The Horse Lover

April 1, 2014

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. VERDICT Day's well-written account features a modern cowboy who makes a difference for a herd of iconic primitive mustangs while never deviating from his values of kindness and honesty. This book will be of interest to horse lovers and anyone who has a fascination with the Wild West and ranch life.--Deborah Emerson, Central New York Lib. Resources Council, Syracuse

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2014
With the assistance of literary publicist and author Sneyd, rancher Day (co-author, with sister Sandra Day O'Connor: Lazy B: Growing Up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest, 2002, etc.) delivers a lively report of his four years tending 1,500 unadoptable wild mustangs. When Day embarked on a project to release a large herd of wild mustangs that had been rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management, it was uncharted territory. The author had recently acquired 35,000 acres of undulating grassland prairie in southern South Dakota that he felt was ideal for turning out the horses to roam. In a warm, salt-of-the-earth manner--"Good luck had stuffed itself in my pocket long ago, and adventure had been my friend since I was old enough to scramble on the back of Chico...trying my five-year-old darnedest to keep up with the big cowboys"--Day recounts how he was able to get the BLM, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Congress to support the program. Soon, he found himself with a rambunctious collection of mustang rejects. Day passionately explains what it is like to learn ranching in the Sand Hills and how to tame the wild horses, which, under their normal conditions, would prefer to have little to do with humans--e.g., when Kevin Costner dropped by to see if Mustang Meadow Ranch would be suitable for filming part of Dances with Wolves, upsetting the horses in the process: "A few horses started pawing the ground. They began to vibrate like a hive of irritated bees, their heads now alert, their tails swishing....Within a minute, the herd was stampeding." There was an ugly finale to the project but not before Day brought to life the ranch and its wild array of flora and fauna. A fresh, occasionally biting report from the early days of a mustang sanctuary.

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Starred review from March 1, 2014
Day already co-owned and managed two ranches, so the last thing he needed was yet another ranch. But when he saw the lush grasses and broad expanses of the 35,000-acre Arnold Ranch in South Dakota, he fell for its charms and purchased it. When he met Dayton Hyde, rancher and mustang preservationist, a wild scheme was hatchedmaybe they could use the new ranch as a mustang sanctuary. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management had thousands of unadoptable mustangs warehoused in corrals, and if the bureau could be persuaded that caring for these horses on a ranch would not only be cheaper but better for the horses, then it would be a winning situation all the way around. What follows is the wonderful story of a cowboy rancher taking on the care and management of 1,500 wild horses. Along the way, we are treated to Day's reminiscences of his ranching upbringing, stories of some of his favorite cow horses, and tidbits such as the time Kevin Costner came calling while looking to film a little movie called Dances with Wolves. With coauthor Sneyd's expert assistance, Day's authentic western voice, coupled with his deep understanding of the nature of horses, makes for an instant classic.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)