Showing posts with label foals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label foals. Show all posts
04 February 2013
BEST SUPER BOWL AD
I didn't watch the Super Bowl. I don't even have network television. Could care less about it in any event. The ads are available on You Tube. The above from Anheuser-Busch was so sweet. Their Clydesdale commercials are always heart string yankers. The one they run at Christmas with the Clydesdales pulling a sleigh and I'll Be Home For Christmas playing in the background really ripes my hear right out of my chest.
These commercials would get to anyone with a heart but they are special to me for several reasons. From the time I could walk, horses were my life up until I graduated from college. When I was a county fairs were a very big deal where I lived and the Clydesdales always were in the parade and part of the rodeo. They were a little girls' dream. You could go to where they were being boarded, pet them and breathe in that incredibly beautiful horse scent. For this little girl it was like being able to stand in the shadow of gods.
Not much is the same for those of us born 60 years ago or more. The Clydesdales are a thing of extraordinary beauty that have survived. Thank you Budweiser for keeping this wonderful tradition alive for all to see.
©Kinsey Barnard
11 October 2010
Wild Horses of the Pryor Mountains
This summer I realized a dream of mine, to put a tepee down in my meadow. I am quite the romantic when it comes to things Native American. Having a tepee to see and spend time in was just too hard to resist. I finally gave in and purchased one this summer. What really got me inspired was my trip to Glacier and the Blackfeet Reservation. Chief Mountain, Blackfeet Drinkers of the Wind and of course the most romantic tale of all Running Eagle.
So, I ordered up a tepee from some fellows in Livingston. Part of the process was to work with an artist to design the artwork that would adorn the tepee. The artist turned out to be one Nick Knight who lives in the Pryor Mountains. We collaborated over the phone for a few weeks. During that time somehow the subject of the wild horses came up and before I knew it I had an invitation from Nick to visit these last vestiges of a wild and free West.
From the time I could get put on the back of a horse, until I was in my twenties, horses were my everything. I worked cattle on a neighbors ranch. I showed Western, barrel raced and competed in just about every timed speed event out there. But, life got in the way and horses were left behind, not my love of them. I jumped at the chance to see the Pryor Mountain Horses. I arranged to combine my visit with Nick with my already planned visit to Yellowstone National Park.
I was to meet Nick in Bridger, Montana which is the nearest town to where he lives. Nick tells me that there is not only no stop light in Bridger but not a single one in the whole of Carbon County! I left Gardiner for Bridger bright and early. I had been told how beautiful the Beartooth Scenic Highway is so I took that. I've a whole blog post planned for that little junket. Let me just say here I won't be taking Clementine and Shadow over that route again anytime soon.
By the time I got to Bridger and the city campground it was getting on in the afternoon. I was beat. I only had time to hook up Clementine, batten down her hatches and throw some clothes into a duffel bag before Nick showed up to take Koty and I out to his ranch. The ranch was some thirty miles distance over some pretty nasty roads. Shadow would not have been able to make it to his ranch let alone out the the horse range.
In the past Nick has been host to Ginger Kathrens. Ginger probably has spent more time with these horses than anyone else on the planet. Over the years she has given Nick copies of her books and videos and that night I watched a couple of the films. I was captivated. Wild horses have social mores entirely different than domestic horses. I highly recommend these videos.
Bright and early the next morning we set off for the range.There are a couple of ways to approach the range. We came in from the north, the Montana side, because the horses are on the high plateaus until winter conditions drive them down off to the south toward Lovell, Wyoming. I can't say what the roads are like down there but you don't want to be driving a street car if you approach from the north.
Nick tells me people try it all the time and end up having to pay a heavy toll to get unstuck.
Of course one of the things about this plateau is that it makes a dramatic landscape in which to see the horses. It's like they are running free on top of the world.
I'm going to tell you can find photos of these elegant creatures that are far better than the ones I am about to show you. I have to be honest. I was so excited to see these wild horses thinking about photographing them was a nuisance. Except for Nick who was back in the truck I was there with them all alone. It was a truly spiritual experience.
