York's Ride

In 1914, most of the world is focused on The Great War, but a much quieter story is taking place in a remote mountain region in northern California and western Nevada with the tale of two twelve-year-old boys and a legendary, wild horse from the desert. The stallion, Meshuga—part mustang and part giant Percheron draft —is a stallion so strong that he becomes a mythical, inspirational fable. Meshuga is destined to compete in a long-distance race through the mountains and valleys against the nation’s best Arabian horses.

Jim, an orphan, has moved to the West to live on his Uncle Martin and Aunt Hanna’s ranch in the small, post-Gold Rush town of Taylorsville where the Sierra Nevada meets the Cascades. Mostly, Jim doesn’t miss his family farm in Missouri, and when he’s not doing ranch chores, he spends his time fly-fishing on nearby Indian Creek. This is where he first encounters York, a local boy from the Maidu tribe, and the two become fast friends. Jim and York soon meet up with Blind Charlie, a famous Maidu elder storyteller, who fills their heads with ancestral myths and legends.

After the untimely death of York, Meshuga’s caretaker, Jim is suddenly moved to take responsibility for the great black mustang and become part of Blind Charlie’s prophecies. With York gone, Jim must fulfill what his friend knew all along—that he and Meshuga would learn to conquer the challenge of the race of the century. A romantic novel of the Old West imbued with rich historical details, York’s Ride is a complex and beautiful tale about family relationships and coming-of-age in early twentieth-century California.
 

Michael Dennis Cassity was named 1988 California Educator of the Year, and was also the recipient of the 2001 Charles Hayward Award for Community Colleges. He is the author of What Happens Next: Celebrating Stories with Children. Cassity taught a full range of community college English courses, specializing in creative writing, children’s literature, and environmental literature.