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Silver Brumby #1
The Silver Brumby
A silver brumby is special, but he will be hunted by man and horse alike, and must be stronger than both. Thowra, the magnificent silver stallion, is king of the brumbies. But he must defend his herd from the mighty horse, The Brolga, in the most savage of struggles. But that is not the only danger. Thowra needs all his speed and cunning to save his herd from capture by man. In a desperate chase through the mountains, it seems there is no longer anywhere for him to run to...
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1958
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About the author
Elyne Mitchell
64 books124 followersElyne Mitchell is an Australian author best known for her Silver Brumby children's series, which tells the story of brumbies that roamed the Snowy Mountains in the Australian Alps, in particular a pale brumby named Thowra.
In 1988, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her services to literature, as well as an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Charts Sturt University in 1993.
In 1988, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her services to literature, as well as an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Charts Sturt University in 1993.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 193 reviews
May 27, 2021
When I was a young girl, any book that featured a horse on the cover would be snapped up - regardless of content. This is how I discovered such gems as My Friend Flicka, Snow Cloud Stallion, and, the best of them, The Silver Brumby by Elyne Mitchell.
It is hard to review a story that was so much a part of my childhood. I read and re-read this book. I plagiarised it shamelessly when I attempted my first stories. I dreamed that I would see Thowra whenever we went out into wild country. To my brother's disgust, I even tried to read it aloud to him. For me, it is absolutely magical and difficult to look at objectively.
I'm trying hard to think about and articulate why I loved it so. As a girl, it was a book that took me into another world, with strong graceful horses and Australian terms for flora and fauna. Thowra was shown to be a magnificent stallion, wise and beautiful, and it appealed to me tremendously. It really was absolute escapism. I was horribly dismayed to learn, as I got older, that brumbies are not the stunning horses I believed them to be - in fact, are known as being rather 'scrubby'. Similarly, I imagined Thowra with a coat of shining silver - I've since learnt that the term 'creamy' probably means a palomino horse rather than a white.
With some of these childhood assumptions shattered, I thought I would try reading the book once more and see how I felt about it, with some of that rose-tinted attitude stripped away.
What did I find?
A book that still charmed me, even disregarding nostalgia and warm feeling. This tale of Thowra, the silver stallion, is written very well, with warmth and clear love for the subject matter. The life of these wild horses is shown to be tough, with threats from lack of food and Man constantly affecting them - and yet there is joy to be found.
Thowra is never given 'magical' abilities. All of the ways in which he outsmarts the men and the other horses comes from bushlore, knowing the country better than they and using rocks to step on and hide his tracks. He is clever, but only insomuch as he is forced to be, thanks to his creamy coat which is desired by all men who see him. He is a somewhat mischievous character as a foal, but grows into a wise horse as he matures, and I liked this character development.
I liked the fact that Mitchell didn't anthropomorphise the characters at all - although there are occasional lines of dialogue between the horses, they are not given human qualities. They are horses, and driven by all the issues that affect horses, such as searching for grass during the winter season and seeking a mate.
The Silver Brumby is a very natural book, full of grace and passages that demonstrate Mitchell's great love for horses. It is a book I would not hesitate to give to a pony-mad girl now - the language and the story are timeless, and very beautiful. In terms of pony classics, Thowra easily stands alongside Black Beauty, and I would love to see more people reading and enjoying this remarkable story.
It is hard to review a story that was so much a part of my childhood. I read and re-read this book. I plagiarised it shamelessly when I attempted my first stories. I dreamed that I would see Thowra whenever we went out into wild country. To my brother's disgust, I even tried to read it aloud to him. For me, it is absolutely magical and difficult to look at objectively.
I'm trying hard to think about and articulate why I loved it so. As a girl, it was a book that took me into another world, with strong graceful horses and Australian terms for flora and fauna. Thowra was shown to be a magnificent stallion, wise and beautiful, and it appealed to me tremendously. It really was absolute escapism. I was horribly dismayed to learn, as I got older, that brumbies are not the stunning horses I believed them to be - in fact, are known as being rather 'scrubby'. Similarly, I imagined Thowra with a coat of shining silver - I've since learnt that the term 'creamy' probably means a palomino horse rather than a white.
With some of these childhood assumptions shattered, I thought I would try reading the book once more and see how I felt about it, with some of that rose-tinted attitude stripped away.
What did I find?
A book that still charmed me, even disregarding nostalgia and warm feeling. This tale of Thowra, the silver stallion, is written very well, with warmth and clear love for the subject matter. The life of these wild horses is shown to be tough, with threats from lack of food and Man constantly affecting them - and yet there is joy to be found.
Thowra is never given 'magical' abilities. All of the ways in which he outsmarts the men and the other horses comes from bushlore, knowing the country better than they and using rocks to step on and hide his tracks. He is clever, but only insomuch as he is forced to be, thanks to his creamy coat which is desired by all men who see him. He is a somewhat mischievous character as a foal, but grows into a wise horse as he matures, and I liked this character development.
I liked the fact that Mitchell didn't anthropomorphise the characters at all - although there are occasional lines of dialogue between the horses, they are not given human qualities. They are horses, and driven by all the issues that affect horses, such as searching for grass during the winter season and seeking a mate.
The Silver Brumby is a very natural book, full of grace and passages that demonstrate Mitchell's great love for horses. It is a book I would not hesitate to give to a pony-mad girl now - the language and the story are timeless, and very beautiful. In terms of pony classics, Thowra easily stands alongside Black Beauty, and I would love to see more people reading and enjoying this remarkable story.
March 13, 2017
HONEST TO GOD THIS SERIES IS MY ENTIRE CHILDHOOD
I loved these books so much, the writing was good and I was mesmerized by this story of Thowra, a beautiful silver stallion. I plagiarised this book so much when we had to write stories in class whoops. I went through my horse stage because of this book
I WANT TO REREAD IT TBH
I loved these books so much, the writing was good and I was mesmerized by this story of Thowra, a beautiful silver stallion. I plagiarised this book so much when we had to write stories in class whoops. I went through my horse stage because of this book
I WANT TO REREAD IT TBH
May 14, 2010
.The Silver Brumby was the first book i ever read that belonged to a series, i first read it when i was a horse crazy 9 year old, and was over the moon when i realized there were more books after this one and i didn't have to say goodbye to all the new friends i had made throghout the story...Elyne is an amazing writer, she draws you into this amazing wild and free world...on bush walks i would find myself studying animal tracks the way Thowra would...Great series to grow up with...i dont think i will ever get tired of my silver brumby collection.