In the above photo a couple of young studs play with one another with Wyoming off in the distance.
The bay stud in this photo was one of my favorites because he so clearly showed his Spanish heritage. I've see wild horses in the Nevada desert and they were kind of a scraggly lot. But, these Pryor horses they are gorgeous.
Here a palomino mare is getting run off by the big bay and his family. I don't know what relation this mare is to Cloud but undoubtedly she is related. Cloud is the horse Kathrens named and developed the Cloud Foundation in his honor. I was hoping to see Cloud but it was not to be.
This fella had a bit of a jug head but you can see what good shape he is in. It has no doubt helped that greater than usual summer rains have kept the grass growing.
One of this years foals.
Another shot with that fabulous, other world background.
We drove around to various place where the horses are known to hang out but we only saw these two families. All in all I would guess we saw maybe twenty five or thirty horses. The total on the range is around 125. But, it was an incredible experience for someone who has horses in their blood. Even though I haven't had horses of my own for many years that bond never leaves you.
I've come to look at this trip as kind of a recon junket. I have been invited to return next July when the wildflowers are in bloom and the thought of it has my photographer genes racing. So, if the gods are willing I will return next July and apply myself to the job of images. Can't you just see wild horses, manes and tails flying, as they run through fields of flowers? I'm there!
©Kinsey Barnard
*
Wild Horses - Images by Kinsey Barnard
*
So, I ordered up a tepee from some fellows in Livingston. Part of the process was to work with an artist to design the artwork that would adorn the tepee. The artist turned out to be one Nick Knight who lives in the Pryor Mountains. We collaborated over the phone for a few weeks. During that time somehow the subject of the wild horses came up and before I knew it I had an invitation from Nick to visit these last vestiges of a wild and free West.
From the time I could get put on the back of a horse, until I was in my twenties, horses were my everything. I worked cattle on a neighbors ranch. I showed Western, barrel raced and competed in just about every timed speed event out there. But, life got in the way and horses were left behind, not my love of them. I jumped at the chance to see the Pryor Mountain Horses. I arranged to combine my visit with Nick with my already planned visit to Yellowstone National Park.
I was to meet Nick in Bridger, Montana which is the nearest town to where he lives. Nick tells me that there is not only no stop light in Bridger but not a single one in the whole of Carbon County! I left Gardiner for Bridger bright and early. I had been told how beautiful the Beartooth Scenic Highway is so I took that. I've a whole blog post planned for that little junket. Let me just say here I won't be taking Clementine and Shadow over that route again anytime soon.
By the time I got to Bridger and the city campground it was getting on in the afternoon. I was beat. I only had time to hook up Clementine, batten down her hatches and throw some clothes into a duffel bag before Nick showed up to take Koty and I out to his ranch. The ranch was some thirty miles distance over some pretty nasty roads. Shadow would not have been able to make it to his ranch let alone out the the horse range.
In the past Nick has been host to Ginger Kathrens. Ginger probably has spent more time with these horses than anyone else on the planet. Over the years she has given Nick copies of her books and videos and that night I watched a couple of the films. I was captivated. Wild horses have social mores entirely different than domestic horses. I highly recommend these videos.
Bright and early the next morning we set off for the range.There are a couple of ways to approach the range. We came in from the north, the Montana side, because the horses are on the high plateaus until winter conditions drive them down off to the south toward Lovell, Wyoming. I can't say what the roads are like down there but you don't want to be driving a street car if you approach from the north.
Nick tells me people try it all the time and end up having to pay a heavy toll to get unstuck.
 |
| Range Roads |
Of course one of the things about this plateau is that it makes a dramatic landscape in which to see the horses. It's like they are running free on top of the world.
 |
| Sykes Peak |
I'm going to tell you can find photos of these elegant creatures that are far better than the ones I am about to show you. I have to be honest. I was so excited to see these wild horses thinking about photographing them was a nuisance. Except for Nick who was back in the truck I was there with them all alone. It was a truly spiritual experience.
