Page 62 - Speedhorse May 2019

A PARTNERSHIP
“INDIAN RELAY IS
AMERICA’S FIRST EXTREME SPORT.”
“A VERY HIGH PERCENTAGE OF THESE ARE OFF-THE- TRACK HORSES . . .”
The Ghost Bears are handing down their history to the next generation in their grandson Tyler Grass, who rides for the Lakota War Path Team and has won Relays in North and South Dakota and in Montana.
Jamie Howard, with the HNIRC, and Calvin Ghost Bear, an Ogala Sioux of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, partnered on the Paint horse Girls Got Grip, who won the $257,208 Speedhorse Graham Paint & Appaloosa Futurity-G1 at Remington Park in 2010.
DRESS UP, BEAR DOWN
Like their forefathers in the 19th century, the riders do not use saddles, preferring to sit their horses bareback. Nor do they wear helmets or flak jackets, although doing so would not necessarily be against the rules. Many riders dress in traditional garb, even to the point of feathered headdresses and war paint, especially at Relay events where awards are given for such criteria as best regalia.
The horses, too, often are adorned with war paint and ink in symbols with specific meanings. According to legend, a circle around the horse’s eye improved its ability to see danger, just as a circle around the nostrils helped the horse smell danger. A lightning bolt on the leg brought
power and speed, an arrow across the shoulder adds strength. Dots all over the head and chest are prayers for hail to fall on the enemy. Hand prints were among the highest honors: A hand print on the hip indicates courage of a horse that had brought his master home unharmed from
a dangerous mission; a hand print on the chest shows the horse had knocked down an enemy; the highest honor was an upside-down print, for a horse carrying his warrior on a do-or-die mission.
“That’s one of the reasons that the Indians used Paint Horses,” Howard says. “Some cultures, like the Crow and Sioux, believed Paint Horses were special because they were born
with markings. The Nez Perce were the first to selectively breed Appaloosas. The Nez Perce were the first tribe to geld their horses, way back in the day, if they didn’t think they were quality.”
Howard runs horses on the flat track and partnered with Calvin Ghost Bear on the Country Quick Dash mare Girls Got Grip, an American Paint Horse that in 2010 won the $257,208 Graham Paint Futurity-G1 at Remington Park.
Ghost Bear and wife Carla live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where they raise cattle and horses on their ranch with their sons, Donroy and Tony.
“It’s fulfilling, the sense that it’s something we’ve done as a horse nation,” Ghost Bear says. “The Oglala Sioux are part of what we call the Horse Nations,
and we have a lot of history in our horsemanship and horse culture. Everything we’ve done revolves around the horses. They are part of our everyday life.”
The Ghost Bears are handing down the life to the next generation. For the past four years, their grandson Tyler Grass has ridden for Lakota War Path and has won Relays at Parshall, North Dakota; Lower Brule and Rosebud, South Dakota; and Baker, Montana.
“I’ve always ridden horses,” says Tyler, 19. “I’ve been riding hard since I was a little kid. So I asked to ride one day, took my shot and have been riding ever since.
“When I first tried riding Relay, it was hard,” continues Tyler, who is 5’ 9” and rides at about 160 pounds. “We train hard, and now with training and all the work I put into it, it comes easy.”
Or at least, easier.
“The most difficult part is knowing whether your horse is going to stand there or not – that’s the hard part,” he says. “When you come in for the exchange, you have momentum with you. You want to keep the momentum coming, so as soon as you pop off your first horse for the second horse, you try to keep it going. You jump for your second horse and go, you take your third horse and go. You’re running off the flow of the game.”
Mental preparation eases the strain. Tyler has learned to bear down and focus.
“When I go out before the race, I keep my mind off the crowd and everything else,” he says. “When I’m standing there waiting for the start, my main goal – all I’m thinking about – is to get on the back of the first horse. From there, I’m riding and I’m thinking about my next exchange, making sure everything’s right and trying to stay on the lead. I love it. It’s hard to explain, but there’s nothing like the adrenaline that comes with it.”
60 SPEEDHORSE, May 2019
Dustin Orona Photography