May 19, 2016
I'll be updating this review as I read the books contained in this omnibus.
The Silver Brumby
SUMMARY
Follows the early life and first few years of adulthood of the magnificent ‘silver’ brumby Thowra as he fights for a herd against a mighty rival The Brolga and for his freedom from the men who hunt the wild brumbies of the Snowy Mountains.
PLOT
I think this kind of book is called a bildungsroman – a coming of age story, except it’s about a horse. It doesn’t tell of Thowra’s entire life, like Black Beauty, but of his rise to maturity and becoming King of the Cascade brumbies. It details how he outwits several rivals and steals a beautiful palomino mare from the stockmen who come to the mountains to hunt brumbies.
CHARACTERS
Well, there’s Thowra, who is the most incredible horse ever to roam the earth. He’s at once cunning, intelligent, speedy, strong, and somewhat arrogant of his own beauty. His mother Bel Bel, who was creamy herself and taught him all of her bushcraft and independence is a wise mentor and basically a giant sweetheart. There’s Storm, the ordinary-coloured bay half-brother that I have an incredibly soft spot for, and I know he adores Thowra and vice versa despite him never having to face the same ordeals Thowra has to because of his colour. I love how they stay friends and never rivals their whole lives. The Brolga is a silent villain, one who knows Thowra is his greatest threat, while his daughter Boon Boon becomes one of Thowra’s favourite mares. It’s a really great mix of horses of different personalities and there’s one there for everyone to love, even formerly tame Golden who becomes Thowra’s greatest prize.
WRITING
This is a classic novel, written back in the 1950s when there were certain gender roles fulfilled by men and women and that seem to leech into this novel as well. With this anthropomorphism, of course a stallion is the leader of his herd, and even though Bel Bel knows more about the bush and is infinitely wiser than her stallion, Yarraman, she’s still second fiddle when it comes to leading a herd. Bel Bel is prized above all other mares because of her colour, just like Golden is later on. Thowra’s basically in a polygamous relationship with his mares, and they’re all OK with it, because that’s how things work. These kind of human relationships are superimposed on the horses and of course it’s not how horses really behave, but it’s easy to fall into the romance of it. The writing itself can seem a bit old-fashioned but it just adds to the beauty and poetry of the descriptions of the Australian bush and the way the wild horses live in it. Even though I’ve never been to the Snowy Mountains I really have no problem imagining what it looks like.
PACING
The pacing is spot on in this novel – when nothing interesting happens, time skips forward. I remember when I was a child re-reading this novel for the billionth time that the fights between the stallions seemed to go on for a long time, but in reality they’re just about a page long. Nothing is wasted, nothing is expanded if it doesn’t need to be. It’s not sparse, but for example skipping over Thowra’s second winter does absolutely nothing to hinder the plot and just keeps the pace going to the more interesting parts.
OVERALL
This is one of my childhood favourites and I was excited to read it again as an adult. It’s perfect for horse lovers or younger readers but I’m certain adults will find something charming in here as well. I can’t imagine anyone not liking this book.
The Silver Brumby's Daughter
This book is set nearly a year after the end of The Silver Brumby, when Throwa took a wild leap for freedom out of the big brumby drive that led many a man to think he was now dead, a Ghost Horse. He’s been hiding in his beautiful Secret Valley with Golden, Kunama, Boon Boon, and Boon Boon’s grey sisters. But Kunama has her father’s wandering spirit, and she longs to run with the handsome black young stallion Tambo, whom Storm took under his wing when his mother, the black racehorse from the south, was recaptured in the big brumby drive.
Storm and Thowra are co-kings of the Cascade herd, of a sorts, with Thowra the undisputed leader but often in hiding, and Storm leading them otherwise. They are somewhat lenient towards Tambo, whom Storm trained in the art of the bush. I’m not sure why – maybe they can both tell he would be a good mate for Kunama? Thowra gives a thrashing to the mean-spirited nephew of Arrow, called Spear, who chases Kunama from one end of the Cascades to the other, desperate to add her to his herd, but when Tambo is caught frolicking with Kunama all he gets is a shaking and a stern lecture from Storm.
It was interesting seeing life from the point of view of a silver filly. Like Thowra, Kunama has to be beware of men, but she’s also the jewel of any stallion’s herd, and unlike Thowra, she’s not big and strong enough to fight amorous stallions off, so Tambo fights for her – again and again – and he’s only three years old, but far more fierce than Thowra ever was at that age. Remember, Bel Bel told Thowra not to fight The Brolga until he was at full strength, when he was about four or five years old. Whereas Thowra only really had two horse enemies – Arrow and The Brolga – Kunama has to hide herself practically all the time lest a stallion see her and want her for himself.
And all she wants is to run with Tambo– but he’s not part of the Silver Herd, and he’s not allowed to know about the Secret Valley, so Kunama has to split her time between her family including new baby brother Lightning, and Thowra in the Valley, and with Tambo and Tambo’s two other ‘creamy’ fillies (with dark points, so not silver like Kunama).
And above all, Kunama is hunted by men because she’s an easier mark than Thowra, being so young and female, and the stifling presence of the men combined with the suffocating walls of the Secret Valley and her longing to run with Tambo lead Kunama to wish for only one thing: freedom. The kind of freedom that Thowra still has – as a strong, fast stallion, king of the Cascades, he can go anywhere he wants. Kunama hates being so limited, and I can identify with her because those limits are placed on her because of her sex. Poor precious beauty, can’t run free with her boyfriend for fear of capture by man or other stallions…
Silver Brumbies of the South
To some, it might be disappointing that Thowra’s own son by Golden, Lightning, lacks the bush wisdom inherited by Bel Bel, Thowra’s mother, and passed on down to Kunama, his creamy daughter by Golden, by virtue of Boon Boon, Thowra’s second favourite and wisest mare.
