Wild Horses of Wyoming and WHEN LEAVES CHANGE COLOR

The Red Roan Colt along the Powder Rim in Wyoming.
This horse was the inspiration for my new historical fiction novel
WHEN LEAVES CHANGE COLOR

The wild horses of Wyoming inspired me to write my latest novel, WHEN LEAVES CHANGE COLOR. I cannot be sure why I originally connected with these wild mustangs. I am an animal person, but it was not like I was a horseman or horse expert or anything like that. Sure, I had a quarter horse growing up and I did the 4H horse thing for two or three years, but once I discovered horsepower under the hood of cars and got my drivers' license, my interest for the four legged kind of horse severely waned. 

My interest in wild horses and horses in general has risen dramatically in the last twenty years. Below is one of my first encounters with wild horses in the desert in southwestern Wyoming. I will never forget that day. 

The Gray Stallion in a desert basin in Wyoming.   

As I slowly drove along the meandering road that overlooked the desert basin, I spotted several dark specks in the distance that contrasted with beige-colored desert. I stopped the vehicle and took aim with my high-powered zoom lens on my camera. Through the lens, the indistinguishable specks became the profiles of several multi-colored wild horses. I was too far away to get a good photograph, so I parked the vehicle, grabbed my backpack, and slid down the steep, shaly embankment that lead into the desert basin. I wanted to see just how close I could get to these animals.

Once I reached the sandy floor of the desert basin, I pushed my way through the chest-high sagebrush and greasewood. This was definitely deer tick heaven! As I slowly moved forward through the brush, ahead, I kept one eye on the ground, searching for sleeping rattlesnakes. Thirty minutes and a mile or so later, I reached a sandy ridge where I had originally spotted the horse herd. The horses had moved on. I raised my camera to my eye and scanned the desert in front of me. I was surprised when I found a gray stallion staring at me through the viewfinder, straight ahead. I snapped a photograph of the stallion and then another. As if he had heard the near inaudible camera shudder fire, the gray stallion turned and galloped away.    

After several years watching the wild horses and praying for their safety and well-being, I decided to write a book about the ancestors of the wild horses, the first horses that came back into North America and the first encounters of horses with Native Americans. The name of that book is, well, you guessed it, WHEN LEAVES CHANGE COLOR. Give it a shot and discover the rest of the story.

 

 

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Horses, Vaqueros, Mountain Men, and Indians in SAND and SAGE

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A wild mustang in Wyoming inspired my latest book SAND and SAGE. I first laid eyes on that red roan colt in May 2002 on a windswept plain in southern Wyoming. That day, I wrote the caption below about the colt in my personal diary.

The Red Roan Colt in 2002. 

His dark eyes radiated a mixture of curiosity and caution. Unblinking,
he stared at me while nervous feet conveyed his readiness to bolt at the

flick of my eyelash. His powerful presence reflected his intelligence, nobility, and 

vulnerability. I envied and admired him, but also feared for his future. This 

young stallion possessed a sense of freedom that humans once had. 

The red roan colt must remain free!

A common misconception people make is that Native American tribes have always had horses. This is not the case. Primitive horses first appeared in North America close to fifty-eight million years ago, way before human beings ever existed. Then, horses went extinct in North America around eleven thousand years ago, just about the time that the First Americans were gaining a foothold on the continent. We will never know for sure, but humans might have had something to do with the extinction of horses. There is no archaeological evidence that the First Americans ever domesticated these early horses but there is some archaeological evidence that horses might have provided food for the First Americans. Once the horses went extinct, North America did not see horses again until Europeans brought them. Once Native American Indians obtained horses from the Europeans, it only took a matter of decades for them to establish themselves as some of the greatest horse riders in human history. One of the main themes of SAND and SAGE is when the Plains Indians first encountered horses.

In my novel SAND and SAGE, I went further than just writing a book about a horse. Don't get me wrong, the red roan colt is one of the key characters but so are wealthy Spanish ranchers, a mountain man, a few Indians, and a British trader. I also loaded the book with vaqueros, soldiers, and other horses. I figured I could not go wrong with that line up. Since I have always been interested in Native American and Early American history, I decided to combine three topics into one. First, there are the horses. Second, I dramatize what happens to the Spanish settlers in New Mexico during the Pueblo Indian Revolt of 1680. And third, the introduction of horses for the first time to the Northern Plains tribes. Spanish settlers in New Mexico introduced the Pueblo Indians to horses and mules. From there, horses spread to the Plains tribes in the north. Can you imagine being a Plains Indian and seeing a horse for the first time? Me neither so I played that scenario out in SAND and SAGE.

The red roan colt from SAND and SAGE in 2002.

I call SAND and SAGE a good old fashioned western in the tradition of great western authors like Zane Grey and Larry McMurtry. What SAND and SAGE boils down to is a story of the coming of age of three boys and a girl during a tumultuous time in American history. The year is 1680. The place is the Spanish colony of New Mexico. The Pueblo Indians have revolted against their Spanish oppressors. The chaos of war separates two Spanish brothers and propels them into hostile circumstances that neither is prepared to navigate. North of the Pueblo Revolt and the two brothers, an Indian boy struggles to find his place in his tribe. He discovers something so great that could change his tribe’s lifestyle forever, but skeptics within the tribe keep the boy from fulfilling his vision. The three boys are on a collision path and it takes a horse to bring them together. Hang on to your saddle horn for this fast-paced adventure!

