Room to Roam

By Kristi Albertson - The Daily Inter Lake

On a ranch just outside Browning, the sound of thundering hooves echoes across the prairie. Small herds of Spanish mustangs gallop across the windswept plains, tails streaming behind them.

In the summer, children also run across the prairie. They learn to care for the horses. They learn to ride. They learn about families by watching stallions interact with their herds.

It's a safe, fun, adventurous atmosphere where both children and horses thrive. And that's the whole point of the Blackfeet Buffalo Horse Coalition, founder Bob Black Bull said.

"The main focus is the children and the horses, the horses and the children," he said. "It's like the yin and the yang. You can't have one without the other."

When he started the nonprofit organization more than a decade ago, Black Bull was told his desire to provide space for children to learn about and from the rare breed was a pipe dream. Today, however, more than 100 Spanish mustangs roam the 633-acre ranch, and scores of children flock there in the summer.

"All I can say is the creator is running the show, because I was told 12 years ago it wouldn't make it," he said.

The ranch is successful, but it hasn't been easy. Money is often tight, and Black Bull refuses to take money from the Blackfeet tribe or the federal government. He relies almost entirely on private contributions to feed the horses, pay the bills and keep the coalition going.

This year, BBHC is holding an auction to raise money for the ranch. Ten stud colts will be sold Saturday at the Bar W Guest Ranch in Whitefish.

Bidding on the Spanish mustangs starts at $1,000. Proceeds will help build ranch facilities, such as a dining hall, kitchen, recreation room, barn and corrals. Funds will also allow Black Bull to expand the organization's youth programs.

The relationship between the children and the horses has deep-seated cultural roots, said Olga Horak, who is coordinating the event.

"In the culture of the Blackfeet and, I believe, in most tribes, the children were responsible for the horses," she said. "So it's a natural relationship."

Fostering that relationship and keeping other elements of the Blackfeet culture alive are some of BBHC's goals, Black Bull said. In addition to working with the horses, the children learn other skills, like traditional craft work, how to identify medicinal plants and how to read clouds to predict the weather.

"These are things that need to be passed on," he said.

But the ranch is about more than preserving culture. It's also a refuge. It gives children an alternative to experimenting with drugs and alcohol, Black Bull said. It gives the rare horses hundreds of acres to roam.

True Spanish mustangs are direct descendants of the horses early Spaniards brought to the Americas. Those horses were prized by the Blackfeet and other Plains tribes for their speed, agility and hardiness. The tribes used the "buffalo runners" to hunt bison.

At one time, the West was home to hundreds of thousands of Spanish mustangs. Around the turn of the 20th century, however, the breed was on the brink of extinction.

In 1957, Robert Brislawn of Oshoto, Wyo., started the Spanish Mustang Registry with the goal of preserving the horses. Currently, more than 3,100 horses are registered. BBHC owns 127 of them.

Simply caring for that many horses is a large portion of the ranch's bill. Spanish Mustangs thrive on forage that won't support other horses, but even so, Black Bull goes through 125 tons of hay and from 4 to 5 tons of grain each winter.

There's also the cost of getting the horses in the first place, though the prices vary. Some foals have cost Black Bull as much as $1,500. Adults might cost between $2,500 and $3,000.

It's not as much as other horses might cost because the main goal isn't profit but preserving the breed, Black Bull said. And the mustangs' real worth can't be calculated, he added.

"There's no such thing as a price you can place on these horses. Their life, to me, is as important as mine."

His love and respect for the horses is evident in the way he interacts with them. He knows all 127 horses by name and is intimately familiar with their quirks and personalities.

They all know him, too. Many never have been ridden or even worn a halter. But they rush toward Black Bull when they see him approaching on his four-wheeler, crowding around him and nuzzling his jacket, hoping for treats.

He talks about the horses like a father might brag about his children. He has a story for nearly every horse. He praises their beauty and intelligence.

"They are phenomenal," he said simply. "They are all wonderful horses."

Ten of those "wonderful horses" will be available at Saturday's Buffalo Runner Event. Previewing begins at noon at the Bar W Guest Ranch in Whitefish. The auction will start at 2:30 p.m.

Purchased horses can be picked up that evening or by noon Sunday. Because of uncertain weather and road conditions, buyers have the option of picking up the horses at Black Bull's ranch at a later date or may have BBHC deliver the horse within Western Montana (free of charge) by June 1.

The event is more than just an auction, however. Singer Rob Quist, a horseback archery demonstration and a Blackfeet dance in native regalia are part of the entertainment lineup. Fine art, including a painting by Jack Hines, will be available for purchase. Hors d'oeuvres, desserts and a nonalcoholic bar will be available.

Tickets cost $20 a person, and children get in free. For more information or to reserve a space, call Olga Horak at 257-1187.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.

On the 'Net: http://www.buffalohorse.org