But in reality it shows that Lightning was not going to be favourited by his own father, and when he is two years old and Baringa, Kunama’s son by Tambo, is a yearling, Thowra decides to kick them out of the Cascades and lead them south to Quambat Flat territory, further south than the Brolga lived. I thought Baringa much too young to lead on a far trek south and basically abandon into the care of an unknown yet benevolent new ally called Cloud. Cloud is light grey, so of course he can be trusted. Less trustworthy are the typical chestnut and iron grey villains that plague the Silver Herd, attempting to capture the females and kill the males.
To my surprise, Thowra simply abandons his son and grandson and expects them to be OK, so this book is mostly about Baringa and how he’s a year younger than Lightning but so much more like Thowra than his uncle will ever be. Lightning gains his first mare before Baringa, but he is jealous of the beautiful filly who Baringa befriends, called Dawn, and sneakily tries to make her part of his herd. He thinks because he is older and bigger and stronger than Baringa that he must be more handsome, but Baringa is faster- maybe even faster than Thowra himself – and from the age of two Baringa learns how to fight to keep himself and his tiny little herd safe. Then he goes searching for a mysterious filly who might or might not exist.
Lightning’s not exactly the villain in this, that’s reserved for basically every other stallion who’s not related to Storm or the new ally Cloud, but he does give Baringa some grief and then pretend like he never intended to steal Dawn. Baringa is smarter and more bush wise than his uncle, but then again, so far south from the men and their machines building roads into the Cascades, they’ve never faced man, nor harsh winters, nor bushfire, the latter two of which they have to overcome without Thowra’s guidance. Thowra comes and goes as he pleases, concerned with the welfare of his male offspring but probably more concerned with the mares he left in his secret valley.
This was a remarkably different book to The Silver Brumby’s Daughter. I think Mitchell went back to stallion protagonists because essentially their stories are more exciting than mares: finding their place in the world, fighting for a herd and for their own lives at every turn, falling in love with multiple beautiful fillies to fill their harem herd. Kunama learned her lesson, chose her stallion early, and had a turn running from bushmen, but the lives of the stallions are far more in constant danger than hers. Also, she was allowed to stay in the Hidden Flat with Tambo and her chestnut foal, whereas Lightning and Baringa had to leave to find their own kingdoms because Thowra wouldn’t share, even though he kind of shares herd leader duties with Storm, even though Storm never beat The Brolga to become King of the Cascades… anyway good for Storm, he’s probably my favourite.
Silver Brumby Kingdom
This book continues on from where Silver Brumbies of the South ended, with Baringa growing up and Dawn with foal. Baringa has to battle all of the elements, it seems, so he’s faced moving to a new kingdom, fire and snow and storm. The only thing left to conquer is flood, and unfortunately the flood steals his precious Dawn and Baringa has to spend most of the novel searching for her while Lightning creeps about being a creeper and generally getting into trouble.
I kind of feel sorry for Lightning, I mean it’s not really his fault that he’s not as awesome as Baringa. No one would ever mistake Lightning for Thowra, but he inherited his sire’s beauty and strength if not his wisdom. It’s kind of obvious Baringa is the favourite because he gets the most beautiful mares and he beats all the villains and everyone’s pretty much in awe of him. Imagine being Lightning, being this super-rare, super-beautiful silver brumby and playing second fiddle to your own nephew who’s younger and not as awesome.
Sometimes I wonder if they were trying to turn Lightning into a pseudo-Arrow because as much as Arrow bullied and harassed Thowra and Storm as colts, Lightning seems to have inherited that same sneaky, kind of jealousy toward Baringa that Arrow had and Storm never did. Lightning desperately wants beautiful Dawn for his own herd, but then he remembers he already has Goonda, and when she is almost stolen he realises he’d rather have Goonda than Dawn, which is kind of sweet.
Anyway despite there being loads of action and stolen mares and mares who leave their stallions willingly and mares who want to go with Thowra and end up with Baringa and mares who go with Lightning and end up with Baringa and stallions who come looking for their lost mares, the main story revolves around Baringa’s search and rescue of his beloved Dawn. Then, once he’s reclaimed her, he has to do like Thowra did when he became king of the Cascades and beat the resident nasty that Yarraman/Lightning couldn’t beat, the nameless black stallion, to claim his rightful title of Silver Stallion of Quambat Flat.
Even though, you know, Cloud kind of owns Quambat and I’m pretty sure even Thowra respects that.
Whatever. Baringa is the new Thowra. Deal with it.
The Silver Brumby
SUMMARY
Follows the early life and first few years of adulthood of the magnificent ‘silver’ brumby Thowra as he fights for a herd against a mighty rival The Brolga and for his freedom from the men who hunt the wild brumbies of the Snowy Mountains.
PLOT
I think this kind of book is called a bildungsroman – a coming of age story, except it’s about a horse. It doesn’t tell of Thowra’s entire life, like Black Beauty, but of his rise to maturity and becoming King of the Cascade brumbies. It details how he outwits several rivals and steals a beautiful palomino mare from the stockmen who come to the mountains to hunt brumbies.
CHARACTERS
Well, there’s Thowra, who is the most incredible horse ever to roam the earth. He’s at once cunning, intelligent, speedy, strong, and somewhat arrogant of his own beauty. His mother Bel Bel, who was creamy herself and taught him all of her bushcraft and independence is a wise mentor and basically a giant sweetheart. There’s Storm, the ordinary-coloured bay half-brother that I have an incredibly soft spot for, and I know he adores Thowra and vice versa despite him never having to face the same ordeals Thowra has to because of his colour. I love how they stay friends and never rivals their whole lives. The Brolga is a silent villain, one who knows Thowra is his greatest threat, while his daughter Boon Boon becomes one of Thowra’s favourite mares. It’s a really great mix of horses of different personalities and there’s one there for everyone to love, even formerly tame Golden who becomes Thowra’s greatest prize.
