Silver Brumbies of the South : Equus Education

I’ve enjoyed rereading some of my childhood favourites over the Christmas break, starting with Silver Brumbies of the South.

Silver Brumbies of the South by Elyne Mitchell

A follow on from Elyne Mitchell’s Silver Brumby, men have come to the silver brumby’s mountains and they are making roads across the mountains. Aware that his kingdom is becoming unsafe, the great silver stallion Thowra makes a trip with his 2 year old son Lightning and his grandson, Baringa to the south where he hopes to find a safe haven for them.

Although Lightning and Baringa are both young when they leave the safety of Thowra’s secret valley, they soon find themselves settling into a new area where many herds of brumbies run. Lightning at the age of 2 is eager to show off his glorious looks and start a herd of his own. The acquisition of a beautiful red roan filly only fuels his desire to gain more fillies.

Baringa finds a delightful white yearling filly to play with, but it soon becomes evident that his uncle is keen to add her to his herd. Shy and aware of his young age, the yearling colt soon realises that if he is to keep Dawn for himself, he will have to find somewhere to safely hide in this new area his grandsire wishes him to make home.

Although Lightning is Thowra’s son, Baringa – who is the son of a black thoroughbred stallion – is able to move more swiftly than Lightning; is aware of how to travel without leaving a trace and is much more like this grandsire. This is noted by many of the horses of the south and it is this quality that young Lightning comes to be jealous of.

And so builds an interesting struggle between two young silver stallions who are desperate to thrive in a new environment and find that horses are more of a threat to their lives, than men will ever be.

Baringa as a brumby holds a special place in my reading memory, close to that of the Silver Brumby himself. This is perhaps my second favourite of the whole series.

Author: Elyne Mitchell
http://www.blaze.net.au/~sasami/brumby/
Genre: Fiction
In my library? Absolutely. A great addition to the Silver Brumby series, one of my favourites and an interesting and child friendly read.
Want it? Get it now on Amazon.

“A silver brumby is special but he will be hunted by horse and man alike.” – Elyne Mitchell

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