Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies, Revised and Updated - Softcover

Kathrens, Ginger

Softcover

ISBN 10: 162008242X ISBN 13: 9781620082423

Publisher: CompanionHouse Books, 2017

Synopsis

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, that will soon capture her heart and imagination. 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. The author follows Cloud over the course of five years, taking note of his physical and behavioral development, as his begins to take on more of a leadership role in the band of wild bachelors he’s joined, to become a fighter, a survivor, and a father. Kathrens’s emotional involvement in Cloud’s story is palpable, such as when she tearfully watches the young stallion get captured by trappers. Due to his unusual coloration, he is set free, though the other members of his band and sisters are removed and sold. Returning to the mountains every season, the author continues to look for Cloud in the vast wild habitat, always relieved to find him still living, despite fights, predators, and encounters with trappers. She is later is touched to see how Cloud, the five-year-old mare, grazes with his yearling son, the first of his new family. Kathrens’s gripping observations of wild horses of the Arrowheads, their fights, struggles, and alliances, give the reader much insight into the fascinating behavior 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.

About this title

From the Publisher:

"Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies will appeal to teenage girls everywhere who love horses and want to know everything about them. The book shows readers what life is truly like for the wild Mustang and its plight." - Moira C. Harris, Editor, Horse Illustrated

This companion book to the one-hour television documentary of the same name premiering on PBS's NATURE series is based on the magical true story of a wild stallion growing up in the Rockies.

Wild horses. Symbols of freedom and mystery. But not until Ginger Kathrens ventured into an isolated corner of the Rocky Mountains have we had the opportunity for such an intimate glimpse into the private lives of these magnificent animals. Their story unfolds as we follow Cloud, the remarkable light-colored horse, from fragile newborn foal to five-year-old stallion. We find out how family bands are formed, how foals learn the rules of wild horse society, how bachelors fight to try to win mares, and how stallions protect their families. The drama comes alive with Ginger's words and photographs. We come to know the horses as if they were our friends. Breathtaking scenery, rugged terrain, and unpredictable weather remind us of how harsh yet fulfilling life can be for the wild horses. Find out what happens when Cloud is captured in a government roundup and where he disappears to every winter. Can Cloud win a mare so he can start his own band and follow in the footsteps of his father, Raven ? Written and photographed by Ginger Kathrens, who is also the producer and cinematographer of the NATURE documentary of the same title, Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies is sure to be a winner with anyone who is lured by the majesty and spirit of the wild horse.

About the Author:

Ginger Kathrens is an Emmy-winning TV documentary producer and president of Taurus Productions, a corporation she founded in the 1970s. She has produced documentaries for the Discovery Channel and NATURE and has contributed to productions for National Geographic, the BBC, and PBS. Her documentary filmmaking trips have taken her to Africa, Asia, Europe, Central and South America, and all over the United States. Ginger worked on over twenty segments of the PBS half-hour series Wild America from 1987 to 1996, including the two-part program Year of the Mustang, which introduced her to the Arrowhead Mountains and Raven’s band in early 1994. Since that time, Ginger has spent thousands of hours observing wild horses not only on Cloud’s home range but all over the western United States as well as on Cumberland Island off the coast of Georgia. She is a founder of the Wild Horse and Burro Freedom Alliance dedicated to the preservation of wild horses on public lands. Ginger lives in Colorado Springs with her Irish Terrier obedience dog, Ty. She also owns a ranch at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in southern Colorado, which her Spanish mustangs, Flint and Sky, and her Arrowhead mustang, Trace, share with the abundant wildlife of the Rockies.

About this edition

• Publisher: CompanionHouse Books
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 162008242X
• ISBN 13: 9781620082423
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160