Ideas have to come from somewhere. My idea to begin creating jewelry from horsehair sprung from tragedy. Anyone who has become attached to a horse knows how hard it can be to lose their equine partner and will understand the way I felt when a horse I had owned for only a short time died unexpectedly from a stroke; he was less than 3 years old. While I was devastated at his loss, it made me think of my other horses, my first horse, Patche, who my grandfather bought for me as a colt and has been mine for over 15 years now, and Indiana who has been with me for 10 years teaching me more about horses than any human ever could have. I knew that I wanted to keep a part of them with me forever, so I looked for a place I could get a bracelet made from their tail hair, but the prices were way out of my range. I began experimenting and soon discovered that I could make my own jewelry from their tails.
Then I adopted Fargo from a local horse rescue and an idea came to me; why not use the horses' own tails to help raise funds to help support their upkeep. I began donating horsehair jewelry to the rescue to sell at fund raisers. That is how I started making custom horsehair jewelry for other people and taking my designs to art & craft shows. I still get most of the horsehair I use in my designs from the horses awaiting adoption and I donate a percentage of my profits to the rescue.
This blog will center on the custom designs I've made and the stories behind the horses and people that have together formed bonds that are worth commemorating with a horsehair keepsake.