WRITING
This is a classic novel, written back in the 1950s when there were certain gender roles fulfilled by men and women and that seem to leech into this novel as well. With this anthropomorphism, of course a stallion is the leader of his herd, and even though Bel Bel knows more about the bush and is infinitely wiser than her stallion, Yarraman, she’s still second fiddle when it comes to leading a herd. Bel Bel is prized above all other mares because of her colour, just like Golden is later on. Thowra’s basically in a polygamous relationship with his mares, and they’re all OK with it, because that’s how things work. These kind of human relationships are superimposed on the horses and of course it’s not how horses really behave, but it’s easy to fall into the romance of it. The writing itself can seem a bit old-fashioned but it just adds to the beauty and poetry of the descriptions of the Australian bush and the way the wild horses live in it. Even though I’ve never been to the Snowy Mountains I really have no problem imagining what it looks like.
PACING
The pacing is spot on in this novel – when nothing interesting happens, time skips forward. I remember when I was a child re-reading this novel for the billionth time that the fights between the stallions seemed to go on for a long time, but in reality they’re just about a page long. Nothing is wasted, nothing is expanded if it doesn’t need to be. It’s not sparse, but for example skipping over Thowra’s second winter does absolutely nothing to hinder the plot and just keeps the pace going to the more interesting parts.
OVERALL
This is one of my childhood favourites and I was excited to read it again as an adult. It’s perfect for horse lovers or younger readers but I’m certain adults will find something charming in here as well. I can’t imagine anyone not liking this book.
The Silver Brumby's Daughter
This book is set nearly a year after the end of The Silver Brumby, when Throwa took a wild leap for freedom out of the big brumby drive that led many a man to think he was now dead, a Ghost Horse. He’s been hiding in his beautiful Secret Valley with Golden, Kunama, Boon Boon, and Boon Boon’s grey sisters. But Kunama has her father’s wandering spirit, and she longs to run with the handsome black young stallion Tambo, whom Storm took under his wing when his mother, the black racehorse from the south, was recaptured in the big brumby drive.
Storm and Thowra are co-kings of the Cascade herd, of a sorts, with Thowra the undisputed leader but often in hiding, and Storm leading them otherwise. They are somewhat lenient towards Tambo, whom Storm trained in the art of the bush. I’m not sure why – maybe they can both tell he would be a good mate for Kunama? Thowra gives a thrashing to the mean-spirited nephew of Arrow, called Spear, who chases Kunama from one end of the Cascades to the other, desperate to add her to his herd, but when Tambo is caught frolicking with Kunama all he gets is a shaking and a stern lecture from Storm.
It was interesting seeing life from the point of view of a silver filly. Like Thowra, Kunama has to be beware of men, but she’s also the jewel of any stallion’s herd, and unlike Thowra, she’s not big and strong enough to fight amorous stallions off, so Tambo fights for her – again and again – and he’s only three years old, but far more fierce than Thowra ever was at that age. Remember, Bel Bel told Thowra not to fight The Brolga until he was at full strength, when he was about four or five years old. Whereas Thowra only really had two horse enemies – Arrow and The Brolga – Kunama has to hide herself practically all the time lest a stallion see her and want her for himself.
And all she wants is to run with Tambo– but he’s not part of the Silver Herd, and he’s not allowed to know about the Secret Valley, so Kunama has to split her time between her family including new baby brother Lightning, and Thowra in the Valley, and with Tambo and Tambo’s two other ‘creamy’ fillies (with dark points, so not silver like Kunama).
And above all, Kunama is hunted by men because she’s an easier mark than Thowra, being so young and female, and the stifling presence of the men combined with the suffocating walls of the Secret Valley and her longing to run with Tambo lead Kunama to wish for only one thing: freedom. The kind of freedom that Thowra still has – as a strong, fast stallion, king of the Cascades, he can go anywhere he wants. Kunama hates being so limited, and I can identify with her because those limits are placed on her because of her sex. Poor precious beauty, can’t run free with her boyfriend for fear of capture by man or other stallions…
Silver Brumbies of the South
To some, it might be disappointing that Thowra’s own son by Golden, Lightning, lacks the bush wisdom inherited by Bel Bel, Thowra’s mother, and passed on down to Kunama, his creamy daughter by Golden, by virtue of Boon Boon, Thowra’s second favourite and wisest mare.
But in reality it shows that Lightning was not going to be favourited by his own father, and when he is two years old and Baringa, Kunama’s son by Tambo, is a yearling, Thowra decides to kick them out of the Cascades and lead them south to Quambat Flat territory, further south than the Brolga lived. I thought Baringa much too young to lead on a far trek south and basically abandon into the care of an unknown yet benevolent new ally called Cloud. Cloud is light grey, so of course he can be trusted. Less trustworthy are the typical chestnut and iron grey villains that plague the Silver Herd, attempting to capture the females and kill the males.
To my surprise, Thowra simply abandons his son and grandson and expects them to be OK, so this book is mostly about Baringa and how he’s a year younger than Lightning but so much more like Thowra than his uncle will ever be. Lightning gains his first mare before Baringa, but he is jealous of the beautiful filly who Baringa befriends, called Dawn, and sneakily tries to make her part of his herd. He thinks because he is older and bigger and stronger than Baringa that he must be more handsome, but Baringa is faster- maybe even faster than Thowra himself – and from the age of two Baringa learns how to fight to keep himself and his tiny little herd safe. Then he goes searching for a mysterious filly who might or might not exist.
Lightning’s not exactly the villain in this, that’s reserved for basically every other stallion who’s not related to Storm or the new ally Cloud, but he does give Baringa some grief and then pretend like he never intended to steal Dawn. Baringa is smarter and more bush wise than his uncle, but then again, so far south from the men and their machines building roads into the Cascades, they’ve never faced man, nor harsh winters, nor bushfire, the latter two of which they have to overcome without Thowra’s guidance. Thowra comes and goes as he pleases, concerned with the welfare of his male offspring but probably more concerned with the mares he left in his secret valley.
