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We are featuring ‘A Cowboy(girl) and Their Sidekick’ for our Ekphrasis Challenge, and thought we would share more of what it means to identify and uphold ones deep feelings towards an animal. Many of these animals were here before we walked the planet. They are loyal creatures and deserve to be treated as such. One of our friends out there, living the true western life gave us this great idea for our Ekphrasis and shared a bit more about his sidekick, Rad…

“Every rancher has a special horse, usually very smart with a personality. A good ranch horse is a rare gem. It knows how to sort and cut cattle. It knows how to be a header or heeler if roping needs to be done. Steep gullys, rocky fords, or narrow trails through brush won’t spook him. And that special horse will form a very amazing bond with its rider.

In parts of Oklahoma, the Native Americans consider Rad to be a “Medicine Horse”. In other words, he has “magic” same as a Medicine Man.

This is because he has blue eyes which is uncommon in horses. Native Americans believe that a blue eyed horse can “see” things. Since the Great Spirit lives in the blue sky, a horse with blue eyes can see him.

A blue eyed horse would belong to a great chief, a medicine man, a great warrior or great hunter in the tribe. The tribal medicine man would like at the horses markings to determine the “medicine” that the horse has. The medicine man would look at the markings sort of like looking at clouds and seeing shapes. The shape, of the markings would signify the type of magic the horse had.

A Native American medicine man has looked at Rad and this is what he found.

He has a “Buffalo” mark on the neck that can only be seen when Rad has his head down grazing. This means he can see where the buffalo graze, a very important piece of magic for a society that depending on the buffalo. On his hip, and you can see it in the picture, is the hunter/tracker marking. Turn your head sideways and you can see it.

It is a Native American on his hands and knees, looking at tracks. There is a trail behind him and a few tracks just in front of him. The Native American has an eagle feather in his hair (so the medicine man says) which signifies a heroic hunter/warrior. There are other markings that have been interpreted by the medicine man.

Rad is a horse that would belong to a great hunter/warrior that would be known for honesty, bravery, and generosity. He would successfully hunt and share the meat with the less fortunate members of the tribe; the old, the sick, the widows with young children.

The medicine man told me that since the horse “Chose” me, I should do what the horse wants. Be Brave, Honest, and Generous to the less fortunate. He said that since the horse “chose me” and has become “one with me”, I have been successful in doing so.”

-Merle Grabhorn