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John Bradford Branney was born and raised in Wyoming and attended the University of Wyoming where he received a B.S. degree in geology. After graduating, John entered the oil and gas industry as an engineer. During his career, he also obtained a MBA degree from the University of Colorado. In 2011, he retired from the oil and gas industry and immediately pursued a second career as an author. Mr. Branney’s passion and expertise in high plains archaeology led to the writing of several books and over twenty-five magazine articles. SAND and SAGE is Mr. Branney’s ninth book.

WHEN LEAVES CHANGE COLOR - Adventure by Author John Bradford Branney




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From the Author

Many people have the common misconception that Native American Indians have always had horses throughout their long and illustrious reign over North America, but this is not the case. Horses first appeared in North America close to fifty-eight million years ago, but went extinct in North America around eleven thousand years ago, just about the same time the first Americans were gaining a foothold. In fact, there is no documented archaeological evidence that early Native Americans had any direct contact with these early versions of horses in North America. Native American Indians did not have horses until the Europeans brought them to North America. Once Native American Indians obtained horses from the Europeans, it only took a matter of decades for them to establish themselves as some of the greatest horse riders that the world has ever known.   

        Spanish colonies in the American West first introduced Indian tribes to horses in the late 1600s. Prior to obtaining horses, Native American Indians used dogs as their primary beasts of burden. Once Native American Indians obtained horses, their lives changed dramatically. With horses, they could travel farther in less time and with more possessions. With the mobility and speed of the horses, Native American Indians became horse-riding hunters, unmatched in skill. The rumbling herds of bison were now accessible to Native American hunters on horseback. The hunters no longer had to trap or outsmart the bison herds. With horses, they had the means to chase bison down. Horses became a form of wealth and status for the Native American tribes that possessed them. My story takes place at a time in history when Plains Indians first encountered horses.   

     



The inspiration for When Leaves Change Color, the red roan colt when
 I discovered him on the Powder Rim of Wyoming in 2002. 

 

        
 My research for When Leaves Change Color began a long time ago, in fact, decades ago. I have
always loved horses. Perhaps my interest in horses was rooted in my early passion for Native
American culture, or perhaps it was just the majestic beauty and independence of the animal. When I
first discovered the wild horses in my home state of Wyoming, I became fascinated with watching
and studying their habits. There was seldom a road trip across the desert southwest of Wyoming
where I would not take a detour to photograph and watch the wild horses. Even though the wild horse
herds and their freedom are now dwindling, my love and respect for wild horses never will.   

When Leaves Change Color is available in paperback and Kindle e versions. Click to Order 

Enjoy the ride!   

 

Light Hidden by Darkness - Favorite Quotes II

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In my adventure novel entitled Light Hidden by Darkness, the main character named Seamus Winshell was a successful businessman. He had made his way through life by plowing full steam through every obstacle, no matter what it was or whom he destroyed or hurt. He may have been a success at business, but his luck with the personal side of his life was not so good. He did luck out in the book Light Hidden by Darkness by getting a second chance with his life, but would Seamus Winshell take advantage of this or look this gift horse in the mouth? Read Light Hidden by Darkness to find out.

      

“In the queer mess of human destiny the determining factor is luck. For every important place in life there are many men of fairly equal capacities. Among them luck divides who shall accomplish the great work, who shall be crowned with laurel, and who should fall back in obscurity and silence.

                                                   -         William E. Woodward
                                                                       (1874 – 1940)    

Jeb Bush. Where would he be without his Bush pedigree?   

This quote has been with me for some time. I first recognized its validity in my first career in the energy industry. My colleagues and I were all competing to get promoted, but we also knew the reality of the situation that there were fewer and fewer positions available as you went higher up in the organization. All of us competing for these jobs had similar abilities and, as Woodward stated, 'capacities'. We all had our strengths and we also had weaknesses. The winners of most of the promotions usually had the least harmful weaknesses and a good bit of luck. We used to call that luck 'being in the right place at the right time' or if we did not get the promotion ourselves, we referred to the luck of the successful candidate in less flattering sour grape terms.          


I doubt if many people would argue that some people seem to have all of the luck in the world while other people can’t seem to find any luck and when they do find luck, it is usually bad luck. It makes you wonder if there is only a finite amount of good luck out there and that luck exists in a zero sum state. That is, when one person is blessed with a double dose of good luck then someone else gets a double dose of bad luck, Zero sum game? I cannot be sure but that's how it seems to work, at least to me. 

Hillary Clinton. Where would she be without hubby Bill? 

We all have seen individuals who garners the question from us, “how in the world did this person get so rich or famous? How did this person get all the luck?” Some of our feelings towards these people can cross the line to sour grapes and envy, but in some cases it does come down to "how did this person have so much luck?          

With the 2016 U.S. presidential run for the roses heating up, it gives me a lot of fodder to use as examples. We have some of the luckiest people in the world running for the presidential office. Don't get me wrong, most of them have worked their tails off to get where they are today, but some of them have had some help and luck along the way. Most of the current players in the presidential bid war are career politicians, some have earned their own stature through their political life while some had help - they inherited their stature through family, friends, and money. I will not be naming any names since I think most people can figure this out on their own.

One presidential candidate stands out as different – a billionaire businessman – one-third carney barker, one-third marketing genius, and one-third egomaniac. This presidential candidate has thrown a monkey wrench into the stale political establishment that exists in the United States. He has turned the process on its ear. He has also had his share of luck having been born with a silver spoon and getting his first big break from his father.     

Donald Trump. Would he be selling used cars
if it weren't for his father? Who knows?
Luck or ability?

     
For these people, is it more luck or ability? Tell me what you think and then read Light Hidden by Darkness where Seamus Winshell gets a second chance. Read what he does with this second chance, it boggles the mind.