All language subtitles for Equus Story of the Horse Series 1 2of2 Chasing the Wind PBS Nature 1080p EN SUB

♪♪

♪♪

THOMPSON: Horses and humans
have traveled through time...

as partners.

But the wild animal
we tamed long ago...

♪♪

...has now become
over 400 breeds.

♪♪

And they couldn't
be more different.

♪♪

My name is Niobe Thompson.

I'm an anthropologist.

I'm amazed at the incredible
diversity of horses.

♪♪

[ Neighing ]

♪♪

♪♪

Join me on a journey
into our history...

together.

♪♪

♪♪

Discover how we've shaped
horses.

♪♪

And they've shaped us.

♪♪

♪♪

[ Theme plays ]

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♪♪

♪♪

THOMPSON: In the last episode,
I traveled back in time

to the dawn of horses.

Amazing.

I've never seen
such a well-preserved fossil

from this era.

I learnt how a tiny creature
of the tropical forest...

evolved to become the great
grassland runner we know today.

♪♪

I got to know some
very fast horses...

♪♪

...and discovered
how this huge animal...

practically flies.

LAMBERT: It reaches a point
where it's beyond control.

♪♪

THOMPSON: It turns out,
horses can read our emotions.

McCOMB: Horses are eavesdropping
on the human world all the time.

THOMPSON: In the wild,
their social nature

helps them survive.

And I was amazed to see
how trusting a horse can be...

when you find a common language.

ANDERSON: I wanna be hooked up
to these not through a rope.

Through their mind.

THOMPSON: From their incredible
power and speed...

to their remarkable
intelligence...

to their gentle, social nature.

It's no surprise we built
our world with horsepower.

♪♪

The bond we formed with
this aristocrat of animals...

is a perfect match.

But how did it all begin?

How did we harness the gifts
of the horse?

♪♪

For millions of years,
wild horses thrived

on endless grasslands
around the planet.

♪♪

They lived in a world
without humans.

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We came much later.

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As we entered new lands,
we met new animals.

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But no animal
made a bigger impression...

than these.

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With time, horses and humans
became best friends.

♪♪

But it's that first meeting
that fascinates me.

When our ancestors
left their African home,

and met horses
for the first time,

well, it was love
at first sight.

We were obsessed with horses.

In fact, the first piece of art
to depict a living thing,

the first figurative art,
was this --

a tiny, beautiful figurine
of a wild horse

living somewhere in Europe
35,000 years ago.

[ Birds chirping ]

♪♪

Our ancestors studied every
living thing in their world.

It was a matter of survival.

To hunt we had to understand
our prey.

But horses were different.

♪♪

These majestic animals
sparked something new in us.

A spark of inspiration.

♪♪

The Ardeche Gorge
in Southern France.

Where Chauvet Cave
has been called

the "Sistine Chapel
of the Stone Age".

The original drawings
are too sensitive to visit,

but here we can see
a perfect replica

of the earliest art
humans ever created.

♪♪

When you look
at this marvelous wall,

you see all of the major animals
of the Stone Age world depicted.

You've got reindeer
and mammoths, big cats.

But the horse seems to play
the most prominent role.

Now, I thought that was in my
imagination,

but then I saw something just
down there that convinced me.

There it is.

They've saved this alcove like
an altar for a single animal.

And it's a horse.

Horses are the stars
of Ice Age art.

Our ancestors drew them
perfectly.

And more than any other animal.

DR. FLOSS: This will be
the first horses in the cave.

They depicted this horse
with their fingers.

THOMPSON: Ya.

German archaeologist
Harold Floss has studied Chauvet

since its discovery
in the 1990s.

DR. FLOSS:
Horses were important for
the nutrition of these people.

They hunted horses
and they knew horses very well.

But I am sure
that nutrition is not all.

These guys had a spiritual
connection with these animals.

THOMPSON: It must have been
the case with these people

that everything has a spirit.

The features of the landscape,
the creeks and rivers,

everything carries a spirit.

DR. FLOSS: Exactly.
And animals too.

THOMPSON: Ya.

DR. FLOSS: But you are
killing these animals...

♪♪

...and there may rise a problem,
which you have to resolve.

