I must be an adolescent at heart! Black Jack Jetty is sensitive and sensible—a winning combination. —Sally Friedman, national columnist, Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal, and Bride's Magazine. A heartfelt story. A valuable tool in helping children confront grief. —The Moyer Foundation. Those games, it must be said, have for the most part resisted the belt-tightening of blackjack. And only resort fees and paid Strip parking have attracted the level of fury that 6:5 blackjack has.
Choctaw & Cherokee Horses at Blackjack Mountain
The primary breeding herd of Choctaw, Cherokee, and Gilbert Jones strains of Colonial Spanish horses needs immediate help to ensure stable, long-term conservation. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) is turning to you, our members, for help in this effort.
A combination of unique factors, including the loss of access to over a million acres of timberland and lack of alternate grazing lands has resulted in an immediate need to place horses. ALBC is working closely with Bryant and Darlene Rickman of Oklahoma. The Rickmans have been stewards of this important genetic treasure for decades.
Choctaw and Cherokee horses represent two unique strains of Colonial Spanish horses. The Rickman herd also includes the Gilbert Jones line of Colonial Spanish horses. The Choctaw and Cherokee horses are known for their mild temperaments and the Gilbert Jones line has made its mark as long-distance endurance horses. As with other Colonial Spanish horse strains, these horses are highly intelligent and delightfully people-oriented. They have excellent feet and are surefooted and hardy. The Jones strain is unique and important because the genetics of a number of now extinct strains were included in its development. It is founded on Choctaw breeding, and includes Cherokee, Kiowa, Chickasaw, Comanche, and Huasteca horses from the herd that produced the real-life “Hidalgo” as well as other horses.
Gilbert Jones, the founder of the Jones line, was born in 1908 in Texas. By the 1950s he had put together a herd of what he considered to be the best Colonial Spanish horses. When he passed away in 2000, his herd, which ran free in the Kiamichi Mountains of Oklahoma, was passed to Bryant and Darlene Rickman.
ALBC staff members Marjorie Bender and Jeannette Beranger traveled to Oklahoma to identify, document, and pedigree over 300 of the horses. Board member Jamie McConnell and his wife, Mary, who are new Choctaw and Cherokee breeders, joined them. ALBC’s Technical Advisor, Phil Sponenberg, used the documentation to identify those animals of greatest genetic importance and recommended a breeding plan that would ensure genetic diversity is not lost. Phil has been working with the Rickmans on the conservation of this herd for approximately 30 years. The entire ALBC team is now working closely with the Rickmans to implement this plan.
The Choctaw and Cherokee strains are seriously endangered. There are fewer than 200 horses and less than a dozen breeders. The foundation herd is held by the Rickmans. Six to ten breeders are needed to take on specific breeding groups of three to five horses, including a stallion.
There are many Gilbert Jones line breeders so the situation for these horses is not as critical, but the number of horses on the Rickman's ranch must be reduced to save the valuable breeding animals that will remain in the Rickman's experienced hands.
ALBC is looking to its membership to find individuals who are interested in helping and willing to become long-term stewards for these horses. Commitment should not be entered into lightly – this is an important genetic treasure that needs to be maintained. Only committed individuals who are prepared to breed and promote these horses for decades should consider acquiring breeding herds. People able to commit to this level of support must also be willing to see that these horses are passed to the next generation of stewards when the time comes for dispersal.
In addition, many horses need homes. There are a number of extra stallions that can be gelded and trained immediately, and many yearlings whose genetics are well-represented within the herd that will make fine riding horses after a couple years of growth. These horses may go to individuals looking for saddle horses. This is still a significant commitment, as horses are known to live 20-30 years.
The horses are available at a reasonable cost, though you should also consider transportation costs in your planning.
Must Living Blackjack Kast
ALBC’s work on this conservation effort is not finished. There are a number of support-related efforts ALBC will need to perform. For those unable to take on horses, ALBC welcomes your financial support for this and other rescue efforts.
If you are able and willing to help with this conservation effort, please contact the ALBC office as soon as possible at: ALBC, PO Box 477, Pittsboro, NC 27312, (919) 542-5704, or email [email protected]. For more information about the horses, contact Bryant & Darlene Rickman, (580) 326-6005; Byrant Rickman on his cell phone, (580) 743-1991 ; Sisty Monroe, [email protected] or (580) 326-8069.
More information about Choctaw and Cherokee Horses:
- Colonial Spanish Horses (click here for .pdf)
- Choctaw and Cherokee Horses (click here for .pdf)
Must Living Black Jackets
More information: :
The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, PO Box 477, Pittsboro, NC 27312, (919) 542-5704, [email protected], www.albc-usa.org
Horse of the Americas, 129 West Stage Coach Trail, Inverness, FL 34452, (352) 637-5775, email [email protected], www.horseoftheamericas.com
Southwest Spanish Mustang Association, Bryant Rickman, PO Box 948, Antlers, OK 74523, (580) 326-8069, (580) 326-6005, [email protected], [email protected], www.southwestspanishmustangassociation.com
Ever since his soldier father is killed in Afghanistan, Jack has been frightened. He has nightmares. He doesn't see his friends as often. He worries. He worries all the time. So when his mother suggests traveling across the country to the Jersey Shore for the summer, his fears escalate.
But Jack is about to experience the magic and mystery of Black Jack Jetty. Join Jack and the treasure-hunting cousins as he discovers the healing powers of family. Learn how the Atlantic shore, with its crashing waves, ragged rocks, and sandy beaches, helps Jack to cope with his father's death and to celebrate life.
Born, educated, and living in Philadelphia, Michael A. Carestio has spent much of his career in advertising as a Creative Director. His first entry into children's literature reflects the loss of his own father at a young age. The story takes place on the South Jersey Shore, where his family gathers in summer.
- Learning Magazine Teachers' Choice Award for the Family
In this timely novel, Carestio tells the story of Jack, whose soldier father died in Afghanistan. The 10-year-old is not ready to let go of his grief as he and his mother travel from Colorado to the New Jersey shore to spend the summer with his father's relatives, including a houseful of noisy cousins…The boy's anger, guilt, and anxiety are all natural expressions of grief and realistic elements in the story. The plot also revolves around an unsolved mystery at the family home, and Jack's unique personality makes him the perfect candidate to solve it. When the story ends, Carestio speaks directly to children who have experienced the death of a parent, writing realistically about what to expect.
—School Library Journal
—School Library Journal
Must Living Black Jack
If I were a ten year old facing the first great trauma of my life, this is the book I would have wanted to fall into my hands.
—Reese Palley, author, A 7,000 Year History of Concrete, Call of The Ancient Mariner, Unlikely People, and There Be No Dragons
—Reese Palley, author, A 7,000 Year History of Concrete, Call of The Ancient Mariner, Unlikely People, and There Be No Dragons
I must be an adolescent at heart! Black Jack Jetty is sensitive and sensible—a winning combination.
—Sally Friedman, national columnist, Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal, and Bride's Magazine
—Sally Friedman, national columnist, Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal, and Bride's Magazine
Must Living Blackjack
A heartfelt story. A valuable tool in helping children confront grief.
—The Moyer Foundation
—The Moyer Foundation