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NARRATOR: Here, in America,

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horses helped forge a new world.

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In return, this new world,
created unique horses.

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♪

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Each breed has its own story and legacy.

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MIKE: The quarter horse
and the cowboy

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have come a long way through the years.

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And it took both of them to get there.

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[Horses whinnying]

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YEAROUT: In my family, we've
always had horses as far back

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as I can remember with my mother,

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grandmother, great-grandmother.

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And that love of Appaloosa
is shared by people

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all over the world.

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NARRATOR:
Shaped by land...

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and work...

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but sustained by their connection to us.

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These are American horses.

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♪

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♪

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♪

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NARRATOR: America
is the birthplace of legends.

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Some live right among us.

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They come in a profusion of
color, proportion, personality.

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Spirited, gentle.

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willing, wild.

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With names like mustang, Morgan,

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Appaloosa, quarter.

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And that's only the beginning.

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In the five centuries

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since horses returned to North America,

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they've taken this continent by storm.

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With over a hundred registered breeds,

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the United States has the most
variety of equidae on Earth.

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♪

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It began with the mustang that
swept across the continent.

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Soon, the Morgan horse

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had tamed the American frontier...

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♪

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[Thunder crashes]

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...while first people
also created

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one of the original American breeds...

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the Appaloosa.

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A next chapter gave rise
to the American quarter horse,

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molded by cowboys on the open range.

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These signature American horses

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forged in the old alchemy
of horse-human connection.

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Enough horsepower to fuel a new nation.

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And it all started from zero.

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Their stories begin here,
in the middle of nowhere,

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with a horse unlike any other...
the mustang.

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In the desert foothills
of the Pryor Mountains,

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spring is often the harshest season.

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All winter, these horses rely on
snow as their only water source.

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Despite being one of the most
adaptable mammals on Earth,

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these conditions push them to the brink.

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But change is in the air.

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As a wave of green travels up
the mountainside,

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the migration has begun.

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♪

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♪

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[Horse whinnies]

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For hundreds of years,
horses have gathered here,

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near the summit of East Pryor Mountain.

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And not just any horses.

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Pryor mustangs are noted

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for their distinct conformation...

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V-shaped face, thick neck,

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sloped croup, deep body.

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[Horse whinnies]

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And, each spring, when
the reunion is in full swing,

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a familiar guest arrives.

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Naturalist Phyllis Wray
studies individual horses

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to gain a deeper understanding
of mustang behavior.

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Today, she's meeting several
for the first time.

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WRAY: This band just made it to
the top of the mountain today.

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We've got a couple of new fillies.

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The one on the top is little Victoria.

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And her sister, who's
a little bit lower, is Venus.

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She's the life of the party

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and starts the little fights
and tussles with her sister.

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[Horse whinnies]

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All of the horses, together, are a herd

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and then they divide up
into individual bands,

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and it's comprised primarily
of a band stallion, like Naolin,

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the lead mare, who is not
always the oldest mare.

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But she's very intuitive
and has experience.

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And then, there's also kind of
a hierarchy within the mares.

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They're like families.

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NARRATOR: Mustangs have been
coming here for centuries,

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but to understand how they got here,

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you have travel back in time...
deep... into the fossil record.

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On this very ground,

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the 'dawn horse' emerged
56 million years ago.

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These ancient horses

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continued to evolve here in North America

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until, finally, the contemporary
horse, <i>equus caballus,</i>

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became so successful that it spread...

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across the globe.

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But in the blink of an eye,

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horses disappeared from
the American landscape.

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The root cause of this
widespread extinction

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is still unknown.

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But one thing is clear...

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for 10,000 years, the horse was gone.

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Until, one day, with a little
help, they returned.

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Spanish conquistadors
brought European horses

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to North America,

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back to the cradle from where
they had evolved long ago.

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As these Spanish horses flourished

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in the wilds of the American West,

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they became known, simply, as mustangs.

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Pryor mustangs still display
zebra stripes on their legs,

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dorsal lines running down the spine,

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and barring across the shoulders,

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all genetic markers of Spanish blood.

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These primitive physical markings

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unlock the story of the mustangs' arrival,

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but it's their behavior that reveals

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how these complex animals
have survived for so long.

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[Horse whinnies]

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At the height of breeding season,

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a band stallion fends off
bachelor stallions

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eager to claim mares of their own.

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For Phyllis, it's an opportunity

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to see how strong these bands truly are.

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WRAY:
The grullo is Jupiter.

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The gray.

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And he is tormenting the band
stallion, Knight, who's a roan.

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And he's keeping the bachelor
away from his mares.

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He's positioning himself in between them.

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[Horses neigh]

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This is getting a little more serious.

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I can tell you Knight will not back down.

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He will fight to the end
for that palomino.

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When the stallions confront each other,

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you almost know what's going to happen

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just by watching their eyes,
watching their ears.

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And here we go.

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[Horse neighs]

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♪

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[Camera shutter clicking]

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Oh.
Ouch.

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Got another band stallion
getting in the mix.

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[Horse whinnies]

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Other bands are getting drawn into it.

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♪

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The band stallions don't know where to go

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because they are being challenged

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from all different directions.

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Wow!

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My goodness!

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It's very, very intense.

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NARRATOR: Wild horses,

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doing what they've done here for ages.

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Their return set the stage
for an epic comeback...

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the first equids on American
soil in 10,000 years.

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♪

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As mustangs ran wild out West,

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on the other side of the continent,

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a new icon was born,

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a breed whose power would shape
the settlement

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of the New England frontier.

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The Morgan horse...

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pound-for-pound, one of the
strongest horses in the world.

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Bright eyes, small, foxy ears,

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compact, muscular frame,

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high head, arched neck...
regal posture.

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On the University of Vermont's
Morgan horse farm,

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the legacy of this dynamo continues.

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Kim Demars sees today's Morgans
as living proof.

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DEMARS:
So, the mother is UVM Whisper.

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We like this mare a lot.

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And she's turned out to be a great mom.

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This is her first baby,
so she's really taken to it,

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which is great.

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NARRATOR: But to Kim,

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Whisper is much more than
just a successful broodmare.

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DEMARS: You know, she's got
a lot of presence,

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and she's very curious.

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This mare is about as pretty
as you can get.

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She's kind of that
quintessential Morgan size,

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and she's just really graceful
and strong and athletic

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and feminine all at the same time.

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NARRATOR:
Whisper has "presence."

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A posture born out of conformation

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with the ideal traits
of the Morgan breed...

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balance, athleticism, and typiness...

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all rolled into one.

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Then, there are the intangible
factors, like spirit.

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DEMARS: I want a horse
that's into itself,

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that's proud, that's ready to go to work,

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that wants to show off.

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So having that attitude
sort of ingrained in them,

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we take a lot of pride with that
as well as with the breed.

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And her bloodlines go back
to the government era

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and then eventually Justin Morgan.

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NARRATOR: It's a pedigree that
traces back over two centuries,

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16 generations, to the year 1789,

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when a small, unassuming colt
named Figure was born.

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But, as he grew, so did
the legend of the Morgan horse.

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Figure was owned by
a schoolmaster, Justin Morgan.

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A little horse,

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received as payment for a debt.

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But despite his diminutive size,
Figure was a bundle of energy.

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♪

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He could ride forever and never falter.

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Work day and night and never tire.

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No matter the conditions,
Figure was unstoppable.

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The living embodiment
of the frontier spirit...

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00:14:00,667 --> 00:14:02,600
no excuses.

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Pure grit.

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But he wanted to show
the world who he was.

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00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:15,647
Figure was more than
just brawn and stamina.

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He was versatile, charismatic,

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and his reputation continued to grow.

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In time, he became
"The Justin Morgan Horse,"

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named after his owner.

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And when he was bred, it was discovered

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that he possessed another special quality.

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The Morgan horse
had genetic pre-potency...

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all of his offspring
looked exactly like him.

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Each mare was different,

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but they would reproduce this
phenotype over and over again.

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A "perfect" workhorse meant
survival on the frontier.

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And word of this horse
spread like wildfire.

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From these humble beginnings,
the Morgan breed took off,

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and today, a new generation is on the way.

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DEMARS: It's always fun to say,

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"If the weather drops or changes,

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she's going to foal tonight."

