www.ispmb.org deductible donation www.ispmb.org deductible donation www.ispmb.org

herd roun’ the herd roun’ the herd roun’ the herd roun’ the waterin’ waterin’ waterin’ waterin’ trough trough trough trough from the Editor’s Desk...from the Editor’s Desk...from the Editor’s Desk...from the Editor’s Desk...

Another year….WTF? That’s my new catch

phrase. And I use it a lot, daily, by the hour, by the

minute….WTF?

I got slammed from a gal in the same Linked In

group as me claiming I didn’t know what I was

talking about when it came to “HUMANE

SLAUGHER” and the overpopulation and glut of

domestic and wild horses dying from starvation and

neglect.

Firstly and admirably, this women is working to save the last 2500 Asses

in the U.S.A. , explaining to me that “burro” is the Spanish word for ass,

thank you very much, and all I could think was what an appropriate calling

for her, saving asses. I opted out of the obvious to argue my point and

simply stated to her that there is no such thing as “HUMANE SLAUGH-

TER”, do your research and, pretty much, stop being so angry at the wrong

targets. She went on...I got on and off the page.

It’s this blatant disregard for life that infuriates me. Save one, slaughter

the other. Times are hard, horses are being turned out, can’t deny it, but

SLAUGHTER IS NOT THE ANSWER. Breeding restrictions and

Ethical, responsible ownership and if and when necessary, humane

euthanasia, must be law. We need to catch up with what we have, people.

Have you seen slaughter footage?...the effer’s committing the murders,

knife the doomed horses in the spine repeatedly, while they scream for

mercy, struggle to get up, take bets as to how many times that horse will

get up before they just slit its throat and hang it to bleed out. Graphic

enough? Please sign the petition to stop the slaughter of our beautiful

angels, the mighty horse.www.savingamericashorses.org

Vivo Los Mustangs!

Besos,

Calamity Cate courage

www.horseworship.com 888.60.HORSE

Jeanne Bencich Nations, is a renowned award winning photographer

who completed her studies in photography graduating from the New

York Institute Of Photography. She delights in seeing the wild horses

next to her ranch, which is surrounded by public lands where wild horses

still roam free in Northeastern Nevada's rugged high desert country.

Nations has devoted the last six years to protecting the wild horses and

burros. This past summer she adopted two wild burros and an orphaned

wild foal who had lost it’s mother during a BLM roundup. It is her goal to

bring awareness of the wild mustang’s plight to the American public

through her phenomenal photographs and believes the wild ones are being

managed to extinction.

“It is a precious gift for me to be around these incredible wild horses

which are such a great part of our Western Heritage, symbolizing the

romantic west, with plenty of wide open spaces and skies painted with the

colors of heaven”, says Nations. “I become one with nature and all of her

divine glory when I am out photographing."

“Someone once said, ‘It is the horse’s gift to connect us with heaven and

our own footsteps’. Never is this more true or felt than when I am alone

out in the wilderness country with the wild horses. It is only in

solitude that the artist can connect so closely with the earth and all the

treasures that God has so generously provided for us.”

Nations is the founder of the organization, Photographers For The

Preservations Of Wild Horses And Burros, with members all over the

United States and internationally. Jeanne conducts photography

workshops and tours of the wild horses during the summer months with

people who come from all over the country just to witness and capture on

film the power, grace and beauty of the magnificent wild horses, our

living legends of the American West.

Wild Horse Nation Jeanne Bencich Nations

One of Nations’ favorite quotes is from a Dominican Priest, Matthew Fox,

“The scared wilderness is not just something that is out there. There is a

scared wilderness inside everyone one of us and it needs our attention. We

are out of touch with the scared wilderness of our passions; that is why we

see such devastation all around us.”

Her wild horse photographs are magnificent works of fine art , bought by

private collectors through out the United States and Canada.

Jeanne Bencich Nations work can be seen at her gallery in Ely, Ne-

vada \at the Prospector Hotel or online at her websites nationshorse-

world.com and http://jeannenations.redbubble.com where photographic

prints can be purchased. She is also a freelance journalist for New York

Photo World Magazine. Nations is a proud member of Cowboy Artist and

Photographers International.

