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In Search of a Wild Brumby
When Mike Keenan decided to search for a brumby to add to his dwindling stock of farm horses, he never dreamed he'd find himself crashing down a mountain in classic Man from Snowy River style. But he lived to tell the tale—and the result is both an adventure story and a compelling portrait of the life and troubled times of the Australian brumby, and of the mountain people who live alongside them. Brumbies hold a special place in the hearts of many Australians, reared on Banjo Paterson's epic poem and Elyne Mitchell's Silver Brumby novels, and the news of the slaughter of more than 500 in Guy Fawkes National Park caused public outrage. But what does the future hold for the brumbies that have roamed the Snowy Mountains and other wilderness areas for more than 150 years? Are they part of our unique heritage, or merely feral creatures threatening delicate ecosystems? As his quest for a brumby of his own is overtaken by his growing interest in their plight, Mike shares campfires and rollicking yarns with a host of bush characters who could have stepped straight out of Banjo's poem—and pursues the elusive wild horses through the snows, mists, and treacherous bogs of the spectacular Snowy Mountains landscape.
288 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 8, 2019
Bush tales, cracking yarns and Australian folklore - it's all here in Mike Keenan's nonfiction account of his attempts to chase brumbies.
If you grew up in Australia and you love horses, you have dreamt about brumbies. Finding them, seeing them, maybe even befriending them. They are elusive and beautiful and the stuff of stories like Elyne Mitchell's classic The Silver Brumby - one of my all time favourites. This is not exactly like that. Mike Keenan had similar visions of brumbies, but the truth of the matter was the brumbies were being hunted. By the government, by yahoo brumby runners, by doggers looking to make a quick buck. It's more than enough to make me squirm thinking about it.
The questions of brumbies vs the environment is well covered in this book, so I won't recap. If anything, it's missing a few statistics and some scientific evidence, but it's not hard to see the point Mike is trying to make. And he makes it in a relatable, readable manner.
As well as the environmental discussions, there is plenty of colourful Australian bush characters and plenty of stories, sometimes making it hard to tell fact from legend! But that's what makes a good story, isn't it?
If you grew up in Australia and you love horses, you have dreamt about brumbies. Finding them, seeing them, maybe even befriending them. They are elusive and beautiful and the stuff of stories like Elyne Mitchell's classic The Silver Brumby - one of my all time favourites. This is not exactly like that. Mike Keenan had similar visions of brumbies, but the truth of the matter was the brumbies were being hunted. By the government, by yahoo brumby runners, by doggers looking to make a quick buck. It's more than enough to make me squirm thinking about it.
The questions of brumbies vs the environment is well covered in this book, so I won't recap. If anything, it's missing a few statistics and some scientific evidence, but it's not hard to see the point Mike is trying to make. And he makes it in a relatable, readable manner.
As well as the environmental discussions, there is plenty of colourful Australian bush characters and plenty of stories, sometimes making it hard to tell fact from legend! But that's what makes a good story, isn't it?
January 17, 2012
Beautiful tale and desciption of the mountains and horses makes it a great and sad read
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews