No blog post yesterday because I was giving a horsemanship clinic at the Cassia County fairgrounds to some 4H kids. I was up early gathering gear and got home late. I had 8 students for the morning session and 4 for the afternoon/evening. I had a great time and I think most of the kids learned something and had some fun as well.
One of the things that made it a pleasant experience was the help and support from everyone involved. Many parents and 4H leaders showed up to support the kids which made it nice. Rosie Davids, the county 4H coordinator, attended, provided snacks, and made sure things went well. Dena Jarolimek, the WRH Show Superintendent, reserved the fair grounds, took entries, arranged for the use and shipping of the cattle, set up the arena, and generally ensured everyone had a positive experience. Mike (Dena's son) had a busy day hauling cattle, participating in the clinic, feeding and watering stock, sorting calves, and taking responsibility of the roping dummy and other equipment. I had the easy part. I showed up and played with horses and kids.
Having been a youth counselor in a treatment/detention facility and a public school teacher, it was very gratifying to see the support and interest everyone had in making a great activity for those kids. During the 9 years I worked at the Idaho Youth Ranch (the treatment facility), I worked with quite a few kids that did not even know the whereabouts of their parents. To have someone or anyone, show up and support them at a clinic would have been something they would have never even dreamed of. Yet in this case every kid had a parent or 4H leader haul in their horse and stay to watch and help. They had someone there who had an interest in them and what they were doing. I believe that, in at least one case, a relationship between a girl and her older retired 4H leader was strengthened that will help that girl for the rest of her life.
I recently received a call from a guy I had in my 4H club about 10 years ago. His dad was in jail and his mother had some substance abuse issues. More that once I went over and rousted his butt out of bed and hauled him over to feed his pig and clean the pen. Shortly after he completed his 4H project he got involved in some substance abuse problems of his own and wound up going to adult jail. He said he called because he had some friends over to watch a ball game and they got to talking about "things". He wanted to let me know that he was married, had a little girl. and had been sober and gainfully employed at the same job for over 4 years. The noise of people talking and the TV faded away and he said he locked himself in his bedroom because he didn't want his friends to see him and, that's where he keeps "IT".
He said "IT" was his blue ribbon for his pig from the county fair. He said he looked at it every day while getting ready for work. He said the ribbon reminded him that he had been successful. He said he could continue to be successful and meet his goals if he worked at it. He said he wanted me to know. You can't tell me that 4H doesn't work. You can't tell me that 4H doesn't change lives.
Sometimes being a 4H leader is a pain. But I continue to do it because I want my grand daughters to gain the benefits 4H offers. From my horse club and from the other clubs they are involved in. And, I think as human beings we have a responsibility to make this world a better place. In a small way, I can fulfill this responsibility through my association with 4H.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Fine silver, Sterling silver and Argentium
Recently I've had several people ask me about the various types of
silver I use in my work. Some of them thought sterling was just another
name for silver and had no idea there was a difference between the two.
There are many different mixtures of silver and other metals, called alloys, that
are used in industry and the jewelry trade. I normally use two alloys,
Sterling and Argentium, plus fine silver for my silversmithing projects.
Sterling is the most common alloy of silver used in jewelry and silversmithing. Sterling is a mixture of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Since pure silver is very soft and will wear away quickly, copper is added to improve toughness and abrasion resistance. Copper is used because it does not dull the bright shine of the silver. The copper does however cause the silver to tarnish over time. Hallmarks for sterling are the word "sterling" or ".925". These hallmarks are legal proof that the items are genuine sterling having 92.5% silver..
I use much more sterling than any other type of silver. I use it for most jewelry projects and for overlays on horse gear. Pictured to the right is hand engraved sterling overlayed (soldered) on a steel Salinas style horse bit. The sterling is shiny and bright and is tough enough to be worn by a horse.
Fine silver is pure silver without any thing added to it. Although fine silver is soft it is still used in some applications where it is not expected to have much wear. The hallmark for fine silver is ".999". The item is legally required to be pure silver (at least 99.9% pure).
I use fine silver for inlays. In inlay work I cut a channel into steel (or other metal) and pound silver into the channel. Fine silver is easier to force into the steel because its softness. The surrounding steel protects the silver from wear. Here is a photo of a snaffle bit I inlayed with fine silver stripes. This bit was done 15 years ago and the silver is still in good shape.
Argentium silver is an alloy of silver, copper and germanium. Like sterling it contains 92.5% silver. Germanium is added to greatly reduce the tendency of silver alloys to tarnish. Argentium actually tends to get whiter and brighter with age. The registered hallmark of Argentium is a flying unicorn. Since it is also a type of sterling containing 92.5% silver, some makers also add the "sterling" or ".925" marks. Some countries require the unicorn and a sterling hallmark on Argentium items.
I use Argentium for stone mountings on rings, when I want a contrast between types of silver, and when I want the item to be tarnish free. This mother's ring has the stones set in Argentium tubes.
