The Phantom Stallion
The Phantom Stallion books, first published in 2002 by Avon Books, are a series written for young adult readers by American Terri Farley.
The main character is a girl named Samantha "Sam" Forster who shares a unique bond with a wild horse called The Phantom Stallion. Having spent two years away from her family's Alkali, Nevada ranch to recover from a riding accident, Sam returns home to find that things are never easy where horses are concerned.
There are 24 books in the series[1] with one million copies sold worldwide. Almost every book has a new equine character as its focus and Sam and her friends battle horse thieves, cougars, earthquakes and more to keep their horses safe.
Main characters
Samantha Anne "Sam" Forster
Usually called Sam, she is the main character of the series. Ever since she was very young, Sam has had a special bond with a horse that has grown up from a black colt named Blackie, into a wild gray stallion known as the Phantom. When Sam was younger, she fell off "Blackie" when her horse spooked beneath and struck her in the head, knocking Sam unconscious. Since her over protective father was concerned for Sam's health, she was forcibly sent to live with her Aunt Sue in San Francisco, despite her begging. After returning from her stay in California for two years, Sam feels out of place on River Bend Ranch and struggles with this for most of the series. Sam found out that "Blackie" had become the new herd leader, the Phantom, during her leave in California, and she makes a connection with the Phantom, reminding him how much she used to care for him and love him. Sam is known for being stubborn, kindhearted towards animals, loyal to her friends, and doing anything for the horses she loves; these qualities land her in trouble throughout the books. Her natural friend is Jacob(Jake)Ely and she made a new friend, Jennifer(Jen)Kenworthy. Sam has auburn hair, brown eyes and is just over five feet tall. She is thirteen, but by the end of the series she has turned fourteen. Sam also loves Photography, winning various awards and being an editor for the Darton Dialogue, her high school's newspaper.
Jacob "Jake" Ely
Always referred to as Jake, unless someone is angry with or teasing him. He is half Shoshone on his father's side. Arguably Sam's best friend. Jake is known for being shy and trying to explain his thoughts in as few words as possible. He knows a lot about horses and Sam often turns to him for advice about a horse she is dealing with at the time. He is an expert tracker, and wants to work on the police force when he gets older. Jake is sixteen years old, turning seventeen later in the series, and often plays the role of Sam's chauffeur/guardian as he feels very protective of her. When Sam returns home from San Francisco, he tells her that she was hurt last time because he wasn't watching her close enough, and that from now on he was going to "stick to her like glue". He lives on Three Ponies Ranch with his parents and five of his six brothers (Kit was away until the very last book). Jake has black hair, brown eyes and is at least six feet tall. He and Jen do not get along well since they both always believe they are right. In my books Jake and Samantha don't have a romantic relationship, but they are very good friends (mostly) and they are on-the-verge of being boyfriend and girlfriend. I think they're both a little bit afraid of messing up their friendship.'- As Terri puts it. He seems to have a special bond with a wild horse(the phantoms son)that is pure black named New Moon.
Jennifer Marie "Jen" Kenworthy
Usually called Jen. Sam's best friend. Jen is intelligent, sarcastic, and possibly a slightly better rider than Sam. She dreams of someday becoming a vet. She strives to keep A's on her report card to earn a scholarship for college because she knows her family won't be able to afford college otherwise. She lives on Gold Dust Ranch, her family's small house in the shadow of Linc Slocum's huge mansion. Although Jen heartily dislikes Linc and Rachel Slocum, she later delevops a crush on Ryan Slocum, and they have a flirtatious kind of relationship. Jen was home schooled until middle school. She has white-blonde hair often worn in braids, blue eyes, and wears black-rimmed glasses. She often wears loud clothing which aggrivates Jake. Jen and Jake have this never ending rivalry,which often makes sam uncomfortable. Jen dreams of someday owning Gold Dust Ranch, and after Linc is arrested in "Run Away Home", Ryan and the Kenworthys start a working ranch on the same grounds as the Gold Dust with the new name, "Harmony Ranch".
Wyatt Forster
Sam and Cody's overprotective father. Louise's husband, and remarried to Brynna. He is known for being strict and just as stubborn as Sam. Wyatt, much like other cowboys in the series, speaks in as few words as possible. He's tall and has dark hair and brown eyes. He often rides Strawberry or Jeepers-Creepers, but later in the series Brynna and Sam get him his own horse, named Blue Wings. Blue isn't mentioned very often.
