Coffee Clutch with Dutch Henry: 2016-07-24

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

"Pryor Mustangs and Custer Battlefield"

Howdy Friends!

Sadly I just read Ginger’s latest newsletter for the Cloud Foundation. Her newsletters are always beautiful, and she indeed tries so hard to be upbeat, but the sadness sometimes comes through. A few years ago the Forest Service erected indestructible fences locking the Pryor Mountain Horses from the grasses of the Custer Battlefield. Preferring the cattle graze it. This land and grass has for a very long time been life sustaining for the Pryor Herd. They need it to feed up in preparation for the fierce winter. I’ll share here a few excerpts from Ginger’s newsletter.

Photo at Custer's Battlefield fence, From "Cloud Foundation" newsletter 7-26-16

... “Despite the dry conditions, ranchers are unloading their cows and calves that will graze in the Custer National Forest where the horses are banned.” And “Then the big fence comes into view—the Forest Service barrier which robs the horses of their late summer grazing, forage vital for them to bulk up for the coming long winter. Please click here and sign our petition to allow the herds to access this area during the late summer/fall months.”

At Custer's Battlefield from "Cloud Foundation newsletter 7-26-16

The petition is backed with researched and proven facts how the grasslands of Custer’s Battlefield were indeed better served with the horses grazing on it. “Well-beaten horse trails have been present for decades indicating the historic use of FS lands by wild horses as reported by BLM employee Ron Hall in the early 1970s.” ... “It is the belief of professional range conservationists that targeted, seasonal grazing as proposed will improve wildlife habitat, expand plant diversity, and protect against a catastrophic fire in the Custer National Forest lands in the area in question. A lightening caused fire was quickly extinguished several years ago but after 5 years of no grazing there is a buildup of dead vegetation.” ... “On Page 128 Coughenour state in his Ecosystem Modeling that: “Horse condition was also slightly lower then USFS access was disallowed.” The model predicts what we are currently seeing as far as lower body scores.” ... Thank you Ginger Kathryns for you undying support for those with no voice without ours.

~ Gitty Up, Dutch.

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Welcome to the Coffee Clutch

Welcome to the Coffee Clutch, a happy place to visit. I write uplifting stories about a wide variety of subjects from horses to birds and nature, to love and family and friends. Sometimes I'll post excerpts from stories I've written for Equine Publications. Sometimes I'll post about writing itself. Coffee Clutch got its name because I often write while enjoying my morning coffee in the barn with my mare Kessy, and all our critters. Join us here for fun conversation and stories I promise will make you feel good.

It's For The Horses

This is not a book about riding, or training horses. It is a book on my thoughts, ideas and suggestions on how folks might find the joy in doing things for the horse, with the horses’ point of view as the leading guide. My hope is to help as many people as possible learn to hear the horse, feel their spirit, and in that way help horses everywhere. Over the years I’ve met and worked with remarkable people and horses who taught me about their feelings, their joys, their sadness, and their spirit. As a horse advocate everything I do is from the horse’s perspective, including this little book. Every story, idea, suggestion and thought on these pages will be to suggest and share thoughts and ideas on how to maximize a relationship between horse and human—from the horse’s point of view.

Tom Named by Horse

The only man ever to offer Tom respect is Red Cloud. The only woman to give him love is Red Cloud’s granddaughter. Struggling with his own personal demons, Tom finds himself wedged between honoring that friendship and staying true to the depths of his conscience. Amid a backdrop of tumultuous social upheaval, he finds nothing prepared him, the woman he loves or Chief Red Cloud, for the changes about to thunder into their lives, sweeping them helplessly into the tides of human conflict and historical drama. Available on Amazon.

From The Banks OF Little Bear Creek

The Tom Named by Horse Saga continues. Three years after the death of Tall Dog, Tom Named By Horse and Soft Cloud have turned the little soddy, the lands granted them by Red Cloud, and the lean-to barn into a thriving horse ranch, fulfilling Tom’s dream. The Plains Indians Wars, or Red Cloud’s war, is mostly behind them, and the lands have had their transformation as Red Cloud’s vision had warned years earlier. Trailing horses from the ranch to Denver city has become an annual event for Tom, Buck and the rest, and this is the story of that trail. In the spirit of a good old John Wayne movie, vengeance, cattle and horse thieves, a dirty sheriff and corrupt mayor, and a wedding make this year’s drive a ride you’ll want to tag along on.