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Here, in America,

horses helped forge a new world.

In return, this new world,
created unique horses.

Each breed has its own story and legacy.

The quarter horse and the cowboy

have come a long way through the years.

And it took both of them to get there.

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

as I can remember with my mother,

grandmother, great-grandmother.

And that love of Appaloosa
is shared by people

all over the world.

Shaped by land...

and work...

but sustained by their connection to us.

These are American horses.

America is the birthplace of legends.

Some live right among us.

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

Spirited, gentle.

willing, wild.

With names like mustang, Morgan,

Appaloosa, quarter.

And that's only the beginning.

In the five centuries

since horses returned to North America,

they've taken this continent by storm.

With over a hundred registered breeds,

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

It began with the mustang that
swept across the continent.

Soon, the Morgan horse

had tamed the American frontier...

...while first people
also created

one of the original American breeds...

the Appaloosa.

A next chapter gave rise
to the American quarter horse,

molded by cowboys on the open range.

These signature American horses

forged in the old alchemy
of horse-human connection.

Enough horsepower to fuel a new nation.

And it all started from zero.

Their stories begin here,
in the middle of nowhere,

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

In the desert foothills
of the Pryor Mountains,

spring is often the harshest season.

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

Despite being one of the most
adaptable mammals on Earth,

these conditions push them to the brink.

But change is in the air.

As a wave of green travels up
the mountainside,

the migration has begun.

For hundreds of years,
horses have gathered here,

near the summit of East Pryor Mountain.

And not just any horses.

Pryor mustangs are noted

for their distinct conformation...

V-shaped face, thick neck,

sloped croup, deep body.

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

a familiar guest arrives.

Naturalist Phyllis Wray
studies individual horses

to gain a deeper understanding
of mustang behavior.

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

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

We've got a couple of new fillies.

The one on the top is little Victoria.

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

She's the life of the party

and starts the little fights
and tussles with her sister.

All of the horses, together, are a herd

and then they divide up
into individual bands,

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

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

But she's very intuitive
and has experience.

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

They're like families.

Mustangs have been
coming here for centuries,

but to understand how they got here,

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

On this very ground,

the 'dawn horse' emerged
56 million years ago.

These ancient horses

continued to evolve here in North America

until, finally, the contemporary
horse, equus caballus,

became so successful that it spread...

across the globe.

But in the blink of an eye,

horses disappeared from
the American landscape.

The root cause of this
widespread extinction

is still unknown.

But one thing is clear...

for 10,000 years, the horse was gone.

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

Spanish conquistadors
brought European horses

to North America,

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

As these Spanish horses flourished

in the wilds of the American West,

they became known, simply, as mustangs.

Pryor mustangs still display
zebra stripes on their legs,

dorsal lines running down the spine,

and barring across the shoulders,

all genetic markers of Spanish blood.

These primitive physical markings

unlock the story of the mustangs' arrival,

but it's their behavior that reveals

how these complex animals
have survived for so long.

At the height of breeding season,

a band stallion fends off
bachelor stallions

eager to claim mares of their own.

For Phyllis, it's an opportunity

to see how strong these bands truly are.

The grullo is Jupiter.

The gray.

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

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

He's positioning himself in between them.

This is getting a little more serious.

I can tell you Knight will not back down.

He will fight to the end
for that palomino.

When the stallions confront each other,

you almost know what's going to happen

just by watching their eyes,
watching their ears.

And here we go.

Oh.
Ouch.

Got another band stallion
getting in the mix.

Other bands are getting drawn into it.

The band stallions don't know where to go

because they are being challenged

from all different directions.

Wow!

My goodness!

It's very, very intense.

Wild horses,

doing what they've done here for ages.

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

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

As mustangs ran wild out West,

on the other side of the continent,

a new icon was born,

a breed whose power would shape
the settlement

of the New England frontier.

The Morgan horse...

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

Bright eyes, small, foxy ears,

compact, muscular frame,

high head, arched neck...
regal posture.

On the University of Vermont's
Morgan horse farm,

the legacy of this dynamo continues.

Kim Demars sees today's Morgans
as living proof.

So, the mother is UVM Whisper.

We like this mare a lot.

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

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

which is great.

But to Kim,

Whisper is much more than
just a successful broodmare.

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

and she's very curious.

This mare is about as pretty
as you can get.

She's kind of that
quintessential Morgan size,

and she's just really graceful
and strong and athletic

and feminine all at the same time.