Brynna Olson —Forster
Sam's step-mother and Wyatt's second wife. Grace's new daughter-in-law. She works at the Bureau of Land Management and loves wild horses. She's an excellent rider. She has long wavy red hair and blue eyes. She marries Wyatt in the seventh book, and announces her pregnancy in the sixteenth book. In the twenty-fourth book she gives birth to her son Cody. Her horse is Penny, a little sorrel mustang mare who is blind. She is a little worried about fitting in and overdoes her role as a step mom for Sam causing her too lose her temper at times. Brynna changes lots of stuff in her life; like Algebra, cleaning her room in 'vacation', banning her from riding, saving wild horses, bringing HARP, ganging with her Dad getting her in trouble, getting new horses ...etc... Sam counts herself lucky that she has a stepmom that loves horses like her.
Cody Forster
Sam's little brother. He was born in December at River Bend Ranch during a snow storm in "Run Away Home" while Gram and Wyatt are trapped in town by the storm. Stranded alone at river bend with a labouring Brynna, Sam calls Maxine Ely to come and help. Almost immediately after calling Maxine, the phone line goes down. Together Sam and Maxine help deliver the baby. Cody was an early Christmas present for Sam and her family. Sam thinks Cody is the name of a strong cowboy, and she loves her brother. Cody has red hair and blue eyes,like his mother.
Grace Forster (Gram)
Sam and Cody's paternal grandmother, called Gram throughout the series. She is Wyatt's mom. Gram is the bookkeeper of River Bend Ranch, cooks, cleans, and tends her garden. Her favorite horse is a paint mare named Sweetheart, although she hardly ever rides. Grace has lived on the ranch her whole life. She believes nearly any form of emotional upset can be cured by talking it out over some good food and is renowned for her delicious recipes. Grace always tags along on the cattle drives, taking a big van out ahead of the hands and setting up "chuck wagon" style meals each day.
Lincoln "Linc" Slocum
The main antagonist in the series. Linc has a reputation of playing cowboy. He is convinced he can buy his way into anything, and sometimes, it works. The one thing he can't get with money is the Phantom. He uses cruel bits and sharp spurs on his mounts, and wears fancy, expensive clothes that make him look like a Hollywood cowboy. Linc thinks of many schemes to make money and capture the Phantom, trying to prove he's a cowboy and not just a Western-wannabe throughout the entire series. He often uses Champ, a palomino gelding previously owned by the Kenworthys, as a riding horse. He is outsmarted by Brynna and Sam many times. In book 24, "Run Away Home", Linc gets arrested for not paying his taxes. Linc and his wife are divorced.
Rachel Slocum
Linc Slocum's daughter, rich and set on ruining Sam's school life as a freshman, and Ryan's twin sister. Popular and spoiled, Rachel wears fashionable clothes and looks wonderful in everything she wears. She also has a boyfriend names Kris Cameron . She thinks of horses as dumb beasts. Rachel has a slight British accent. As Sam puts it, she's a beautiful witch. Rachel flirts with Jake whenever they are around. Though when she flirts, its to annoy Sam.
Ryan Slocum
Linc's son, and Rachel's twin brother. He has long wavy hair and brown eyes. Ryan likes horses a lot more than his sister. He has a slight British accent, and has come to Nevada from living with his mother in England. He rides English style, and he and Jake tend to be competitive, most likely because Sam and Ryan become good friends, making Jake jealous. Jen has a crush on Ryan since he makes his first appearance in "The Challenger," and at times Ryan seems to return it. In "The Phantom Stallion: Run Away Home" Ryan takes over the ranch after Rachel moves back to England.
Lila Kenworthy
Jen's mother. She has blonde hair like her daughter, and was once Rodeo Queen. Has a faint Texas accent. Occasionally has a testy relationship with her husband, Jed, and was good friends with Sam's mother, Louise. In several different books, Lila is sometimes called "Leah". However, that is not her name. Phantom Stallion #14: Moonrise is one of the books in which Lila is called "Leah".