“Through my photographs or in nature”, says Nations, “I hope we all can

enjoy a respite from our busy worlds and take time to breath in some of the

healing wild horse spirit.”

Copyright 2011 Jeanne Bencich Nations. All rights reserved.

You know me.

We’ve known each other since you were

just a child.

Remember the pony rides at the Field

Days? Remember Fury? And Flicka?

And Silver? And Trigger? And Black

Beauty? And me and my brothers and sis-

ters at the Fair? And that little figurine of

me that you kept on the shelf in your bed-

room?

And do you remember when you got a

little older and you came to ride me one

day? How scared, but excited, you were

when you first climbed up on my back?

And how that fear went away when the

two of us marched off? I knew you were a little scared. That’s why I

took such good care of you. We ended up having a ball that day, didn’t

we?

Now you’ve gone and grown up and made a life for yourself. A lot has

happened in your life since that day so many years ago. You moved or

you got a job or you went to college or you raised a family or a hundred

other things. But I know you remember me because I remember you.

I’m still here. And I miss you.

We’ve always had a great relationship, you and I, going back hundreds

of generations. Our histories are inextricably tied to each other. And it’s

a bond that can’t – and shouldn’t – be broken.

I am a horse By Jim Gath

My ancestors carried your ancestors from the big port cities in the east

across mountains and plains and grasslands and deserts to places where

they ultimately settled down.

Your ancestors farmed the land and my ancestors pulled their plows and

their wagons to market. As a team, your ancestors and mine built big cit-

ies. And together, they delivered all the goods and services to the people

who made those cities their homes. Together, our ancestors made this

country what it is today. My ancestors were big and strong and worked

hard for your ancestors. And, in return, they were well cared-for and fed

and housed to the best of your ancestors’ ability.

They worked and lived together in war and in peace. In good times and

in bad. Under the blazing sun and in blinding snowstorms. They were

happy together, sad together, scared together and triumphant together.

They were brothers and sisters. And neither of them could thrive, let

alone survive, without the other. Maybe that’s why Mother Earth put us

together in the first place. We’re still brothers and sisters. And when a

member of a family has a problem, he or she turns to his brothers and

sisters for help. And I’m turning to you now for your help.

All across this land, too many of our four-legged brothers and sisters are

suffering. Some are starving. Some are in pain. Some don’t have a home.

Some are being slaughtered. Too many of us are in jeopardy.

And it pains me to tell you this, but much of this suffering is being

caused by our two-legged brothers and sisters.

I don’t know why that is – maybe it’s ignorance; maybe it’s indifference;

maybe it’s a loss of the sense of the history we share; and maybe – and I

hate to say this – but maybe it’s greed.

You see, too many of us are being born. Too many of us are being

forsaken because we’ve gotten old or injured. Too many of us are being

ignored or forgotten or dismissed in favor of more material things. The

reasons are as varied as the colors in the rainbow.

I just want you to know it’s happening and I’m scared.

And I’m reaching out to you from across the years and across the

memories for your help. Don’t worry – I’m not asking you for much. Just

a little. I’m asking you to call your representatives in government and tell

them to put and end to our slaughter. I’m asking you to donate a little

every month for food and care for our brothers and sisters who live in

sanctuaries and rescues. I’m asking you to refrain from breeding so many

of us. I’m asking you to volunteer your time for us once in a while.

I’m asking you to teach your children about us and give them the

opportunity to experience the joy we shared. I’m asking you to treat our

lives with the same love and respect with which we’ve always treated

yours. The way we’ve always treated each other. I’m asking you to, once

again, be our brothers and our sisters in deed. To be a part of our lives in

whatever way you see fit. In whatever way you can.

I’m asking you to make me proud, once again, to say: I am a horse.

www.wildhorsefreedomfederation.org

www.thecloudfoundation.org

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Two days before Christmas in 2010, I took a break from

wrapping presents to run through emails. One email

made me forget all the others. It was from Shirley Puga,

Founder of National Equine Education Resource (NEER),

notifying her supporters that the Paiute Indian Reserva-

tion north of Reno, Nevada, had recently culled approxi-

mately 600 horses, some of them mares with young

babies just four months old. As unfortunate events

happen, a good number of these mares were sold to

speculators who buy meat for packers in Canada and

Mexico. Shirley had facilitated a rescue of 22 of the

orphaned foals and was asking for help to get them

placed in reputable rescues and homes.

