Many people believe that Horsehair pottery is a Native American style of pottery. 
There is no evidence of it. It’s simply a style or technique. Many Native Americans 
do horsehair pottery but so do other potters.
Like anything else everyone has his or her own style or way of doing things. 
Artists like to experiment and occasionally there are what we call “happy accidents”.
I believe horsehair pottery may have been a“happy accident”.
However it came about; it is a beautiful style of pottery with fascinating random
patterns.
The following is my process of making horse hair pottery: The pots are wheel thrown
then at the leather hard stage the pieces are trimmed and burnished to a smooth finish. 
Once the ware is bone dry a fine slip called Terra Segillata is applied in a number of coats.
When the slip has dried enough that it can be handled without leaving finger prints, the pots 
surface is polished with a smooth cloth to a satin finish. Pots are now placed in a kiln and
fired to 1850 degrees to harden the clay and mature the glaze inside. Then allowed
to cool slightly to 1000 degrees. Once the kiln temperature has cooled to 1000 degrees
one by one the pots are removed from the HOT kiln and strands of horse hair, feathers,
and other combustibles are applied to the surface. There is only about 30 seconds to 
place the horse hair and feathers so they will carbonize into the wonderful random patterned
surface of the pot. The hotter the pot is the darker the patterns. Pots are allowed to cool completely.
Once cooled the pots are cleaned, sealed with paste wax and then buffed to bring up
the satin finish. This is a fascinating process due to its randomness of patterns. It can never be repeated.
Each pot is a one of a kind. Occasionally a pot just doesn’t meet my standards, so I re-fire and try
again. Each pot is a beautiful surprise each and every time; an amazing experiment in randomness.
Horsehair pottery will complement any decor and is especially suited to the popular southwestern
designs and colors. Due to the low firing temperature the pots are porous and should only be
used for dried arrangements, Cleaning a piece of horsehair pottery can be done with a damp cloth.
DO NOT LET LIQUID STAND IN THESE POTS.
Occasionally a thin coat of wood floor paste can be
applied to bring back the satin finish.