Jed Kenworthy
Jen's father who used to own the Diamond K Ranch with his family, until he hit hard times and sold it to Linc Slocum. He stays on as The Gold Dust Ranch's foreman. He is sometimes cold and very strict about the way he treats both horses and people, often causing Sam to wonder how Jen can stand him. This has caused friction between the girls before. Money troubles and having to work under the Slocums make Jed even angrier, occasionally causing the relationship with his wife Lila to falter. Despite his gruff exterior, he genuinely loves his wife and daughter. His greatest wish is to get out from under Slocum's thumb and re-create his "Fire and Ice" Palomino breeding program. In "Run Away Home," he regains ownership of the ranch and renames it the Harmony Ranch. Jed is friends with Sam's father, Wyatt.
Maxine Ely
Jake's mother, and Sam's history teacher at Darton High. She is blond, petite and rules her household of men. Maxine enjoys photography and has won awards for her photographs. Her favorite thing to photograph is windows. Maxine is good friends with Inez Garcia, the trainer and owner of the famous stunt horse, Bayfire. In "Run Away Home" when Brynna went into labor Maxine and Sam helped deliver Cody during a snow storm.
Lucas "Luke" Ely
Jake's father. A full-blooded Shoshone. He owns Three Ponies Ranch and works in a mine. He's the Chief of the volunteer fire department which includes his sons.
Adam Ely
One of Jake's brothers, who works in Reno at a kayaking outfitter store.
Kit Ely
Eldest of the Ely brothers. After a bronc crushed his wrist "into dust" which resulted in an arm injury Kit ultimately retired from the rodeo and comes back home in "Runaway Home." There is tension between Kit and Jake upon his return. Kit often refers to Jake as 'Baby Bear,' which irritates Jake to no end. Jake is cold to his eldest brother because he is worried Kit is going to take over Three Ponies Ranch, when Jake feels like it should be him. Jake relaxes upon finding out Kit is moving to Hawaii to work on his friends ranch. Their relationship is restored after this. Kit works for Darby's grandfather in "The Phantom Stallion: Wild Horse Island" series.
Macquinn "Quinn" Ely
Quinn is the only Ely brother besides Jake and Kit that plays a fairly large part in the series. He has spiky hair and is on the student council at Darton High. He enjoys playing pranks on his younger brother Jake. He has a chocolate brown Quarter Horse named Chocolate Chip, who is identical in conformation to his full sister Witch.
Nathaniel "Nate" Ely
Nate is another Ely brother. All we know about him is that he rides a horse named Digger.
Bryan Ely
Yet another Ely brother. Along with Seth Ely, Brian was mentioned only once throughout the entire series. He was mentioned during the fire at River Bend in 'Dark Sunshine.' However, in several books it is said that there are seven Ely brothers: Kit, Nate, Seth, Adam, Bryan, Quinn, and Jake Ely.
Seth Ely
A paralegal, studying tribal law at Great Basin College. Has a long braid and wears glasses. Info from Terri Farley's novella, Phantom Stallion; The Protector.
MacArthur "Mac" Ely
Jake's grandfather, a Shoshone tribal elder. It is Mac who asks his grandsons to remember their Shoshone heritage by doing various Indian initiation tasks. He appears in "Red Feather Filly," when Jake is asked by his grandfather to remember his heritage. Jake catches and trains a wild filly with the help of his grandfather, and Sam. Jake gets his "mustang eyes" from his grandfather.
Darrell
Jake's best friend and leader of the group at school. Wears baggy clothes and has a bad-boy reputation, but proves that he cares about animals when he rescues Fluffy, a fighting rooster, in "Wild Honey". Also in "The Renegade", Darrel is shown to be patiently looking after his younger relative when they are at a rodeo, showing that he has a softer side despite his rough exterior. Near the end of the series, Darrell makes a habit of calling Sam darlin', which annoys Jake and Sam who already has to put up with "Brat" even though that doesn't annoy her much as'darlin so she punches him in one part!! Sam gets annoyed with him the way Jake gets annoyed with Jen.
Callen "Callie" Thurston
Callie has bright blonde hair with a pierced nose,though she often dyes her hair many other colors in the series. Callie goes to Darton High the same school as Sam and Jen. Callie lives by herself in an apartment with a back yard surrounded by barbed wire. Jen thinks that Callie is weird. Sam instantly likes Callie and they bond over Callie's Mustang mare Queen. In "Desert Dancer" Callie adopts a tiger-striped dun mare who turns out to be the Phantoms lead mare. She names the mare Queen and they have a special bond that Sam notices instantly.