She wrote that two foals were being placed with the

Pregnant Mare Rescue (PMR) in Aptos, California, but

they didn’t have a way down there. Shirley was asking

for help hauling the foals from Auburn, California down PMR. I instantly

responded to her with a resounding yes and started rallying for additional donations.

The community heard the plea and

funds were collected to rescue four

foals instead of the two.

I immediately connected with

Lynn who runs Pregnant Mare Res-

cue to work out the logistics and

Lynn, her friend Betty and I drove

the four hours to Auburn. On the

way there, I learned about the

Pregnant Mare Rescue and their

mission. Her non-profit rescues

mares and foals from desperate

situations such as the slaughter houses and abuse. Although the majority of horses

rescued are mares and foals, PMR will take in any horse in an emergency situation. In

the five years since its inception, they have adopted out over 60 horses; a huge

accomplishment for a small organization that can only take in a few horses at a time.

And what becomes of the babies?And what becomes of the babies?And what becomes of the babies?And what becomes of the babies?

by Lynn Hummer Photographs courtesy of Betty Johnson

After four short hours, we had arrived at the Shiloh Foundation. At first glimpse,

the foals looked a bit pathetic. Muddy, shaggy, lost, confused and most certainly terri-

fied as they huddled with other rescues at the far end of the pasture. I smiled knowing

that they were going to a good place. It was the day after Christmas and I considered

them a holiday blessing.

The Shiloh Foundation had a huge barn, with a “runway” from the pastures through

the barn to the parking area. I was directed to back the trailer through the door to po-

sition it at the end of the runway and block access to the parking lot. Backing the

trailer in turned out to be the hardest part of the trip. Six foals, including the four go-

ing with us, were soon separated from the rest of the herd and put into a pasture that

bordered on the barn.

The foals

moved as a

group. If one

moved, like a

flock of chicks,

they would all

move in unison.

Some of us were

given lightweight

poles to use as

guides and

Cheryl Rankin,

the owner of the

Shiloh Founda-

tion, brought out

an older mare to

use as a lead. The mare was positioned at the entrance to the barn and those of us

with poles held them horizontally and walked slowly toward the group of foals, mak-

ing a continuously smaller circle for them. As it got tight, they just calmly followed

the mare into the barn. As the group passed a stall, one of the foals was peeled off

into a stall – leaving five.

Inside the trailer was a ripped up flake of alfalfa I had distributed earlier. The foals

got close and one of them peered into the trailer, discovered the food and hopped in.

The rest quickly followed. It took all of 30 seconds to trailer the foals. Finally, we

closed the doors and took off for home. The trip home was uneventful and luckily,

due to the holiday, traffic was very light. We made one stop for gas and to check on

the babies. When we looked into the trailer all was calm and one of the foals was laid

out on the floor sleeping. Maybe she sensed she was finally safe.

go to page 56

www.jwbrookscustomhats.com

www.yoursano.com

Rupert Isaacson is a man on a mission,

a depth and breadth of knowledge, a

sense of humor and more than a touch of

goofiness. He is a man deeply in touch

with his roots in Britain and South Africa

and the world of Africa’s indigenous

people, the Kalahari Bushmen.

Isaacson, a dynamic Equestrian, is

keenly aware of the kinship with horses.

He knows there is a world beyond our

perception and that miracles do exist, as

he, his wife, Kristin, and their autistic

son, Rowan, would discover on the far

side of the world in the mountains of

Mongolia.

Rupert and Kristin married, had a loving relationship and were blessed

with a beautiful, healthy son. They named him Rowan, for the magical

tree of the British Isles, and Besa, after a bushman healer. Then, in 2004,

their picturesque world was shattered when Rowan was diagnosed with

autism at the age of three. “It was like being hit across the face with a

baseball bat,” recalls Isaacson. Rowan was living in a world of his own,

a world few people can comprehend, let alone penetrate. He seemed to

be drifting further away with little ability to interact “normally” with oth-

ers or to use language. Rowan was often gripped by inconsolable tan-

trums, “emotional firestorms”, as Rupert called them.