Whisper has "presence."

A posture born out of conformation

with the ideal traits
of the Morgan breed...

balance, athleticism, and typiness...

all rolled into one.

Then, there are the intangible
factors, like spirit.

I want a horse that's into itself,

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

that wants to show off.

So having that attitude
sort of ingrained in them,

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

And her bloodlines go back
to the government era

and then eventually Justin Morgan.

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

16 generations, to the year 1789,

when a small, unassuming colt
named Figure was born.

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

Figure was owned by
a schoolmaster, Justin Morgan.

A little horse,

received as payment for a debt.

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

He could ride forever and never falter.

Work day and night and never tire.

No matter the conditions,
Figure was unstoppable.

The living embodiment
of the frontier spirit...

no excuses.

Pure grit.

But he wanted to show
the world who he was.

Figure was more than
just brawn and stamina.

He was versatile, charismatic,

and his reputation continued to grow.

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

named after his owner.

And when he was bred, it was discovered

that he possessed another special quality.

The Morgan horse
had genetic pre-potency...

all of his offspring
looked exactly like him.

Each mare was different,

but they would reproduce this
phenotype over and over again.

A "perfect" workhorse meant
survival on the frontier.

And word of this horse
spread like wildfire.

From these humble beginnings,
the Morgan breed took off,

and today, a new generation is on the way.

It's always fun to say,

"If the weather drops or changes,

she's going to foal tonight."

But these mares really serve
you up a piece of humble pie.

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

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

and is like, "Oh, no.

You don't have this
figured out."

Well, we're at milk almost!

Already darker than this morning.

"Foal watch"

is a season of tremendous risk and reward.

For Kim, it's also a labor of love.

I had my first Morgan horse

when I was 7 years old.

Her name was Tanner.

She was 4, unbroke.

Her commitment to Morgans

has only grown stronger with age.

But even after a lifetime of experience,

there's always more to learn,

especially during foaling season.

If we can have six
healthy alive mares and foals

at the end of a season,
that's all I really want.

Most foals are born at night,

an instinct that can be
traced back to wild horses.

Stealth keeps them safe from predators.

But first-time moms like Xena
are notoriously unpredictable.

The team checks each mare
in 30-minute intervals

around the clock.

But even under tight surveillance,

it's impossible to know
when labor will begin.

Only time will tell.

Mom's pretty tired.

In that moment, it's so natural.

Like, she just laid down,
she pushed, she did her job.

The whole act of pushing that baby out

only took 16 minutes.

This is about as perfect as it can go.

It's not something you get tired of.

The first thing I'm worried about

is obviously if it's healthy,
and then what the gender is.

If this is a female, she could be

the next replacement for her mother,

and, like, your brain just goes crazy.

It's really cool.

And it just kind of
brings it all back of, like,

"This is why we're here,
this is why we're doing this."

I'm not your mom.

You know that, right?

I'm not your mom.

I want you to go see your mama.

Once we know that this filly
can nurse by herself

and stand by herself, we'll let
them just bond and be alone.

Best case scenario is the foal
just gets up,

is hungry, wants to nurse.

The mare will stand quietly,

and then the baby just kind of latches on.

You are a big baby.

No wonder your mom was tired.

Hopefully, the stars align
and she'll kind of latch on.

Good girl.

This is huge.

This is a great success story.

This is awesome.

The more you get to be around
them, you learn more about them.

They all have their own personalities,

which will develop,
and we'll learn more about.

Even in a few days or a week,
she'll be full of it.

You're curious.
Hi.

As horses repopulated the new world,

they were increasingly sought after

in every corner of the continent...

including by people who had lived here

for thousands of years.

Poppy, don't scare my horse.

Here, horses.

I'll go tie Poppy up.

On the M-Y Sweetwater

Appaloosa Ranch, horses are like family...

the legacy of a close kinship
with these animals

since long before the time
of Lewis and Clark.

So my Nez Perce name is Wi'Cesa,

and Wi'Cesa means born and reborn.

We're always told, "Who are you?

Where do you come from?"

And that is so important.

This is our home base right here,

these 50 acres.

We are located down here in the valley,

pretty much, and on top
is what they call the Palouse.

At one time, a particular Nez Perce man

was the owner of these horses.

And they started calling them
"A Palouse Horse."

And then that gradually became
"Appaloosa."

He's a gelding,
and we named him "See-uk-its,"

which is "beautiful."

He's just put together really nice.

