Thunder of the Mustangs: Legend and Lore of the Wild Horses

by Mark Spragg (Editor)

Wild horses have become icons of a contemporary longing, a yearning for freedom. Hated by the rancher, loved by those who fear its disappearance from the western ranges, the American mustang has inspired passionate efforts to preserve the few remaining wild herds. Thunder of the Mustangs celebrates the legend and lore of this American icon in nine original and previously published essays and legends by leading American nature writers, cowboys, and folklorists. The essays are coupled with stunning photographic portfolios by some of the nation's best nature and wildlife photographers.

Genres: Nonfiction

119 pages, Hardcover

First published October 31, 1997

About the author

Mark Spragg is the author of Where Rivers Change Direction, a memoir that won the 2000 Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers award, and the novels, The Fruit of Stone, An Unfinished Life, and, Bone Fire. All four were top-ten Book Sense selections and An Unfinished Life was chosen by the Rocky Mountain News as the Best Book of 2004. Spragg’s work has been translated into fifteen languages. He lives in Wyoming with his wife, Virginia, with whom he wrote the screenplay for the film version of his novel, An Unfinished Life, starring Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, and Jennifer Lopez, and released in 2005.

Reviews

[Signe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of beautiful photos and essays about Mustangs. Many of the horses in the photos look like modern day horses with great conformation. Had no idea there was such a variety in feral and wild horses. Some still carry the Arabian face structure, so look to carry Quarter horse and Thoroughbred genetics. Some of the photos of the Paint horses look like a horse you would find in someone's barn or pasture.

The essays are fine, the one by Mark Spragg made me have to set the book down for awhile. My favorite essay "Feral Heart" written by a young sheepherder, Laura Bell, recounts how her gelding Willy ran off with a band of feral horses but was beat up and driven off as there is no room for geldings in wild herds.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the original essays and reprinted material in this book make fine reading, the real contributors are the 13 photographers whose images of mustangs on nearly every page will please anyone with an interest in horses and the landscape of the Western states. Some shots are of horses grazing or standing still, looking back at the photographer, ears up and altert, but most are of horses in motion, sometimes in tight telephoto closeup, sometimes against rolling hills or sage-covered flatland. There are many kinds of weather as well, foggy, stormy, snow, wind, spring sunshine, dusty summer, and horses of all colors and markings. A handful of shots include saddled horses with cowboys.

The book has also been very handsomely designed. Page layout, typography, end papers, variety of image placement and use of white space, balancing of images and text, all serve the subject wonderfully and please the eye. Nearly all the photographs selected are crisply cear, motion frozen with a high-speed shutter. The wide pages make possible many double-page spreads that look and feel panoramic.

Editor Mark Spragg has brought together the work of seven writers, including himself, and an Assiniboine tale to accompany the images. The writings are mostly contemporary, but a few hark back to earlier times, such as Charley Russell's cowboy theory about the origins of horseback riding and Ben Green's account of trying to capture a band of mustangs, while nearly losing his hand to an infected horse bite. Spragg's harrowing essay "Wintering" appeared later in his collection of essays, "Where Rivers Change Direction." There's also an informative essay by New York Times writer Verlyn Klinkenborg, who writes eloquently of the rural life and has visited wild-horse territory earlier in his book "Making Hay."

I highly recommend this beautiful book to lovers of horses, good writing, and the Western landscape.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended-the essays are impressive but the photos are even more amazing. Lovely book!