Product Details
America's Last Wild Horses: The Classic Study of the Mustangs--Their Pivotal Role in the History of the West, Their Return to the Wild, and the Ongoing Efforts to Preserve Them

America's Last Wild Horses: The Classic Study of the Mustangs--Their Pivotal Role in the History of the West, Their Return to the Wild, and the Ongoing Efforts to Preserve Them
By Hope Ryden

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Product Description

No wild animal captures the spirit of North America quite so powerfully as the wild horse--nor has any faced such diverse and potent enemies. In this provocative account, Hope Ryden--who helped to ensure the passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, which grants mustangs special protection--combs the history of these proud and noble horses. Descended from the Spanish horses ridden by the conquistadors, they evolved into the tough and intelligent ponies that Indians--and later, explorers and cowboys--learned to rely on.

From the period when wholesale extermination of the buffalo was under way until recent times, commercial and political interests have sought to eliminate the wild horses as varmints. In this update to this classic story, Ryden tells of the successes and failures of regulation, and includes stunning color photographs. The subject of a front-page article in The New York Times when it was first published, America's Last Wild Horses continues to be a compelling testament to the life of a uniquely American symbol of grace and wildness, and is a must-read for horse lovers and Western history enthusiasts everywhere.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #521465 in Books
  • Published on: 2005-07-01
  • Original language: English
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 352 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Fewer than 17,000 wild horses remain in the U.S., down from 2,000,000 in 1900; Ryden's narrative tells what has happened to them and why. In a 1970 review, PW called this "a richly researched and well-written book with an unusual appeal." Photos.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A richly researched and well-written book with an unusual appeal."--Publishers Weekly



"Remarkably well researched, this is the best history of the wild horse ever written."--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"This book is a treat for everyone who knows or cares about horses."--Cleveland Amory

Ingram
In this thoughtful, provocative study of America's wild horses, naturalist Hope Ryden combs the history of these proud and noble animals, explaining their origins from the Spanish mustangs of the 16th-century conquistadors to their threatened extinction of the present day. 60 black-and-white photos.

Customer Reviews

Good read but written with a distinct pro-Canada bias4
I learned a lot about how the West was formed from this book. Hope has done some wonderful research on this topic. I agree with Hope about the US government's mistreatment of wild animals. They're disgusting and they're still spewing their false propaganda to get the naive American public to believe their falsehoods. However, Hope makes several extremely pro-Canada opinions which I disagree about. First of all, the Canadian government has allowed wild horse hunting to be legal, even today. There are only 200 wild horses left in Canada, compared to about 37,000 (BLM estimates - who knows how truthful they are) in the American wild. Canada treats its wild animals dastardly. Each year, hundreds of thousands of baby seals are slaughtered for their fur. Their bloody carcasses are strewn on the virgin white snow, a sad and tragic reminder of the callousness of the Canadian government to its wild animals. They're no better than the US government when it comes to wild animals and I think in some ways, the US government is better than their northern counterparts, especially over the last thirty odd years. Canada also has an ancient and very archaic domestic animal protection law. Last year, animal protection agencies worked to have a new, tougher law passed but it was defeated in Parliament.

A classic for horse lovers4
I had the original edition of this book and it was so tattered that this was a welcome sight. It's a beautiful, informative book that covers a lot of information about feral horses, especially Mustangs. The author gives a first-hand account of wild horse behaviour and a thorough history of the orgins. She also gives insights on the future of these horses and what steps we can take to protect them as a living symbol of the American West. This is the best book on the topic I have read so far.

Full of Information!5
This is an excellent resource for anyone interested in wild horses and mustangs. The author does a great job of providing historical knowledge and facts about the early relationship between wild horses and men, and about how horses roamed America before they were reintroduced by Europeans. The author also discusses current issues involving mustangs and their future in the American West. This book is so good I definately needed it for my personal collection.