After 25 years in the Yellowstone Country, I often hear, "How can you live in that terrible cold and deep snow?" You must remember that Montana has only 800,000 residents. The winters have preserved our state and we all look much younger than our years...everything and everyone keeps better in the cold.

Owning horses and living outdoors gives one a feel for the country...so when I paint a packhorse without a lead rope or a piece of jury-rigged equipment, it comes from experience not oversight. There aren't many horsemen today who spend their time with their horses as the old timers or "Hiveranos" did. The horse was an integral part of the primitive community. The horses were trained, utilized, and conditioned for the tasks at hand. The horses were use to gunfire and would stand tied to the ground. They might even be used as a blind hiding for a two legged predator...

I enjoy going to roundup or branding but I always treasure the time spent on pack trips in our wilderness area. This is quality time for bonding for man and animal. "What's good for the outside of a horse, for the inside of a man"...and vice versa.

"HIVERANOS" is number 20 in THE STALKING HORSE SERIES and was reproduced from an original oil (32"x56"). It is limited to 850 signed by the artist and numbered lithographs with 85 artist's proofs and 85 publisher's proofs. It is printed on top quality 100% certified archival (300 years) pH neutral number 1 grade paper with an image size of 18.25"x32" and a 2" trim on all sides. It has been personally inspected and signed by the artist in pencil. The plates have been destroyed after publication and no further issues will be produced.

Gary Carter
West Yellowstone, Montana
July 1996