This was a remarkably different book to The Silver Brumby’s Daughter. I think Mitchell went back to stallion protagonists because essentially their stories are more exciting than mares: finding their place in the world, fighting for a herd and for their own lives at every turn, falling in love with multiple beautiful fillies to fill their harem herd. Kunama learned her lesson, chose her stallion early, and had a turn running from bushmen, but the lives of the stallions are far more in constant danger than hers. Also, she was allowed to stay in the Hidden Flat with Tambo and her chestnut foal, whereas Lightning and Baringa had to leave to find their own kingdoms because Thowra wouldn’t share, even though he kind of shares herd leader duties with Storm, even though Storm never beat The Brolga to become King of the Cascades… anyway good for Storm, he’s probably my favourite.
Silver Brumby Kingdom
This book continues on from where Silver Brumbies of the South ended, with Baringa growing up and Dawn with foal. Baringa has to battle all of the elements, it seems, so he’s faced moving to a new kingdom, fire and snow and storm. The only thing left to conquer is flood, and unfortunately the flood steals his precious Dawn and Baringa has to spend most of the novel searching for her while Lightning creeps about being a creeper and generally getting into trouble.
I kind of feel sorry for Lightning, I mean it’s not really his fault that he’s not as awesome as Baringa. No one would ever mistake Lightning for Thowra, but he inherited his sire’s beauty and strength if not his wisdom. It’s kind of obvious Baringa is the favourite because he gets the most beautiful mares and he beats all the villains and everyone’s pretty much in awe of him. Imagine being Lightning, being this super-rare, super-beautiful silver brumby and playing second fiddle to your own nephew who’s younger and not as awesome.
Sometimes I wonder if they were trying to turn Lightning into a pseudo-Arrow because as much as Arrow bullied and harassed Thowra and Storm as colts, Lightning seems to have inherited that same sneaky, kind of jealousy toward Baringa that Arrow had and Storm never did. Lightning desperately wants beautiful Dawn for his own herd, but then he remembers he already has Goonda, and when she is almost stolen he realises he’d rather have Goonda than Dawn, which is kind of sweet.
Anyway despite there being loads of action and stolen mares and mares who leave their stallions willingly and mares who want to go with Thowra and end up with Baringa and mares who go with Lightning and end up with Baringa and stallions who come looking for their lost mares, the main story revolves around Baringa’s search and rescue of his beloved Dawn. Then, once he’s reclaimed her, he has to do like Thowra did when he became king of the Cascades and beat the resident nasty that Yarraman/Lightning couldn’t beat, the nameless black stallion, to claim his rightful title of Silver Stallion of Quambat Flat.
Even though, you know, Cloud kind of owns Quambat and I’m pretty sure even Thowra respects that.
Whatever. Baringa is the new Thowra. Deal with it.
December 19, 2025
‘Once there was a dark, stormy night in spring …’
On this night, Thowra, the silver brumby is born. His mother Bel Bel, herself a cream colour, knows that Thowra (named for the wind) will be sought by man because of his colour and trains him well.
‘Never go near Man, nor his huts, nor his yards where he fences in cattle and his own tame horse.’
In this, the first book of the Silver Brumby Series, we follow the life of Thowra from birth to legend. He grows from colt to a magnificent stallion, using the mountains to look after his herd and to escape from man.
I first read this book over fifty years ago and was transported to a magical world. I still think of the Snowy Mountains as silver brumby country and imagine the offspring of Thowra roaming freely through their domain. It’s risky to reread a book I loved as a child. Sometimes the magic has evaporated, leaving behind a less imaginative cold hard reality. And brumbies are not universally loved in the Snowy Mountains.
The magic had not evaporated for me with this novel: I could still imagine Thowra and his herd, I could still imagine Thowra eluding capture because of the lessons Bel Bel had taught him. I think that there are two reasons why I love this book. The first is that Ms Mitchell did such a wonderful job of describing the country and the creatures which inhabit it. The second is that the story ends in a way which enables me to imagine Thowra living on outside the pages of the novel.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
On this night, Thowra, the silver brumby is born. His mother Bel Bel, herself a cream colour, knows that Thowra (named for the wind) will be sought by man because of his colour and trains him well.
‘Never go near Man, nor his huts, nor his yards where he fences in cattle and his own tame horse.’
In this, the first book of the Silver Brumby Series, we follow the life of Thowra from birth to legend. He grows from colt to a magnificent stallion, using the mountains to look after his herd and to escape from man.
I first read this book over fifty years ago and was transported to a magical world. I still think of the Snowy Mountains as silver brumby country and imagine the offspring of Thowra roaming freely through their domain. It’s risky to reread a book I loved as a child. Sometimes the magic has evaporated, leaving behind a less imaginative cold hard reality. And brumbies are not universally loved in the Snowy Mountains.
The magic had not evaporated for me with this novel: I could still imagine Thowra and his herd, I could still imagine Thowra eluding capture because of the lessons Bel Bel had taught him. I think that there are two reasons why I love this book. The first is that Ms Mitchell did such a wonderful job of describing the country and the creatures which inhabit it. The second is that the story ends in a way which enables me to imagine Thowra living on outside the pages of the novel.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
June 20, 2017
This whole series was such a vivid childhood favourite for me. I don't think I could bring myself to ever read the books again for that reason...
April 17, 2017
More deserving review for this book to come.
December 5, 2016
Perfect Musical Pairing: Touch The Sky by Julie Fowlis (from Disney/Pixar's Brave)
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Don't let the flowery-looking Saddle Club-bait cover of this particular edition fool you. This is xenofiction cut from the same cloth as The Call of the Wild and White Fang, with the only noteworthy difference being (besides the fact that this book is about feral horses in Australia rather than dogs and wolves in Alaska) that the horses speak to one another in actual dialogue.
Big badass feral horses battle each other for kingship, find mates, raise foals, brave the harsh reality of life in the wild, protect their herds, and evade the ropes of the stockmen who seek to tame them in this atmospheric thrill-ride of a book. At the center of all this is a young stallion of an unusual color, a color that makes him a target for both rival stallions and thrill-seeking humans. In order to survive this crucible existence, he must become stronger, faster, and more cunning than either man or beast.
