Beads For Buttercup....our story
The story behind Beads For Buttercup came by way of the rescue of an 18-year-old QH Palamino Mare, aptly named “Buttercup” for her beautiful coloring. If I use terms like “I” and “we”, it is because this is a team effort to help Buttercup and other rescue horses. We got our first set of rhythm beads to help train Buttercup to be a gentle ride and to become a conte
nted, confident, happy horse – she deserves it! The rhythm beads also serve a valuable purpose while we enjoy hours-long rides through dense trails in the mountains of North Carolina. The rhythm beads warn other riders, predators and local wildlife of our presence. This lessens the chance of a startled horse tossing her loving Mom, her other trainers or injuring herself. Being a rescue, Buttercup needed the valuable training aid of rhythm beads to help her, using her auditory senses to provide a calming “white noise” diversion for a lovely but spirited - and at times very persnickety - horse that was used primarily as a brood mare in her former years. What I couldn’t help but notice about the first set of rhythm beads which were so graciously given to us for Buttercup, was that although they were sturdy and functional, they lacked both the colors and artistic design that I am so drawn to and the safety features that come first and foremost. Hence the creation of our project, Beads For Buttercup. Being passionate about creativity and design, I set out to create my own vision and versions of rhythm beads. Beads that not only serve a valuable purpose, but beads that are beautiful and can be unique to each horse and rider. I ONLY use quality 2mm, nylon para cord with a 40lb breaking point in the case of emergency for the safety and protection of the horse. I NEVER use any type of beading wire or filament for stringing as most have a much higher per lb/breaking point ratio that could cut into a horses neck if caught on something or in case of another emergency. (Please NEVER leave any rhythm beads or other accessories on a horse while unattended.) For optimal durability and beauty, I use a mixture of acrylic, pressed/recycled class, wood, other non-alloy lead free metal beads, pendants and other findings. I only use high quality, silver colored embossed brass bells for a truly light and melodic sound. Every set comes with a professional grade sliding toggle, specific to the 2mm para cord that can be used to either loosen or tighten the beads to your horse’s neck and a professional grade, silver colored, non-alloy, metal alligator clip to securely fasten the beads to your horse’s mane. The standard length for my rhythm bead sets is approximately 54 inches in length with the coordinating mane beads measuring about 12 inches. We are not all “one size fits all” and neither are horses! Every set is finished with our signature addition of a peace sign and angel wings to both 9 inch ends (built in/attached mane beads), our trademark for our fledgling brand of rhythm beads….of course named Beads For Buttercup. I source all of my beads, pendants and other materials from reputable sources worldwide, making each set beautiful, unique and one of a kind. Rhythm bead sets featured will ship within 2 days of purchase. Expedited shipping is also available upon request, so please include your zip code in your e-mail for an accurate quote for this service. We welcome custom rhythm bead set requests, however, please bear in mind that these may take a few days longer to create. My goal and vision is to create a truly unique Beads For Buttercup set for you and your beloved horse. Thank you for taking a moment to read “our story”…..all proceeds of this creative venture go to the care and keeping of our beautiful girl Buttercup and helping other rescue horses.