There are other types of silver used in silversmithing that I do not use. I'll write a post another time outlining why I choose to use and not use the types of silver I do.
Sterling is the most common alloy of silver used in jewelry and silversmithing. Sterling is a mixture of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Since pure silver is very soft and will wear away quickly, copper is added to improve toughness and abrasion resistance. Copper is used because it does not dull the bright shine of the silver. The copper does however cause the silver to tarnish over time. Hallmarks for sterling are the word "sterling" or ".925". These hallmarks are legal proof that the items are genuine sterling having 92.5% silver..I use much more sterling than any other type of silver. I use it for most jewelry projects and for overlays on horse gear. Pictured to the right is hand engraved sterling overlayed (soldered) on a steel Salinas style horse bit. The sterling is shiny and bright and is tough enough to be worn by a horse.
Fine silver is pure silver without any thing added to it. Although fine silver is soft it is still used in some applications where it is not expected to have much wear. The hallmark for fine silver is ".999". The item is legally required to be pure silver (at least 99.9% pure).I use fine silver for inlays. In inlay work I cut a channel into steel (or other metal) and pound silver into the channel. Fine silver is easier to force into the steel because its softness. The surrounding steel protects the silver from wear. Here is a photo of a snaffle bit I inlayed with fine silver stripes. This bit was done 15 years ago and the silver is still in good shape.
Argentium silver is an alloy of silver, copper and germanium. Like sterling it contains 92.5% silver. Germanium is added to greatly reduce the tendency of silver alloys to tarnish. Argentium actually tends to get whiter and brighter with age. The registered hallmark of Argentium is a flying unicorn. Since it is also a type of sterling containing 92.5% silver, some makers also add the "sterling" or ".925" marks. Some countries require the unicorn and a sterling hallmark on Argentium items.
I use Argentium for stone mountings on rings, when I want a contrast between types of silver, and when I want the item to be tarnish free. This mother's ring has the stones set in Argentium tubes. There are other types of silver used in silversmithing that I do not use. I'll write a post another time outlining why I choose to use and not use the types of silver I do.
Monday, June 25, 2012
"I just love a good horse"
I was wasting time this past weekend by watching a little TV. Craig Cameron, the horse training clinician, made the statement, "I just love a good horse", during his presentation. Kind of made me feel all warm and fuzzy. I was glad to hear him say it. Made me feel like I was not the only old cowboy that was capable of those feelings. Since then I've reflected a bit on some of the horses that I have thought were special over the years.
The first horse that came to mind was Strawberry. Strawberry was a Mustang that was caught off the Bruneau Desert in Southwestern Idaho in the late 1950's. The adults on my grandfather's ranch called him Bruno but my grand mother and us kids named him Strawberry because of his red roan color. Strawberry did not care much for adults but he loved children. My father tried to ride him once while elk hunting. Dad rode him around for a short while then Strawberry sat down on his haunches like a dog. Just sat there. No amount of cussin' could get him to move. Dad got off. Strawberry stood up. Dad got back on, Strawberry sat back down. We switched horses and Strawberry gladly packed kids around for the rest of the week.
When I was about 10 years old my sister and I were riding double on ol' Strawberry. The saddle came loose and slipped under his belly. He waited for us to scramble out from underneath him. When we were out of the way he blew up. Buckin', kickin, fartin', and snortin'. After he got rid of the saddle he came over to us and waited patiently while we gathered up our gear and saddled him back up. We continued with the rest of our ride without any trouble.
My grandmother said she could always tell when my cousin or I was coming out to the ranch. She claimed Strawberry would come out of the back pasture and wait at the front gate for us. I don't know how Strawberry knew I was coming out to Grandma's but I am pretty sure my cousin Linda whispered in his ear and told him when she would be back!
Strawberry was a lucky horse. He had a good home, was well taken care of, and had the undying love of some kids. In his own way, I am sure he loved us back. Maybe he wasn't the only one who was lucky.
Now, nearly 50 years later, I realize Strawberry was just an old jug headed mustang with minimal training. But to a couple of kids, there was not a better horse in the world. And no horse would have been better for those kids. Even though I've moved on to "better" horses, I still have a soft spot for Mustangs and strawberry roans.
There are a few other horses I think about as being special. But those are subjects for another post. Any horse come to mind when you hear, "I just love a good horse?"
The first horse that came to mind was Strawberry. Strawberry was a Mustang that was caught off the Bruneau Desert in Southwestern Idaho in the late 1950's. The adults on my grandfather's ranch called him Bruno but my grand mother and us kids named him Strawberry because of his red roan color. Strawberry did not care much for adults but he loved children. My father tried to ride him once while elk hunting. Dad rode him around for a short while then Strawberry sat down on his haunches like a dog. Just sat there. No amount of cussin' could get him to move. Dad got off. Strawberry stood up. Dad got back on, Strawberry sat back down. We switched horses and Strawberry gladly packed kids around for the rest of the week.
