A Symbol of Endurance and Freedom .....
Riding For The Brand In The Saddle Of Independence
Rapid City, SD -- How important is a piece of equipment in athletic
competition?
For a cowboy, it can make the difference of a fraction of a second in timed
events or a shaved point on a rough stock score.
That can make a difference on whether you stay in the money or you go home.
To really be able to infuse function, stamina .... heart and soul into
leather and rawhide, you need a master craftsman, somebody who knows the feel of
1,200 pounds of athletic horse under him or the split second timing of roping
two feet in the first hop.
That would be Benton Moore of Groesbeck, Texas.
He's lived some; been humbled by it, has succeeded in it - in other words,
he's cowboyed.
And built saddles sold around the world.
All of that and more comes to play in the partnering of a commissioned saddle
built as a lasting tribute to the President of the United States and the American people -
a collaborative work between Moore and an organization that knows a little
something about the unique perspective of the great American Cowboy - the
history, present and future; the Black Hills Stock Show Foundation.
How the old saddle makers did it, names like Bud Duhamel of South Dakota,
Howard Council of Oklahoma and Shyrlee Brown of Texas, are a familiar part of
Moore's thought process as he sits down to begin. He doesn't build `pretty'. The
old timers didn't either. Rather, the saddle is built for the person, the job
that needs done and the horse. "A good saddle and a good horse are like a
good camp fire and a good meal," says Moore. " You need to get off a
saddle at night feeling tired, but not stoved up. A horse needs to feel the same
way - so they're both in shape to get up the next day and do it all over
again."
Known as the Saddle of Independence, the commissioned work is built to ride.
"It's measured to fit this President. It's meant to be
ridden for work and for the American people."
Over the years, Moore has made a study of horses and people. "You watch
both long enough and you come to see how some problems can be corrected through
equipment," he observes. And in all sorts of settings. "For someone
who earns a living on a horse, the saddle is their office. It's where they sit
and make decisions from," says Moore. "In rodeo it's where you win
from."
Timeless fundamentals that have worked for users of Benton Moore saddles
across continents. Taiwan, Nova Scotia, Israel, Germany ..... just name the
country. A Benton Moore saddle can be found there.
When the Black Hills Stock Show Foundation first considered gifting the
President and the American people with a saddle - that is symbolic in the
history and heritage of the West - a call to Moore was an easy one to make.
Over the past several years, Moore has custom built and donated saddles to
the Foundation that are sold in its annual Western Auction. Those monies are
used to help fund scholarships awarded to young adults from the Upper Great
Plains region. "I totally believe in what the Foundation stands for,"
says Moore. "Its mission of preserving the legacy and investing in the
future pretty much sums it up for me. That outfit works for every penny it gets
and turns right around and puts it to work through their scholarship programs. I
knew I could get behind that - and not charge a penny for it."
 Beyond that, people involved in the Foundation like working with a saddle
maker who knows his business. "There are saddle makers and then there's
Benton Moore," says Foundation director and treasurer Bruce Blair. "I
don't discount other people's work but I know what I and every other rancher
needs in a ranch saddle. And Benton's work consistently delivers that. It's as simple as
that."
There in lies the secret to Moore's success.
"We stick to the basics, it's a trademark of our work," explains
Moore. "We build from the ground up, oiling and sewing by hand as we go.
" That's not to say there aren't distinctive features. Working with Moore
is Arturo Jiminez, Jr. who does the tooling and finish work. "I do what I
do best and he does what he does best," observes Moore. "We see eye to
eye on what goes into a working piece of equipment."
Interestingly enough, when the Foundation contacted him it learned that Moore
had been thinking about building a saddle for a President he openly admires for
some time. "I supported his Dad as President and I liked the son as a
Governor of Texas - their brand of politics suits me. But this is not about
politics, " Moore says.
For the past couple of years, he had thought a saddle for the President at
Christmas time would be nice.
And then September 11th happened....and everything changed in America.
"The saddle took on a new meaning for me. When the call from the
Foundation came, expressing much the same thoughts I had about building and
presenting to the President and the American people - who have stood and
sacrificed so much for freedom - well, it all became clear."
Display and presentations details for the Saddle of Independence, are in the
works. But for Benton, that's not what it's all about.
"How do you express gratitude to a President and people who have had to
make the hardest decisions in their life and have faced the worst times in their
life? How do you reach those who lived and lost in the death and destruction of
September 11th? How do you trace the tears of such sorrow and bravery?"
To remember.
"When the President steps into this saddle; when people read about it or
kids and teachers come to see it; when the saddle carries another rider; or when
it sits empty, waiting .... I hope people will remember."
To be saddled with something means it's to be carried. Sometimes, the weight
of independence is heavy.
And freedom is not free.
For more information on the Black Hills Stock Show Foundation, see on the web
at www.blackhillsstockshowfoundation.com
or contact Diane Norman, Community Relations Director, 605-718-0810 or
email foundation@BHSSF.com.
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