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00:15:20,298 --> 00:15:23,439
But these mares really serve
you up a piece of humble pie.

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I think the more scientific you
seem to get about things,

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Mother Nature just kind of slaps
you around a little bit more

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and is like, "Oh, no.

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You don't have this
figured out."

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00:15:32,414 --> 00:15:35,935
DYLAN:
Well, we're at milk almost!

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Already darker than this morning.

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NARRATOR: "Foal watch"

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00:15:40,111 --> 00:15:44,322
is a season of tremendous risk and reward.

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00:15:44,357 --> 00:15:47,325
For Kim, it's also a labor of love.

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00:15:49,949 --> 00:15:51,571
DEMARS:
I had my first Morgan horse

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00:15:51,605 --> 00:15:54,229
when I was 7 years old.

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00:15:54,263 --> 00:15:55,402
Her name was Tanner.

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00:15:55,437 --> 00:15:57,991
She was 4, unbroke.

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00:15:58,026 --> 00:16:00,097
NARRATOR:
Her commitment to Morgans

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00:16:00,131 --> 00:16:02,927
has only grown stronger with age.

252
00:16:02,962 --> 00:16:06,103
But even after a lifetime of experience,

253
00:16:06,137 --> 00:16:08,898
there's always more to learn,

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00:16:08,933 --> 00:16:11,315
especially during foaling season.

255
00:16:11,349 --> 00:16:14,939
DEMARS: If we can have six
healthy alive mares and foals

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00:16:14,974 --> 00:16:17,217
at the end of a season,
that's all I really want.

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00:16:21,325 --> 00:16:23,741
NARRATOR:
Most foals are born at night,

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00:16:23,775 --> 00:16:27,848
an instinct that can be
traced back to wild horses.

259
00:16:27,883 --> 00:16:32,232
Stealth keeps them safe from predators.

260
00:16:32,267 --> 00:16:36,961
But first-time moms like Xena
are notoriously unpredictable.

261
00:16:39,343 --> 00:16:43,243
The team checks each mare
in 30-minute intervals

262
00:16:43,278 --> 00:16:45,245
around the clock.

263
00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:48,007
But even under tight surveillance,

264
00:16:48,041 --> 00:16:50,837
it's impossible to know
when labor will begin.

265
00:16:53,288 --> 00:16:55,221
Only time will tell.

266
00:16:58,431 --> 00:17:08,406
♪

267
00:17:08,441 --> 00:17:17,174
♪

268
00:17:17,208 --> 00:17:19,728
[Horse grunts]

269
00:17:19,762 --> 00:17:29,738
♪

270
00:17:29,772 --> 00:17:39,748
♪

271
00:17:39,782 --> 00:17:47,583
♪

272
00:17:47,618 --> 00:17:50,034
DEMARS:
Mom's pretty tired.

273
00:17:50,069 --> 00:17:51,898
In that moment, it's so natural.

274
00:17:51,932 --> 00:17:56,178
Like, she just laid down,
she pushed, she did her job.

275
00:17:56,213 --> 00:17:58,905
The whole act of pushing that baby out

276
00:17:58,939 --> 00:18:01,114
only took 16 minutes.

277
00:18:01,149 --> 00:18:04,911
This is about as perfect as it can go.

278
00:18:04,945 --> 00:18:07,396
It's not something you get tired of.

279
00:18:07,431 --> 00:18:08,949
The first thing I'm worried about

280
00:18:08,984 --> 00:18:12,643
is obviously if it's healthy,
and then what the gender is.

281
00:18:12,677 --> 00:18:14,023
If this is a female, she could be

282
00:18:14,058 --> 00:18:15,473
the next replacement for her mother,

283
00:18:15,508 --> 00:18:17,993
and, like, your brain just goes crazy.

284
00:18:18,027 --> 00:18:19,753
It's really cool.

285
00:18:19,788 --> 00:18:21,410
And it just kind of
brings it all back of, like,

286
00:18:21,445 --> 00:18:24,310
"This is why we're here,
this is why we're doing this."

287
00:18:24,344 --> 00:18:27,209
I'm not your mom.

288
00:18:27,244 --> 00:18:28,210
You know that, right?

289
00:18:28,245 --> 00:18:32,939
I'm not your mom.

290
00:18:32,973 --> 00:18:34,837
I want you to go see your mama.

291
00:18:38,117 --> 00:18:40,602
Once we know that this filly
can nurse by herself

292
00:18:40,636 --> 00:18:45,193
and stand by herself, we'll let
them just bond and be alone.

293
00:18:45,227 --> 00:18:47,367
Best case scenario is the foal
just gets up,

294
00:18:47,402 --> 00:18:49,438
is hungry, wants to nurse.

295
00:18:49,473 --> 00:18:51,095
The mare will stand quietly,

296
00:18:51,130 --> 00:18:53,235
and then the baby just kind of latches on.

297
00:18:55,375 --> 00:18:56,756
You are a big baby.

298
00:18:56,790 --> 00:18:58,861
No wonder your mom was tired.

299
00:19:01,243 --> 00:19:04,143
Hopefully, the stars align
and she'll kind of latch on.

300
00:19:04,177 --> 00:19:05,627
Good girl.

301
00:19:07,836 --> 00:19:09,044
This is huge.

302
00:19:09,078 --> 00:19:11,874
This is a great success story.
[Chuckles]

303
00:19:11,909 --> 00:19:15,154
This is awesome.

304
00:19:15,188 --> 00:19:19,123
The more you get to be around
them, you learn more about them.

305
00:19:19,158 --> 00:19:20,883
They all have their own personalities,

306
00:19:20,918 --> 00:19:23,231
which will develop,
and we'll learn more about.

307
00:19:23,265 --> 00:19:28,097
Even in a few days or a week,
she'll be full of it.

308
00:19:28,132 --> 00:19:31,446
You're curious.
Hi.

309
00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:35,139
NARRATOR: As horses repopulated
the new world,

310
00:19:35,174 --> 00:19:36,830
they were increasingly sought after

311
00:19:36,865 --> 00:19:40,869
in every corner of the continent...

312
00:19:40,903 --> 00:19:43,561
including by people who had lived here

313
00:19:43,596 --> 00:19:45,839
for thousands of years.

314
00:19:45,874 --> 00:19:55,849
♪

315
00:19:55,884 --> 00:20:05,825
♪

316
00:20:05,859 --> 00:20:07,723
ABBY:
Poppy, don't scare my horse.

317
00:20:11,313 --> 00:20:12,797
FAITH: Here, horses.

318
00:20:16,284 --> 00:20:18,976
ABBY:
I'll go tie Poppy up.

319
00:20:23,739 --> 00:20:25,672
NARRATOR:
On the M-Y Sweetwater

320
00:20:25,707 --> 00:20:30,125
Appaloosa Ranch, horses are like family...

321
00:20:30,159 --> 00:20:32,783
the legacy of a close kinship
with these animals

322
00:20:32,817 --> 00:20:35,751
since long before the time
of Lewis and Clark.

323
00:20:44,898 --> 00:20:47,763
So my Nez Perce name is Wi'Cesa,

324
00:20:47,798 --> 00:20:52,043
and Wi'Cesa means born and reborn.

325
00:20:52,078 --> 00:20:53,666
We're always told, "Who are you?

326
00:20:53,700 --> 00:20:55,115
Where do you come from?"

327
00:20:55,150 --> 00:20:58,464
And that is so important.

328
00:20:58,498 --> 00:21:00,535
This is our home base right here,

329
00:21:00,569 --> 00:21:02,502
these 50 acres.

330
00:21:02,537 --> 00:21:04,815
We are located down here in the valley,

331
00:21:04,849 --> 00:21:10,407
pretty much, and on top
is what they call the Palouse.

332
00:21:10,441 --> 00:21:13,617
At one time, a particular Nez Perce man

333
00:21:13,651 --> 00:21:16,102
was the owner of these horses.

334
00:21:16,136 --> 00:21:20,209
And they started calling them
"A Palouse Horse."

335
00:21:20,244 --> 00:21:23,558
And then that gradually became
"Appaloosa."

336
00:21:28,183 --> 00:21:31,359
He's a gelding,
and we named him "See-uk-its,"

337
00:21:31,393 --> 00:21:33,671
which is "beautiful."