Yeah, you're pretty...
you're a pretty handsome guy.

The hallmark of the Appaloosa

is unmistakable... spots.
lots of them.

Controlled by a single gene

known as the "leopard complex," or "LP,"

spotted horses may have been
selected for camouflage,

useful during hunts or in battle.

Or perhaps, simply for their beauty.

They call it a raindrop.

It kind of filters out and turns gray.

But these "raindrop horses"

are characterized by several

distinctive features...

striped hooves,

mottled skin,

light and sturdy frame,

and white sclera around the eye.

Hundreds of years ago,

Rosa's ancestors innovated their
own form of selective breeding.

These were trail horses,
prized and bred for endurance.

In time, their fitness brought
wealth and power

to the Nez Perce,

allowing them to trade
and travel far and wide.

It also nurtured a reverence for horses

that passed through the generations.

These saddles are kind of heavy.

In my family, we've always

had horses as far back

as I can remember with my mother,

grandmother, great-grandmother.

Our story of the native
people is so complicated.

People have talked about
the generations ahead

what legacy do we as a people want to see.

And so every family seems
to have certain things

that they specialize in,

and so our heart is with the horses,

carrying on the tradition of the horses.

That family,
that's the center of our lives,

and it always comes back to family.

That does bring a warm
feeling to my heart.

But this traditional
horse culture was nearly lost.

In 1877, after being forced
from their homeland

and refusing to settle on the reservation,

a group of Nez Perce
fled over a thousand miles

across the northern Rockies.

They took their greatest
possession... their horses.

Months later, only miles from
Canada, they were surrounded.

Following the conflict,

the great herds of spotted horses

were rounded up and destroyed.

But, in secret, a few bands survived.

The Nez Perce tribe
received a call from ranchers.

They had these horses

that had been in their family
for generations.

And they said that these horses
were descended from the herds

that Chief Ollokot had.

Ollokot was a warrior...

the younger brother
of legendary Chief Joseph.

Following the Nez Perce war,
Joseph's leadership

helped his exiled people
return to the northwest.

His Indian name

is "Thunder Rolling Over the Mountains,"

and people conjure up
that image of Joseph's spirit

being with us.

But Chief Joseph's brother,

Ollokot, never returned.

But long after his death

during the final battle
of the Nez Perce war,

Ollokot's lost band of horses
was about to return home.

And so Ollokot asked a rancher

to keep his horses,
expecting to come back.

So then the family decided
they'd like to find out,

"Is there a descendant
of Ollokot?"

and some of our family is connected.

We ended up with a lot
of those horses in our herd.

They gave us a lot of good horses.

They really were strong.

And some of our horses
from that particular line

have ended up all over,
all over the United States.

Today, a new generation

is becoming caretakers
of this tradition...

and doing it in their own style.

To have the horse as
our common thing in our family,

that's been amazing
to watch over the years.

But it's these younger girls who
have really taken an interest

in learning about training horses.

And it's fun to see them have fun.

They want to learn how to stand
on their horse

and sit on it backwards
and do all of these things.

Fun things like that.

You really take time
to become close to the horse

and connected with it,

you know, and you can control
the horse with your body.

My great-grandmother
was doing things like that

you know, a long time ago.

Yeah, I guess after a while,
you do call it wisdom.

Oh, my gosh.

Okay.
Whoo!

As American settlers
drifted into the wild West,

new cultures and new livelihoods
arrived on the open range.

Destiny brought another breed
to these oceans of grass,

mountains, and sage:
the American quarter horse.

Should we score one, rope one?

He looks like a runner.

Wooahhh.

We roped him pretty quick,
but I got out really quick.

She's got a little speed.

Yeah, buddy!

The quarter horse and the cowboy

have come a long way through the years.

And it took both of them to get there.

Horses are our life.

We just love them and always have.

Always looking for how we can
make a better one,

by either breeding or training.

Seems horses are on our mind
most of the time.

For Mike and Tara Miller,

ranch life has been a calling.

You told me since you was this high,

you knew you always wanted to be a cowboy.

Well, I did and still do.

Started out, you know, I rodeo'd.

You know, I'd been
on the ranch all my life,

and I was dumbfounded by what
a person could do with a horse.

Made the right choice.
It's been a good life.

We enjoy it together, and
we're partners in this ranch.

I had a crush on him for a long time.

You thought I was kind of ornery, though.

I'd flirt with him, he couldn't
even tell it was flirting.

Yeah, it didn't seem like flirting.

