Monday

The feelings of Native Americans for their historic companions are simple: “It’s true love, that’s it.”

Horses forever changed life on the Great Plains. They allowed tribes to hunt more buffalo than ever before. They tipped the balance of power in favor of mounted warriors. And they became prized as wealth. For Native Americans today, horses endure as an emblem of tradition and a source of pride, pageantry, and healing.

Horses had opened new possibilities. They allowed men to hunt buffalo more productively than ever before, to range farther, to make devastating raids against other tribes. They relieved women of some onerous duties, such as lugging possessions from camp to camp. They tipped the balance, in population growth and territorial expansion, between hunting tribes and farming tribes, favoring the former. They also replaced the only previously domesticated animal in North America, the dog, which was much smaller and weaker and had to be fed meat. A horse could live off the land, eating what people and dogs didn’t want: grass. When drought or winter snows made grass unavailable, it could even survive on cottonwood bark.

You embrace skills and a passion that have come down from your ancestors; you learn the skills from your elders and make the passion your own; you become proficient, then expert, then generous with your expertise; you care for your animals smartly and lovingly; you pass the favor along to younger kin. You make your family proud and whole. That’s the ultimate Indian relay.




















Responses to "Photos showcase the unbreakable bond with Native Women and Horses."

  1. This is simply stunning! I am Irish, and have slightly later in life, aged 46, started to learn to ride and spend as much time as I can around horses. I bought a horse in February, and it is true love, I have told many people this. In fact, I tell my partner that it is just a different form of true love, as I have for him. Wonderful post, thanks! :)

  2. Anonymous says:

    So beautifull! Both the women, the dress and the horses!! I'm learning to speak horse. It is so helpfulll in handling and riding them!

  3. Unknown says:

    Magnificent, heartwarming ~

  4. Unknown says:

    Just beautiful to see. TY for the this.

  5. Dave Robinson says:

    Beautiful especially love to see the young girls ride and the joy on their faces

  6. Unknown says:

    Beautiful photos of these woman and horses adorned with Native American spirit.

  7. Art Noble says:

    Of course it is love. Look at the joy in their smiles.

  8. Anonymous says:

    The photos are absolutely beautiful! Thanks for sharing! <3

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