Some History on
American Bashkir
Curly Horses
American Bashkir Curly horses were discovered by the Damale family in Nevada. Grazing amongst the wild mustangs were some whose hair was curly. Dameles' selective breeding of these unique horses seems the modern origin of the Amercian Bashkir Curly Horse. Their toughness is legendary, because in severe winters, when other horses succumbed, the Curlies survived. Not just tough, they are also easily domesticated, many appearing so tame they act friendly and approach with great curiosity and little fear. The third unique feature of the American Bashkir Curly is their hypo-allergenic quality. Scientific analysis has shown that people who ordinarily experience allergic reactions to other horses show milder or nil reactions to Curlies. These three reasons peaked my interest in Curlies. I met my first Curly horse and Elmer Johnson at the Minnesota Horse Expo, around 1995. Elmer was exhibiting a curly-coated horse, a breed apart I thought, like none I'd ever seen!
Later, I learned that Curly horses, traced historically through pictures and writing, have scantily been with us through recorded equine history. As in all breeds that magically appeared in America, the Curlies were captured from the wild ones who ran the open ranges. The first selective breeding of Curlies occurred in the desolate countryside of Nevada. The Damele family took note of Curlies running amongst the wild ones and after snagging a few for breeding, noticed those curly-coated horses were much tougher than ordinary. Reputedly, during extreme winters, Curly horses managed to out-survive all others. Thus, they infused ranch horses with Curly blood and when more breeders, such as Elmer Johnson, joined forces, those kinky looking Curlies, became a breed apart.
Those horses who caught the old man's attention waaaay back when and waaaay out on the open range, continue to catch the mind's eye? With the discovery of their hypo-allergenic nature, Curly horses have an even more important place in history. A hidden internal characteristic the old timers didn't even recognize, may now be even more important than their toughness.
Elmer Johnson was an old timer--and while his speech might have been scary to his mother, it fascinated me. Having specialized in "curing" stutterers all my professional life and having been with horses since first memory, Elmer's stuttering didn't spook me, but his Curly horses came close. Whereas others might have shunned Elmer because of his speech, I was drawn closer.
Not long after we met, Elmer Johnson and Jerry Halvorson started having those horse/therapy talks, even traded horses without becoming enemies. When ABANDONED: Now Stutter My Orphan, Jerry's second book, was published, Elmer received an autographed copy.
When Elmer's health began to fail, he contacted Jerry about buying the Curly horses he so loved and had been raising for two decades. During the autumn of 2004, Jerry transported Elmer's herd, minus one, to Halvorson Farms, near Hager City, Wisconsin. I hated to leave Elmer horseless, except for Bonnie Prince Alder, a young Curly stallion Elmer had recently purchasd to take over the stud duties of Colonel's Bay Blaze, an old Curly stallion Elmer had owned for around 20 years, an icon of curliness. Despite his age and illness, Elmer vowed to train Prince, "When I start feeling better," but the next spring, Elmer called me, offering to sell his last Curly. As I trailered Prince the 25 miles home, my eyes were misty, for Elmer's days were numbered, but the Curly horses he so loved were destined, as their progenitors during the starvation winters of Nevada, to keep passing curls into history.
Elmer passed in 2005 and will be sorely missed by not only family and friends, but all those Curly fanciers whose lives he made stronger and fuller by raising those horses of distinction. I imagine that from Elmer's perch in Heaven, he is watching, smiling, hoping that those Curlies, who once roamed his small pasture amongst the big buffalo ranches, are thriving zestfully, not barely ekeing out survival, as they once had on the open "Damele" range of Nevada. In honor of Elmer Johnson, I named the last stud colt he raised "Elmer Johnson," an intensely bred Curly who'll be a sire at Halvorson Farms. And so, as the stallion he raised gallops freely along the Trimbelle River, may the spirit of Elmer Johnson, my friend and Curly mentor, fly freely, through all the ages of eternity. |
