Horses have been part of the American West since the first Spanish explorers brought their European-bred steeds onto the new continent. Soon thereafter, some of these animals, lost or abandoned by their owners or captured by indigenous peoples, became the foundation of the great herds of mustangs (from the Spanish mesteA±o, stray) that still roam the West. These feral horses are inextricably intertwined with the culture, economy, and mythology of the West, and the image of bands of mustangs running free has become a symbol of all that our culture considers the "real" West. The current situation of the mustangs as vigorous competitors for the scanty resources of the West"s drought-parched rangelands has put them at the center of passionate controversies about their purpose, place, and future on the open range. Photographer/oral historian Paula Morin has interviewed sixty-two people who know these horses best: ranchers, horse breeders and trainers, Native Americans, veterinarians,...