"Pride of the Past... Hope for the Future"

Empowering youth through horses.

     The mission of the Blackfeet Buffalo Horse Coalition, Inc. is to promote and preserve the Spanish Mustang Horse and the Blackfoot Horse Culture. By utilizing these horses, the BBHC empowers youth through mentoring and training programs that will continue our Cultural Heritage.

     Historically, Blackfeet children have always taken care of the tribe's horses. This was an important rite of passage into responsible adulthood. The Blackfeet Buffalo Horse Coalition provides a healthy means of mentoring as a positive alternative for youth. The children are the future and the buffalo horse cannot be separate from them in the BBHC equation. The goals of the BBHC include:

• Maintaining and preserving the herds of Spanish Mustang Buffalo Runner horses for the purpose of species conservation.

• Establishing a mentoring program based on the preservation of a positive cultural lifestyle while building trust and respect for traditional ancestral ways.

• Providing a treatment environment for youth to learn to work cooperatively with each other and their communities through programs that foster self-control, self-awareness, and self-respect.

• Offering the opportunity to train and work with horses.

• Aiding and assisting in positive economic development of the immediate environment.

• Aiding and assisting in the rehabilitation of drug and alcohol users on the Blackfeet reservation.

• Establishing a museum to preserve history pertaining to the Buffalo Runner (Spanish Mustang) horse and its significance to the Blackfeet Nation.

• Ensuring the highest quality of resources provided by the BBHC.

• Developing and maintaining services in response to community needs.

• Developing a holistic approach in working with families to ensure the health of future generations.

    The BBHC program involves the conditioned response technique used in gentle horse training. It builds strong, intimate relationships between youth and horses. It teaches the children compassion, respect, and discipline in a focused, hard working atmosphere. It offers the children experience in a trade they can carry forward through life resulting in economic independence. 

     The BBHC program teaches animal husbandry, general horsemanship, stable management, veterinary, and farrier skills. Youth improve their general attitudes and behaviors, and  develop rational thinking, understanding, and self-expression. They are given an opportunity to learn and practice various skills. They experience an enhanced appreciation of the aesthetic elements in their daily lives. They are able to learn native skills and traditional crafts. To round out the program, they are involved in the local horse community.