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The
Journey of the Western Horse: From the Spanish Conquest
to the Silver Screen
Les
Sellnow
Pub Date: July 2003. No horse offers
so much to so many people as does the Western Horse. A
versatile animal, the Western Horse can be a loving family
companion, trail boss, racing machine, ranch hand, rodeo
competitor, and show ring star. Don’t forget television
and movie actor, policeman, explorer...the list goes on.
Truly the most popular horse in the world, the Western
Horse is definitely American in origin. Author Les Sellnow
traces the development of this remarkable animal from
the Spanish breeds imported by the conquistadors to the
wild horses of the Plains to the melting pot of breeds
on the Eastern Seaboard. All came together to form the
modern Western breeds of the Quarter Horse, the Paint,
and the Appaloosa.
Sellnow also looks at the Western culture -- both real
and romanticized -- that evolved along with the horse
itself, including the vaquero, the American cowboy, the
cattle drive, the rodeo and today’s million-dollar
shows, and the phenomenon the Western Horse has become.
The author:
Les Sellnow has been a lifelong journalist and horseman.
He has competed in a variety of equine disciplines, ranging
from combined training to cutting and from endurance racing
to Western and English pleasure. As a journalist, Sellnow
spent 22 years with the Brainerd (Minn.) Daily Dispatch,
and in 1984, he and his wife, Linda, moved from Minnesota
to Kentucky, where he served as editor of National
Show Horse magazine. Ten years later, they moved to
a ranch in the Wind River Valley near Riverton, Wyo. Sellnow
is a regular contributor to The Horse: Your Guide to
Equine Health and has had both fiction and non-fiction
books published, including Understanding
Equine Lameness and Understanding
the Young Horse, both part of Eclipse Press' Horse
Health Care Library.
Praise
for Les Sellnow and Journey of the Western Horse:
"GREAT
BOOK! Les Sellnow is an excellent writer, historian, and
dedicated horseman. His combined talents have resulted
in a book that is educational, enjoyable to read, and
really links the past with the present."
-- Randy Witte, publisher, Western Horseman
magazine
****
"This
is a wonderful history book that takes some lesser-known
paths to reveal new and less-seen information."
--Pat Ingram, The American Quarter Horse
Journal
****
"Longtime
author Les Sellnow combines history and horses to explore
how horses of the past are linked with today's western
breeds -- Quarter Horse, Paint Horse, and Appaloosa...He
does a fine job, 'telling the story of how horses played
an integral part in the development of America.' "
--Western
Horseman magazine review
****
"The
western horse has taken a winding and often surprising
path to become the magnificent and versatile animal we
know today. In The Journey of the Western Horse,
Les Sellnow puts the pieces together, following the many
twists and turns taken in the development of the western
horse."
--Sarah
Holt, Equestrian magazine
****
"Author
Les Sellnow has produced a beautiful book filled with
unforgettable images and excellent prose. I highly recommend
this book for all horsemen, not just Western riders. It
is a book that you will want to read slowly and savor."
--Hallie
McEvoy, Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar
****
"By
far the most entertaining equine-related book I have read
in the past year. Author Les Sellnow proves he is a knowledgeable
horseman with a strong sense of how the equiine world
has helped shape the rest of our world. You'll love this
book.
--Jeffrey Reed, Northern Horse Review
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Hardcover
8.5 x 10
144 pages
25 color and b&w photos
Product #B11-1075
List Price: $24.95
ISBN: 1-58150-094-7
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