♪♪

And this is,
in my point of view,

one of the main reasons
Palaeolithic art is existing.

THOMPSON:
Once, we hunted horses.

♪♪

But what we left on the wall
of this cave

hinted at a new future.

A time when our bond
with this sacred animal

would be transformed.

♪♪

At the end of the Ice Age,
grasslands became forests.

♪♪

Horses evolved in the Americas.

But there, they disappeared
completely.

Only a handful survived

on the grassland steppes
of Central Asia.

And that is where humans
domesticated the wild horse

6000 years ago.

We know this because we've
discovered their ancient home.

A place called Botai,
in Kazakhstan.

♪♪

♪♪

On the fragments of pottery
they left behind,

scientists discovered
the remains of milk.

Horse milk.

And you can't milk a wild horse.

[ Neighing ]

♪♪

We had harnessed horsepower.

♪♪

For humans who traveled by
foot, riding changed everything.

We discovered speed
and conquered distance.

Now, the horse shaped our world.

And with time,
we shaped the horse

for our needs.

New breeds helped humans
survive in new environments.

And eventually,
horses took us

to some truly extreme places.

♪♪

Places like this.

♪♪

Yakutia, in Russia's Arctic.

♪♪

Here, extreme cold has created
a very special horse.

But to find it

takes a thousand-mile journey
from the nearest airport.

♪♪

♪♪

THOMPSON: I've come all this way
to see a man called Alexei.

Where I come from,
we'd call him a cowboy,

and we'd call this a ranch.

But it's not cows
that Alexei is running.

It's horses.

In fact, he has one of the
biggest herds in all of Yakutia.

300 horses in the coldest place
that humans inhabit.

And I want to see
how he does it.

♪♪

Well, there's Alexei.

He's just bringing a herd
of yearlings in.

He's the man we've come to meet.

Alexei tells me
his people came here

eight centuries ago.

They fled violence in Mongolia,

riding north into
the Siberian forest.

They were completely reliant
on their horses

for transport and for food.

Today, little has changed.

It's so cold.
It's so cold.

I mean, I knew it would be cold,
but nothing really prepares you.

Under the midday sun,
it warms to minus 40.

Overnight, it will fall
to minus 50.

Even under all this frost,
these horses seem content.

But the humans need a break.

Alex and his father tell me
their ancestors

had no intention of settling
in the coldest place on Earth.

But I'm curious.

What kind of horse
can survive that?

♪♪

[ Calling ]

The humans who live here
use technology to survive.

Warm clothing.

Shelter.

But not horses.

They had to evolve --
their bodies had to change.

♪♪

In this intense cold, Yakutian
horses have gotten smaller,

their legs shorter.

♪♪

The shape Nature chose here
isn't elegant...

but it works.

During the long winter,
they reduce their metabolism.

Yet they stay on their feet.

This unique behavior is called
standing hibernation,

and no other horses do it.

It's a textbook example
of natural selection.

Without it, Yakuts may never
have survived

in this environment.

It's amazing.

An Arctic horse

that made an Arctic people.

But really, shaping a special
breed for a special place

isn't uncommon at all.

Every horse culture

creates its own horses.

♪♪

♪♪

Some love the cold.

And some love the heat.

Arabia.

One of the hottest places
on Earth.

A world without water.

♪♪

But even here, you find people.

I've come to the Arabian Desert
to meet a remarkable breed.

A horse that makes it possible
to survive

where no human
could survive alone.

♪♪

This is the homeland

of the Bedouin.

Beyond the oases,

the Bedouin could only survive
by constantly moving.

So for thousands of years,
they have lived on horseback.

[ Conversing in Arabic ]

The endless migrations
of the Bedouin

have shaped
a special kind of horse.

♪♪

A desert breed.

The Arab.

The Arab horse is famous for
being hardy, spirited and fast.

♪♪

No matter how hot it gets,
these horses just love to run.

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♪♪

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Arabs are called 'hot blood',

and most people think
that refers to their character,

their personality.

But when I think of the features
that -- Oh, come over here --

the features that these men
prize in an Arab horse,

they're really about
dealing with the heat.