"Horse books" are a dime a dozen, but horse books actually told from the perspective of a horse with a minimal/believable amount of anthropomorphism are not nearly as easy to find. Pick this up if you're a fan of horses (or of animals in general), and you're looking for something a little different from your average Pony Pals-type "horse book".
...I suppose if I was to nitpick, I would be miffed by the inaccurate portrayal of horse herd hierarchy. Real horse herds are matriarchal societies, not patriarchal! It's the mares who call the shots! But I suppose Elyne Mitchell gets a Free Pass on this one because this was written before the Google Age, and the plot would have been entirely different if this had been written entirely accurate to horse behavior.
----------------------------
Don't let the flowery-looking Saddle Club-bait cover of this particular edition fool you. This is xenofiction cut from the same cloth as The Call of the Wild and White Fang, with the only noteworthy difference being (besides the fact that this book is about feral horses in Australia rather than dogs and wolves in Alaska) that the horses speak to one another in actual dialogue.
Big badass feral horses battle each other for kingship, find mates, raise foals, brave the harsh reality of life in the wild, protect their herds, and evade the ropes of the stockmen who seek to tame them in this atmospheric thrill-ride of a book. At the center of all this is a young stallion of an unusual color, a color that makes him a target for both rival stallions and thrill-seeking humans. In order to survive this crucible existence, he must become stronger, faster, and more cunning than either man or beast.
"Horse books" are a dime a dozen, but horse books actually told from the perspective of a horse with a minimal/believable amount of anthropomorphism are not nearly as easy to find. Pick this up if you're a fan of horses (or of animals in general), and you're looking for something a little different from your average Pony Pals-type "horse book".
...I suppose if I was to nitpick, I would be miffed by the inaccurate portrayal of horse herd hierarchy. Real horse herds are matriarchal societies, not patriarchal! It's the mares who call the shots! But I suppose Elyne Mitchell gets a Free Pass on this one because this was written before the Google Age, and the plot would have been entirely different if this had been written entirely accurate to horse behavior.
March 25, 2025
(2009 review)
One of our oldest daughter's friends loaned her Elyne Mitchell's The Silver Brumby, and then I read it to our youngest. This series of Australian wild-horse stories is way above the current run of Horse-Club type chapter books; and, unfortunately, seems to be almost unheard of in Canada. There was a 1993 film version with Russell Crowe, but I don't remember it; there was also an animated series. I checked our usual used book source for copies of the books and found very few in Canada at a decent price; the U.S. was not much better, but there were lots of copies in Australia and the U.K. Collins Modern Classics did a reprint in 1999 but it looks like it's also out of print. There are no copies of any of the books in our library system.
The book--the first one anyway--was published in 1958. It's kind of a cross between Bambi (the book, not the Disney movie) and Misty of Chincoteague. Thowra, a cream-coloured wild horse (brumby), is born during a stormy night; his intelligent and intuitive mother knows there are great things in store for him, but that he will always be in danger both from man and other horses (because of his unusual colour). She teaches him everything she knows about running, hiding, leaping over things, and general survival; and, though most mares forget their foals eventually, she never seems to be far away and reappears several times as Thowra grows up. (He also has a lifelong friendship with Storm, another stallion who was born at the same time.) By the end of the book, Thowra has defeated the other leaders of the brumbies (the fights are described fairly graphically), has his own herd (and foals), and has just escaped--in a final harrowing chase scene--from the stockmen (cowboys) who badly want to capture him.
The descriptive passages and the language--both the Australian geographical terms and the general writing level--may give problems to younger North American readers; maybe not your average homeschooler, but those who expect something on the same level as the Horse Club books. The first book does have a short glossary in the back (candlebarks, flying phallanger, kurrawong, snowgrass, etc.). Here's a sample:
"Thowra and Storm moved back on to the Main Range as soon as autumn began changing towards winter. For a while they stayed in the timbered country below the Ramshead, and often spent the lovely bright days galloping on the snowgrass between the granite tors. Sometimes there were other young horses near--and once Thowra was given quite a beating by a three-year-old stallion who came along with two or three young mares and seemed to want to fight him just because he looked different--but mostly they were on their own, and day after day was filled with a sort of wild joy....The snow was late that year, and in the clear autumn light the rocks looked purple, and the snowgums blended every red and orange and green with their ghostly silver grey. Thowra became lighter in colour as he got his winter coat, and, even more than in other winters, he looked silver rather than cream."--Elyne Mitchell, The Silver Brumby
Luckily, the friend owns all four books in the series and our youngest is writing her a letter (and drawing her a picture) to say thank you and ask if we can borrow the next book.
One of our oldest daughter's friends loaned her Elyne Mitchell's The Silver Brumby, and then I read it to our youngest. This series of Australian wild-horse stories is way above the current run of Horse-Club type chapter books; and, unfortunately, seems to be almost unheard of in Canada. There was a 1993 film version with Russell Crowe, but I don't remember it; there was also an animated series. I checked our usual used book source for copies of the books and found very few in Canada at a decent price; the U.S. was not much better, but there were lots of copies in Australia and the U.K. Collins Modern Classics did a reprint in 1999 but it looks like it's also out of print. There are no copies of any of the books in our library system.
The book--the first one anyway--was published in 1958. It's kind of a cross between Bambi (the book, not the Disney movie) and Misty of Chincoteague. Thowra, a cream-coloured wild horse (brumby), is born during a stormy night; his intelligent and intuitive mother knows there are great things in store for him, but that he will always be in danger both from man and other horses (because of his unusual colour). She teaches him everything she knows about running, hiding, leaping over things, and general survival; and, though most mares forget their foals eventually, she never seems to be far away and reappears several times as Thowra grows up. (He also has a lifelong friendship with Storm, another stallion who was born at the same time.) By the end of the book, Thowra has defeated the other leaders of the brumbies (the fights are described fairly graphically), has his own herd (and foals), and has just escaped--in a final harrowing chase scene--from the stockmen (cowboys) who badly want to capture him.