338
00:21:33,706 --> 00:21:35,328
He's just put together really nice.

339
00:21:35,363 --> 00:21:39,608
Yeah, you're pretty...
you're a pretty handsome guy.

340
00:21:39,643 --> 00:21:41,334
NARRATOR:
The hallmark of the Appaloosa

341
00:21:41,369 --> 00:21:47,789
is unmistakable... spots.
lots of them.

342
00:21:47,823 --> 00:21:49,894
Controlled by a single gene

343
00:21:49,929 --> 00:21:53,484
known as the "leopard complex," or "LP,"

344
00:21:53,519 --> 00:21:57,385
spotted horses may have been
selected for camouflage,

345
00:21:57,419 --> 00:22:00,871
useful during hunts or in battle.

346
00:22:00,905 --> 00:22:04,840
Or perhaps, simply for their beauty.

347
00:22:04,875 --> 00:22:06,566
YEAROUT:
They call it a raindrop.

348
00:22:06,601 --> 00:22:10,121
It kind of filters out and turns gray.

349
00:22:10,156 --> 00:22:11,813
NARRATOR:
But these "raindrop horses"

350
00:22:11,847 --> 00:22:13,746
are characterized by several

351
00:22:13,780 --> 00:22:15,368
distinctive features...

352
00:22:15,403 --> 00:22:17,819
striped hooves,

353
00:22:17,853 --> 00:22:20,649
mottled skin,

354
00:22:20,684 --> 00:22:24,204
light and sturdy frame,

355
00:22:24,239 --> 00:22:27,415
and white sclera around the eye.

356
00:22:29,589 --> 00:22:31,557
Hundreds of years ago,

357
00:22:31,591 --> 00:22:37,770
Rosa's ancestors innovated their
own form of selective breeding.

358
00:22:37,804 --> 00:22:44,639
These were trail horses,
prized and bred for endurance.

359
00:22:44,673 --> 00:22:47,400
In time, their fitness brought
wealth and power

360
00:22:47,435 --> 00:22:49,678
to the Nez Perce,

361
00:22:49,713 --> 00:22:52,957
allowing them to trade
and travel far and wide.

362
00:22:55,822 --> 00:22:59,205
It also nurtured a reverence for horses

363
00:22:59,239 --> 00:23:01,690
that passed through the generations.

364
00:23:01,725 --> 00:23:04,141
FAITH:
These saddles are kind of heavy.

365
00:23:04,175 --> 00:23:05,867
YEAROUT:
In my family, we've always

366
00:23:05,901 --> 00:23:07,282
had horses as far back

367
00:23:07,316 --> 00:23:08,801
as I can remember with my mother,

368
00:23:08,835 --> 00:23:11,459
grandmother, great-grandmother.

369
00:23:11,493 --> 00:23:15,152
Our story of the native
people is so complicated.

370
00:23:15,186 --> 00:23:17,982
People have talked about
the generations ahead

371
00:23:18,017 --> 00:23:20,985
what legacy do we as a people want to see.

372
00:23:21,020 --> 00:23:24,368
And so every family seems
to have certain things

373
00:23:24,403 --> 00:23:26,888
that they specialize in,

374
00:23:26,922 --> 00:23:28,786
and so our heart is with the horses,

375
00:23:28,821 --> 00:23:31,306
carrying on the tradition of the horses.

376
00:23:35,862 --> 00:23:39,728
That family,
that's the center of our lives,

377
00:23:39,763 --> 00:23:42,662
and it always comes back to family.

378
00:23:42,697 --> 00:23:47,909
♪

379
00:23:47,943 --> 00:23:50,843
That does bring a warm
feeling to my heart.

380
00:23:50,877 --> 00:23:56,400
♪

381
00:23:56,435 --> 00:24:01,888
NARRATOR: But this traditional
horse culture was nearly lost.

382
00:24:01,923 --> 00:24:06,203
In 1877, after being forced
from their homeland

383
00:24:06,237 --> 00:24:10,000
and refusing to settle on the reservation,

384
00:24:10,034 --> 00:24:13,210
a group of Nez Perce
fled over a thousand miles

385
00:24:13,244 --> 00:24:17,421
across the northern Rockies.

386
00:24:17,456 --> 00:24:22,322
They took their greatest
possession... their horses.

387
00:24:22,357 --> 00:24:27,466
Months later, only miles from
Canada, they were surrounded.

388
00:24:30,054 --> 00:24:32,091
Following the conflict,

389
00:24:32,125 --> 00:24:33,817
the great herds of spotted horses

390
00:24:33,851 --> 00:24:36,198
were rounded up and destroyed.

391
00:24:38,718 --> 00:24:42,860
But, in secret, a few bands survived.

392
00:24:42,895 --> 00:24:48,521
YEAROUT: The Nez Perce tribe
received a call from ranchers.

393
00:24:48,556 --> 00:24:50,178
They had these horses

394
00:24:50,212 --> 00:24:53,215
that had been in their family
for generations.

395
00:24:53,250 --> 00:24:56,909
And they said that these horses
were descended from the herds

396
00:24:56,943 --> 00:25:00,740
that Chief Ollokot had.

397
00:25:00,775 --> 00:25:02,949
NARRATOR:
Ollokot was a warrior...

398
00:25:02,984 --> 00:25:07,747
the younger brother
of legendary Chief Joseph.

399
00:25:07,782 --> 00:25:10,750
Following the Nez Perce war,
Joseph's leadership

400
00:25:10,785 --> 00:25:13,650
helped his exiled people
return to the northwest.

401
00:25:13,684 --> 00:25:18,586
♪

402
00:25:18,620 --> 00:25:20,449
YEAROUT: His Indian name

403
00:25:20,484 --> 00:25:22,900
is "Thunder Rolling Over the Mountains,"

404
00:25:22,935 --> 00:25:26,939
and people conjure up
that image of Joseph's spirit

405
00:25:26,973 --> 00:25:28,561
being with us.

406
00:25:28,596 --> 00:25:30,356
NARRATOR:
But Chief Joseph's brother,

407
00:25:30,390 --> 00:25:33,014
Ollokot, never returned.

408
00:25:33,048 --> 00:25:35,568
But long after his death

409
00:25:35,603 --> 00:25:38,157
during the final battle
of the Nez Perce war,

410
00:25:38,191 --> 00:25:43,611
Ollokot's lost band of horses
was about to return home.

411
00:25:43,645 --> 00:25:46,683
YEAROUT:
And so Ollokot asked a rancher

412
00:25:46,717 --> 00:25:49,478
to keep his horses,
expecting to come back.

413
00:25:49,513 --> 00:25:52,930
So then the family decided
they'd like to find out,

414
00:25:52,965 --> 00:25:54,863
"Is there a descendant
of Ollokot?"

415
00:25:54,898 --> 00:25:57,348
and some of our family is connected.

416
00:26:00,075 --> 00:26:03,285
We ended up with a lot
of those horses in our herd.

417
00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:05,633
They gave us a lot of good horses.

418
00:26:05,667 --> 00:26:08,083
They really were strong.

419
00:26:08,118 --> 00:26:11,431
And some of our horses
from that particular line

420
00:26:11,466 --> 00:26:14,676
have ended up all over,
all over the United States.

421
00:26:17,852 --> 00:26:20,164
NARRATOR:
Today, a new generation

422
00:26:20,199 --> 00:26:23,616
is becoming caretakers
of this tradition...

423
00:26:23,651 --> 00:26:25,480
and doing it in their own style.

424
00:26:29,415 --> 00:26:33,074
YEAROUT: To have the horse as
our common thing in our family,

425
00:26:33,108 --> 00:26:37,457
that's been amazing
to watch over the years.

426
00:26:37,492 --> 00:26:41,013
But it's these younger girls who
have really taken an interest

427
00:26:41,047 --> 00:26:43,843
in learning about training horses.

428
00:26:43,878 --> 00:26:45,914
And it's fun to see them have fun.

429
00:26:45,949 --> 00:26:47,882
They want to learn how to stand
on their horse

430
00:26:47,916 --> 00:26:50,850
and sit on it backwards
and do all of these things.

431
00:26:50,885 --> 00:26:52,196
Fun things like that.

