Sunkawakan Arena
When the Indians saw the first horse the Spanish brought over,
they didn't know what the hell it was.
When they saw how it could run,
carry a man through battle,
become his friend for life,
well, they figured it had to be a sacred animal.
-Frank Hopkins, Hidalgo (movie script)
Sunka Wakan is the Lakota Sioux term for a horse, and it literally means "big dog." The first time our family encountered this term was in the movie Hidalgo, and it stuck. Ron had always called Dude and Jackie "Big Dog", because of the "bulldog" Quarter Horse type, and Dustin insisted that the first horses he saw were doggies, and tried to run out into the pasture with them. Brigette researched the word form the movie and sunkawakan arena was named.
Shelby (2008-2015) and Bear the Sunkawakans of Breezy Acres
100ft by 60ft covered arena and 240ft X 200ft outdoor arena
60 ft round pen
5 12x12 stalls at auxillary barn
15 acres of fenced pasture, mares and geldings are kept separate
8 12x12 stalls in main barn with tack room, wash rack and bathroom