Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies [Hardcover]

Ginger Kathrens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2001 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Offering a rare and mystical glimpse into nature's splendor, this book is sure to delight anyone who is lured by the majesty and spirit of the wild horse.

Editorial Reviews

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.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: BowTie Press (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889540706
• ISBN-13: 978-1889540702
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #996,149 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful true story about the life of a wild stallion, October 8, 2001

By 

Ila McLaughlin (Colorado Springs, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies (Hardcover)

I couldn't put the book down. The many pictures are beautiful and the story reads like fiction, but is the true story of a wild horse. The writer, who is a film maker, follows Cloud for 5 years beginning on the day he was born. She records the intimate and poignant moments about him and his family and the other wild horses in his Montana wilderness home. As a kid who grew up reading "The Black Stallion" books, I was completely captivated by the true life adventures of this remarkable horse.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cloud is a beautiful real life story of amazing wild horses, February 26, 2002

By 

Trina Bellak, Esq. (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies (Hardcover)

This is a delightful, moving and insightful book for kids and adults of ALL ages. The print is big enough and the reading level easy enough for young children of reading age but the never before seen photography and insightful understanding shared by the author will thrill adults as well.

No one has ever observed and recorded the real life of any of America's precious, bold, highly intelligent and majestic Wild Horses as Kathren's does in this book. Their evolved social order and sometimes difficult but natural lives are fascinating to get a close look at. I would expect most people to keep this where guests to their home or offices would see it for years to come. This book makes a great gift for many occaisions. The only way this view can be enhanced is to go see the wild horses for oneself. If interested to ride to see the wild ones, contact the American Horse Defense Fund ... and see about taking the ride of your life to see other wild horses.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read book for all ages!, February 16, 2002

By 

Marc Twain "Compassion" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies (Hardcover)

Ginger Kathrens book Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies captures the spirit of our love affair with wild horses and the trials of this long relationship. They have epitomized the American spirit and image yet suffered terribly from our ignorance and disregard all the while maintaining their magnificence. Kathrens book, through vivid images and heartfelt writings, allows the reader both young and old, from east or west to those who have never seen a horse in person or someone that has had the bliss to feel their aura, to all experience the wild horse. This is certainly a book for all ages.

Rarely do we get to enjoy the uniqueness of an animal such as we do with Cloud. People tend to write and think about animals as though they don't have lives of their own, but that is a serious and devastating human shortcoming. As the bumper sticker says, "Humans are not the only species on the planet, we just act like it." Yet from when we first see Cloud as a wobbly-kneed young foal, struggling to keep up, but persevering, we know he is a special and unique soul. This does not waiver all the way to when he is a strong young stallion facing the challenges of nature and man. We can only hope that Kathrens book (and accompanying documentary) will help us again recapture our respect for these magnificent animals before it is too late. Because if wild horses like Cloud disappear, so does the American spirit.