Then two events coincided: Rowan’s discovery of horses, specifically

the neighbor’s alpha mare named Betsy, and a visit from the Kalahari

Bushmen.

The Horse Boy’s Horseman By Charlene Worthley

Isaacson has long been a human rights advocate for the Kalahari. He had

raised money for six of them to come and plead for their ancestral lands be-

fore the United Nations. Prior to that meeting, the Kalahari met with other

Shamans and healers in the mountains of Southern California. Kristin,

Rowan and Rupert joined them. Several healers asked to lay hands on

Rowan, saying, ‘He is one of us.’ Upon doing so, and instantaneously,

Rowan became calmer and began to speak in coherent sentences. Could this

be a miracle?

Sadly, once back

home, Rowan

regressed. His

speech reverted to

babble except for

one word: horse.

Autism and the

demands of an

autistic child can

take a terrible toll

on a family. The

Isaacson’s came

close to losing

everything.

Rowan was

disappearing into his own private world and at the same time, Rupert and

Kristin’s marriage was heading for the rocks. Then, Rowan discovered

Betsy, the neighbor’s mare, and life changed for the family, again.

Observing Rowan’s quiet demeanor around the gentle mare, Isaacson

knew something miraculous was happening between the two and took the

lead. The horseman and the horseboy began riding together in one saddle,

on one horse, sharing the experience as a deep bond between a father, a son

and a horse blossomed.

The seeds were sown for a journey that would take the Isaacson’s halfway

around the world to Mongolia and to one of the last surviving horse

cultures. A sacred place where Shamanism is the state religion. This

miraculous journey would lead to the establishment of the Horse Boy

Foundation and the Horse Boy Method.

On a recent visit to the Connemara Ranch in Malibu to conduct a Horse

Boy Method Clinic, Isaacson shared his thoughts, “Fifty years ago autism

was almost unknown. Now one out of every hundred people on this planet

is autistic and in some areas, it is one in sixty. The essence of autism is to

be locked within the self. Autistic kids have difficulty relating to the exter-

nal world. This difficulty is exacerbated by the fact that their nervous sys-

tem often gives them misinformation. What feels like a gentle breeze to us

may feel like burning napalm to them. “This extreme sensory discomfort

must be addressed”, Isaacson

said, “so that these kids can

show you who they are.” It’s

not a question of intelligence.

Many autistic kids are

extremely intelligent. It’s a

question of cognition. They

simply have a different way

understanding the world. The

key is to find a bridge between

the two worlds. The horse is

that bridge.”

“There’s nothing theoretical

about this work,” says

Isaacson, “I only show you what Rowan approved. All of the work has been

developed by trial and error.”

Why does putting a kid on a horse work? It has to do with motion and

balance. The constant rocking of the hips as the rider follows the horse’s

motion produces oxytosin, a “feel good” hormone, and anything you do

with finding and re-finding balance turns on the learning receptors in the

brain. This opens the door for learning spatial relationships, math, history,

geography and dealing with transitions, always a difficult thing for the

autistic. Get comfortable with a transition from walk to trot to canter, and

the transition from the car to the parking lot to the supermarket is not so

terrifying. Since most of the known triggers for meltdowns: fluorescent

lights, big echoey rooms, seem to come from the man-made world, it just

makes sense to get the kids out into nature. And, as Temple Grandin, an

extraordinarily accomplished Autist and Ph.D remarked, “Being on a horse

is just so darn cool.” go to page 58

ww

w.r

od

eog

irl.

com

Bureau of Land Management Bureau of Land Management Bureau of Land Management Bureau of Land Management Gather Schedule 2011Gather Schedule 2011Gather Schedule 2011Gather Schedule 2011