In the above photo a couple of young studs play with one another with Wyoming off in the distance.
The bay stud in this photo was one of my favorites because he so clearly showed his Spanish heritage. I've see wild horses in the Nevada desert and they were kind of a scraggly lot. But, these Pryor horses they are gorgeous.
Here a palomino mare is getting run off by the big bay and his family. I don't know what relation this mare is to Cloud but undoubtedly she is related. Cloud is the horse Kathrens named and developed the Cloud Foundation in his honor. I was hoping to see Cloud but it was not to be.
This fella had a bit of a jug head but you can see what good shape he is in. It has no doubt helped that greater than usual summer rains have kept the grass growing.
One of this years foals.
Another shot with that fabulous, other world background.
We drove around to various place where the horses are known to hang out but we only saw these two families. All in all I would guess we saw maybe twenty five or thirty horses. The total on the range is around 125. But, it was an incredible experience for someone who has horses in their blood. Even though I haven't had horses of my own for many years that bond never leaves you.
I've come to look at this trip as kind of a recon junket. I have been invited to return next July when the wildflowers are in bloom and the thought of it has my photographer genes racing. So, if the gods are willing I will return next July and apply myself to the job of images. Can't you just see wild horses, manes and tails flying, as they run through fields of flowers? I'm there!
©Kinsey Barnard
*
Wild Horses - Images by Kinsey Barnard
*
12 June 2010
Blackfeet Horses-American Drinkers of the Wind
Although, I set out for Glacier National Park I found myself more intrigued with the Blackfeet Reservation. On the east side of the park you are on reservation land whether you want to be or not. For some reason I was constantly drawn to the mystique of the reservation.
It's hard to, at least for me, imagine American Indians without horses and yet prior to circa the 1730's the Blackfeet had never seen one. The Blackfeet who roamed the great plains of northern Montana and southern Alberta were among the last Native Americans to know the wonders of the horse. The time before horses was known as "Dog Days" and all portage was accomplished using dogs. All hunting was done afoot. Acquiring horses was a tremendous boon.
Horses were in fact native to North America in prehistoric times but they died out between 13,000 and 11,000 years ago. Horses were reintroduced to the continent by European explorers. Because of their geographic location the Blackfeet were amongst the last Indian tribes to come into contact with the Europeans. The Blackfeet first became aware of the horse whilst battling the Shoshone from the south around 1730.
The photo below is a photo of a photo which can be found just inside Glacier National Park at St. Mary. It was taken in 1914 and I think it's simply romantic and stunning.
On my recent visit to the Blackfeet Reservation and Glacier Park I decided to look around the reservation for some descendants of the ponies that once chased buffalo across the plains. June is prime foaling time so I was not disappointed.
North of St Mary I took a dirt road to, I knew not where, and discovered a small herd of horses with several foals.
Horses, as well as cattle, are pretty much free range and can be found grazing just about anywhere. In the small band that I found was a very new paint foal. Two things I found very interesting about this encounter. First, these horses wanted no part of me and started nervously milling around and moving away as soon as I stopped the car. In the photo below you can see three generations of Blackfeet horses; the sorrel mare, the new foal and the foal's older sibling.
The other thing that was interesting was how quickly the band joined ranks to shield the little paint colt from view. What made this so interesting to me is that there were other foals in the band but it was as though this little pinto foal was a crown prince and to be guarded and protected from the likes of me. It reminded me of the way elephants move to surround their young. Clearly a herd instinct but the little pinto was the obvious object of their concern.
When they got far enough away they stopped and seemed to relax going back to their grazing. The little paint was a fine looking foal with lovely long legs and wild blue eyes. You can't see them in this photo but trust me they were very blue and very wild. He was a prince!
This next fellow, whilst not a paint, I thought was a particularly regal the way he carried himself. It was easy to envision him prancing into battle with a Blackfoot warrior astride his back.