432
00:26:52,231 --> 00:26:55,061
You really take time
to become close to the horse

433
00:26:55,096 --> 00:26:56,442
and connected with it,

434
00:26:56,476 --> 00:26:59,307
you know, and you can control
the horse with your body.

435
00:26:59,341 --> 00:27:01,896
My great-grandmother
was doing things like that

436
00:27:01,930 --> 00:27:04,968
you know, a long time ago.

437
00:27:05,002 --> 00:27:06,935
Yeah, I guess after a while,
you do call it wisdom.

438
00:27:06,970 --> 00:27:09,317
[Laughs]

439
00:27:09,351 --> 00:27:10,387
FAITH:
Oh, my gosh.

440
00:27:10,421 --> 00:27:11,871
Okay.
Whoo!

441
00:27:15,288 --> 00:27:18,671
NARRATOR: As American settlers
drifted into the wild West,

442
00:27:18,706 --> 00:27:25,126
new cultures and new livelihoods
arrived on the open range.

443
00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:29,061
Destiny brought another breed
to these oceans of grass,

444
00:27:29,095 --> 00:27:33,790
mountains, and sage:
the American quarter horse.

445
00:27:33,824 --> 00:27:36,516
MIKE:
Should we score one, rope one?

446
00:27:36,551 --> 00:27:38,380
He looks like a runner.

447
00:27:47,873 --> 00:27:50,047
Wooahhh.

448
00:27:50,082 --> 00:27:53,188
MIKE: We roped him pretty quick,
but I got out really quick.

449
00:27:53,223 --> 00:27:57,779
She's got a little speed.

450
00:27:57,814 --> 00:27:59,194
[Whistles]
Yeah, buddy!

451
00:27:59,229 --> 00:28:00,782
[Chuckles]

452
00:28:00,817 --> 00:28:10,792
♪

453
00:28:10,827 --> 00:28:11,966
♪

454
00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:13,553
The quarter horse and the cowboy

455
00:28:13,588 --> 00:28:16,418
have come a long way through the years.

456
00:28:16,453 --> 00:28:19,628
And it took both of them to get there.

457
00:28:19,663 --> 00:28:25,945
♪

458
00:28:25,980 --> 00:28:28,361
Horses are our life.

459
00:28:28,396 --> 00:28:32,020
We just love them and always have.

460
00:28:32,055 --> 00:28:34,989
Always looking for how we can
make a better one,

461
00:28:35,023 --> 00:28:39,096
by either breeding or training.

462
00:28:39,131 --> 00:28:42,168
Seems horses are on our mind
most of the time.

463
00:28:45,033 --> 00:28:47,070
NARRATOR:
For Mike and Tara Miller,

464
00:28:47,104 --> 00:28:50,659
ranch life has been a calling.

465
00:28:50,694 --> 00:28:52,731
TARA: You told me since
you was this high,

466
00:28:52,765 --> 00:28:54,594
you knew you always wanted to be a cowboy.

467
00:28:54,629 --> 00:28:56,804
MIKE:
Well, I did and still do.

468
00:28:59,807 --> 00:29:02,361
Started out, you know, I rodeo'd.

469
00:29:02,395 --> 00:29:04,535
You know, I'd been
on the ranch all my life,

470
00:29:04,570 --> 00:29:10,438
and I was dumbfounded by what
a person could do with a horse.

471
00:29:10,472 --> 00:29:14,062
Made the right choice.
It's been a good life.

472
00:29:14,097 --> 00:29:19,309
We enjoy it together, and
we're partners in this ranch.

473
00:29:19,343 --> 00:29:22,070
TARA: I had a crush on him
for a long time.

474
00:29:22,105 --> 00:29:23,796
You thought I was kind of ornery, though.

475
00:29:23,831 --> 00:29:26,040
I'd flirt with him, he couldn't
even tell it was flirting.

476
00:29:26,074 --> 00:29:28,870
MIKE: Yeah,
it didn't seem like flirting.

477
00:29:28,905 --> 00:29:30,492
[Laughs]

478
00:29:30,527 --> 00:29:33,737
NARRATOR: For the Millers,
partnership is the bedrock

479
00:29:33,772 --> 00:29:37,396
that supports a working cattle ranch.

480
00:29:37,430 --> 00:29:40,571
Together, they know
how to breed for success,

481
00:29:40,606 --> 00:29:43,022
one quarter horse at a time.

482
00:29:43,057 --> 00:29:53,032
♪

483
00:29:53,067 --> 00:29:55,448
♪

484
00:29:55,483 --> 00:29:58,382
The American quarter horse
was first celebrated

485
00:29:58,417 --> 00:30:00,212
for quick bursts of speed...

486
00:30:02,835 --> 00:30:06,045
up to 55 miles per hour...

487
00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:09,048
consistently the fastest horse
in the world

488
00:30:09,083 --> 00:30:11,085
in the quarter mile.

489
00:30:11,119 --> 00:30:12,811
All that speed comes

490
00:30:12,845 --> 00:30:15,641
from the quarter horses'
unique conformation.

491
00:30:18,817 --> 00:30:21,198
TARA:
This is Chicken Hawk, he's 5.

492
00:30:21,233 --> 00:30:23,338
I'll just point out some of the reasons

493
00:30:23,373 --> 00:30:26,548
that I would like him
even if I didn't know him.

494
00:30:26,583 --> 00:30:29,034
He's well-balanced, overall.

495
00:30:29,068 --> 00:30:30,587
That's nice.

496
00:30:30,621 --> 00:30:35,143
He's got a nice thick girth
for his respiratory system.

497
00:30:35,178 --> 00:30:36,351
He has a...

498
00:30:36,386 --> 00:30:39,354
His neck comes out of his body real nice.

499
00:30:39,389 --> 00:30:41,391
NARRATOR: A quarter horse's neck

500
00:30:41,425 --> 00:30:43,117
joins its sloping shoulders

501
00:30:43,151 --> 00:30:45,188
at a 45-degree angle

502
00:30:45,222 --> 00:30:48,674
to allow it to work head-down.

503
00:30:48,708 --> 00:30:50,952
Resting stance is balanced.

504
00:30:50,987 --> 00:30:52,333
Supported by straight,

505
00:30:52,367 --> 00:30:55,646
powerful legs.

506
00:30:55,681 --> 00:30:58,270
Body is well-muscled,

507
00:30:58,304 --> 00:31:01,756
especially in the hindquarters.

508
00:31:01,790 --> 00:31:05,001
TARA: He has what you want
to call saddle bags.

509
00:31:05,035 --> 00:31:08,936
That's more muscling in the hip
to hold those stops and turns

510
00:31:08,970 --> 00:31:11,835
and helps him use his hind end.

511
00:31:11,870 --> 00:31:14,458
NARRATOR: A quarter horse
generates incredible power

512
00:31:14,493 --> 00:31:16,012
from these haunches...

513
00:31:16,046 --> 00:31:22,501
not only speed but the ability
to stop and spin on a dime.

514
00:31:22,535 --> 00:31:25,021
But for all it's physical power,

515
00:31:25,055 --> 00:31:27,575
it's the trainability of the quarter horse

516
00:31:27,609 --> 00:31:30,095
that sets it apart.

517
00:31:30,129 --> 00:31:32,269
TARA: One of the wonderful
things about quarter horses,

518
00:31:32,304 --> 00:31:34,444
they're so trainable.

519
00:31:34,478 --> 00:31:36,446
And they want to please you.

520
00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:37,723
You know, that's one of the things

521
00:31:37,757 --> 00:31:39,104
that made quarter horses great.

522
00:31:39,138 --> 00:31:42,452
They have great heart and try.

523
00:31:42,486 --> 00:31:43,763
Yeah.

524
00:31:43,798 --> 00:31:45,765
I've had perfect horses.

525
00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:47,319
They might not even look perfect,

526
00:31:47,353 --> 00:31:50,943
but who cares when they're great?

527
00:31:50,978 --> 00:31:55,120
NARRATOR: The great ones
fuse strength, trainability,

528
00:31:55,154 --> 00:31:58,986
and heart into a horse built to perform,

529
00:31:59,020 --> 00:32:00,988
out on the range

530
00:32:01,022 --> 00:32:03,714
or under the lights.