For the Millers,
partnership is the bedrock

that supports a working cattle ranch.

Together, they know
how to breed for success,

one quarter horse at a time.

The American quarter horse
was first celebrated

for quick bursts of speed...

up to 55 miles per hour...

consistently the fastest horse
in the world

in the quarter mile.

All that speed comes

from the quarter horses'
unique conformation.

This is Chicken Hawk, he's 5.

I'll just point out some of the reasons

that I would like him
even if I didn't know him.

He's well-balanced, overall.

That's nice.

He's got a nice thick girth
for his respiratory system.

He has a...

His neck comes out of his body real nice.

A quarter horse's neck

joins its sloping shoulders

at a 45-degree angle

to allow it to work head-down.

Resting stance is balanced.

Supported by straight,

powerful legs.

Body is well-muscled,

especially in the hindquarters.

He has what you want to call saddle bags.

That's more muscling in the hip
to hold those stops and turns

and helps him use his hind end.

A quarter horse generates incredible power

from these haunches...

not only speed but the ability
to stop and spin on a dime.

But for all it's physical power,

it's the trainability of the quarter horse

that sets it apart.

One of the wonderful
things about quarter horses,

they're so trainable.

And they want to please you.

You know, that's one of the things

that made quarter horses great.

They have great heart and try.

Yeah.

I've had perfect horses.

They might not even look perfect,

but who cares when they're great?

The great ones
fuse strength, trainability,

and heart into a horse built to perform,

out on the range

or under the lights.

Now entering the arena,

number 146, Mike Miller
and Playboy's Buck Fever.

For Mike and Tara,

no horse did it better
than Playboy's Buck Fever.

He was just, from day one,

so trainable and easy to be around

and athletic and plenty of speed.

Made the finals at the
World's Greatest Horseman

on him.

But to become a champion

requires something deeper...
a conversation with no words.

When I'm reining,

it's total communication with the horse.

You're controlling every movement.

Your legs, your hands.

That's how you talk.

It's a total communication
without using your mouth,

but they understand, and you understand.

You know to do it right,

to get along with your horse,

you need to kind of think like one.

It's basic, basic stuff.

But it is amazing.

Once the communication develops,

it's easy to pursue any target.

But nothing focuses a quarter horse

quite like a cow.

My great-grandfather came to this country

to Wyoming in 1875.

They ran cattle from Western
Wyoming to Eastern Wyoming.

They'd start out on the desert
in the Spring,

work their way up through the summer,

and in the fall, they'd come down this

Wyoming range.

This landscape brought
cowboy, quarter horse,

and cattle together.

And as all three evolved,

they became more and more
specialized for the job.

We spend more time on a horse

working than anything else

and what horse you're on determines

how much you enjoy your work.

Definitely some horses have a lot more

cow sense than others.

A horse with "cow sense"

has a natural instinct
to anticipate, track,

and direct a cow's movement.

Horses claim space and control
movement to assert dominance,

normally with other horses.

A quarter horse is wired
with one key difference...

it will show a cow who's boss.

Quarter horses seem to excel in it.

That's their forte.

We go into the herd, see the cow we want.

Cow goes this way, steer them over there,

then the cow goes that way.

Just loose reins.

It's no accident that "cow sense"

has become one of the single

most desirable traits of the breed.

They started the quarter
horse for that kind of work.

It's been a part of us for a long time.

Horses are our life.

We've spent a lot of our life around them

and have enjoyed it all.

Just glad we could do it.

As the quarter horse

became the most popular horse in America,

an old star was quietly
fading out of view...

the mustang.

But sooner or later,
everything old is new again.

And for Kaelynn Clark,
adopting and training mustangs

has been her lifelong passion.

She remembers every milestone,
every breakthrough,

every inch of forward
progress along the way.

But the journey has also led her back...

to discover the mustang's
special place in history.

Today, she'll experience that
heritage firsthand

with her mustang, Spartan,

on one of the oldest proving
grounds in the American West...

the Pony Express Trail.

Gopher holes, washouts,
gullies, badger holes...

these are just some sketchy spots

that you can get caught up in.

We're out here in the middle of nowhere,

and it does take a minute to get out here,

and if anything did happen
it would take a minute

to get out of here, too.

Yeah.

He could just decide
he's wild again and be gone.

But the road that led them here

began many years ago.

It was just surreal.

You're like, "Oh, I'm really
going to do this.

I'm really getting a wild horse

that's going to come
and live at my place."

