The Horsecatcher is a 1957 adolescent historical novel by American authorMari Sandoz. The Horsecatcher was a Newbery Medal Honor Book in 1958. The book is "dedicated to the two great Cheyennes named Elk River, both council chiefs and peace men, one Keeper of the Sacred Arrows of the Cheyenne Indians, the other the greatest horsecatcher of all the High Plains".
Plot
The novel is set in the 1830s. Elk, a Southern Cheyenne adolescent, dresses plainly, does not care for ceremonials, has no interest in warfare and coup-counting and little more in hunting. He has undergone his fast, but nobody is quite able to figure out what his dream meant. He knows he is a disappointment to his father, Elk River, to his uncle Owl Friend, who founded a warrior society, and to his older brother Two Wolves. But he cannot help what is in his heart. He wants to be a tamer of wild horses. When we first meet Elk, he has slipped away from his village on a lone horse-hunt, hoping to catch Bear Colt. But despite hardship and deprivation and even almost getting accidentally killed by some of his own tribesmen, he succeeds, and that is worth the shaming he gets from his kin. Over the next two years Elk learns his chosen profession, along with the misunderstandings that come with it. Even when he bravely warns his village of approaching Kiowa raiders and kills one with his rabbit bow, he fails to see his accomplishment. Furthermore, after his brother is killed, along with his entire war party, he helps to save the tribe's great talismans. He then penetrates deep into Kiowa country, alone and afraid, to recover and bury the remains. For a culture that places great value on horses, it is surprising that no one seems ready to recognize what a real contribution he could make to his tribe.
Bear Colt – A black mustang with a white splotch on his side in the form of a bear.
Film adaptations
, the film adaptation of The Horsecatcher is in development.
Critical reception
Many critics found The Horsecatcher to be a moving novel. The New York Times, asserted that "What gives this book stature... is Elk's quiet courage in defying tradition and finding his own place in his tribe and in life". The Christian Science Monitor, emphasized that "Mari Sandoz has written a beautiful story that is bright with warmth, humor, and love of life. It will provide rich and rewarding reading not only for older teens and young adults but also for grownups with a taste for uncomplicated goodness". The New York Herald TribuneBook Review, avowed that "This is a moving novel.... There is a fine sense of place, the wide plains, the canyons, the brushy gullies; a deep insight into the life of the Cheyennes and their firm and understanding way with their young people". Kirkus Reviews found "Though simply carried out, the story thread is strengthened by its very quietude, its thoughtful examination of an Indian mind and the interweaving of Cheyenne customs with the lives of other tribes- Comanche, Ute and Kiowa."
