28″ x  18 ½” x 17”
Walnut wood base fitted to base
Limited Edition of 9 Bronze
$9,000.00

Let Curt tell you about this piece!

     As you may know, my work is driven by good horsemen and horsemanship. There are so many stories to tell about the horse, the cowboy or the vaquero. That partnership is so positive, uplifting and challenging. It makes good art. Throughout history man’s relationship with the horse has been divided into two different approaches. Some people looked at a horse as a means to an end, others had an empathy with the horse and wanted to understand him. These folks wanted to bring out the best in the horse, thus the horse would enjoy whatever he was doing with the human. They used psychology, understanding, and a language the horse knew.  Today, that learning of the horse and his nature has reached a very high level. We know more than ever, and the horse is the beneficiary. In this piece, you are seeing one of these top horsemen.

     I dressed this cowboy in typical 20’s era clothing. Those big hats were all the rage in this period, and really gave this era a unique look. His batwing chaps are R.T. Frazier, built in Pueblo, Colorado.  Look for the hearts that are the conchos on the chaps, this gives you insight into this cowboy’s affection for the horse. The saddle is also R.T. Frazier.

     Whenever a new horse is started under saddle, he is put into a round corral, about 50 feet in diameter.  The cowboy has his saddle and pad which in this piece is next to him. He takes the rope and moves the horse around the corral by waving it to turn the horse, tossing out a loop in front or behind him.  He watches how the horse reacts, is he scared or thoughtful? This step helps to develop the training plan. Knowing these things determines how you will proceed with the youngster.  The idea is to do things in such a way as to meet the needs of the horse.  Teaching is done so fear is not a part of the process.

     In this piece the cowboy has moved the horse around, found out a lot about just how to approach this horse to get the best results. He has his loop ready to begin his first lesson, how to yield to pressure.  You can see the intensity in the eyes of the cowboy, he is determined to do the best job he can to make these first steps positive.

     His body language tells you he’s about to go into action. He is a “Man With A Plan”.