So these high fine ears,
this fine facial structure,

these big nostrils and then
even the high tail there.

All of these features are
the architecture of a horse

that's built to shed heat
in a hot environment.

And I think that's why
this horse is having

a much better time
then I am in this climate.

Aren't you?
Yeah.

Arabs are one
of the oldest breeds.

They've been carrying humans
through these scorching deserts

for at least 2,000 years.

Like Yakutians in the Arctic,
this is an extreme horse...

created by an extreme world.

♪♪

After a long day in the saddle,
we're all sore.

But the horses seem just fine.

These are tough animals.

Without them,
we wouldn't be here.

Even though we're out
of the saddle,

we're still talking
about horses.

My guides tell me
a Bedouin legend.

They call a mare Banat er rih:
"daughter of the wind."

Their horses move like a storm.

That is why they give us
the power of flight...

without wings.

♪♪

It's not hard to see why
the Bedouin believe

God made horses just for them.

♪♪

But science tells us,
this breed is simply

Nature's answer
to an extreme environment.

Bred for the desert,
Arab horses just happen to be

absolutely gorgeous.

♪♪

But in different parts
of the world,

you find completely
different horses.

Like Icelandics...

and Fjords.

Horses with a 2,000-year history
of putting up with weather

in Scandinavia.

With a shape like this, you'd
think these were little ponies.

You'd be wrong.

♪♪

Weather shaped horses.

But so did we.

Breeds were created

for some very special jobs.

The beautiful Friesian,

bred to carry 250 kilos
of armored knight into battle.

Bred today...for looks.

♪♪

♪♪

Or the Drum horse.

Created...

just to carry the regimental
drums of the Queen's bodyguard.

♪♪

This one's a star.

The Quarterhorse.

With the power to turn
on a dime.

And accelerate.

♪♪

♪♪

Aristocratic breeds.

Prized by nobility.

Like the Warmblood.

Once, a jumper in battle.

Now, a jumper for sport.

♪♪

But one horse above all

became the very definition
of horsepower.

♪♪

The Belgian.

A ton of pulling power.

A Belgian can reach 7 feet
in height.

And yet, they're one
of the gentlest breeds.

In the age of horsepower,
if there was a job

for the horse,
there was a horse for the job.

From giants...

to miniatures.

♪♪

Our ancestors left us with an
astonishing diversity of horses.

And we found a place for them
in every part of human life.

♪♪

It's easy to forget
how much our world

once revolved around the horse.

♪♪

But go back in time,

and horses are everywhere.

♪♪

Before humans knew
we could ride horses,

think of the impression it made
when we first saw a rider.

I mean, I think
that's the origin

of the myth of the centaur.

The body of a horse,
the torso and the head of a man.

A completely
impossible creature...

but there it was in front of us.

♪♪

Looking through the collections
at the British Museum,

it really strikes me that almost
every time you see a horse

in ancient art,

it's a horse at war.

And not how I expected.

Instead of riding horses,
we were behind them...

in chariots.

♪♪

Look at this.

This is the Assyrian king
Ashurbanipal standing upright

in his chariot.

To me, this doesn't make
any kind of sense,

because in a world
without roads,

how is it even possible
to stand in a chariot,

racing around the battlefield?

I mean, there you are
bouncing along,

trying to shoot
your bow and arrow

and you're a huge target
for the enemy.

But here's the proof.

Somehow the chariot
was a game changer.

We just don't really
understand how.

The only way to really know
how chariots worked then...

is to build one now.

♪♪

In this English workshop,

we're reconstructing
a perfect copy

of one of the oldest chariots
ever discovered.

The original was built over
3,000 years ago, in China.

♪♪

After months of work,
it's finally finished.

HURFORD: And there we are.

THOMPSON: It's ready
to be tested.

But that...takes someone
with some unusual skills.

Mike Loades.

Mike's spent his life studying
how horses

changed history
on the battlefield.

And today, he's going to see
our chariot for the first time.

-THOMPSON: Are you ready?
-LOADES: I'm ready.

Let's have a look.

Wow.

THOMPSON: There it is. Is this
how you imagined it?

LOADES: No, it's so much more.
It announces itself.

