Out of the Wild: A Novel

Now a major motion picture, starring John Diehl, Jean Louisa Kelly, and Ben Ashbrook, directed by Paul Krizan! One dark, vacant Nevada night, cattle rancher Henry McBride closes his eyes—only to open them and find his life suddenly in a shambles, with everything that means anything to him lost forever. Overwhelmed by grief and guilt, Henry drives away from his past as far and as fast as he can; jobs, towns, and whiskey come and go.

And then guest ranch owner Jessie King extends an open and forgiving hand, and the arrival of a young mustang stallion—also wounded and alone—ignites a flicker of recognition in Henry. Jessie's powerful ability to connect with horses, and her gentle attempts to connect with Henry, slow him down long enough to let him heal just a little. But when Jessie&;s former ranch manager returns with murder in mind, the fragile world she, Henry, and the stallion are building together threatens to come crashing down.

Mark Rashid (pronounced RASH-id) is an internationally acclaimed horse trainer known for his ability to understand the horse&;s point of view and solve difficult problems with communication rather than force. He began working with horses at age ten, when he met the “old man,&; who taught him to work with horses, not against them, and to listen to what the horse is trying to say. Mark&;s clinics center on one-on-one work with horse and rider and are immensely popular with people around the world.

When Mark decided to study the martial art of aikido as a way to improve his horsemanship, he brought the same quiet determination to it that he exhibits in his work with horses. After years of practice, he has earned a second degree black belt in Yoshinkan aikido and now teaches the “way of harmony&; in the local dojo.

Mark worked full time on ranches for many years gathering herds, managing stock, and training horses. When time permits, he still enjoys working on ranches near his home in Estes Park, Colorado.

Mark has been a guest on NPR&;s The Horse Show and was featured on the Nature series on PBS. He is the author of nine books&;Considering the Horse, A Good Horse is Never a Bad Color; Horses Never Lie; Life Lessons from a Ranch Horse; Horsemanship Through Life; Big Horses, Good Dogs, & Straight Fences; A Life With Horses; Whole Heart, Whole Horse; and his latest, a novel, Out of the Wild. He also has a solo music CD Song of the Prairie and enjoys singing and playing guitar with a local band The Elktones.