SHEPHERD OF THE PLAINS

The importance of the horse to the Plains Indians cannot be overestimated. An Indian's horses were a tangible sign of wealth. The women of a Plains family would each need several pack horses, while the men could claim double that number of hunt and war horses. Children had their own ponies. The Indian's horses tended to be small; there are old photographs in which the toes of mounted Indians nearly touched the ground. But what Indian ponies lacked in size, they made up for in numbers, for histories speak of herds numbering in the thousands. They had stamina and speed when the need arose, earning the name 'spirit of the air faster than wind.'