Bring Back The Buffalo - Grace and Skye's Review

January 7
It was forty degrees in the arena. The girls had an unexpected audience - Anahit and Lousin. The boss beamed when she saw the first horse that the girls had chosen to bring in. Skye gave the opening keynote speech.  Shades of Jolie, a registered buckskin shire mare.

"Good morning, Happy New Year and welcome to our review, which I like to refer to as 'The Art of Grace.' We're here to take a look at where we've been, where we are now, and perhaps even touch upon where we are going. When Grace first came to Redbird Ranch there was some focus on getting horses trained, conditioned and in the show ring." Skye paused. What truthfully came next was the realization that Grace had no real interest in the show ring, on any level, but she was very good at handling horses. And for the bosses' part, she would rather buy horses than spend money on show quality tack. Maybe too many horses. 

The boss crinkled her face, still smiling.  That bit about too many horses.  Probably true.

"As we began to work as a team, Grace's strength as a trainer and handler become increasingly evident, and our focus began to shift toward the development of each individual horse, and a sense of what Redbird Ranch would come to be all about. Wisely, wonderfully, and through thoughtful leadership, we have come to focus on the preservation of some of the equine world's rare and genetically endangered breeds, and no horse could express that more beautifully than Shades of Jolie, who also happens to be doing well in the show ring in breed halter."

Grace spoke on behalf of Firebird, the appaloosa mare, who was quite eager to stretch her legs. 

"You might think this is an unusual choice of horses for us to present since we haven't spent a great deal of time finding her performance niche, but we give you Firebird because we think she exemplifies an excellent appaloosa sport horse. We're excited about moving forward with horses of this calibre. I should also mention that she did recently place at the top of her class in halter."

The boss seemed quite pleased so far. 

There was a moment of frigid silence while Skye dragged the very heavy ground poles into the arena and Grace fetched the next horse, Ono, the paint stallion.

Grace spoke on behalf of Ono.
"We present Ono because of his stellar progress. He arrived green-broke, and with a bit of an attitude."

"This was not the easiest stallion to bring around. But he has come around. He is and is becoming a wonderful all-purpose western horse, and he has a good head on his shoulders once he decides to give it to you." 

Grace decided to speak for Jesse too.  The fiery little palomino tore across the arena.

"Jesse will always be one of my favorite horses. He is all heart and courage. He was one of the first green horses that I worked with and he remains one of my favorites."

​Jesse had been a gift to the boss form a very special friend, Richard Rodman, days after her dear friend Jesse Gutierrez passed away suddenly.   So the boss shared Grace's fondness for his heart and his fire. 

"He is versatile, sure footed, willing and honest. I love this little horse, and I think he is a great ambassador for the American wild horse, whether from Mexico or the United States, and he has shown successfully in a number of disciplines." 

Grace was on a role, and spoke for the Lipizzan mare, whose name escaped her at the moment.

"We present to you this lovely mare as both a nod to your taste in horses, and to the good work we have been able to do with her leg injury. She has made a complete recovery, and is sound for work under saddle, or breeding, or both." 

The boss lit up with a wide smile to see Skye riding Loch'sha with only a neck rope. Loch'sha was hands down one of her favorite mares of all time. Once again Grace spoke.

"If horses are going to remain in our lives as we race ahead in the twenty first century, we'll need more horses like this, horses for ordinary people; sensible, sure-footed, versatile, great companions and stellar mounts. Loch'sha has had some performance placings, but we feel her highest and best value is as a real horse...one that can work cattle, navigate trails...or pull a broken Jeep back to the ranch..."

Skye finally got a chance to speak when Grace returned to the arena with the big, pearly Akhal Teke  stallion, Gunner.

"We present to you Gunner, another one of Grace's beloved sort of golden stallions. He's a stellar example of his breed and a testament to the stamina and strength of the Akhal Teke. His fiery personality makes him a ride for the experienced, but his willingness to bond to and work with his handler, also a hallmark of the breed, is what allows Grace to do this..."

"...Liberty longing. As we move toward the goal of preserving the best bloodlines of genetically threatened breeds, Gunner is a great example of accomplishing those goals."

Skye continued as Grace rode the next stallion.
"Relampago en la Pampa. This green broke stallion was one of the first horses Grace rode when she arrived, bareback, just as she rides him now with a rope halter! This Mangalarga Marchador stallion is another great example of preserving the best of a genetic legacy. And of course, Grace likes to show off that she really CAN ride bareback."

Skye was silent as Grace rode in on La Barilla, letting his action speak for itself. There was something leather across the saddle horn...some Spanish regalia? Skye had never seen anything like it before.

Grace and La Barilla executed the side pass. Skye began her narrative.

"No review would be complete without this golden stallion, La Barilla. He is believed to be one of the last if not the last horse from the central valley of California, descended from a wild herd of pure Spanish palomino and buckskin horses, last noted in the wild around 1920. His heritage then would likely be Lusitano, but as you can see, he retains some little bit of wild...a wild that Grace has brought under saddle with poise and elegance."

And then Grace started moving around in the saddle. Skye had no idea what Grace was doing. She fell silent.

The purpose of the leather became clear. But it was too short. Genius, but too short. It should have been long enough for Grace to brace her knees and maybe even her thighs against the pommel of the saddle. Skye held her breath as Grace pulled her feet into the slits in the leather, and then, with some effort, pulled herself up onto her feet.

La Barilla's ears flicked and swiveled. He took very measured steps. As if he was trying to balance Grace. Grace struggled to keep her balance without pulling on the reins. A rope tied to the horn that she could balance with...that would have been a great idea.

And then for a moment, they got it. Grace stood, knees slightly bent, and turned La Barilla slowly in a circle.  One hand on the reins.  One hand free.

And a moment was enough. The stirrup slits were tight. Grace struggled to free her boots, opting to dismount as soon as she had gotten the left boot free.

After a tense moment, the applause. There may only have been four spectators, but the cheering and clapping was thunderous.

"Believe it or not" Skye said to Anahit and Lousin, "that was not the finale', even if it should have been. There is one more act, and it's mine."

Skye disappeared for a moment. She returned with...not a horse.

The bosses' eyes grew wide. 

"May I present to you Toro Toro Taxi. Now what in the world do we have to do with this? Nothing really. Your interest in rangeland management, in alternative methods to the beef industry, to humanity and to the future of the planet...that is what this Raramuri Criollo bull and his offspring represent."

"And he is beautiful, and we love him, now that I am not scared to death of him any more. Now that I have learned that the Raramuri are not only better suited for the land, but also raised to be companions. by the people who share their traditional name."

"Your efforts to encourage the cattle industry to adopt a more sustainable animal, better adapted to the environment, and producing a more tender and higher quality of meat, is very admirable. But I implore upon you to consider an even greater environmental step. Bring back the buffalo."

"Not beefalo. Not buffacows. Buffalo. Buffalo once roamed every part of this land. They were an integral part of the environment. Their slaughter was the beginning of the demise not only of native people, but of the land itself. The health of the land depended on its herbivores, perfectly adapted to the harshness of this beautiful country. Restoring that balance and preserving the genetic diversity of the buffalo is critical. Bringing back the buffalo would heal the land. Respecting the buffalo, honoring the buffalo...that would be healing on so many levels. Don't get me wrong. We love this guy. We don't want to eat him! Please keep him! We love your commitment to doing what's good and what's right. Consider this. Bring back the buffalo."

​Skye paused.

"So, in the immortal words of Shirley Temple...'And that is it, and that is all. Thank you for the use of the hall."

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