The Barrel Racing Cowgirl Ornament
is 4 inches tall and 4¼ inches across. The Western Christmas Ornaments are riding a tan horse with black mane. She is wearing a tan and brown Cowboy Hat, light blue shirt, brown vest, blue jeans, brown chaps and black boots. She is very expertly guiding her horse around the barrels. The Barrel Racer Ornament hangs from a gold cord. Select to see a complete listing of our Christmas Decorations Ideas.
Cowboys.
During the 16th century, the Conquistadors and other Spanish settlers brought their cattle raising traditions as well as their horses and cattle to the Americas, starting with their arrival in what today is Mexico and Florida. The traditions of Spain were transformed by the geographic, environmental and cultural circumstances of New Spain, which later became Mexico and the southwestern United States. In turn, the land and people of the Americas also saw dramatic changes due to Spanish influence. Select this link to view our The Original 4x4.
The arrival of horses was particularly significant. Horses quickly multiplied in America and became crucial to the success of the Spanish and later settlers from other nations. The earliest horses were originally of Andalusian, Barb and Arabian ancestry, but a number of uniquely American horse breeds developed in North and South America through selective breeding and by natural selection of animals that escaped to the wild. The Mustang and other colonial horse breeds are now called "wild," but in reality are feral horses, descendants of domesticated animals. Select this link to view our Western Boots Ornament.
As English speaking traders and settlers moved into the Western United States, English and Spanish traditions, language and culture merged to some degree, with the vaquero tradition providing the foundation of the American cowboy. Before the Mexican American War in 1848, New England merchants who traveled by ship to California encountered both hacendados and vaqueros, trading manufactured goods for the hides and tallow produced from vast cattle ranches. American traders along what later became known as the Santa Fe Trail had similar contacts with vaquero life. Starting with these early encounters, the lifestyle and lingo of the vaquero began a transformation which merged with English cultural traditions and produced what became known in American culture as the "cowboy". Check out our Unique Christmas Ornaments for the holidays.
Bells.
The first bells came from China, but all ancient religions and societies used them for their ceremonies. Bells evolved from rattles into the sweet toned silver bells we have today, though the church did not use bells until the 6th century. The bells used by Santa’s helpers for charity came from the middle ages when the poor rang hand bells for alms. Select this link to view our Miniature Ornaments.