The descriptive passages and the language--both the Australian geographical terms and the general writing level--may give problems to younger North American readers; maybe not your average homeschooler, but those who expect something on the same level as the Horse Club books. The first book does have a short glossary in the back (candlebarks, flying phallanger, kurrawong, snowgrass, etc.). Here's a sample:
"Thowra and Storm moved back on to the Main Range as soon as autumn began changing towards winter. For a while they stayed in the timbered country below the Ramshead, and often spent the lovely bright days galloping on the snowgrass between the granite tors. Sometimes there were other young horses near--and once Thowra was given quite a beating by a three-year-old stallion who came along with two or three young mares and seemed to want to fight him just because he looked different--but mostly they were on their own, and day after day was filled with a sort of wild joy....The snow was late that year, and in the clear autumn light the rocks looked purple, and the snowgums blended every red and orange and green with their ghostly silver grey. Thowra became lighter in colour as he got his winter coat, and, even more than in other winters, he looked silver rather than cream."--Elyne Mitchell, The Silver Brumby
Luckily, the friend owns all four books in the series and our youngest is writing her a letter (and drawing her a picture) to say thank you and ask if we can borrow the next book.
September 14, 2016
Reading this book in my 40s has been such a fabulous flashback to my years as a girl when I gobbled up horsey books on a weekly basis.
The wild descriptions were just wonderful and I loved the free feeling of the horses and could really imagine the whole scenes playing out in my minds eye.
It was somewhat spoilt for me as I am a writer myself and couldn't help but cast a writerly eye over the book which is perhaps not fair, but did mean I was screaming out 'where is the story?' at various intervals along with, 'that is far far too easily resolved.' Then tension built but then just disappeared which left me feeling a bit frustrated.
It is, however, a wonderful book of pure, wild escapism. I galloped along with him, every step of the magical way.
The wild descriptions were just wonderful and I loved the free feeling of the horses and could really imagine the whole scenes playing out in my minds eye.
It was somewhat spoilt for me as I am a writer myself and couldn't help but cast a writerly eye over the book which is perhaps not fair, but did mean I was screaming out 'where is the story?' at various intervals along with, 'that is far far too easily resolved.' Then tension built but then just disappeared which left me feeling a bit frustrated.
It is, however, a wonderful book of pure, wild escapism. I galloped along with him, every step of the magical way.
December 20, 2015
Sadly, I was never one of those girls who fall in love with horses in elementary school. Apparently, my fourth grade teacher was; that year, she read aloud every Marguerite Henry horse book ever written, to my dismay.
I wish Mrs. McKinnis had read aloud The Silver Brumby. I don't know if it would have had the same effect on me at ten as it did when I read it last month at fifty-six, but suddenly I'm in love with horses. At least Australian horses. Thowra eludes capture time and time again and has to fight bad horses and seeks out the wild parts of the land and leads a herd of other beautiful wild horses.
Yes, a great story.
I wish Mrs. McKinnis had read aloud The Silver Brumby. I don't know if it would have had the same effect on me at ten as it did when I read it last month at fifty-six, but suddenly I'm in love with horses. At least Australian horses. Thowra eludes capture time and time again and has to fight bad horses and seeks out the wild parts of the land and leads a herd of other beautiful wild horses.
Yes, a great story.
August 30, 2021
This book was my absolute childhood! There is nothing that little Dass enjoyed more than to have special time with her Mum reading this book. I'm pretty sure I grew to love horses because of this book.
The book is 100% better than the movie too.
Nothing beats Thowra's magic <3
The book is 100% better than the movie too.
Nothing beats Thowra's magic <3
April 20, 2012
Just finished rereading this - again! I love this story. I first discovered it in my city library when I was just a kid and would recheck it from time to time to read it again. Finally found a copy as an adult at the Tattered Cover in Denver several years back.
I really enjoy this story of an Australian brumby from his birth to his undisputed reign as king of the Cascade brumbies. Thowra is named for the wind, since he will have to be as swift as the wind to escape men, who will want him for his unusual color - a pale creamy with silver mane and tail. The exploits of Thowra and his best friend Storm, born the same night of the storm as he was, are wonderful reading. Thowra and Storm have both been trained by their mothers to read all the signs of the earth and sky, to travel trackless and to know well the country they are going through or find themselves in. Then Thowra steals Golden from the men who bring the cattle in the summer and everyone is looking for him - The Brolga to take Golden from him and the men to capture Golden and Thowra.
This may be my comfort book. Whenever I'm restless or agitated, I seem to go to this book to relax.
I really enjoy this story of an Australian brumby from his birth to his undisputed reign as king of the Cascade brumbies. Thowra is named for the wind, since he will have to be as swift as the wind to escape men, who will want him for his unusual color - a pale creamy with silver mane and tail. The exploits of Thowra and his best friend Storm, born the same night of the storm as he was, are wonderful reading. Thowra and Storm have both been trained by their mothers to read all the signs of the earth and sky, to travel trackless and to know well the country they are going through or find themselves in. Then Thowra steals Golden from the men who bring the cattle in the summer and everyone is looking for him - The Brolga to take Golden from him and the men to capture Golden and Thowra.
This may be my comfort book. Whenever I'm restless or agitated, I seem to go to this book to relax.
October 22, 2014
The Silver Brumby is one of those books were you just want to keep reading it over and over again. In this book Thowra, a creamy palomino horse (described as "silver")is born in a wild, windy and stormy night, for that he is named "Thowra" meaning wind. His mother who is named Bell-Bell knows that great dangers that come ahead to him, so he must know the ways of the Brumby country.
When Thowra is a foal, he is playful and,in a way, cheeky. Thowra plays and grows up with his half brother called Storm until they are ready to leave and find a mate. Thowra also has a brother called Arrow. Arrow is a mean horse that wants to be the king of the brumby country, he fights Thowra and try's to steal his place of "The King of the Cascade Brumbys".
