He already owned and managed two ranches and needed a third about as much as he needed a permanent migraine. That's what Alan Day said every time his friend pestered him about an old ranch in South Dakota. But in short order, he proudly owned 35,000 pristine grassy acres. The opportunity then dropped into his lap to establish a sanctuary for unadoptable wild horses previously warehoused by the Bureau of Land Management. After Day successfully lobbied Congress, those acres became Mustang Meadows Ranch, the first government-sponsored wild horse sanctuary established in the United States.

The Horse Lover is Day's personal history of the sanctuary's vast enterprise, with its surprises and pleasures and its plentiful dangers, frustrations, and heartbreak. Day's deep connection with the animals in his care is clear from the outset as is his maverick philosophy of horse-whispering, with which he trained 1,500 wild horses.

The Horse Lover weaves together Day's recollections of his cowboy adventures astride some of his best horses, all of which taught him indispensable lessons about loyalty, perseverance, and hope. This heartfelt memoir reveals the Herculean task of balancing the requirements of the government with the needs of wild horses.

The book is published by University of Nebraska Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

Praise for The Horse Lover:

"An instant classic." (Booklist)

"A great American story, and an inspiring tale of vision, courage, and hard-won wisdom." (Larry Watson, author of Montana 1948)

"Sure to become an instant wild-horse classic in the spirit of J. Frank Dobie." (J. Edward de Steiguer, author of Wild Horses of the West)