When I was about 10 years old my sister and I were riding double on ol' Strawberry. The saddle came loose and slipped under his belly. He waited for us to scramble out from underneath him. When we were out of the way he blew up. Buckin', kickin, fartin', and snortin'. After he got rid of the saddle he came over to us and waited patiently while we gathered up our gear and saddled him back up. We continued with the rest of our ride without any trouble.
My grandmother said she could always tell when my cousin or I was coming out to the ranch. She claimed Strawberry would come out of the back pasture and wait at the front gate for us. I don't know how Strawberry knew I was coming out to Grandma's but I am pretty sure my cousin Linda whispered in his ear and told him when she would be back!
Strawberry was a lucky horse. He had a good home, was well taken care of, and had the undying love of some kids. In his own way, I am sure he loved us back. Maybe he wasn't the only one who was lucky.
Now, nearly 50 years later, I realize Strawberry was just an old jug headed mustang with minimal training. But to a couple of kids, there was not a better horse in the world. And no horse would have been better for those kids. Even though I've moved on to "better" horses, I still have a soft spot for Mustangs and strawberry roans.
There are a few other horses I think about as being special. But those are subjects for another post. Any horse come to mind when you hear, "I just love a good horse?"
Monday, June 4, 2012
Diego
I spent the last couple days of last week helping some friends move cattle from one allotment to the next. I didn't think to take my camera so no pictures. It felt real good to get out in the hills on horseback. I rode Diego both days and he did well. He is turning into a real nice horse. The only problem I had with him is he threw a shoe and I had to try and stay out of the rocks on the last day. This coming Wednesday I'll be doing a clinic for the Cassia County 4-H Working Ranch Horse Program. I'll have about 10 young riders eager to learn to work a cow. It will take most of the day. I think I'll take Diego as a demonstration horse. It should be fun.
This post looked pretty bare with no photos so I turned Diego out into the arena and snapped a few pictures of him. As you can see he is a thick well built horse with a good hip. He was easy to start and has been fun to work with. He has progressed quickly in his training, has a pleasant personality and is eager to please.
Diego's registered name is Colonels Double Oak. He is by an Equistat Leading Reined Cow Horse Sire, Colonels Oak, and out of the mare, Double Nita. Nita is a full sister to the National Reined Cow Horse World Championship Snaffle Bit Futurity Finalist (5th place) Santana Dry. Although he is certainly bred to be a show quality Reined Cow Horse, I have not shown in any Cow Horse Events since 2005. I have kept and trained him as a horse for pleasure- to trail ride, to do ranch work on, and to just have fun with. Diego turned 6 years old this spring.
His full sister was my most successful show horse, Miss Colonel Nita. I won the 2005 Intermountain Reined Cow Horse Novice Non Pro Snaffle Bit Futurity Circuit Championship riding her. We placed in the money at every show we entered that year. Diego is the same quality of horse as his sister.
I originally intended to ride him until he became a finished bridle horse in the Great Basin Buckaroo Tradition and sell him, either privately or at the Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale in California. He has become such a nice horse that it is going to be tough to let him go. To complicate matters, my 12 year old granddaughter is becoming a good rider- she will need to 'step up' from the old mare to a better horse soon. She has been trying out Diego and his 3/4 sister, a mare we call Tornado. After the County Fair in August we'll decide which horse she wants to continue with and consequently if I'll consider selling Diego.
This post looked pretty bare with no photos so I turned Diego out into the arena and snapped a few pictures of him. As you can see he is a thick well built horse with a good hip. He was easy to start and has been fun to work with. He has progressed quickly in his training, has a pleasant personality and is eager to please.
Diego's registered name is Colonels Double Oak. He is by an Equistat Leading Reined Cow Horse Sire, Colonels Oak, and out of the mare, Double Nita. Nita is a full sister to the National Reined Cow Horse World Championship Snaffle Bit Futurity Finalist (5th place) Santana Dry. Although he is certainly bred to be a show quality Reined Cow Horse, I have not shown in any Cow Horse Events since 2005. I have kept and trained him as a horse for pleasure- to trail ride, to do ranch work on, and to just have fun with. Diego turned 6 years old this spring.
His full sister was my most successful show horse, Miss Colonel Nita. I won the 2005 Intermountain Reined Cow Horse Novice Non Pro Snaffle Bit Futurity Circuit Championship riding her. We placed in the money at every show we entered that year. Diego is the same quality of horse as his sister.
I originally intended to ride him until he became a finished bridle horse in the Great Basin Buckaroo Tradition and sell him, either privately or at the Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale in California. He has become such a nice horse that it is going to be tough to let him go. To complicate matters, my 12 year old granddaughter is becoming a good rider- she will need to 'step up' from the old mare to a better horse soon. She has been trying out Diego and his 3/4 sister, a mare we call Tornado. After the County Fair in August we'll decide which horse she wants to continue with and consequently if I'll consider selling Diego.
Copper Plum
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)