Jennifer Hutson from Montrose, Colo., is a licensed massage therapist and certified equine acupressure therapist with a knack for crafty things like custom engraving on cattle, bear, deer, and elk skulls and doing drawings with charcoal pencils. She never dreamed her artistic skills would one day launch a business.
Born and raised in farm country, Jennifer grew up riding her friend’s horses. After moving to nearby Cedaredge, she finally got horses, a mule and cattle. In 2019, Jennifer lost her favorites on the same day. “Bubba, my Appaloosa, was 24. I got him when he was eight. He came down with Cushing’s disease, which causes laminitis, lethargy and weight loss. Smokey, my mule, was almost 40 then and had raised both of my kids. His decline came from old age. I had to have both of them put down.”
To help with healing, Jennifer saved their tails to create something from them. “I made a few jewelry pieces for myself, then slowly learned different braiding techniques in three, eight, 12, and 16 strands. Horsehair is very coarse and, once braided, incredibly strong. Friends saw my finished pieces and asked if I’d make something for them. Word of mouth started spreading.”
Jennifer decided to name her new business Soul Fire Keepsakes.
The jewelry-making journey has had its challenges. Hairs must be washed, conditioned, and separated, strand by strand, before the braiding process begins, which is tedious. Jennifer admits, “You learn as you go. I had to start over if the braids fell apart or didn’t look straight on completion. It was total trial and error.”
She bought a 6-in. dia. Kumihimo disk to make her work look more professional. “It’s a square or round piece of foam with slots around it to hold the hair, with a hole in the center that the braid goes through. As horse hairs are pulled top to bottom and side to side, it keeps the braids nice, clean and straight and prevents things from slipping.”
Ten to 50 hairs go into each section, depending on the order. Metallic threads in silver, gold, blue, teal, purple, or pink are combined into the braid for accent. For some bracelets, pendants and earrings, Jennifer orders sterling silver from Indonesia that’s made specifically for horsehair keepsake jewelry, with special pockets to hold the hair.
As her product line increased, Jennifer created a website listing her phone number. The first thing she hears when customers call in is, “I want something different.”
“Typically, when I’m asked to make a keepsake for someone, they’ve recently lost their equine friend due to illness or injury. Once you know the background of the horse and rider, it helps create the piece. That’s why everything I make is unique.”
Jennifer asks questions before starting a project, including what the client wants, whether she should keep the jewelry simple or elaborate, and what price range to stay in. Women gravitate towards necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, while men tend to choose keychains or something they can hang on their rearview mirrors.
Jennifer has “shipped all over the United States and even sent some gift pieces overseas.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jennifer Hutson, SoulFire Keepsakes (ph 970-361-8014; horsehairchick@gmail.com; https://horsehairchick.wixsite.com/soul-fire-keepsakes; Facebook and Instagram: @soul.fire.keepsakes).