Hobbies

with,” she says. “ ey are super talented animals.”

Oklahoma boasts a diversity of horse breeds, but quarter horses are the most popular. On Aug. 10, a bill designating the quarter horse as the o cial state horse was signed into law. e state ranks behind only Texas in quarter horse numbers but is rst per-capita, according to the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service.

Stamper, who, like Keller, won world American Quarter Horse Association titles in his youth, attended college on scholarships for his equine judging expertise. When he was entering cutting and reining events, Stamper showed every weekend for six or seven months out of the year.

“To make it a business, you have to compete and win,” he says. “People who show are advertising for their ranches. A stallion’s breeding fee can be $25,000 or more.”

Keller is the daughter of Mike and Heather, who met as competitors. Her dad now trains horses for a living and her sister, Piper, 15, also competes in the youth division in events including horsemanship, showmanship and hunt seat equitation.

“You work so hard, and get to do it with your family,” says Keller. “It’s a very ful lling thing to do.” And her horses, she says, “love to show and love to be the center of attention.”

Stamper is national sales director for Hart Trailers in Chickasha. It’s a corporate sponsor of the National Reining Horse Association, which is based in Oklahoma City.

“At least 75% of aluminum horse trailers that are built are built in Oklahoma,” says Stamper. “Steel trailers have a huge presence in Oklahoma, too.”

Entries are on the rise in reining association shows, Stamper says, which he attributes to a focus on the discipline in the television show Yellowstone. Reining events involve guiding horses through a pattern of maneuvers, “and that pattern has to be followed to a T,” Stamper says, showing the willingness of a horse to follow the rider’s cues.

“ ose cowboys, they lived on the back of a horse,” explains Stamper. “ ey didn’t have much time to give to horses that would not listen and do the things that were asked of them.” e Extension Service says the equine industry contributes to the state’s economy with breeding and training farms, boarding stables, camp and trail-ride businesses, horse sales, tack and clothing manufacturing and racing, rodeo and show events. In 2018, the estimated economic impact was $3.9 billion and 39,000 jobs. KIMBERLY BURK

WHERE TO SEE THEM

Oklahoma is considered a top ten state for viewing bald eagles. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation maintains a list of eagle watching groups and events at their website, wildlifedepartment.com.

The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma’s Grey Snow Eagle House off ers guided tours by appointment only on Saturdays and Sundays, for groups no larger than ten. Large groups can book on Thursdays. Tours can be booked at eagles.iowanation.org or by calling the off ice at 405-334-7471.

The best time to plan your visit is spring through mid-summer, and fall through early winter. Tours are not off ered when temperatures are above 95º or below 40º. Tours are free, but donations are encouraged.

The George M. Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville maintains a popular ‘Eagle Cam’ on a bald eagle nest at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. This nest can be viewed live 24 hrs a day at suttoncenter. org/live-bald-eagle-nestcamera.

Sighting Birds of Prey

Bald eagles can be found in convocations across Oklahoma.

The bald eagle has an important and honored place in both Native American and Oklahoma history. Long before the bald eagle became the national symbol of the U.S., or before the Oklahoma state ag incorporated seven eagle feathers on its Osage bu alo skin shield, the bird of prey was a revered and sacred symbol among the Indigenous tribes that called the U.S. place for centuries before statehood.

Representing truth, majesty, strength, courage, wisdom, power and freedom among Native peoples, bald eagles are believed to have a special connection to God. For the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, bald eagles carry prayers to the Creator and therefore are the only living thing that has seen the Creator’s face.

In 1782, when the bird was formally adopted as the national emblem, the bird’s population in the U.S. was approximately 20,000 nesting pairs. As the country was settled during the 1800 and 1900s, the encroachment on natural habitats caused bald eagle populations to dwindle to near extinction levels. By the early 1980, their numbers had decreased to about 2,400 nesting pairs in the continental U.S.

In Oklahoma, tribal organizations, as well as nonpro ts like the Sutton Avian Sanctuary, have worked to increase the bird’s population. Between 1984 and 1992, the Sutton Center raised and released 275 southern bald eagles in the southeastern United States. e birds’ eggs were removed from nests in Florida and transported to their captive rearing facility in Bartlesville. e Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma developed an eagle rehabilitation program and eagle aviary named the Grey Snow Eagle House in 2006, which was built to protect both bald and golden Eagles. e facility is located in Perkins. e Tulsa Audubon Society has been actively protecting bald eagle populations for over 40 years. A non-public eagle sanctuary is owned by the Society for the protection of wintering bald eagles at Lake Keystone, and the group also hosts ‘eagle days’ to provide opportunities for the public to observe the birds in their natural habitats.

Oklahoma is home to two populations of bald eagles. Southern bald eagles are readily visible all year long along most of the rivers in eastern Oklahoma. eir nests are large and easy to see, but it’s important not to publicize their locations to protect them from disturbance.

Drawn by the abundant lakes in Oklahoma, north bald eagles spend winters here. ey will often nest below the dams, where they can hunt for sh. ey are most prevalent during the months of March through December and have been known to mix with the native population of southern bald eagles. JEFF THOMPSON