531
00:32:03,749 --> 00:32:05,371
ANNOUNCER:
Now entering the arena,

532
00:32:05,406 --> 00:32:09,789
number 146, Mike Miller
and Playboy's Buck Fever.

533
00:32:09,824 --> 00:32:14,484
♪

534
00:32:14,518 --> 00:32:16,072
NARRATOR:
For Mike and Tara,

535
00:32:16,106 --> 00:32:19,661
no horse did it better
than Playboy's Buck Fever.

536
00:32:23,217 --> 00:32:24,873
MIKE:
He was just, from day one,

537
00:32:24,908 --> 00:32:27,738
so trainable and easy to be around

538
00:32:27,773 --> 00:32:31,570
and athletic and plenty of speed.

539
00:32:31,604 --> 00:32:34,090
Made the finals at the
World's Greatest Horseman

540
00:32:34,124 --> 00:32:35,539
on him.

541
00:32:35,574 --> 00:32:37,024
NARRATOR:
But to become a champion

542
00:32:37,058 --> 00:32:42,926
requires something deeper...
a conversation with no words.

543
00:32:42,961 --> 00:32:48,897
♪

544
00:32:48,932 --> 00:32:50,175
MIKE: When I'm reining,

545
00:32:50,209 --> 00:32:54,006
it's total communication with the horse.

546
00:32:54,041 --> 00:32:56,595
You're controlling every movement.

547
00:32:56,629 --> 00:32:58,424
Your legs, your hands.

548
00:32:58,459 --> 00:32:59,943
That's how you talk.

549
00:33:03,050 --> 00:33:06,743
It's a total communication
without using your mouth,

550
00:33:06,777 --> 00:33:10,298
but they understand, and you understand.

551
00:33:10,333 --> 00:33:11,955
You know to do it right,

552
00:33:11,990 --> 00:33:13,543
to get along with your horse,

553
00:33:13,577 --> 00:33:16,856
you need to kind of think like one.

554
00:33:16,891 --> 00:33:19,376
It's basic, basic stuff.

555
00:33:19,411 --> 00:33:22,172
But it is amazing.

556
00:33:22,207 --> 00:33:24,278
NARRATOR:
Once the communication develops,

557
00:33:24,312 --> 00:33:27,591
it's easy to pursue any target.

558
00:33:27,626 --> 00:33:30,836
But nothing focuses a quarter horse

559
00:33:30,870 --> 00:33:31,975
quite like a cow.

560
00:33:36,324 --> 00:33:38,947
MIKE: My great-grandfather
came to this country

561
00:33:38,982 --> 00:33:43,090
to Wyoming in 1875.

562
00:33:43,124 --> 00:33:46,748
They ran cattle from Western
Wyoming to Eastern Wyoming.

563
00:33:46,783 --> 00:33:49,199
They'd start out on the desert
in the Spring,

564
00:33:49,234 --> 00:33:51,029
work their way up through the summer,

565
00:33:51,063 --> 00:33:53,031
and in the fall, they'd come down this

566
00:33:53,065 --> 00:33:56,068
Wyoming range.

567
00:33:56,103 --> 00:33:59,416
NARRATOR: This landscape brought
cowboy, quarter horse,

568
00:33:59,451 --> 00:34:02,005
and cattle together.

569
00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:03,627
And as all three evolved,

570
00:34:03,662 --> 00:34:08,184
they became more and more
specialized for the job.

571
00:34:08,218 --> 00:34:09,495
TARA:
We spend more time on a horse

572
00:34:09,530 --> 00:34:10,703
working than anything else

573
00:34:10,738 --> 00:34:12,740
and what horse you're on determines

574
00:34:12,774 --> 00:34:14,466
how much you enjoy your work.

575
00:34:14,500 --> 00:34:16,123
Definitely some horses have a lot more

576
00:34:16,157 --> 00:34:18,470
cow sense than others.

577
00:34:18,504 --> 00:34:20,575
NARRATOR:
A horse with "cow sense"

578
00:34:20,610 --> 00:34:24,269
has a natural instinct
to anticipate, track,

579
00:34:24,303 --> 00:34:27,444
and direct a cow's movement.

580
00:34:27,479 --> 00:34:32,380
Horses claim space and control
movement to assert dominance,

581
00:34:32,415 --> 00:34:35,107
normally with other horses.

582
00:34:35,142 --> 00:34:39,456
A quarter horse is wired
with one key difference...

583
00:34:39,491 --> 00:34:42,873
it will show a cow who's boss.

584
00:34:42,908 --> 00:34:45,083
MIKE: Quarter horses
seem to excel in it.

585
00:34:45,117 --> 00:34:46,843
That's their forte.

586
00:34:46,877 --> 00:34:49,880
We go into the herd, see the cow we want.

587
00:34:49,915 --> 00:34:52,504
Cow goes this way, steer them over there,

588
00:34:52,538 --> 00:34:54,126
then the cow goes that way.

589
00:34:54,161 --> 00:34:56,197
Just loose reins.

590
00:34:56,232 --> 00:34:59,131
NARRATOR: It's no accident
that "cow sense"

591
00:34:59,166 --> 00:35:00,546
has become one of the single

592
00:35:00,581 --> 00:35:04,861
most desirable traits of the breed.

593
00:35:04,895 --> 00:35:08,727
MIKE: They started the quarter
horse for that kind of work.

594
00:35:08,761 --> 00:35:11,488
It's been a part of us for a long time.

595
00:35:15,941 --> 00:35:17,563
Horses are our life.

596
00:35:17,598 --> 00:35:20,635
We've spent a lot of our life around them

597
00:35:20,670 --> 00:35:22,948
and have enjoyed it all.

598
00:35:22,982 --> 00:35:26,227
Just glad we could do it.

599
00:35:26,262 --> 00:35:27,470
NARRATOR: As the quarter horse

600
00:35:27,504 --> 00:35:30,714
became the most popular horse in America,

601
00:35:30,749 --> 00:35:34,649
an old star was quietly
fading out of view...

602
00:35:34,684 --> 00:35:36,444
the mustang.

603
00:35:38,722 --> 00:35:42,623
But sooner or later,
everything old is new again.

604
00:35:44,901 --> 00:35:49,008
And for Kaelynn Clark,
adopting and training mustangs

605
00:35:49,043 --> 00:35:51,010
has been her lifelong passion.

606
00:35:53,944 --> 00:35:57,224
She remembers every milestone,
every breakthrough,

607
00:35:57,258 --> 00:36:03,057
every inch of forward
progress along the way.

608
00:36:03,091 --> 00:36:06,233
But the journey has also led her back...

609
00:36:06,267 --> 00:36:10,582
to discover the mustang's
special place in history.

610
00:36:10,616 --> 00:36:14,172
Today, she'll experience that
heritage firsthand

611
00:36:14,206 --> 00:36:16,553
with her mustang, Spartan,

612
00:36:16,588 --> 00:36:22,041
on one of the oldest proving
grounds in the American West...

613
00:36:22,076 --> 00:36:25,044
the Pony Express Trail.

614
00:36:25,079 --> 00:36:29,463
CLARK: Gopher holes, washouts,
gullies, badger holes...

615
00:36:29,497 --> 00:36:31,672
these are just some sketchy spots

616
00:36:31,706 --> 00:36:34,847
that you can get caught up in.

617
00:36:34,882 --> 00:36:36,884
We're out here in the middle of nowhere,

618
00:36:36,918 --> 00:36:39,852
and it does take a minute to get out here,

619
00:36:39,887 --> 00:36:41,992
and if anything did happen
it would take a minute

620
00:36:42,027 --> 00:36:44,132
to get out of here, too.

621
00:36:44,167 --> 00:36:45,962
Yeah.

622
00:36:45,996 --> 00:36:48,654
He could just decide
he's wild again and be gone.

623
00:36:52,244 --> 00:36:54,281
NARRATOR:
But the road that led them here

624
00:36:54,315 --> 00:36:56,214
began many years ago.

625
00:36:59,665 --> 00:37:01,564
CLARK: It was just surreal.

626
00:37:01,598 --> 00:37:02,979
You're like, "Oh, I'm really
going to do this.

627
00:37:03,013 --> 00:37:04,739
I'm really getting a wild horse

628
00:37:04,774 --> 00:37:08,260
that's going to come
and live at my place."

