The Wild Horses of the Chilcotin: Their History and Future

The Chilcotin’s wild horses are romantic and beautiful, but they are also controversial: they are seen by government policy as intruders competing for range land with native species and domestic cattle and, as a result, they have been subject to culls and are not officially protected.

In this compelling book, wildlife biologist Wayne McCrory draws upon two decades of research to make a case for considering these wonderful creatures, called qiyus in traditional Tŝilhqot’in culture, a resilient part of the area’s balanced prey-predator ecosystem. McCrory also chronicles the Chilcotin wild horses’ genetic history and significance to the Tŝilhqot’in, juxtaposing their efforts to protect qiyus against movements to cull them.

“For thousands of years, humans have used horses for food and for travel, for work and for play. But a few have remained wild. This is an inspiring story about wild horses and their stewardship, told by someone with exceptional experience in the woodlands and grasslands and mountains and rivers of British Columbia, and a rare understanding of the spiritual and material heritage of horses. If anybody can save and celebrate these wild horses, it is Wayne McCrory and the Chilcotin elders. Read this book and you will understand why. And how. You will also have wonderful company on a marvelous adventure.”

“During a study of grizzly bears to prevent clear-cut logging of the Chilcotin’s Brittany Triangle, biologist Wayne McCrory had an epiphany that shifted his focus to the wild horses living there. After 20 years of pursuing the secrets of wild horse culture and mythology, McCrory concludes that the wild horse is a vibrant part of the predator-prey ecosystem. The Xeni Gwet’in Tsilhqot’in consider the wild horse sacred, and a symbol of freedom. They insist their horse culture existed long before colonization and McCrory uses in-depth biological research to prove this point.”

“In The Wild Horses of the Chilcotin, Wayne McCrory takes us on a remarkable journey through the 400-year history of the Tŝilhqot’in people’s sacred Qiyus (Cayuse). Championing the right of these horses to exist as a natural component of the ecosystem, McCrory illuminates the archaic and outdated thinking and laws that must change. A compelling read for anyone fascinated by the beauty and majesty of horses and the ‘wild spirit that exists in us all.’”

“Wayne McCrory is a legend in the conservation world.”