www.blm.gov

Herd Management Area Gather

Date

Planned

Gather

Number

Planned

Removal

Number

Kiger 7/6/11 –

7/12/11 132 85

Outside Paisley Bait Trap 7/1/11 -

9/29/11 10 10

Outside Warm Spring Bait Trap 7/1/11 –

9/29/11 10 10

Buck/Bald Complex Triple B

Cherry Creek

Maverick/Medicine

Antelope Valley West

7/16/11 -

8/31/11 1,687 1,579

Riddle 7/13/11 –

7/17/11 87 54

Jackies Butte 8/2/11 –

8/8/11 210 135

Three Fingers 8/9/11 –

8/15/11 250 175

Little Colorado 8/17/11 –

9/6/11 280 241

White Mountain 8/17/11 –

9/6/11 594 455

go to page 34

China Lake Navy

9/2/11-

9/5/11 54 54

Winter Ridge HA

9/10/11

–

9/14/11

200 200

Barren Valley Complex Coyote/Alvord

Sheepshead/Heath

Sand Springs

9/10/11

–

9/30/11

626 258

Spring Creek Basin 9/15/11 -

9/18/11 65 45

Piceance/East Douglas HMA

9/20/11

–

9/30/11

300 300

BLM Gather Schedule 2011 continued from page 32

Herd Management Area Gather

Date

Planned

Gather

Number

Planned

Removal

Number

www.wildhorserescue.org

A true testimony to the reach of true

COWBOY magazine and its mission to

raise awareness of the plight of the wild

mustangs and burros in the U.S.A is our

November Buckle Bunny, Barbie Hardrock,

hailing all the way from Herzogenberg,

Austria.

Upon learning of the wild ones plight and

the international effort to keep them free

roaming, Barbie, and her band, Rocquette,

felt they had to do something. Ms.

Hardrock, a songwriter and musician,

quickly moved into action to write the song,

“Our Fists Against the Dirty Biz” and up-

loaded the video to YouTube gaining the

attention of Anne Novak of the Cloud

Foundation who contacted Barbie. Their

conversation officially launched her and

Rocquette into action with their mission

called “Rocquette’s Spirit of the Wild West

Campaign” with a portion of all the song’s

proceeds donated to the Cloud Foundation.

"In February 2011, I experienced the Wild Horses in Nevada” says Barbie,

“and heard about the roundups done by the Bureau of Land Management. I

felt there was a need to raise awareness about the danger of losing this spirit

of the Wild West. It breaks my heart watching the videos showing brutal

captures, foals getting left behind and standing no chance of surviving, and

horses getting lethally injured. I am strictly against horse slaughter as I was

raised with the idea that horses are our companions, not food. The most

important point is the documentation, so the real numbers of Wild Mustangs

can be shown, and also the public interest in this case needs to be

presented.”

“Growing up I watched and

loved the Wild West movies!

My first experience with

horses, "that I can remember,

was with the ponies at a farm

we used to go to on vacation

when I was a little kid. I took

my first try in horseback riding

then on cute little Shetland

Ponies! I guess I was five

years old. It was more the

pony who was the guide, rather

than me - it was like "wow,

now let´s conquer the world

together!"

"I took lessons in dressage as a

kid, and did one of those

exams that we do have here

in Austria. I found my love in

trail riding, so I would rent a

horse”, smiles Barbi, “During

the last years, I rarely find the

time and opportunities to ride

and I miss it a lot. I am thinking of taking Western riding lessons and

getting into it again.”

"My other love is music. I am a songwriter and musician Music is a

lovely universal and powerful language”, says Barbi, “All the other

musicians out there are part of our inspirations. It is amazing how huge

the impact of a message can be if it is spread through music. There are so

many things one can do to make this world a better place with music. My

band, Rocquette, and I chose to help the Wild Horses as a starting point.

I hope the message will travel around the world! You can do that too not

only with writing music but everyday. Just tell your friends about the

issues! And if you´re even more ambitious, a helping hand can help move

mountains! Everyone can help.”

"There is information about the campaign and, of course, about

Rocquette, and our music online at our website www.rocquette.net. You

can find us on Facebook, Twitter, CDbaby and iTunes too!”, laughs Barbi.

“We´d love to hear from you! If you are a fan, a musician or just

interested in what we do, of if you have questions, suggestions or ideas or,

simply, if you want to write about us or too us, we’d be happy to hear from

you, so just get in touch!"

We are proud to support our November Buckle Bunny, Barbie Hardrock

and Rocquette, and hope you will support them and their campaign to Save

the Wild Mustangs & Burros in the U.S.A. from your own corner of the

world!

