Rhonda Shephard
April 2002
 |
Pink coloration, and sterling silver bit and medallions
|
During long winter months in line shacks or lonely times in a territorial prison, frontier men with too much time and too few resources sometimes created what has become an enduring folk-art form: horsehair bridles.
RELATED CONTENT
Fans preserve Plymouths-turned-Silver Kings...
Junior Monarch dump-off rig...
After years of lugging hit-and-miss engines to shows, a Pennsylvania man now hauls oil cans....
Pastel 1955 Oliver Super 77 raises funds for Wisconsin-based hospice AngelsGrace....
'I saw the first one when I was 7 or 8 years old, and thought it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen,' says Don Whinery, an Oklahoma rancher who owns one of the largest collections of horsehair bridles in the country. 'Most collectors have five or six,' he says. 'I have more than 100.' The collection is valued at $300,000.
Horsehair for these bridles came from manes and tails, through thinning or combing, or it was taken when the animal died. 'This was an era when many people made use of what they had,' Don explains.
A knowledgeable collector can tell the difference between a bridle fashioned from mane hair and one made from tail hair. The mane hair is softer and more pliable; the tail hair is coarser and prickly.
Don's collection includes bridles, halters, reins and quirts, which are short riding whips. The oldest bridle that has been dated is more than 150 years old, and records show it was made by an American Indian, probably a Kiowa or Comanche. Its Native American origin is easy to discern from the width of the nosepiece, which is wider than cowboys used, and from the bridle's design.
Don also owns three horsehair basals, a halter used for breaking or training that doesn't have a metal bit.
He says he finds his collection pieces in many places. One special bridle and quirt came from across the country. 'A friend of mine called from Wyoming about a bridle found in an old trunk. It was offered in an estate sale, but never used,' Don says. 'It was wrapped, sealed and dated '1885'. The colors are new and bright despite the fact it is 115 years old.'
Such bridles were greatly valued in the 19th century, too. Don related the story of a Montana cowboy, far from home in New York, who was caught stealing and then sentenced to 10 years in jail. His family sent him the horsehair and he crafted a bridle for the warden. It bought six years off his sentence.