In Search of a Wild Brumby

Description

Bestselling author Mike Keenan is off again – this time with the daunting task of capturing a Snowy Mountains brumby, following in the footsteps of the Man from Snowy River. When Mike Keenan decided to search for a brumby to add to his dwindling stock of farm horses, he never dreamed he'd find himself crashing down a mountain in classic Man from Snowy River style. Despite what he describes as 'one of the scariest half-minutes of my life', he lived to tell the tale –and the result is both an adventure story and a compelling portrait of the life and troubled times of the Australian brumby, and of the mountain people who live alongside them. Brumbies hold a special place in the hearts of many Australians, reared on Banjo Paterson's epic poem and Elyne Mitchell's Silver Brumby novels, and the news of the slaughter of more than 500 in Guy Fawkes National Park caused public outrage. But what does the future hold for the brumbies that have roamed the Snowy Mountains and other wilderness areas for more than 150 years? Are they part of our unique heritage, or merely feral creatures threatening delicate ecosystems? As his quest for a brumby of his own is overtaken by his growing interest in their plight, Mike shares campfires and rollicking yarns with a host of bush characters who could have stepped straight out of Banjo's poem – and pursues the elusive wild horses through the snows, mists and treacherous bogs of the spectacular Snowy Mountains landscape.