Shot on location at Ranch 4 Friends, Getzersdorf, Lower Austria

Photographer: Robert Schoeller

Copyright 2011 Robert Schoeller. All rights reserved.

Styling: Barbie Hardrock

Uber Horse: Quito, the American Quarter Horse

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

www.truecowboymagazine.comwww.truecowboymagazine.comwww.truecowboymagazine.comwww.truecowboymagazine.com

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 ~

www.buckarooleather.com

ww

w.b

ristolm

acd

on

ald

eq

uin

ep

hoto

gra

ph

y.co

m

Bristol MacDonald

www.yoursano.com

When we arrived at

Pregnant Mare Rescue, the

plan was that we would

back the trailer up to a pas-

ture gate, open the gate,

open the trailer doors and

the foals would step out of

the trailer into the pasture.

It was a good plan but re-

grettably Mother

Nature had a different one.

The ground was too wet

and slick from a recent

rain so we improvised.

To safely move the babies 50 yards from the trailer to the pasture we decided to

create a pathway of sorts using pipe corral-type fence panels and Lynn brought out

one of her mature horses to use as a guide. With the help of Lynn’s husband Dave

and his friend Scott, we were finally ready. Lynn held her horse in front of the

trailer and I opened the doors. Not ready to step into a new unknown situation they

stayed at the back of the trailer but after a few minutes of coaxing they calmly

stepped out. Lynn led her horse toward the pasture and the foals followed. Betty

and I walked one fence panel along with them and Dave and Scott walked the other

panel along on the other side, giving the impression of a fence to guide them – al-

though I’m not sure it was necessary. The foals seemed willing to follow the big

horse anywhere. They gladly followed him into the pasture and by the time we got

the gate closed, they were all happily grazing.

One of the first

tasks we had was to

help them settle down

and begin to under-

stand all would be

well. Sitting on a tree

stump with hay your

lap is an excellent

way to do this. As I

sat there very still, cu-

riosity won and they

approached.

go to page 58

From page 25

I will never forget the

moment I first touched

one of these foals on

the neck. The strangest

look came over her

face. It occurred to

me, she had never felt

a hand upon her skin.

She froze and I

realized she was

amazed at how won-

derful it felt. Horse

folks recognize the

funny nose bending

and crinkling into the

pleasure that takes

place. I was speaking

softly to her, smiling

inside. All the while she kept a close eye on me but refused to move.

Over the months at Pregnant

Mare, their confidence grew and

soon they were nickering at the

site of a visitor. Eagerly they

would stick their heads in be-

tween the fence boards as guests

approached. The fear, scruff and

slaughter tags are finally gone.

All four foals have recently

been adopted into their forever-

loving homes. Sapphire and

Sunny are together in El

Sobrante, and Soldier and Faith

are together in Oroville. These

girls, treasures in their own right have many years of enjoyment and love to give.

What a great ending to what could have been an ugly story for these special foals.

Paiutes are the pure descendents of the wild mustang horse. They are considered

by our nation to be a national treasure. One of the last links from our past, they con-

tinue to endure and survive. If you would like to learn more about what you can do

to help horses, please contact Lynn Hummer at Pregnant Mare at

www.pregnantmarerescue.com.

From page 56

www.returntofreedom.org

From page 29 Horseboy

“Humor is an

important part of the

process”, says

Isaacson, “Never let on

that you are teaching

or doing therapy.

Autistic kids get

enough of that! Farts,

scary Grinch-like faces

and funny walks go a

long way. If they are

laughing, they are

learning. These kids

don’t need to be

“fixed,” or made compliant. They need to know that who they are and what

they have to say is worthwhile. In the indigenous world, autism is a job

qualification, not a defect. Autists are the shamans and healers, valued for

their unique ability to travel between worlds. In the “real” world we try to

hide them or “fix” them. Autism is not a problem to be fixed”, he says, “It

is a viable way of being on this planet. When you work with these incredible

people,” he says,” being in service to their dreams, you will, I promise, find

that your own dreams become fulfilled. It’s as if these kids have the capac-

ity to catch and tame dreams. You might call them “dream whisperers.”

