Calvin Ghost Bear, President
Email Calvin
Greetings, my name is Calvin Ghost Bear. As many of you already know me, I just want to welcome you and your team to the Horse Nations Indian Relay Council.
I have been involved with horse and relay racing for over twenty year now. Racing in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Texas.
I bring my many year of flat track and Indian Relay Racing to the organization in hopes of creating a long lasting and sustainable event for all Native Nations and Relay members. I will do my best to represent our organization and always keep the teams and Nations informed of all issues and information pertaining to our organization’s activities.
Carla Ghost Bear, Treasurer
ph: (605) 441-6448
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I am deeply honored to be part of the Horse Nations Indian Relay Council as the Treasurer. I am a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation. I grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Porcupine, South Dakota. My life was filled with family members on the Porcupine Creek, surrounded by the Pourier Families. I come from a family that ranched, participated in rodeo and raced horses. I remember raising and breaking our own little ponies every summer, after doing so that pony was ours for the summer, as I grew into my teenage years I competed in barrel racing and little britches rodeo competition and participated in 4-H .
After high School I married Mr. Calvin Ghost Bear we have been married for 34 years. From this marriage we have been blessed with two sons Don “Cubby” and Tony, and 13 grandchildren.
I completed vocational school in Bismarck North Dakota and became a Military wife in 1984, when my husband enlisted in the US Army we moved to Honolulu Hawaii where we lived for four years during this time I was able to attend college at Hawaii Pacific College, while working on my Business Management Degree and later graduated from Oglala Lakota College.
After moving home my husband and I started various small businesses on Pine Ridge which are currently family owned, operated and managed today by family members.
My family upbringing and involvement in ranching and rodeo has provided me with the experience to share in the sport of Indian Relay and horse racing. I have also assisted in managing events here in Pine Ridge and volunteering at other races in Indian Country race meets.
Carol Murray, Vice-President
ph: (406) 370-8470
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Ms. Carol Tatsey-Murray, Vice-President of the Horse Nations Indian Relay Council, is a tribal member from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation located in northwestern Montana. Carol and her husband John, currently live on the Two Medicine River ranch where their family manages a cattle ranch. She is the Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs for the Blackfeet Community College.
Carol’s father raised horses, ranch and race horses. The family participated in
On-Reservation horse racing for many years. This included Indian Relay racing and Straight Track Racing.
Carol’s son John (Bup) and Littleplume (LP) participated in Indian Relay Racing in
Great Falls, Montana, Fort Hall and Blackfoot, Idaho, Sheridan, Wyoming, Kalispell, Montana, Browning, Montana, Crow Agency, Montana, Shelby, Montana, Pendleton, Oregon and White Swan, Washington.
In 2010, Carol coordinated the weekly Pikuni Indian Relay Series on the Blackfeet
Indian Reservation. She assisted with the Professional Indian Horse Racing Association and coordinated the North American Indian Days Relay for the Blackfeet Nation for five years.
She supports her grandsons, Myles, Joseph, and Bridger of the Young Money Indian
Relay Team. This team started in 2010. They have traveled to Idaho, Wyoming, Minnesota, SouthDakota, Canada. The Young Money Indian Relay Team has participated at the world famous Calgary Stampede Indian Relay events.
Diana Volk, Official Photographer
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Photography and writing has always been an important presence in my life. My grandfather, Archie Nash was a premier western photographer and writer for Western Horseman, Outdoor Life and National Geographic. In his lifetime he had the honor and privilege of photographing Miss Indian America for many years, while also serving on their board. I spent a good portion of my childhood riding along with him and learning from a true pioneer in the photography field. He instilled in me the passion of capturing the western lifestyle and all its’ wonders.
I followed in his footsteps and went on to pursue my college degree in Agriculture Journalism. Two All Around wins at the Sheridan County Rodeo and Fort Pierre, South Dakota Barrel Racing Futurity helped me secure a rodeo scholarship. After college I worked for the Competitor Rodeo News for 10 years covering events all over the nation. I covered the Olympics Rodeo in Salt Lake City, Utah as a representative for the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. It was during this time I discovered my true passion for photography and then set about becoming a professional photographer.
Over the past ten years I have been covering Indian Relay Racing events and it has provided me with an amazing opportunity to travel and meet new friends.
The endurance and dedication it takes to participate in relay extends well beyond the relay race itself. The teams and their families have shown me what a family centered and tradition-oriented event Indian Relay is. I am very happy to be on board covering the upcoming races and promoting Indian Relay for HNIRC.
Jamie Howard, Secretary
ph: (605) 209-3905
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Jamie Howard is a racehorse breeder and owner from Wayne, Oklahoma where he operates Running Colors Equine, Inc, with his wife, Wendy, and their two daughters.
Primarily raising and racing Paint horses, Jamie began racing his horses in South Dakota and Montana before sending horses to Colorado, Texas and Oklahoma.
He first became interested in Indian Relay when one of his past racehorses was placed on an Indian Relay team. Since then Jamie has been involved in assisting at Indian Relay races and has bred several horses specifically for the sport of Indian Relay.
