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Pony Books:
ASIDO THE STORY OF A MEXICAN PONY (EYRE & SPOTTISWOODE 1935) ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR Published in the USA by Scribners Sons in 1935
WILD HORSE OF THE WEST (METHUEN 1937) ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR SUMMARY: When old Pete's mare Bess is stolen by the wild stallion One Ear, the result is the colt Tito. He grows into a magnificent stallion coveted by all the ranchers, including Pete. But it is Pete's friend, the Indian Nah-Ko-Hontes who finally captures and tames Tito. Soon man and horse form a close bond, and the Indian finds out his horse is far more trustworthy than the unscrupulous white men who cheat him out of his lands. PONYMAD VIEW: Set in the old wild west world of ranchers and Indians where mustangs were considered either as riding horse stock for the men to capture and use as they pleased - or as vermin to be shot. The book is not surprisingly at times a brutal and uncompromising read. It is certainly not a tale for pre-pubescent pony mad children and is more suitable for older teenagers or adult readers. Despite the fairly uncompromising attitude of most of the ranchers in the book towards the wild mustangs, this is balanced by the love both Pete and the Indian Nah-Ko-Hontes feel towards their animals. Woven into the story of wild horses, is the political situation of the time and the attitude of the American Government to the Indians. Unlike many 'Cowboys and Indians' books of the era, this has a sympathetic attitude to the Indians and shows them as far more in tune with the wild horses than the white men. PONYMAD RATING: 3 HORSESHOES
Collectors info: Although not common the books can be found without too much trouble both in America and the UK. It does seem quite hard however to find a copy of Wild Horse of the West with its jacket.
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