HORSE COURSE

BY KARLIE YBARRA

THE GREAT WESTERN painter Augusta Metcalfe was particularly inspired by horses, and she captured their bold spirit with reverence and awe from the age of four. Now, the Break O’ Day Farm and Metcalfe Museum in Durham allows visitors to tour the former homestead where Metcalfe trained horses, learn about the equine-powered tools that helped tame her 160-acre ranch, and see more than two hundred photographs, sketches, and paintings depicting the grandeur of the West.

» (580) 655-4467 or metcalfemuseum.org

IN THE 1960S, television viewers had a touch of hay fever thanks to Mister Ed, the sitcom about a talking horse gaslighting his bumbling owner. Though there’s been much debate over whether it’s actually equine actor Bamboo Harvester or his body double Pumpkin buried here, fans are welcome to visit the grave of Mister Ed near Tahlequah to pay their respects—just be sure to bring apples or peanut butter to leave as an offering.

» (918) 456-3742

IN MARCH 2014, the Oklahoma legislature recognized the Oklahoma Colonial Spanish horse as the official heritage horse of Oklahoma. For decades, hundreds of these magnificent steeds have roamed the southeastern Oklahoma hills. The Rattan-based Oklahoma Heritage Horse Sanctuary facilitates tours for visitors to see the colorful horses in their natural, breathtaking environs.

» (580) 271-8678 or okheritagehorse.com

IN 2007, TO celebrate the state centennial, Shawnee’s then-mayor Chuck Mills tasked local artists with a collaborative public project: Horses in the City. These multimedia sculptures—each with a different theme ranging from Steampunk to a seaglass mosaic—were installed in locations around Shawnee, and more are added each year. Grab a brochure from Visit Shawnee to find the thirty-four painted horses currently on display.

» (405) 275-9780 or visitshawnee.com

SOME OF THE most famous names in Western history thrilled audiences around the world with their horsemanship as part of the 101 Ranch Wild West show: Lucille Mulhall, Bill Pickett, and Geronimo, just to name a few. Today, visitors can peruse artifacts owned by 101 performers and ranch hands as well as an elaborate miniature display of a live performance in the lower room of Marland’s Grand Home in Ponca City. » (580) 767-0427 or marlandgrandhome.com

KNOWN AS THE parade horse, palominos long have captured the public’s admiration thanks to their golden coats. The Palomino Heritage Museum, located behind the Palomino Horse Breeders Heritage Foundation office in Tulsa, houses a thoroughbred collection of artifacts related to the breed and horsemanship in general, including the last silver-gilded saddle famed leathersmith Ted Flowers crafted before he was arrested for murder.

» (918) 438-1234 or palominoheritage.com

ANCIENT INDIGENOUS HISTORY sidles up to the Wild West at the rocking Hoot Owl Ranch near Kenton. This working cattle ranch gives guests a taste of a mostly bygone cowboy life and lets them take a tour of ancient petroglyphs in the onsite cliff faces. » hootowlguestranch.com

VISITING MEDICINE PARK already feels like stepping through some kind of portal to the past, so why not stay in a historic home? Book the Bonnie & Clyde cabin, one of the town’s original cobblestone buildings now named for the famous outlaw couple whose notorious spree blew through this area. » airbnb.com/rooms/33856396

THE PENNINGTON INN in Tishomingo—located across the street from Blake Shelton’s Ole Red—occupies an early 1900s building that has housed a slew of businesses including a furniture store, Stamp’s Dry Goods, Marty’s Boutique, and more. When in town, don’t forget to tour the many Native historic sites like the Chickasaw Council House Museum and the Chickasaw Bank Museum. » thepennington-ok.com