♪♪

THOMPSON: It may be impressive,
but our experimental chariot

is missing the key ingredient.

Horsepower.

MAN: Whoa. Steady. Steady.

THOMPSON:
For our test, Mike is using
specialized chariot horses.

And they're tiny.

LOADES: Chariot horses
are surprisingly small.

You couldn't ride horses
like this into battle.

But two horses pulling
a wheeled vehicle

could carry a load far
in excess than the weight

they could carry
on their backs.

Whoa. Easy.

♪♪

They had to have
tremendous stamina for running

all over the battlefield,
and going on campaign.

They had to have strength to
pull those men on the chariot.

They had to have spirit.

THOMPSON: These ponies also have
to run in unison --

one stumble,
and the whole chariot goes down.

Mike makes it look easy,
but I have a feeling it isn't.

I'll give this a try.
-LOADES: Yeah, up you come.

-THOMPSON: Ok.
-LOADES: That's it.

THOMPSON: Now what
are you doing?

One foot ahead of the axle,
one foot behind the axle?

LOADES: Yeah.
You've obviously got that pole

in an emergency to grab onto.

Walk on, lads.
Giddyup.

There you go.

There you go.
You all right?

Yeah, you're doing pretty well,
I think.

THOMPSON: I cannot imagine

handling weapons
in this situation.

All I'm doing is standing
in one place.

LOADES:
Going around a corner.

THOMPSON: I'm going to try
to let go with my hands.

LOADES: Stand up.

Yay, surfing.
Going around to the right.

THOMPSON: I was right --
standing is hard.

But maybe that's not
what you're supposed to do.

♪♪

LOADES: Whoa.

THOMPSON: How's that going?

LOADES: Well,
that was very interesting.

I mean, there's no doubt
about it,

it's a lot of fun to stand up.

It's the glamorous Hollywood
idea of what you do in chariots.

And it's perfectly doable.

But then I was thinking well,
why the low rail?

So, I thought well, it's, it's,
it's inviting me to kneel.

So can I drive kneeling?

Yeah, actually, that's really
quite comfortable.

The light bulbs go off.

This -- this just fits.

I'm completely secure.

Can I shoot from here?
I'm sure I can.

We've got to test that.

But that's what's so exciting.

The chariot speaks to you.

It tells you how
it wants you to use it.

♪♪

If you took squadrons
of chariots

against an infantry army,

you could have run circles
round them,

you could've pinned them down,
and they can't get you.

♪♪

THOMPSON:
Mike's convinced me.

If you know what you're doing,
chariots can be deadly.

♪♪

Chariots ruled the battlefield
for a very long time.

But then, a new way of
harnessing horsepower emerged

and a new kind of horse warrior
replaced the chariot team.

Horse archery.

A man on a horse
with a bow and arrow.

You put thousands of those
in the field

and no chariot army
can compete.

LOADES: You can spin a horse
so much more easily

than you can a chariot.

You know, I can come around
and do this.

I can run around you and then...

The speed of the horse
and the speed of the shooting.

It's absolutely a teamwork.

I mean you actually do become
a centaur.

From the waist down,
you're a horse.

From the waist up,
you're an archer.

You become the mythical centaur.

There was a key change that had
to happen with horses

to enable the horse archer.

Horses had to get bigger.

They had been selectively bred
with more bone.

With more muscle.

That became the riding horse.

Once the ridden horse comes
onto the battlefield

and you have the horse archer,

then you've really got
an extremely versatile warrior.

A single horse can go places
that a chariot can't.

Once the horse archer
entered the battlefield,

then the days
of the chariot were numbered.

And that is the beginning
of a long and tragic story

for the horse.

The carnage, the loss of life,

the tragedy of horses
in the service of man's wars.

♪♪

THOMPSON: For thousands
of years,

horses were invaluable
on the battlefield.

Not anymore.

Today we cherish horses
for different reasons.

♪♪

This newborn foal
is a Thoroughbred.

And it's carrying a huge weight

of expectations
on its little shoulders.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Among the breeds,
Thoroughbreds are specialists.

♪♪

We created them for one purpose:

to run faster
than any other horse alive.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

All Thoroughbreds belong
to one tiny family of horses.

