The Wild Horses of the Chilcotin: Their History and Future

by Wayne McCrory

The Chilcotin’s wild horses are are romantic and beautiful, but they are also they are seen by government policy as intruders competing for range land with native species and domestic cattle and, as a result, they have been subject to culls and are not officially protected.
In this compelling book, wildlife biologist Wayne McCrory draws upon two decades of research to make a case for considering these wonderful creatures, called  qiyus  in traditional Tŝilhqot’in culture, a resilient part of the area’s balanced prey-predator ecosystem. McCrory also chronicles the Chilcotin wild horses’ genetic history and significance to the Tŝilhqot’in, juxtaposing their efforts to protect  qiyus  against movements to cull them.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction

352 pages, Hardcover

Published April 16, 2024

Reviews

[Ron Peters]

The Chilcotin is a plateau and mountain region in central British Columbia stretching from the inland lee of the Coast Mountains to the west side of the Fraser River.

This book is one-of-a-kind compilation of all sorts of information (wildlife biology, DNA testing, evolutionary research, Canadian history, Tŝilhqot’in oral history, findings from ecologists, and local political history) pertinent to the job of protecting one of the largest populations of wild horses remaining in Canada.

The fact that there are any of these horses left is no thanks to our Provincial government. Politicians on both the left and the right have done their level best to support the economic interests of ranchers and mining companies over the environment in general and the existence of wild horses in particular.

The history of horses in North America is fascinating. This ranges from the migration of the first prehistoric horses across the Bering Land Bridge, to the long inter-tribal trading routes for Spanish horses that stretched from Mexico to British Columbia, to the history of the Canadian horse, first introduced from France in the seventeenth century.

The book is heavily illustrated with black and white photos of the British Columbia wild horse population, as well as a nice long section of color photos. Of interest to anyone who likes to learn more about British Columbia wildlife, and people with a general interest in environmentalism and the politics of sustainability. Learn what is being done to preserve these romantic and beautiful animals, and what you can do to help.

[Jessie Lunan]

So interesting. So many years of research to help preserve wild horses. Loved the pictures.

[Carl S]

Interesting book! Dragged a little bit at points, but realistically that is probably just a me issue. If you love horses, this is a great point. Does a good at starting to lay out the complexities of this history.

[Eden Luymes]

I also have prophetic horse dreams !! <3 indigenous wisdom & wild horses over profit forever <3

[Jay Bassin]

I found this book tedious. There are frequent mentions of Canadian indigenous peoples ("Tribes" in the US) with very difficult names. I couldn't keep track of them, nor of the many place names also with indigenous spellings. The book has lots of photos, but in my edition (paperback), most photos seemed out of focus or blurred. In many cases, I couldn't even see the horse or person in the photo.

[Glenna Auxier]

I love this book. McCrory puts his heart into this as he shares his elusive dream while documenting the the threat of the loss of these horses. He went to Chilcoton to research bears and discovered the truth about horses.