Ginger Kathrens

An extraordinary view of the wild horse bands in the Rockies' Pryor Mountains like you've never seen before, Wild Stallions of the Rockies chronicles the life of the leader stallion, Cloud (1995-2016). This remarkable account details his reign among the wild horse herds in the Rockies, as well as both his immediate family band and rival bands that occupy the same region on the Montana-Wyoming border. You'll see the predators, both human and animal, that challenge the stallions' survival, plus the fighting between bands for power, family, and territory. Phenomenal photography gives you an up close and personal look at the feeding, foaling, and freedom of these wild horses, and interactive QR codes grant you access to exclusive and stunning video from its companion PBS Nature documentary series, Cloud: Challenge of the Stallions. This fascinating standalone book that emphasizes the mission of saving and preserving the wild horse bands in the Rocky Mountains is unlike any other Cloud book available. One-of-a-kind and truly special, Wild Stallions of the Rockies is an absolute must-have for anyone passionate about these stunning wild animals.

This bestselling book, originally published as a companion volume for public television’s Nature series, Cloud: The Wild Stallion of the Rockies is documentary filmmaker Ginger Kathrens’s personal retelling of her years following the wild horse she named Cloud. Beautifully designed, the book is elaborately photographed and divided into seventeen chapters that follow the life of a wild stallion, just one of hundreds of horses that have roamed wild in the Rocky Mountains for two hundred years. The book begins with the author and filmmaker witnessing the birth of a helpless white colt. Each subsequent chapter documents Cloud’s interaction with his mare Raven, his brother Diamond and other colts in the wild as well as his adventures encountering dangerous predators, older stallions and human trappers. Kathrens’s gripping observations of wild horses of the Arrowheads, their fights, struggles and alliances, give the reader much insight into the fascinating behaviour of these wild horses. Now published in paperback for the first time, this updated and fully redesigned volume coincides with the one year anniversary of the last sighting of Cloud.

Wild horses: bold, elusive, independent. Above all, free. Or are they? Most of us consider wild horses honoured emblems of our Western spirit, but some see them as a resource to exploit or even a pest to eliminate. Which are they? For Carol Walker, the photographer and author of "Wild Hoofbeats", the answer begins not in abstract argument over symbols and statistics, but with the horses themselves. In images that move fleetly from the pages straight into our hearts, Walker brings to brilliant life the horses of the Adobe Town herd in Wyoming's Red Desert, and we gain a priceless perspective on these graceful, courageous animals. Walker gathered these dynamic images over years spent observing (sometimes at a distance, often within a mere stride or two) the bands of the Adobe Town herd. She emerged from her experience with a sense of personal acquaintance with the horses, a deep respect for their social allegiances and intelligence and a heart fully engaged by their plight. As art, the photographs are elegant. As documentary, they are evocative. In every respect, they are indelibly memorable. But Walker doesn't offer just photographs.In quiet, spare prose Walker invites us to journey with her as she meets the horses in the initial blur of mass impression, then band by band, and eventually, individual by individual. We come to recognise each stallion and note as the seasons pass the new battle scars, the special attention each gives to a favourite mare. We understand which mare is tender, which is a disciplinarian with her baby. And of course, we grow attached to the youngsters, first as curious foals, finally as adults venturing into perilous independence. In the final chapters, Walker takes us on the roundup done by the Bureau of Land Management to control herd population, and we hold our breath. Which ones return home to their family bands, and which are separated forever? Ultimately, we are as invested in these horses as if they are our own. So travel with Carol Walker through "Wild Hoofbeats", savour every painterly image and every poignant story, but beware: you cannot venture through this book and emerge unchanged.