I am often asked to give a one minute commentary on my 3,602 mile trip across country. Most people want to know "What's the highlight?" Well, there were many highlights - but the highest light came more than midway through my journey in a town outside of Denver, CO. I wrote the following about this amazing youth group and hope everyone who reads this gets a chance to see The Westernaires in action:
Westernaires Practice At the Foot of the Rockies Lakewood, CO |
If you happen to hit Lakewood, Colorado on a weekday evening around sunset, you must make time to watch The Westernaires practice precision riding at break-neck speeds. These impressive 9-19 year olds, will give you goose-bumps, get you teary-eyed and make you proud of our Country’s youth.
Westernaires Tack Room Lakewood, CO |
The Westernaires, 15200 W. 6th Avenue, Lakewood, Colorado
Westernaires "Tenderfoot Board Meeting" Lakewood, CO |
(303) 279-3767 learn and practice drills at Fort Westernaire -a complex of indoor and outdoor arenas
(7 in all), classrooms, and a phenomenal museum – the Orrin C. Curtiss Westernaire Museum of Western and Riding History -
that you can enter if you happen to come through on a Saturday (also a practice day throughout
the year) between 10am and 2pm.
Based on the notion that “The Old West had values worth learning,” says
The Westernaire’s director, Glenn Keller, “all Westernaires must visit the
museum when they first sign up.”
Inside, there’s a library filled with Western and Colorado History books
– among them an 1867 Revised Statues of
Colorado. The kids begin their
training by first learning about the anatomy of the horse, the history of the
region, including Native American History, the origins of the US Cavalry (the
Westernaires portray this old branch of the military in shows), and the
progression of the saddle. There are branding irons, various kinds of barbed
wire, bits, bridles, stirrups and spurs and, incredibly, the carriage that
brought Abraham Lincoln to the train in Springfield, IL as he set off for
Washington DC to serve as US President.
This was the same carriage used by Buffalo Bill Cody in his Wild West
Show, and its not by happenstance that Buffalo
Bill’s Wild West Show and the Westernaire’s
Horsecapades are so similar. “We are the West Incarnate,” Keller says.
The Westernaires have had just two directors in the
organization’s 62 years; E.E. Wyland who, in 1949 was asked by the Lakewood
Youth Council to “start something for kids,” and Keller who, in 1983, grew the
Westernaires into the 1,000-strong organization it is today. When Keller took
over the reins, only 5% of the Westernaires went on to college. Today, 95% do. Keller feels that for
some of these kids who are at-risk and from broken homes, this program is so
important they stay in school just so they can continue to be Westernaires (a
requirement). Along with the obvious riding skills, kids learn perseverance,
personal responsibility, leadership and respect for adults; all the ingredients
of good citizenship.
Westernaires practice at sunset in the Rockies Lakewood, CO |
Children as young as nine years old start out in the
“Tenderfoot” division and must learn the very basics even before getting on a
horse. After nine or ten years of
practice, drills, diagramming, and bonding with their horse and like-minded
colleagues, each Westernaire hopes to be called upon to join the elite Varsity Big Red Team, earning the
coveted and prestigious “Red Sweater.”
Westernaires Varsity Big Red Team Member wearing coveted red sweater Lakewood, CO |
“It’s a real family – you really get addicted,” says one
parent/volunteer, Debbie Koop, who has two Westernaires daughters and is an
instructor herself. The program is
so important to participants, many return as volunteers; there are 350 – 500
graduates and parents who just can’t let go and want to give back. They sew the costumes, teach kids at
all levels, and take care of the 30 acres of property. “We’re a totally
self-supporting organization,” Keller explained. “We believe in doing for
ourselves.” For the most part, the Westernaires are funded by ticket
sales. They put on a Wild
West-like show – called Horsecapades - in Denver every year, selling over
42,000 tickets at $7 each. Participants in the program pay a nominal fee for
training and costumes. Excelling
at precision riding, rough riding, authentic Cavalry Riding and Liberty Riding
(no saddle or harness), the Westernaires are one of the best (if not the best)
trick-riding teams in the United States, and merit the slogan “Best At Speed.”
It takes determination, tenacity, attention to detail and
teamwork, plus lots of heart, sweat and tears to pull off effectively. If you
hit it just right, watch a Westernaires drill against the backdrop of the Rocky
Mountains and the setting sun, you will be touched. Practice is most weekday evenings in the summer.
Fascinating post. Iknow prcious little about horses or riding beyond hobby horses and rocking horses.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading/posting, Versa. Well, now you know a bit more about riding, I hope!
ReplyDeleteMalerie
We fondly remember our time (late 1950s) in the club! Names we remember are Mr. Wyland, Shri and Gary Wagoner & Jim McCrumb -- others too numerous to mention.
ReplyDeleteJim and Linda Hamilton