In addition to it being foaling time it was also wildflower time and this fellow was looking quite beautiful trotting off in a field of flowers. But, that was the thing, they were always trotting or galloping off! I'm thinking these horses are not getting a lot of use these days because they seemed wild as March hares to me. You'd have a dickens of a time catching one.
I didn't really put any serious time into photographing these marvelous beasts but now I wish that I had done. I'm thinking I may have to come back next June and try again in earnest. My imagination saw the wind drinkers of the the Great Plains and the Blackfeet who rode them. My heart yearns to honor them! All you have to do is look into their eyes and see the what was and what might have been.
©Kinsey Barnard Photography
It's hard to, at least for me, imagine American Indians without horses and yet prior to circa the 1730's the Blackfeet had never seen one. The Blackfeet who roamed the great plains of northern Montana and southern Alberta were among the last Native Americans to know the wonders of the horse. The time before horses was known as "Dog Days" and all portage was accomplished using dogs. All hunting was done afoot. Acquiring horses was a tremendous boon.
Horses were in fact native to North America in prehistoric times but they died out between 13,000 and 11,000 years ago. Horses were reintroduced to the continent by European explorers. Because of their geographic location the Blackfeet were amongst the last Indian tribes to come into contact with the Europeans. The Blackfeet first became aware of the horse whilst battling the Shoshone from the south around 1730.
The photo below is a photo of a photo which can be found just inside Glacier National Park at St. Mary. It was taken in 1914 and I think it's simply romantic and stunning.
Blackfeet at St. Mary 1914On my recent visit to the Blackfeet Reservation and Glacier Park I decided to look around the reservation for some descendants of the ponies that once chased buffalo across the plains. June is prime foaling time so I was not disappointed.
North of St Mary I took a dirt road to, I knew not where, and discovered a small herd of horses with several foals.
Blackfeet Horses June 2010Horses, as well as cattle, are pretty much free range and can be found grazing just about anywhere. In the small band that I found was a very new paint foal. Two things I found very interesting about this encounter. First, these horses wanted no part of me and started nervously milling around and moving away as soon as I stopped the car. In the photo below you can see three generations of Blackfeet horses; the sorrel mare, the new foal and the foal's older sibling.
Blackfeet Horses June 2010The other thing that was interesting was how quickly the band joined ranks to shield the little paint colt from view. What made this so interesting to me is that there were other foals in the band but it was as though this little pinto foal was a crown prince and to be guarded and protected from the likes of me. It reminded me of the way elephants move to surround their young. Clearly a herd instinct but the little pinto was the obvious object of their concern.
June 2010When they got far enough away they stopped and seemed to relax going back to their grazing. The little paint was a fine looking foal with lovely long legs and wild blue eyes. You can't see them in this photo but trust me they were very blue and very wild. He was a prince!
June 2010This next fellow, whilst not a paint, I thought was a particularly regal the way he carried himself. It was easy to envision him prancing into battle with a Blackfoot warrior astride his back.
June 2010In addition to it being foaling time it was also wildflower time and this fellow was looking quite beautiful trotting off in a field of flowers. But, that was the thing, they were always trotting or galloping off! I'm thinking these horses are not getting a lot of use these days because they seemed wild as March hares to me. You'd have a dickens of a time catching one.
June 2010
I didn't really put any serious time into photographing these marvelous beasts but now I wish that I had done. I'm thinking I may have to come back next June and try again in earnest. My imagination saw the wind drinkers of the the Great Plains and the Blackfeet who rode them. My heart yearns to honor them! All you have to do is look into their eyes and see the what was and what might have been.
©Kinsey Barnard Photography
28 May 2008
Frisky Foal
On Sunday Koty and I took a little junket over to the Amish settlement in the West Kootenai where I shot this series of photos of a foal out in a pasture. The little guy was full of so much enthusiasm and joy it made me smile and laugh out loud!
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