When I first met Spartan,
I was 14 years old.

he was the very first mustang I did

through the 4-H BLM gentling project.

For hundreds of years,

American mustangs have been
adopted from the wild,

their genes infusing countless
other breeds along the way.

But doing so requires a leap of faith.

You get the butterflies,
and you look at him,

and you're like,
"What's the next step?"

Throughout the ages,

people have built
relationships with animals.

That's kind of our
human heritage, in a way.

You are carrying on a tradition that many,

many people have done before you.

A lone mustang is a prey animal,

ruled by instinct,
adrenaline, fight or flight.

But inside the herd, they develop close

and long-lasting social bonds...
relationships.

A special quality that horses
share - with humans.

After they come home,
one of the first things

is building trust.

They're looking at you,
they're respecting you.

They're looking to you for leadership.

In the wild, most of the time,
you have your lead mare

that's taking care of the herd.

And so I need to make myself a leader,

and by doing that, I gain their respect,

I gain their trust.

Once a leader emerges, trust begins.

And with it comes opportunity:

a horse known only as number 1512

now becomes Spartan.

That's that point
where they're no longer wild.

Now we can dive into the deep stuff...

the leading, the pressure
and release, the rope work.

Spartan will always be the first,

but for Kaelynn,

the list of names
is growing longer every year.

Each mustang has its own personality.

And each training program is designed

to test individual
strengths and weaknesses.

Lots of people use
the term breaking the horse.

I like to think of it as the horse

is always learning something new.

You're going to work on things

that might scare them a little bit,

and you're going to build that trust.

That's why our tack shed
is full of such weird things.

Pool noodles with tissue paper
on the top of them.

Kiddie pool for water
to lead them through.

We've got hula hoops.

Just anything to keep them engaged

and to keep their mind thinking.

After countless hours of overcoming fear

and doubt together,

it's time to take the biggest step of all.

It's a good feeling to know

that I have prepared
this horse for this step,

I've done all the work, and I can get on,

and he'll still be connected
to me when I'm under saddle.

Yeah, you can break them,

but it implies that
you're breaking their spirit,

and Spartan still has
very much of that spirit.

Trust opens the door
to a world of possibility.

But, eventually,
you have to ride through it.

On the Pony Express Trail,

the mission for Kaelynn and Spartan

is the same as it was in 1860.

Expert riders wanted.

Willing to risk death daily.

Mail from St. Joseph, Missouri,
to California

in 10 days or less.

Kaelynn is one of over 700 riders

who will re-create
this 2,000-mile journey,

to experience a vision of America

connected only by horseback...
vast, untamed,

the way it was before
the telegraph or the railroad.

For 10 days straight, 24 hours a day,

a single replica mail-bag,
called the mochila,

is relayed across the continent...

and "The Pony" rides again.

When I saw the rider coming,

my heart started to race a little bit,

and I was like, "Oh, here we go.

We're about to do this."

Got it.
Get on the other side,

and then I'll flip it over.

Realizing that he was ready to go,

he knew what his job was,

that helps relax me down a lot.

The time is now...
get the mail to the next post,

and ride like the wind.

Thank you.

That moment when you just get on,

you just feel so alive.

Running at full speed,
you get to feel the power

that animal has.

Knowing that I'm on a mustang

and I'm in their natural habitat,

on a horse that I trust...
I know he's sure-footed.

This is where he's from.

This is his heritage.

Then and now,

mustangs are uniquely adapted
for this harsh terrain...

they were born for this.

Hard hooves, keen senses, heat tolerance,

endurance for days.

You're re-enacting something

that's such an important part
of human history

along with the horse.

That partnership of being together,

it's just an amazing feeling.

A partnership that reveals horses

still connect America,

one horse, one rider,
one ritual at a time.

At the end, I kept telling him

that I knew he could give me
a little bit more

because I know he has that extra gear.

And he did give it to me
there a couple of times,

so I'm really proud of him.

While mustangs were preferred stock

for pony riders out West,

another breed was favored
by riders in the east...

the Morgan.

It's easy to understand why,
during the biggest showcase

of the year at the Morgan horse farm,

when all the sleepless nights,
early mornings,

and endless training,
could finally pay off.

Since the beginning of the Morgan breed,

they've been known for
their incredible work ethic,

their tractability, their demeanor,

and their prettiness,
and I think Vermont Day

is a great example of that.

It's an exhibition of versatility

that shows off
the true range of the Morgan...

and the attitude to match.

