WILD HORSES I HAVE KNOWN

Ryden (Wild Horse Summer, 1997, etc.) photographs the wild horses of the Pryor Mountains and chronicles their ancient origins, how they live, their colors and markings, and how she and others have fought to get the federal legislation that protects such horses from those who would hunt them down or take away their habitat. In passing she describes some of the mustangs she came to know, if from a distance: Lonesome, The Black King, Buck, Old Nellie, and others. The complex structure of their male-female relationships are described in detail as part of the larger social formation that ensures food and space for all, improving the chances of the animals’ survival in an extraordinarily harsh environment. Stunning full-color photographs show the mustangs running free, one of the last species that does; Ryden makes a convincing case for guaranteeing that they always will. (sources) (Nonfiction. 9-11)