WILD HORSE ANNIE AND THE LAST OF THE MUSTANGS
The Life of Velma Johnston
By David Cruise and Alison Griffiths
Order Now!
Proceeds directly benefit,
International Society of the Protection of Mustangs and Burros,
Velma Johnston’s Original Organization.
“This book captures the essence of the extraordinary life of Velma Johnston and what she was able to accomplish for the American Mustang. All of us who love and admire mustangs and horses in general owe this courageous woman a great debt of gratitude for exposing the plight and possible extinction of this breed. She was the difference in helping make the world a better place for these animals that are part of our western heritage.”
–Monty Roberts, New York Times best-selling author of The Man Who Listens to Horses
“This important addition to the history of mustangs and animal protection laws is highly recommended for animal lovers and Western history buffs.”
–Library Journal, starred review
In one of the year’s most stirring biographies, David Cruise and Alison Griffiths paint a vivid portrait of Velma Johnston, an intrepid Nevada secretary whose dedication to wild mustangs captured the heart of the country and led to legislation that would preserve the animals who embody the wild spirit of the American West.
Wild Horse Annie and the Last of the Mustangs: The Life of Velma Johnston (Scribner; March 16, 2010; $26.00) is the first to tell the full story of Velma’s life. In Wild Horse Annie, veteran writers Cruise and Griffiths depict the ups and downs of an extraordinary woman’s life and mission and reveal her lasting legacy.
David Cruise and Alison Griffiths are the authors of seven bestselling books, including Fleecing the Lamb, Lords of the Line, Net Worth, On South Mountain, and The Great Adventure. They spend summers on their small farm in southwestern Ontario and winters in Brooksville, Florida with their horses of course. Contact them at wildhorseanniestory@gmail.com. Read the blog: www.wildhorseanniestory.com
More praise for Wild Horse Annie and the Last of the Mustangs
“It doesn’t get more American than the mustang, and without Wild Horse Annie, we would not have any. Now, as wild horses are making their last stand, it’s important to honor her legacy and continue the battle. Thanks to this well-researched and timely book, we can.”
–Deanne Stillman, author of Mustang: The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West
“The story of how Velma organized support for the survival of the mustangs, and how she and her supporters pushed legislation through Congress to protect the free-ranging wild horses, is an example of how entrenched special interests can exploit publicly held resources and a testament to how much change a determined individual can foster.”
–Booklist
“Velma Johnston (Wild Horse Annie) is one of the most important people in our American history. She single-handedly saved our mustangs and with that our western heritage. This is an important book and Cruise and Griffiths have done a spectacular job of bringing home her story.”
–Madeleine Pickens, National Wild Horse Foundation
“Anyone who cares about the plight of America’s mustangs has heard the name Velma Johnston, but too few know the extraordinary and heroic lengths to which she went to save these horses. In Wild Horse Annie and the Last of the Mustangs, authors David Cruise and Alison Griffiths have given us a remarkable gift; a provocative, in-depth look into this amazing woman’s life in a story brimming with adventure and inspiration. Not only is this a fascinating and powerful book, it is also a tremendously important one. I couldn’t put it down, and when I finished reading it my faith in the power one person has to make a difference was renewed.”
–Melanie Sue Bowles, author of The Horses of Proud Spirit and Hoof Prints: Stories from Proud Spirit
“One of the virtues of the authors’ account is its look at how libertarian conservatives such as Manchester Guardian publisher William Loeb and Dixiecrat politico Walter Baring helped advance [Velma’s] cause-and how Johnston eventually secured Dwight Eisenhower’s signature on a protective law known as the “Wild Horse Annie bill” that she then fought, for many years, to put teeth in.”
–Kirkus
“On her way to work in 1950, Velma Johnston saw a truck of almost-dead horses en route to the pet-food factory, thereby launching a one-woman campaign to save wild horses that earned her the moniker Wild Horse Annie. A biography full of adventure.”
–The Globe and Mail-Canada’s national newspaper
“This book is a thoroughly researched and riveting tribute to the life and achievements of Velma Johnston and her struggles-against massive odds-to protect her beloved mustangs.”
–Martin Harbury, author of The Last of the Wild Horses
“A Hot Title.”
–Cincinnati Public Library
Do visit the wild mustangs at the International Society of the Protection of Mustangs and Burros.
Director: Karen Sussman
Address: PO Box 55 Lantry, SD 57636-0055
Location: We are located on the Cheyenne River Reservation, located on Hwy 21 near Eagle Butte, South Dakota.
E-Mail: ispmb@lakotanetwork
International Society of the Protection of Mustangs and Burros
Please support the wild horses, Karen Sussman and the work of the International Society of the Protection of Mustangs and Burros by sending a tax-deductible donation
Women who walks with horses, Karen Sussman
Wild horse photos courtesy of International Society of the Protection of Mustangs and Burros
[...] of the oldest and most reputable equine rescues in the country. Founded in 1960 and legendary Velma “Wild Horse Annie” Johnston our first president, ISPMB has been one of the most catalyzing forces behind the [...]
I FEEL THAT WE ARE CARRYING “WILD HORSE ANNIE’S” WORK FORWARD. SHE TOOK IT AS FAR AS SHE COULD–NOW IT IS TIME FOR US TO “PICK UP THE SWORD”. THERE IS NOTHING MORE POWERFUL THAN AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME AND THE TIME IS NOW.
WILLIE, HOW ABOUT MAKING A MOVIE ABOUT WILD HORSE ANNIE? NOW WOULD BE A GREAT TIME TO DO IT. ON THE CLOUD FOUNDATION BLOG AND THE MUSTANGS’ PROJECTS BLOG, WE’VE ALL DECIDED THAT YOU ARE THE ONE WHO SHOULD DO THAT–WHO COULD BE BETTER?