♪♪

Incredibly, every living one

is a descendant
of one of three stallions,

who lived 200 years ago.

The Stud Book is closed.

DR. HILL: The Thoroughbred has
been a closed Stud Book

since the early 1800s,
when it was determined

that no further
input from exotic gene pools

would improve the breed.

And so it was said that this
breed is now 'thoroughly bred'.

And that's where the term
"Thoroughbred" comes from.

THOMPSON: Emmeline Hill is
an Irish geneticist.

Several years ago,

working with the DNA
of Thoroughbred racehorses,

Emmeline had a breakthrough.

She discovered a kind of
genetic recipe for speed.

She calls it the "Speed Gene".

DR. HILL: For hundreds of years,
I suppose,

people have used pedigrees
to try to figure out

if it's a sprint type pedigree
or a pedigree with more stamina.

We can now take the guesswork
out of that.

We're able to actually
look inside the DNA

and identify those genes

that are contributing
to an elite athlete.

THOMPSON: Jim Bolger raises some
of Ireland's fastest horses.

♪♪

When Emmeline discovered
the Speed Gene...

Jim took the leap.

He let her use the test
on his elite Thoroughbreds,

hoping to spot a special horse.

DR. HILL: We'll send you the
results in advance.

They're ready now.

BOLGER: We're not going to have
a top horse every year.

It's a game of chance,

and it's very high risk,
but we only need one.

THOMPSON: With Emmeline's help,
he found the one.

A stallion
called Dawn Approach.

At two years old, he emerged on
the European scene

as an unbeatable racehorse.

After just one season, Jim sold
his champion for a fortune.

♪♪

Today, Dawn Approach
has run his last race.

His new owner sells his sperm.

Each insemination
is worth $50,000.

♪♪

In his lifetime, he will father
thousands of foals.

♪♪

Emmeline's discoveries
are helping us squeeze

every last ounce of speed
from Thoroughbreds.

But with only a tiny few
allowed to pass on their genes,

the genetic diversity of this
breed is getting even smaller.

DR. HILL:
Limited genetic diversity could
potentially be a problem.

You have a very high-level
of inbreeding,

particularly when you have
a stallion of high value,

and therefore has very large
numbers of progeny.

The genetic health of the
population could be in jeopardy.

It's the unknowns
that are always the problem.

THOMPSON: As we take breeding
to incredible extremes,

we're getting
incredible results.

But there's a fine line
between breeding...

and inbreeding.

♪♪

The Thoroughbred is
a human invention.

Such a delicate animal
wouldn't survive in the wild.

Leave it to nature,

and you get a very
completely different horse.

They say
there are no truly wild horses.

♪♪

Except for these.

♪♪

A mythical horse, hanging on
in an impossible place.

♪♪

The horses of Sable Island.

♪♪

Their ancestors were left
on this sliver of sand

off Canada's East Coast
at least 40 generations ago.

How they got here, no one knows.

Settlers?

Shipwrecks?

Whatever their story, today,
they belong to no one.

♪♪

Few get permission to visit.

I'm very lucky to be
on this plane

with biologist Phil McLaughlin.

PILOT: Estimating landing
on the beach in seven minutes.

♪♪

THOMPSON: Phil and I
share the same question.

What happens to horses
when they return to the wild?

THOMPSON: So this is a situation
where you have horses

who we used to shape,

now being shaped
by this natural environment.

I mean, at what point do we
start calling them wild horses?

McLAUGHLIN:
I call them wild horses.

There's not been any
interactions with humans

other than what --
what we're doing right now.

Looking at them.

It actually still amazes me
how well they do.

♪♪

THOMPSON: Phil can go right up
to some of the adult horses

and they really aren't bothered
at all by his presence.

They're more curious of him
than anything.

As far as these horses are
concerned, human don't exist.

Now, they live in partnership
with a different animal: seals.

♪♪

Every winter, half a million
grey seals crowd

onto the sands to give birth.

And this huge gathering of sea
mammals keeps the horses alive.

McLAUGHLIN: So we have seals
coming onto the island

for weeks where they're pupping,
they're mating...

and while they're here,
they're fertilizing the grasses.

