The Horse Lover: A Cowboy's Quest To Save the Wild Mustangs

Day grew up on a cattle ranch and already owned two estates when a friend approached him about buying a third property in South Dakota. Here the author tells the story of purchasing the large old spread and establishing the first sanctuary for wild horses that were considered "unadoptable" by the federal government—the untamed mustangs were previously warehoused by the Bureau of Land Management. Day persuaded the bureau to let him develop the refuge and tend to the horses. He even proposed using gentle methods to train the animals to be comfortable around humans. The goal of the author, who is open and honest in his dealings with friends, employees, and civic and government officials, is to make life better for the creatures in his care. The reader is introduced to Day's family, ranch staff, bureaucrats, and a variety of equine friends as they go through the ups and downs of managing a ranch and its 1,500 horses. Along with his sister, former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who contributes a foreword here, Day also coauthored Lazy B: Growing Up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest.