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Home & Away Magazine Mar/Apr 2004
Curtis Scott

Horse Play

A few more words to the wise: "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" A kingdom for western horse people is King Ropes and Saddlery in Sheridan. Ranch and rodeo people alike are drawn to the downtown location to buy tools of the trade - ropes, saddles and anything else they need. Miles of rope; hundreds of saddles.

Patriarch saddle maker Don King got to thinking it wouldn't be a bad idea to showcase his collection, and he's done so remarkably well in the store's free museum. More than 500 saddles date to a century ago. No less royalty than Queen Elizabeth II has taken time to visit the location.

Be sure to head over to the historic Sheridan Inn just a few blocks away. Buffalo Bill Cody himself once auditioned acts for his Wild West Show on the porch, and a new event, Buffalo Bill Days, June 18-20, re-creates that era. The following weekend, Bozeman Trail Days focuses on the Indian Wars fought in the region. The 2004 theme considers the before and after of the protracted conflict from the American Indian point of view.

Drive out of Sheridan toward Dayton just about any weekend, from late spring to well into fall, and find some time to park in the big pullout as you head up the Big Horn Mountains. Some of the best hang gliding in the West is right there in front of you, with experts willing to share time and experiences prior to flight. Now, there's a sight to take home to the neighbors. To see hang gliders catch thermals and spiral toward the sun is extraordinary.

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