The influx of nutrients is --
is quite impressive.

And the horses
are responding to this.

♪♪

THOMPSON: It's a remarkable
connection between two mammals

who couldn't be less alike.

The seals bring nutrients
to these barren dunes,

and the horses feast
on the grass.

A food cycle that nourishes over
500 horses on Sable today.

But within that population,
a new horse is emerging.

A tougher animal
that has to fight to survive.

Phil takes me to
the far eastern end,

where there is
no standing water.

♪♪

The horses here
are forced to dig for a drink.

McLAUGHLIN: Every horse here
has to dig down,

paw, get the water
back up, drink.

They're going to take
20 minutes, at least.

Whereas, you go to the other
side of the island,

a whole band will come in
to the freshwater pond.

They'll be gone in 7-8 minutes.
-THOMPSON: Wow.

McLAUGHLIN:
And these horses here,

I always think of them
as being subject

to much more strife
and competition.

So they're always on the watch.

You'll see bands line up over
in the hills

there waiting for their chance.

And the hierarchies that you see
in the social groups,

it's much more clear out here.

♪♪

THOMPSON: There was a little bit
of a competition.

One of the stallions
was -- was kind of pawing

at the other male,

as if to say
"Get away from my water hole".

McLAUGHLIN: Exactly.
That's it.

It's an uneasy lifestyle here,

and these horses don't even know
what it's like on the west side.

They've never been there.

They've lived
their whole life here.

THOMPSON: On Sable,
it's Darwin's world.

Natural selection is shaping
the horse once again.

This island shows us horses can
return to the wild.

They don't need us to survive.

But even today, some people

can't imagine life
without horses.

The prairies of
Southern Alberta.

♪♪

Home of the Blackfeet.

Hundreds of years ago,

the Blackfeet became
a great horse nation.

That hasn't changed.

Allison Red Crow
is the great-grandson

of a legendary chief
and warrior.

Red Crow fought his enemies
on horseback.

Allison is still passing
the warrior tradition on.

In a modern way.

[ Indistinct talking ]

With horse racing.

RED CROW:
We are modern-day warriors.

We are still on our horses,
just like our forefathers were.

They were on the back
of a horse every day.

♪♪

BIG TOBACCO: It's a part of the
tradition, the hair anyway.

They say it gives us strength.

THOMPSON: Cody Big Tobacco
is on the team.

His little brother Ian dreams
of joining.

RED CROW: Keep -- keep your body
to the side.

Don't be walking right here,

because he'll run
right over you.

Okay? So always remember that.

He's going to be hot
after the race.

Look what they're doing
right now.

They're busy, eh?

They're busy,
they're having fun.

I tell the boys staying at home,

they'll be sitting around,
getting into trouble.

That's the main thing, boys.

If we can stay out of trouble,
we'll be all right.

These horses they'll keep us
out of trouble.

THOMPSON: These aren't
the compact Spanish horses

the Blackfeet once rode.

They're Thoroughbreds.

RACE ORGANIZER: You've got about
ten minutes to go.

THOMPSON:
These horses are fast.

RED CROW: Come on, Tyler.

THOMPSON:
In Blackfeet country,

they call this Indian Relay.

A race is three bareback gallops
around the track.

Speed is important.

But the race is won
or lost at the exchange.

Jumping off one horse

and onto another.

RED CROW: Go on. Go on!

Go on!

[ Indistinct shouting ]

Horses are what
makes us warriors today.

You work hard enough
with them

and you're willing
to work with them,

you're gonna feed off them,
you're gonna feel that strength.

You want to try him first?

BIG TOBACCO:
I'll try him first.

-RED CROW: Yeah.
-BIG TOBACCO: For now.

Let's try a couple jumps.

THOMPSON: Allison and Cody
are working with a new horse,

who's just learning the ropes.

RED CROW: Ready boys?

BIG TOBACCO: Ok,
I'll try this one.

Even if he flinches.
Oh.

RED CROW: Yeah,

he's never had nobody running up
and jumping to him eh?

But that's alright.
He's going to have to learn it.

He's going to have
to get used to it.

