Review by COWGIRL Magazine
March 16, 2025
The history of the horse is so intertwined with the history of the American frontier; you can’t trace one without the other. From the horses owned by Indian tribes to those ridden in the early rodeos, the horse has been man’s most useful companion through the recorded ages of the Wild West.
From the exploration of the continent by the Spaniards to the demise of the U.S. Cavalry in the 20th Century, author Samuelson-Brown tracks the history of the Wild West under horsepower. In doing so, she points out the tremendous debt owed to the horse.
The history of horses in the West, as outlined by the author, is the story of conquistadores and cowboys, of Indians and stockmen, rancheros, rustlers, trappers, miners, and missionaries, Pony Express riders and cavalry officers, stagecoach drivers, farmers and townspeople. The horse’s role was linked with the cowboy and the Indian and the plow. But also, with everyone else. At one time the horses did everything the gasoline engine does—and little more.
Woven into the chapters of The Western Horse are bits of trivia readers will find fascinating such as “most average horses can travel at a gallop only two miles without fatigue and at about twelve miles at a trot.” The history of the horse in the West is one of courage, tragedy, glory, and hard work. Samuelson-Brown manages to capture it all in a thought-provoking, easy to read account.
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