629
00:37:08,295 --> 00:37:12,057
When I first met Spartan,
I was 14 years old.

630
00:37:12,091 --> 00:37:13,610
he was the very first mustang I did

631
00:37:13,645 --> 00:37:17,407
through the 4-H BLM gentling project.

632
00:37:17,442 --> 00:37:19,340
NARRATOR:
For hundreds of years,

633
00:37:19,375 --> 00:37:22,895
American mustangs have been
adopted from the wild,

634
00:37:22,930 --> 00:37:27,866
their genes infusing countless
other breeds along the way.

635
00:37:27,900 --> 00:37:32,767
But doing so requires a leap of faith.

636
00:37:32,802 --> 00:37:35,080
CLARK: You get the butterflies,
and you look at him,

637
00:37:35,114 --> 00:37:36,840
and you're like,
"What's the next step?"

638
00:37:43,019 --> 00:37:44,262
Throughout the ages,

639
00:37:44,296 --> 00:37:46,850
people have built
relationships with animals.

640
00:37:46,885 --> 00:37:50,302
That's kind of our
human heritage, in a way.

641
00:37:50,337 --> 00:37:53,236
You are carrying on a tradition that many,

642
00:37:53,271 --> 00:37:55,100
many people have done before you.

643
00:38:01,865 --> 00:38:05,006
NARRATOR: A lone mustang
is a prey animal,

644
00:38:05,041 --> 00:38:09,735
ruled by instinct,
adrenaline, fight or flight.

645
00:38:09,770 --> 00:38:12,807
But inside the herd, they develop close

646
00:38:12,842 --> 00:38:17,640
and long-lasting social bonds...
relationships.

647
00:38:17,674 --> 00:38:22,645
A special quality that horses
share - with humans.

648
00:38:22,679 --> 00:38:24,854
CLARK: After they come home,
one of the first things

649
00:38:24,888 --> 00:38:28,133
is building trust.

650
00:38:28,167 --> 00:38:30,204
They're looking at you,
they're respecting you.

651
00:38:30,238 --> 00:38:32,827
They're looking to you for leadership.

652
00:38:32,862 --> 00:38:35,243
In the wild, most of the time,
you have your lead mare

653
00:38:35,278 --> 00:38:37,107
that's taking care of the herd.

654
00:38:37,142 --> 00:38:39,282
And so I need to make myself a leader,

655
00:38:39,317 --> 00:38:41,215
and by doing that, I gain their respect,

656
00:38:41,249 --> 00:38:43,873
I gain their trust.

657
00:38:43,907 --> 00:38:48,015
NARRATOR: Once a leader emerges,
trust begins.

658
00:38:48,049 --> 00:38:50,845
And with it comes opportunity:

659
00:38:50,880 --> 00:38:54,642
a horse known only as number 1512

660
00:38:54,677 --> 00:38:57,680
now becomes Spartan.

661
00:38:57,714 --> 00:39:03,133
CLARK: That's that point
where they're no longer wild.

662
00:39:03,168 --> 00:39:05,204
Now we can dive into the deep stuff...

663
00:39:05,239 --> 00:39:10,244
the leading, the pressure
and release, the rope work.

664
00:39:10,278 --> 00:39:13,385
NARRATOR: Spartan will always
be the first,

665
00:39:13,420 --> 00:39:14,800
but for Kaelynn,

666
00:39:14,835 --> 00:39:19,598
the list of names
is growing longer every year.

667
00:39:19,633 --> 00:39:23,844
Each mustang has its own personality.

668
00:39:23,878 --> 00:39:26,018
And each training program is designed

669
00:39:26,053 --> 00:39:30,506
to test individual
strengths and weaknesses.

670
00:39:30,540 --> 00:39:32,680
CLARK: Lots of people use
the term breaking the horse.

671
00:39:32,715 --> 00:39:34,510
I like to think of it as the horse

672
00:39:34,544 --> 00:39:36,512
is always learning something new.

673
00:39:36,546 --> 00:39:37,720
You're going to work on things

674
00:39:37,754 --> 00:39:39,515
that might scare them a little bit,

675
00:39:39,549 --> 00:39:41,344
and you're going to build that trust.

676
00:39:41,379 --> 00:39:44,278
That's why our tack shed
is full of such weird things.

677
00:39:44,312 --> 00:39:46,970
Pool noodles with tissue paper
on the top of them.

678
00:39:47,005 --> 00:39:49,110
Kiddie pool for water
to lead them through.

679
00:39:49,145 --> 00:39:50,733
We've got hula hoops.

680
00:39:50,767 --> 00:39:52,942
Just anything to keep them engaged

681
00:39:52,976 --> 00:39:55,289
and to keep their mind thinking.

682
00:39:55,323 --> 00:40:00,605
♪

683
00:40:00,639 --> 00:40:03,435
NARRATOR: After countless hours
of overcoming fear

684
00:40:03,470 --> 00:40:06,058
and doubt together,

685
00:40:06,093 --> 00:40:08,371
it's time to take the biggest step of all.

686
00:40:10,787 --> 00:40:12,030
CLARK:
It's a good feeling to know

687
00:40:12,064 --> 00:40:14,791
that I have prepared
this horse for this step,

688
00:40:14,826 --> 00:40:16,966
I've done all the work, and I can get on,

689
00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:21,142
and he'll still be connected
to me when I'm under saddle.

690
00:40:21,177 --> 00:40:22,972
Yeah, you can break them,

691
00:40:23,006 --> 00:40:25,388
but it implies that
you're breaking their spirit,

692
00:40:25,423 --> 00:40:29,944
and Spartan still has
very much of that spirit.

693
00:40:29,979 --> 00:40:35,018
NARRATOR: Trust opens the door
to a world of possibility.

694
00:40:35,053 --> 00:40:37,849
But, eventually,
you have to ride through it.

695
00:40:40,299 --> 00:40:42,474
On the Pony Express Trail,

696
00:40:42,509 --> 00:40:44,476
the mission for Kaelynn and Spartan

697
00:40:44,511 --> 00:40:48,135
is the same as it was in 1860.

698
00:40:48,169 --> 00:40:50,965
Expert riders wanted.

699
00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:54,900
Willing to risk death daily.

700
00:40:54,935 --> 00:40:59,042
Mail from St. Joseph, Missouri,
to California

701
00:40:59,077 --> 00:41:03,150
in 10 days or less.

702
00:41:03,184 --> 00:41:06,533
Kaelynn is one of over 700 riders

703
00:41:06,567 --> 00:41:11,365
who will re-create
this 2,000-mile journey,

704
00:41:11,399 --> 00:41:13,988
to experience a vision of America

705
00:41:14,023 --> 00:41:20,339
connected only by horseback...
vast, untamed,

706
00:41:20,374 --> 00:41:24,516
the way it was before
the telegraph or the railroad.

707
00:41:24,551 --> 00:41:28,313
For 10 days straight, 24 hours a day,

708
00:41:28,347 --> 00:41:31,661
a single replica mail-bag,
called the mochila,

709
00:41:31,696 --> 00:41:33,870
is relayed across the continent...

710
00:41:33,905 --> 00:41:37,771
and "The Pony" rides again.

711
00:41:37,805 --> 00:41:39,151
CLARK:
When I saw the rider coming,

712
00:41:39,186 --> 00:41:40,739
my heart started to race a little bit,

713
00:41:40,774 --> 00:41:41,947
and I was like, "Oh, here we go.

714
00:41:41,982 --> 00:41:43,224
We're about to do this."

715
00:41:43,259 --> 00:41:44,881
HOWARD: Got it.
Get on the other side,

716
00:41:44,916 --> 00:41:45,917
and then I'll flip it over.

717
00:41:45,951 --> 00:41:47,470
CLARK: Realizing
that he was ready to go,

718
00:41:47,505 --> 00:41:48,471
he knew what his job was,

719
00:41:48,506 --> 00:41:51,785
that helps relax me down a lot.

720
00:41:51,819 --> 00:41:55,892
NARRATOR: The time is now...
get the mail to the next post,

721
00:41:55,927 --> 00:41:57,480
and ride like the wind.

722
00:41:57,515 --> 00:41:58,861
CLARK: Thank you.

