Sheila Varian to speak at the 10th Annual TCAA Show.

Six years ago, Sheila Varian received a signal honour. In recognition of her lifelong accomplishments as an Arabian breeder and a trainer of outstanding working western horses, she was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame at Fort Worth, Texas, joining such other contributors to the western tradition as Annie Oakley, Patsy Cline, Dale Evans and artist Georgia O'Keefe.

Perhaps best known as the principal of Varian Arabians in Arroyo, Grande, California, Sheila Varian has another side to her persona - one which makes her a very welcome speaker at the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association's Tenth Annual Exhibition, Sale and Seminar to be held 27 September.

She one of only a handful of horse people who are thoroughly knowledgeable on vaquero tack and training and its origins.

Today, such handmade equipment - the elaborate saddles and ornate silver bits, the superbly crafted spurs and stirrups - is highly valued in collections worldwide.

Varian is expected to speak on the creation, history and use of rawhide equipment, and the extraordinary standards of artisanship achieved by western craftspeople.

The TCAA Tenth Anniversary celebration will be held at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

The exhibit showcases the work of TCAA members, who work to preserve and promote the traditional crafts in cowboy culture in the American West.






For more information, click on the TCAA link on the right, or contact: www.nationalcowboymuseum.org