Wild Horses I Have Known

by Hope Ryden

Naturalist Hope Ryden's stunning photographs accompany clear, conversational essays telling of her observations and experiences as she tracked the mustangs of the West. Wild horses evolved and roamed in North America until becoming extinct ten thousand years ago. Not until the early sixteenth century, when the conquistadors brought tough mounts to carry them as they explore what is now Mexico and the Southwest, did the horse reappear on American soil. Hope Ryden describes how the Plains Indians adopted the horse, which transformed their culture. But many of their horses escaped into the wild and reverted to primitive behaviors-such as forming tight-knit social groups with complicated social hierarchies-that enabled them to thrive and survive. Horse lovers and history buffs, as well as all who relish a good true-life adventure, will be fascinated and moved by this compelling portrait of a national treasure. Bibliography.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horses, Animals

96 pages, Hardcover

First published March 22, 1999

About the author

Author-Naturalist Hope Ryden has spent years in the field, studying and photographing North American wildlife. Her behavioral findings have been published in National Geographic, Smithsonian, and Audubon magazine, and her books have been translated into German, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Dutch, Spanish, Italian and Russian. To date she has twenty-three books to her credit, all of which are illustrated with her own photography. Her most recent titles can be ordered through Barnes and Noble.com or Amazon.com. Some of her earlier books can be ordered directly from her or from iUniverse.com. Hope is available for school programs, and she also lectures for adult audiences. Her wildlife photographs are handled by the National Geographic's Image Collection or can be ordered directly from her.

Reviews

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book. The author spent decades observing and photographing wild horse herds in the American (US) west. The chapters discuss the young males who have been ousted from their herds and band together, the stallions and their harems, and the mares. In between each chapter are several lovely photos of the wild horses mentioned in the chapters, with captions describing which horse is which, or what they are doing. One of Ryden's earlier books: America's Last Wild Horses, originally published in 1970, was a catalyst for getting the Wild-Free Roaming Horse and Burro act passed as law, and stopping the round up and destruction of wild horse herds. All of this is discussed in the next to last chapter. The final chapter discusses the coat colors of horses, followed by photos of horses depicting 20 different coat colors. This book is a treat for horse lovers.

[Jesse Freedom · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was only one thing that I did not like about this book, and that was that it was too short.

[Ivy Elise]

beautiful photos

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notes:
Beautiful photos
Author tells stories of her observations and close encounters with wild horses