Smoky knows only one way of life: freedom. Living on the open range, he is free to go where he wants to and do what he wants to. And he knows what he has to do to survive.

Smoky can beat any enemy, whether it be a rattlesnake or a hungry wolf. He is as much a part of the Wild West as it is of him, and Smoky can’t imagine anything else.

Then he comes across a new enemy, one that walks on two legs and makes funny sounds. Smoky can’t beat this enemy the way he has all the others. But does he really want to? Or could giving up some of his freedom mean getting something in return that’s even more valuable?

This is the classic great horse story written by a cowboy who trained a little black colt to become his most dependable horse. Here are the experiences of a fascinating horse from his birth in the wild, through his capture by humans and his work in the rodeo and on the range, to his eventual old age.