723
00:41:58,895 --> 00:42:04,522
♪

724
00:42:04,556 --> 00:42:07,525
[Horse whinnies]

725
00:42:07,559 --> 00:42:17,569
♪

726
00:42:17,604 --> 00:42:23,402
♪

727
00:42:23,437 --> 00:42:24,714
That moment when you just get on,

728
00:42:24,749 --> 00:42:26,544
you just feel so alive.

729
00:42:26,578 --> 00:42:29,167
Running at full speed,
you get to feel the power

730
00:42:29,201 --> 00:42:31,618
that animal has.

731
00:42:31,652 --> 00:42:33,274
Knowing that I'm on a mustang

732
00:42:33,309 --> 00:42:34,862
and I'm in their natural habitat,

733
00:42:34,897 --> 00:42:37,796
on a horse that I trust...
I know he's sure-footed.

734
00:42:39,936 --> 00:42:41,593
This is where he's from.

735
00:42:41,628 --> 00:42:44,803
This is his heritage.

736
00:42:44,838 --> 00:42:46,494
NARRATOR: Then and now,

737
00:42:46,529 --> 00:42:50,395
mustangs are uniquely adapted
for this harsh terrain...

738
00:42:50,429 --> 00:42:52,535
they were born for this.

739
00:42:52,570 --> 00:42:59,887
Hard hooves, keen senses, heat tolerance,

740
00:42:59,922 --> 00:43:05,306
endurance for days.

741
00:43:05,341 --> 00:43:06,687
CLARK:
You're re-enacting something

742
00:43:06,722 --> 00:43:09,207
that's such an important part
of human history

743
00:43:09,241 --> 00:43:10,760
along with the horse.

744
00:43:10,795 --> 00:43:12,555
That partnership of being together,

745
00:43:12,590 --> 00:43:14,212
it's just an amazing feeling.

746
00:43:18,734 --> 00:43:21,426
NARRATOR: A partnership
that reveals horses

747
00:43:21,460 --> 00:43:23,911
still connect America,

748
00:43:23,946 --> 00:43:28,847
one horse, one rider,
one ritual at a time.

749
00:43:28,882 --> 00:43:30,711
CLARK:
At the end, I kept telling him

750
00:43:30,746 --> 00:43:32,264
that I knew he could give me
a little bit more

751
00:43:32,299 --> 00:43:34,404
because I know he has that extra gear.

752
00:43:34,439 --> 00:43:36,372
And he did give it to me
there a couple of times,

753
00:43:36,406 --> 00:43:38,685
so I'm really proud of him.

754
00:43:41,619 --> 00:43:43,517
NARRATOR: While mustangs
were preferred stock

755
00:43:43,551 --> 00:43:46,347
for pony riders out West,

756
00:43:46,382 --> 00:43:51,214
another breed was favored
by riders in the east...

757
00:43:51,249 --> 00:43:53,147
the Morgan.

758
00:43:53,182 --> 00:43:56,772
It's easy to understand why,
during the biggest showcase

759
00:43:56,806 --> 00:43:59,567
of the year at the Morgan horse farm,

760
00:43:59,602 --> 00:44:03,192
when all the sleepless nights,
early mornings,

761
00:44:03,226 --> 00:44:08,300
and endless training,
could finally pay off.

762
00:44:08,335 --> 00:44:10,613
DEMARS: Since the beginning
of the Morgan breed,

763
00:44:10,648 --> 00:44:14,582
they've been known for
their incredible work ethic,

764
00:44:14,617 --> 00:44:16,723
their tractability, their demeanor,

765
00:44:16,757 --> 00:44:18,690
and their prettiness,
and I think Vermont Day

766
00:44:18,725 --> 00:44:20,727
is a great example of that.

767
00:44:20,761 --> 00:44:23,039
NARRATOR: It's an exhibition
of versatility

768
00:44:23,074 --> 00:44:27,043
that shows off
the true range of the Morgan...

769
00:44:27,078 --> 00:44:29,908
and the attitude to match.

770
00:44:29,943 --> 00:44:32,048
DEMARS: They like a crowd.
They like to be out there.

771
00:44:32,083 --> 00:44:33,601
They like to flip their tails up,

772
00:44:33,636 --> 00:44:35,569
and they like to be expressive.

773
00:44:38,606 --> 00:44:39,918
This mare is very special to us.

774
00:44:39,953 --> 00:44:41,368
She's an exceptional mare.

775
00:44:41,402 --> 00:44:44,440
Very tractable, extremely
athletic and beautiful.

776
00:44:44,474 --> 00:44:48,409
Just sort of the essence
of a Morgan mare for us.

777
00:44:48,444 --> 00:44:51,343
Her foal was born in April.

778
00:44:51,378 --> 00:44:53,518
It was a cold, wet, rainy day.

779
00:44:53,552 --> 00:44:55,451
All of a sudden, the mare's laying down.

780
00:44:55,485 --> 00:44:58,765
It was an amazing feeling
and just an amazing thing

781
00:44:58,799 --> 00:45:00,076
to be a part of.

782
00:45:00,111 --> 00:45:01,353
We just could not be more excited

783
00:45:01,388 --> 00:45:03,390
for the future of this little foal.

784
00:45:03,424 --> 00:45:06,358
So I wanted to take a moment
today to present to you

785
00:45:06,393 --> 00:45:08,360
UVM Denali.

786
00:45:08,395 --> 00:45:12,502
[Cheers and applause]

787
00:45:12,537 --> 00:45:13,676
She is sassy.

788
00:45:13,711 --> 00:45:15,471
She is just happy to be there.

789
00:45:15,505 --> 00:45:17,680
You know, she just sort of
embodies exactly

790
00:45:17,715 --> 00:45:19,751
what we hope to have here...

791
00:45:19,786 --> 00:45:23,203
pretty little Morgan with a fiery attitude

792
00:45:23,237 --> 00:45:25,584
and really just wants
to be in front of people.

793
00:45:25,619 --> 00:45:27,586
[Horse whinnies]

794
00:45:27,621 --> 00:45:33,489
♪

795
00:45:39,322 --> 00:45:40,945
She's doing well.
She's wearing a halter.

796
00:45:40,979 --> 00:45:42,809
She's learning how to lead,

797
00:45:42,843 --> 00:45:45,846
and she's learning
some patience, which is good.

798
00:45:45,881 --> 00:45:47,434
No matter what breed you have,

799
00:45:47,468 --> 00:45:49,263
if you're a horse person,
you're a horse person, right?

800
00:45:49,298 --> 00:45:51,024
The Morgan people,
or the thoroughbred people,

801
00:45:51,058 --> 00:45:52,439
or the quarter horse people.

802
00:45:52,473 --> 00:45:55,856
Horse people are their own
unique kind of group.

803
00:45:55,891 --> 00:45:57,927
And there's a lot of pride
that goes in with that,

804
00:45:57,962 --> 00:46:01,482
and their horses
are part of their families.

805
00:46:01,517 --> 00:46:04,071
Their horses are part of them.

806
00:46:04,106 --> 00:46:05,590
They're pretty cool.

807
00:46:08,075 --> 00:46:10,837
NARRATOR: After so much
time and tradition,

808
00:46:10,871 --> 00:46:16,704
the lines between a people
and their horses begin to blur.

809
00:46:16,739 --> 00:46:19,466
For the McFarland-Yearout family,

810
00:46:19,500 --> 00:46:21,606
gathering with the Appaloosa herd

811
00:46:21,640 --> 00:46:25,644
is an opportunity to honor
something timeless.

812
00:46:25,679 --> 00:46:29,027
YEAROUT: We come together today
for a short prayer on this land

813
00:46:29,062 --> 00:46:32,962
where we keep our horses, our sik'him,

814
00:46:32,997 --> 00:46:36,655
and just so grateful that we
are able to use our horses,

815
00:46:36,690 --> 00:46:38,105
to dress up and parade,

816
00:46:38,140 --> 00:46:41,522
to bring out our things
that some have been handed down

817
00:46:41,557 --> 00:46:43,490
and some are brand-new.

818
00:46:43,524 --> 00:46:44,974
FAITH: This is my mom's hat.

819
00:46:50,842 --> 00:46:54,397
DAVI JO: I think this dress
is from my great-grandmother.

820
00:46:54,432 --> 00:46:55,847
It makes me feel cool.

821
00:46:55,882 --> 00:46:56,952
I don't know why, but it just does.