BIG TOBACCO: You see
how he kind of...

he's put his feet in the proper
stance to take my weight.

RED CROW: Yeah.

BIG TOBACCO: And his head's
coming a lot lower.

For sure.

Hey, boy, hey, boy, hey, boy.

From the first one to that one
is pretty good, eh?

♪♪

For us horse racing has always
been a part of our culture.

We just do it because
we love it, you know?

We love horses.

♪♪

THOMPSON: A new season of racing
will soon begin.

It's time for little Ian
to learn the exchange.

RED CROW: You're training
right now.

The main thing is just getting
on the horse, doing it right.

IAN: Ok.
-RED CROW: We'll take it slow.

-IAN: How's that sorrel?
-RED CROW: He's good.

It won't be --
don't worry about none of them.

They're just big pups.

IAN: I wanna race,
but I still can't jump up.

RED CROW: Jump, Ian jump.
That's ok.

IAN: It means a lot to me.

But I'll be up there some day.

RED CROW: Jump.
Kick, kick, kick, kick, kick.

Attaboy. Attaboy.
That's the way to be.

Good.
That's a good exercise, boys.

THOMPSON: Ian still has
some growing to do

before he can ride for the team.

But that time will come.

♪♪

Outside their world, the Horse
Relay is virtually unknown.

But that is about to change.

RED CROW:
Oh, boy, I couldn't wait to
spread the news to the boys.

THOMPSON: How did the boys
take it?

RED CROW: Hooo, they were just
laughing and smiling

and like "Yeah.

We're going to Calgary."

THOMPSON: Alison's been invited
to compete

at the Calgary Stampede.

Just four teams, all Blackfeet.

The first time ever
for the Indian Relay.

RED CROW: Not in my
wildest imaginations

did I think I'd be running
at the Calgary Stampede.

It is the event of the season.

It's like Christmastime.

THOMPSON: They call
the Calgary Stampede

the "The Greatest Outdoor
Show on Earth".

But it's the same ritual
as always:

stretch, paint, dress.

But this is no small town race.

There are 50,000 people
in the stands.

Allison's biggest worry
is how to keep the horses calm.

You guys are gonna do good.

TYLER:
Have some fun brudda.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Let's meet our Canadian team,
the O'kan Warriors.

THOMPSON: Allison and his boys
get just three laps

to remind us,
no one rides like the Blackfeet.

♪♪

A good start.

Tyler's behind,
but not by much.

♪♪

From one horse to the next.

A good exchange.

♪♪

♪♪

The experience of
the Montana teams is showing.

But the final exchange
could decide the race.

♪♪

♪♪

Tyler's horse is spooked.

It's the roaring crowd.

[ Horse neighing,
indistinct shouting ]

Too late.

This time, the team
from Browning, Montana,

takes the honor.

RED CROW: That's it, boys.

STAMPEDE ANNOUNCER: Did you
enjoy the first ever edition

of our Relay Races
here in Calgary?

[ Cheers and applause ]

RED CROW: You did your job.

Ran with your heart, man.

You ran with your heart.

Proud of you.

A lot of emotion here.

Proud.
Very proud.

The horses, my guys,
my people in the stands.

That's why we're here, eh?

Show the world how proud we are.

THOMPSON: The Warriors
didn't win today,

but Allison was always
running a different race.

RED CROW: Did you
like that, huh?

-IAN: Yeah. I liked it.
-RED CROW: Hell, yeah.

One of these days, one of these
days, it's going to be you guys.

Eh?
-IAN: Yeah for sure.

THOMPSON: He's using horses...

to catch the next generation.

♪♪

And he's winning that race.

♪♪

For the Blackfeet,
horses make the person.

Despite everything,
that hasn't changed.

They are just one
of countless human cultures

this animal has transformed.

♪♪

♪♪

Our obsession that began

the moment we met the horse
hasn't dimmed.

Since we saved wild horses
from extinction,

they've repaid us
a thousand times over...

with horsepower.

♪♪

But also with a bond
unlike any other.

♪♪

We've always known
ours is the perfect partnership.

The human story...

is a horse story.

♪♪

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♪♪

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To learn more about what you've
se

en on this "Nature" program,

visit pbs.org.

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