They like a crowd.
They like to be out there.

They like to flip their tails up,

and they like to be expressive.

This mare is very special to us.

She's an exceptional mare.

Very tractable, extremely
athletic and beautiful.

Just sort of the essence
of a Morgan mare for us.

Her foal was born in April.

It was a cold, wet, rainy day.

All of a sudden, the mare's laying down.

It was an amazing feeling
and just an amazing thing

to be a part of.

We just could not be more excited

for the future of this little foal.

So I wanted to take a moment
today to present to you

UVM Denali.

She is sassy.

She is just happy to be there.

You know, she just sort of
embodies exactly

what we hope to have here...

pretty little Morgan with a fiery attitude

and really just wants
to be in front of people.

She's doing well.
She's wearing a halter.

She's learning how to lead,

and she's learning
some patience, which is good.

No matter what breed you have,

if you're a horse person,
you're a horse person, right?

The Morgan people,
or the thoroughbred people,

or the quarter horse people.

Horse people are their own
unique kind of group.

And there's a lot of pride
that goes in with that,

and their horses
are part of their families.

Their horses are part of them.

They're pretty cool.

After so much time and tradition,

the lines between a people
and their horses begin to blur.

For the McFarland-Yearout family,

gathering with the Appaloosa herd

is an opportunity to honor
something timeless.

We come together today
for a short prayer on this land

where we keep our horses, our sik'him,

and just so grateful that we
are able to use our horses,

to dress up and parade,

to bring out our things
that some have been handed down

and some are brand-new.

This is my mom's hat.

I think this dress
is from my great-grandmother.

It makes me feel cool.

I don't know why, but it just does.

Like, I feel cool in it.

Everything that's
put together, it has a story.

When you're doing this, you're doing honor

not only to the Sik'him,
the Appaloosa, the Maa'min,

and remembering our ancestors
who raised horses

and taught us of horse way
but everybody who contributed

to what you're wearing and to who you are.

It brings to mind so many
memories of my childhood,

taking those journeys with my grandmother

and my mother on horseback.

These trails have been used
for centuries by our ancestors.

We're just a part
of the big creation's puzzle.

We have something to share,
something important to continue.

We have that language in common,

and we have our homeland.

But the horses are always
a part of that effort

to really bring us together.

And, of course, for us,

it's been the Appaloosa
that's been the binding.

And that love of the Appaloosa

is shared by people all over the world.

Sagebrush, badger holes,

it's really wild and western.

It's not arena.

Anything can happen.

For a certain breed of cowboy,

pasture roping is the ultimate test.

For the Millers and
their top quarter horses,

it's the culmination
of another year of hard work.

I'm roping with my son, Wes,

and I'm riding Texas Red.

I think he'll rise to the occasion.

It's super-ranchy team roping
is what it is.

Some guy horseback brings
that cow at a run up that chute.

And then when he blasts by you...

...off you go.

You chase a cow down, rope it.

You're seeing why
the quarter horse was invented.

Once the quarter horse was invented,

competition added fuel to the fire.

The winning horses were bred,
and, over time,

the breed itself was refined.

This is going to be team 15,

Mike Miller, Wes Miller.

You guys are up.

Well, shucks.

We tried.

Times are changing, for sure.

I think there will always be horses.

Whether there's going to be
cowboying like I do,

I don't know.

You know, very proud
that our kids want to do

what we want to do, and our grandkids.

Kinda makes you smile.

The quarter horses, which we raise,

they're friends, you know?

I hope that my family continues
to have an interest in horses

and love them like we do,

and, you know, just keep the deal going.

For millions of years,

American horses developed
in tandem with this continent.

An evolution that flows, in modern times,

through human hands.

But deep in the Pryor Mountains,
horses continue to flourish,

as they have for countless generations...

in the wild.

After a season of plenty
on the mountaintop,

another long winter is bearing down.

For Phyllis, the transition
is bittersweet.

It's the very beginning of a really long,

tough winter for them.

Hundreds of years of living
up here, they've adapted,

and they're survivors.

Their strength, their ability
to survive against all odds

in an environment that
pushes them to the limits,

and they're still here.

These are truly a different type of horse,

a very valuable horse.

Their genetics need to be carried forward,

because if we lose what we have
here on this mountain,

we won't ever get it back.

Since the return of American horses,

we've become a country
moved by horsepower.

Breeds will come and go.

Times will always change.

But the horse is here to stay.