822
00:46:56,986 --> 00:46:58,988
Like, I feel cool in it.

823
00:46:59,023 --> 00:47:03,648
YEAROUT: Everything that's
put together, it has a story.

824
00:47:03,682 --> 00:47:05,857
When you're doing this, you're doing honor

825
00:47:05,892 --> 00:47:08,860
not only to the Sik'him,
the Appaloosa, the Maa'min,

826
00:47:08,895 --> 00:47:13,037
and remembering our ancestors
who raised horses

827
00:47:13,071 --> 00:47:16,523
and taught us of horse way
but everybody who contributed

828
00:47:16,557 --> 00:47:18,697
to what you're wearing and to who you are.

829
00:47:20,838 --> 00:47:23,668
It brings to mind so many
memories of my childhood,

830
00:47:23,702 --> 00:47:25,635
taking those journeys with my grandmother

831
00:47:25,670 --> 00:47:29,398
and my mother on horseback.

832
00:47:29,432 --> 00:47:33,229
These trails have been used
for centuries by our ancestors.

833
00:47:35,611 --> 00:47:37,993
We're just a part
of the big creation's puzzle.

834
00:47:38,027 --> 00:47:42,204
We have something to share,
something important to continue.

835
00:47:42,238 --> 00:47:43,964
We have that language in common,

836
00:47:43,999 --> 00:47:46,070
and we have our homeland.

837
00:47:49,556 --> 00:47:52,766
But the horses are always
a part of that effort

838
00:47:52,800 --> 00:47:55,838
to really bring us together.

839
00:47:55,873 --> 00:47:57,150
And, of course, for us,

840
00:47:57,184 --> 00:48:01,257
it's been the Appaloosa
that's been the binding.

841
00:48:01,292 --> 00:48:03,156
And that love of the Appaloosa

842
00:48:03,190 --> 00:48:05,572
is shared by people all over the world.

843
00:48:12,061 --> 00:48:14,650
MIKE:
Sagebrush, badger holes,

844
00:48:14,684 --> 00:48:16,652
it's really wild and western.

845
00:48:16,686 --> 00:48:17,756
It's not arena.

846
00:48:17,791 --> 00:48:20,725
Anything can happen.

847
00:48:20,759 --> 00:48:23,003
NARRATOR:
For a certain breed of cowboy,

848
00:48:23,038 --> 00:48:26,869
pasture roping is the ultimate test.

849
00:48:26,904 --> 00:48:29,630
For the Millers and
their top quarter horses,

850
00:48:29,665 --> 00:48:33,945
it's the culmination
of another year of hard work.

851
00:48:33,980 --> 00:48:35,671
MIKE:
I'm roping with my son, Wes,

852
00:48:35,705 --> 00:48:38,432
and I'm riding Texas Red.

853
00:48:38,467 --> 00:48:41,988
I think he'll rise to the occasion.

854
00:48:42,022 --> 00:48:46,854
It's super-ranchy team roping
is what it is.

855
00:48:46,889 --> 00:48:51,480
Some guy horseback brings
that cow at a run up that chute.

856
00:48:51,514 --> 00:48:54,172
And then when he blasts by you...

857
00:48:54,207 --> 00:48:55,656
[Whistles]... off you go.

858
00:48:55,691 --> 00:48:57,969
You chase a cow down, rope it.

859
00:48:58,004 --> 00:49:01,904
You're seeing why
the quarter horse was invented.

860
00:49:01,939 --> 00:49:04,182
NARRATOR: Once the quarter horse
was invented,

861
00:49:04,217 --> 00:49:07,323
competition added fuel to the fire.

862
00:49:07,358 --> 00:49:10,188
The winning horses were bred,
and, over time,

863
00:49:10,223 --> 00:49:12,259
the breed itself was refined.

864
00:49:12,294 --> 00:49:13,985
FEMALE ANNOUNCER: This is going
to be team 15,

865
00:49:14,020 --> 00:49:15,504
Mike Miller, Wes Miller.

866
00:49:15,538 --> 00:49:17,161
You guys are up.

867
00:49:17,195 --> 00:49:27,171
♪

868
00:49:27,205 --> 00:49:37,181
♪

869
00:49:37,215 --> 00:49:41,979
♪

870
00:49:42,013 --> 00:49:43,394
MIKE:
Well, shucks.

871
00:49:46,707 --> 00:49:48,951
We tried.
[Chuckles]

872
00:49:50,711 --> 00:49:54,750
Times are changing, for sure.

873
00:49:54,784 --> 00:49:56,752
I think there will always be horses.

874
00:49:56,786 --> 00:50:00,066
Whether there's going to be
cowboying like I do,

875
00:50:00,100 --> 00:50:02,689
I don't know.

876
00:50:02,723 --> 00:50:05,312
You know, very proud
that our kids want to do

877
00:50:05,347 --> 00:50:08,039
what we want to do, and our grandkids.

878
00:50:08,074 --> 00:50:10,835
Kinda makes you smile.

879
00:50:10,869 --> 00:50:13,424
The quarter horses, which we raise,

880
00:50:13,458 --> 00:50:16,772
they're friends, you know?

881
00:50:16,806 --> 00:50:21,639
I hope that my family continues
to have an interest in horses

882
00:50:21,673 --> 00:50:23,606
and love them like we do,

883
00:50:23,641 --> 00:50:27,024
and, you know, just keep the deal going.

884
00:50:30,579 --> 00:50:32,098
NARRATOR: For millions of years,

885
00:50:32,132 --> 00:50:37,068
American horses developed
in tandem with this continent.

886
00:50:37,103 --> 00:50:39,933
An evolution that flows, in modern times,

887
00:50:39,967 --> 00:50:43,833
through human hands.

888
00:50:43,868 --> 00:50:48,252
But deep in the Pryor Mountains,
horses continue to flourish,

889
00:50:48,286 --> 00:50:50,875
as they have for countless generations...

890
00:50:50,909 --> 00:50:54,258
in the wild.

891
00:50:54,292 --> 00:50:57,088
After a season of plenty
on the mountaintop,

892
00:50:57,123 --> 00:51:02,231
another long winter is bearing down.

893
00:51:02,266 --> 00:51:06,649
For Phyllis, the transition
is bittersweet.

894
00:51:06,684 --> 00:51:09,100
WRAY: It's the very beginning
of a really long,

895
00:51:09,135 --> 00:51:11,171
tough winter for them.

896
00:51:11,206 --> 00:51:14,657
Hundreds of years of living
up here, they've adapted,

897
00:51:14,692 --> 00:51:16,659
and they're survivors.

898
00:51:16,694 --> 00:51:21,354
♪

899
00:51:21,388 --> 00:51:25,668
Their strength, their ability
to survive against all odds

900
00:51:25,703 --> 00:51:29,120
in an environment that
pushes them to the limits,

901
00:51:29,155 --> 00:51:31,743
and they're still here.

902
00:51:31,778 --> 00:51:34,505
These are truly a different type of horse,

903
00:51:34,539 --> 00:51:35,954
a very valuable horse.

904
00:51:35,989 --> 00:51:38,129
Their genetics need to be carried forward,

905
00:51:38,164 --> 00:51:42,133
because if we lose what we have
here on this mountain,

906
00:51:42,168 --> 00:51:43,859
we won't ever get it back.

907
00:51:48,035 --> 00:51:51,315
NARRATOR: Since the return
of American horses,

908
00:51:51,349 --> 00:51:54,594
we've become a country
moved by horsepower.

909
00:51:59,081 --> 00:52:02,705
Breeds will come and go.

910
00:52:02,740 --> 00:52:06,813
Times will always change.

911
00:52:06,847 --> 00:52:09,850
But the horse is here to stay.

912
00:52:09,885 --> 00:52:15,132
♪

913
00:52:17,341 --> 00:52:25,383
♪

914
00:52:25,418 --> 00:52:33,426
♪

915
00:52:33,460 --> 00:52:41,503
♪

916
00:52:41,537 --> 00:52:49,545
♪

917
00:52:49,580 --> 00:52:51,478
♪

918
00:52:51,513 --> 00:52:52,962
♪

919
00:52:52,997 --> 00:52:55,102
♪

920
00:52:55,137 --> 00:52:56,138
♪