So many parents and other people who have dedicated their lives and

foregone their careers for these children have been rewarded with incredible

changes in their own lives. “Follow the child and see what happens” smiles

Isaacson, “What are your dreams, the dreams you had when you were very

young? Have they been broken and buried by the pressures and disappoint-

ments of life? You might even have forgotten what these dreams were. Ask

yourself this question: Is it possible that being in service to these children,

these dream whisperers, will help bring your original dreams to life?

We believe it will.”

For more information about the Horse Boy Method and clinic updates, go

to www.horseboyworld.com Watch the trailer for “The Horse Boy”

documentary coming to Pepperdine University in December and order the

book, The Horse Boy.

Blogged

hhhhttttttttpppp::::////////tttthhhheeeessssoooouuuullllooooffffaaaahhhhoooorrrrsssseeee....ccccoooommmm////bbbblllloooogggg

The Journey Continues

GOOD READS

Ground Manners. A Novel is an innova-

tive synthesis of adventure, romance and

animal advocacy. Cynthia D’Errico has

produced a compelling tale based on true

stories about Canada’s horse slaughter

industry. Through the thoughts of

Ausencia, a slaughter-bound polo horse, the

opening pages introduce us to the horse

refuge run by animal communicator Skye

Spahro and her daughter on Isle-Saint-Jean-

Baptiste.

The horses narrate a good part of the

story as D’Errico performs skillful shifts

from the human to the animal point of view.

These shifts are reminiscent of those in

other classics like Babe and Black Beauty, with that same brilliant seam-

lessness that keeps the reader fully engaged. The themes in this book

require the reader to confront the moral dilemmas often present in horse

ownership and attempt to expand the reader’s vision of horses. Yet the

darkness is never overdone. The storyline is simultaneously about love,

heroes and hope for lasting change in our treatment of animals, the planet

and the very ground we walk. D’Errico’s writing style intimately involves

readers in the lives of her characters, human and animal, in such a way that

their world becomes difficult to leave as the book nears its gripping finale.

Ground Manners is the tale that horse lovers have waited for, but also

essential reading for anyone intent on creating a more harmonious relation-

ship with our planet. It will definitely raise public consciousness and is

sure to spark debate.

Available at: www.groundmannersnovel.com or at Amazon.com

Reviewed by Carol M. Upton – www.dreamsaloud.ca

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/

MERCANTILEtrueCOWBOY virtual mall for holid

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, Horseworship

owner and designer, on the back and benefitting

Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary in

California. Each piece is unique due to the

complex printing process. We encourage you to

embrace 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

Return to Freedom.

Visit us now, place your orders today.

www.horseworship.com 888.60.HORSE

The materials that go into the making of

Buckaroo Leather Tack and the craftsmanship

employed in its making are elements of the highest

importance. You could have no higher guarantee of

quality and workmanship than the name Buckaroo

Leather upon your tack. 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 ap-

plied in the making of riding equipment to the most

exacting standards. Beautiful Hand crafted Old

West styling scalloped Spur straps. Hand tooled

Hermann Oak Bridle leather. Medium oiled for a

rich Golden Honey color. Available in floral carving

or basket stamping. Style SS709.

Order yours today for the holidays!

www.buckarooleather.com 800.873. 0781

MERCANTILE MADNESS trueCOWBOY virtual mall for holiday gifts and every day shopping!

Beautifully handcrafted, keep sake jewelry made

from your horses hair by owner/designer, Yvette

Eddy. What better way to memorialize your dear

friend than by wearing a custom piece of jewelry

made from their tail. Along with creating long last-

ing memories, our jewelry also makes a great gift

for the holidays and any occassion. Whatever the

reason, a horse lovers soul is forever intertwined

with the love of your equine counterpart.

Embellished with sterling silver charms and end

pieces, you will enjoy this special jewelry for years

to come. Let us create a custom piece of jewelry for

you or a gift for your friends. Order early for the

holidays at

www.tailswithatwist.com 909.938.5881

Place Your

MERCANTILE MADNESS MERCANTILE MADNESS MERCANTILE MADNESS MERCANTILE MADNESS

ad here!….Call us for this special

offer and don't be left in the dust

with the holiday rush! calamity@truecowboymagazine.com

818 642 4764

WWW.KIPPYS.COM