Travel on a Eco- Spiritual Vacation: Times of Walking with the Wild Horses
http://epoch-archive.com/a1/en/us/nyc/2008/11-Nov/26/B5_Travel.pdf
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/31467/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JDcQE0a0uw ~ You tube
Contact: Location: We are located on the Karen Sussman, Hwy 212 near Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Address: ISPMB, PO Box 55, Lantry, SD 57636-0055
Phone: 605-964-6866, Mobile: 605-365-6991 (11-5 Mountain time) Messages will be returned in farm time
E-Mail: ispmb@lakotanetwork.com
Karen Sussman is charming and well as educated about 400 hundred horses. She is the only women in the world with 4 wild horse herds. Karen has navigated a talk in front of congress and has met with the most resistant to mediate the lives of wild burro’s after an The blood bath near Oatman, AZ. The battle was settled by Karen’s guidance slaughter. She raised her children in Scottsdale, AZ. But was invited by a calling to help USA’s horse herds. Nothing is impossible for Karen she has help organized the freedom for the Apache Sitgrave horses with Dr Pat Haigh the only free herd to moving to buffalos to Catalina Island.
Karen is comfortable on her rural South Dakota conservation sanctuary with hundreds of acres on a grazing prairie. The Lakota believe they would have a person come to them to re-unit the horses with their culture. They believe the horse woman is Ms Karen. Return of Sungnuni glugluka (mustang).
The Lakota people once relied on and lived with the wild horse. The horse was used in ceremonies, games, hunting, and war and in everyday life. The horse was a symbol of freedom, strength, pride and courage. The Indian people believe that they had the horse long before the Spanish arrived. The horse was bred for specific purposes. Similar to the Arabian it was bred for endurance and speed. It was necessary to travel many miles sometimes non-stop for days. The speed was required for hunting, war and games. A fast pony was a highly cherished animal with the Indian people. Today we have the privilege of having the wild horse in our midst again. As the Indian people search for their roots and regain their ceremonies, language and culture it becomes evident that the return of the wild horse is part of becoming whole again. Returning us to nature, Karen Sussman makes the magic real again.
Princeton University is coming this summer and its founder is going to be Hollywood movie, Wild Horse Annie.
Barbara Ellen Ries
spirithorsebr@aol.com
http://www.wildhorsesummit.com/bios/Sussman.php bio
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT:
July 12, 2010 Barbara Ries – 520-509-6268
Radio and TV Shows Karen Sussman- 605-964-6866
MEET THE WOMAN WHO WALKS WITH WILD HORSES
International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros ( ISPMB ) Lantry, SD- Creating a new paradigm for the protection of wild horses and burros through the development of the International Wild Horse and Burro Conservation Center, the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros, is the only privately funded organization managing entire herds of wild horses.
The Conservation Center began eleven years ago with the acquisition of the last of the White Sands Missile Range horses from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The capture and release onto private lands of the White Sands wild horses was documented by Life Magazine in 1999. The following year, ISPMB obtained its second wild herd known as the Gila Herd. These rare Spanish horses are the descendants of stock from Father Kino’s mission (1600’s) in southern Arizona. These horses have appeared twice in National Geographic Magazine (2004 and 2009) and most recently this year’s Smithsonian Magazine.
Both the aforementioned herds exist only on ISPMB’s ranch. ISPMB received two more herds under the premise that these herds existence were threatened with possible elimination from their home territories in the state of Nevada. They are the Catnip Herd and the Virginia Range Wild Horses.
Living amongst the wild herds, Karen Sussman, president of the ISPMB, has documented wild horse behaviors for years and can provide interesting topics of discussion and public engagement such as: The Need to Protect America’s Wild Horses and Burros Who Are Fast Disappearing from the American Landscape; The Connection of Horse and Human Culture; Wild Horse Annie’s ( ISPMB’s first president ) Outstanding Achievement’s in Wild Horse and Burro Preservation; Anything You Wanted to Know About Wild Horse Behaviors and Their Highly Evolved Communities; How You Can Help to Protect America’s Wild Horses and Burros for Future Generation to Enjoy; Ecotourism – Enjoying the Beauty of Wild Horses.
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Karen A. Sussman
President, ISPMB
PO Box 55
Lantry, SD 57636-0055
Tel: 605-964-6866
Cell: 605-430 -2088
Saving America’s Wild Horses and Burros since 1960
http://www.ispmb.org
Become a member of ISPMB today!
http://www.ispmb.org/how-to-help-2/membership/
What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hello to ISPMB, President Karen Sussman, wild horse advocates and all international media outlets,
Thank you for your great support of ISPMB.
Please except my retraction statement : To Whom It May Concern: On, or in the month possible June by it was in July of 2010 ( I ), Barbara Ries sent out a press release on behalf of Karen Sussman in hopes of helping her raise funds for ISPMB , International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros.
I apologize that this was sent without her knowledge or permission and the statements made in the press release were taken completely out of context.
Specifically, Princeton University is not at this point involved with ISPMB. However, ISPMB is working with Mary Ann Simonds of the Whole Horse Institute
and Dr. Cassandra Nunez from Princeton University in designing a wild horse ecology study to define functional and dysfunctional wild horse behaviors relative
to various equine cultures. This program needs funding in order to be implemented.
Please except my apology as my eagerness to help overshadowed my journalistic professionalism. I apologize for any time or inconvenient in my behalf to ISPMB and it’s President.
Sincerely ,
Barbara Ries
To ISPMB , President Karen Sussman
PO Box 55
Lantry, SD 57636-0055
Tel: 605-964-6866
Cell: 605-430-2088
Saving America’s Wild Horses and Burros since 1960
http://www.ispmb.org