It is great to see how Thowra grows from a playful foal, to a wise and mature stallion. THIS IS A MUST READ!!!
When Thowra is a foal, he is playful and,in a way, cheeky. Thowra plays and grows up with his half brother called Storm until they are ready to leave and find a mate. Thowra also has a brother called Arrow. Arrow is a mean horse that wants to be the king of the brumby country, he fights Thowra and try's to steal his place of "The King of the Cascade Brumbys".
It is great to see how Thowra grows from a playful foal, to a wise and mature stallion. THIS IS A MUST READ!!!
February 14, 2009
The thing I love most about any Elyne Mitchell book, is the way that no matter which of her books it is, I am so drawn into the story, I feel like I am part of it, that it is happening right infront of me. The sounds, smells, movement, emotion, just everything. Is so real when reading her books.
The Silver Brumby was the first of Elyne Mitchell's books I have read, and since reading it, I began a collection of her Silver Brumby series, and it grows bigger continuously.
I always enjoy reading Mitchell's stories and she is one of my favourite authors.
The Silver Brumby was the first of Elyne Mitchell's books I have read, and since reading it, I began a collection of her Silver Brumby series, and it grows bigger continuously.
I always enjoy reading Mitchell's stories and she is one of my favourite authors.
April 4, 2014
Ok, I know I'm making myself unpopular here but it would have probably got more stars if I had been a few decades younger than I am but as it is, I really couldn't get into it. Too much 'nodding wisely', too much human behaviour superimposed on animal protagonists, too many statements about herd dynamics/behaviour that is plainly wrong. All of which I would have been blissfully unaware of at, say, eight but just couldn't push aside at a-few-decades-and-then-some older than eight. Shame, really.
April 9, 2019
Ahhh the Silver Brumby who stole my heart all those years ago... I got to reread this classic Australian novel for uni and its made me fall in love all over again... I have had the chance to drive through the Snowy Mountains and it feels like magic when you are there, just how the book by Mitchell describes it in so many ways...
September 11, 2021
tbt to when i was highkey a horse girl (#noshame)
December 22, 2021
This was a reread for me. And I loved it so much.
August 16, 2016
So sad to think that this could be based on what actually might have happened in Australia.
April 13, 2020
This was a real childhood favourite of mine and it was so nice revisiting it. It is just basically wild horses running around for 200 pages and the same descriptions tend to repeat throughout; but if you like horses and stories about the wild it's great.
Read
September 10, 2017Read it and loved the movie as a kid
Read
January 20, 2019Best.
April 25, 2022
Perfect for any horse lover to read!
October 6, 2024
Fantastic. Although my love for this book probably stems from nostalgia, it’s still so charming and magical. I’ll never get over it
February 28, 2025
This book is a gorgeous <3
I keep coming back to it whenever I need a feel good horse series :)
I keep coming back to it whenever I need a feel good horse series :)
September 9, 2025
Nostalgiatrippi lapsuuden lempikirjan pariin. Ei se ihan samalta tuntunut, mutta nautin silti.
November 19, 2022
I wanna see this in Anime form. 👌
May 22, 2023
“Just then, down through the last glimmer of twilight, stepping high and free, like a cloud, a moth, a ghost in the shape of a horse — came the Silver Stallion. Wild, beautiful, and free as the wind he came, from one kingdom to another, Thowra.”
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You can pry this book out of my cold dead hands. This book is pretty much my childhood and it’s definitely my comfort book when I want something easy to read. I have had it for years and my copy is getting pretty rough because I have reread it so many times. It has been a couple of years since I last read it though and I’ll do each of my reviews individually.
The Silver Brumby ~
I absolutely adore this book. Elyne Mitchell is a really fantastic author. She’s especially skilled at setting up the scene. You can really picture the landscape of the Australian bush. I have also cried many times when I was young as I read this book. (Especially about Bel-Bel 😭)
Reading it now when I’m a bit older, I still find it a really great book. Definitely worth checking out, especially if you’re horse crazy (like I was 😂).
5 / 5 stars ⭐️
The Silver Brumby’s Daughter ~
This has always probably been my least favourite of the four books. I had always kind of found it a struggle to get through, not because it was poorly written or anything. I just didn’t enjoy the story as much as I did with the others.
However, reading it again for the first time in ages, I did enjoy it a bit more.
4 / 5 stars ⭐️
Silver Brumbies of the South & Silver Brumby Kingdom ~
Honestly, I think I like these two the most out of the series. They tell the continuing story of Thowra’s son Lightning and grandson Baringa. I love the story and I think Baringa and Dawn are too cute. It’s much more exciting than the Silver Brumby’s Daughter and is on the same level as the first book.
5 / 5 stars ⭐️
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You can pry this book out of my cold dead hands. This book is pretty much my childhood and it’s definitely my comfort book when I want something easy to read. I have had it for years and my copy is getting pretty rough because I have reread it so many times. It has been a couple of years since I last read it though and I’ll do each of my reviews individually.
The Silver Brumby ~
I absolutely adore this book. Elyne Mitchell is a really fantastic author. She’s especially skilled at setting up the scene. You can really picture the landscape of the Australian bush. I have also cried many times when I was young as I read this book. (Especially about Bel-Bel 😭)
Reading it now when I’m a bit older, I still find it a really great book. Definitely worth checking out, especially if you’re horse crazy (like I was 😂).
5 / 5 stars ⭐️
The Silver Brumby’s Daughter ~
This has always probably been my least favourite of the four books. I had always kind of found it a struggle to get through, not because it was poorly written or anything. I just didn’t enjoy the story as much as I did with the others.
However, reading it again for the first time in ages, I did enjoy it a bit more.
4 / 5 stars ⭐️
Silver Brumbies of the South & Silver Brumby Kingdom ~
Honestly, I think I like these two the most out of the series. They tell the continuing story of Thowra’s son Lightning and grandson Baringa. I love the story and I think Baringa and Dawn are too cute. It’s much more exciting than the Silver Brumby’s Daughter and is on the same level as the first book.
5 / 5 stars ⭐️
Displaying 1 - 29 of 193 reviews