Aunt Sue
Sam's aunt. Louise's sister. Wyatt's sister-in-law. Lives in San Francisco, California. Sam lived with her for two years after her accident resulting in a brief coma. The series begins as Sam is coming back from living with Sue. Sue is the closest Sam will get to remembering her mother. Like Sam, she loves movies. Sue is a teacher.
Louise Forster
Sam's mom and Wyatt's late wife. Sue's sister and Grace's late daughter-in-law. Louise died in a car accident when Sam was five years old. She swerved to miss a herd of antelope, and her car rolled into a ditch and filled with water, causing her to drown. Heck Ballard, the sheriff, was the first to tell Sam how her mom really died. Sam doesn't remember her mom very well, but she cherishes the memories she has of her. Wyatt and Gram have told her more and more about her mother as the series progresses and Sam ages. They mentioned how she used to come out and sit by La Charla at night to soothe Sam to sleep when she was pregnant with her, and again when Sam was an infant. Apparently, Louise wasn't much of a cook, but she could make one thing really well and that was lasagna. Gram insists that she will teach Sam how to make it one day, just like her mother. Louise had long red hair and blue eyes. She was described as a bubbly,happy and enthusiastic woman.Wyatt even called her some sort of a hippie in one of the books.
Trudy Allen
Gram's bossy friend. She is the same age as Gram and has black hair and blue eyes. After her husband's death, Mrs. Allen lived like a hermit for a long time, until Sam opened her eyes to see that she still loved mustangs. She saved 14 mustangs from euthanasia due to old age or poor conformation at the BLM while Norman White, Brynna's stand-in replacement, was in charge of the corrals. She now runs the Blind Faith Mustang Sanctuary, along with owning her three saddle horses Judge, Ginger, and Calico. In the 23rd book, she meets Phineas Preston, a retired policeman with salt-and-pepper hair and light blue eyes. At the end of the book they are engaged.
Alyson "Ally" McClintock
A thin, pale girl with wispy brown hair. She is in Sam's journalism class and is usually very quiet. She leads the "Cherubs" at their church, a choir for young children. Ally befriends Sam in "Blue Wings." She has problems with her father, who is an alcoholic. Later in the series, her father is convicted of cockfighting.
Pamela "Pam" O'Malley
Usually called Pam. Pam is Sam's Irish American best friend from San Francisco. We meet her and Dr. O'Malley at last in "Dawn Runner". Sam and Pam used to play Basketball together at the YMCA. Pam and Jen don't get along at first due to being jealous of each other, but they eventually become friends.
Dr. Mora O'Malley
Pam's mom and a Scientist. Pam and Dr. O'Malley comes to visit Nevada and it gives the girls a chance to catch up. Dr. O'Malley gets a grant to study mythological horses and write a paper about them. She investigates on the wild horses in Sam's area and Dr. O'Malley focuses on The Phantom Stallion. After "Dawn Runner" Pam and Dr. O'Malley aren't mentioned again. Dr. O'Malley is Sue's best friend.
Gabriel "Gabe" Allen
Mrs. Allen's grandson who suffers a spine injury in a car accident with his friends. He is temporarily paralyzed, with one of his legs in a cast and the other severely bruised and damaged. His grandmother brings him to her place to spend a week with the horses and away from his friends and other things that make him feel sorry for himself. Gabe develops a close bond with Pirate, whom he renames Firefly. He eventually adopts the colt and takes him home. Gabe is also a little hot headed, cranky and has a temper.
The Phantom
The Phantom Stallion is a silver stallion, half Quarter Horse and Half Mustang. As a colt he lived with humans and was solid black (hence the name Blackie). His original owner was Samantha Anne Forster, but an accident separated them forever and freed The Phantom into the wild. His dam was a sorrel purebred Quarter Horse mare named Princess Kitty, and his sire was Smoke, a purebred wild Mustang stallion. Now, wild and free, The Phantom still shares a firm bond with Sam. Unfortunately, The Phantom is hunted by Linc Slocum(a multi-millionaire and a cowboy wannabe), thankfully, The Phantom has the wits to outsmart Linc Slocum, but not without a few scars for life. The Phantom, in the wild, has to not only dodge humans, but cougars, coyotes, and other mustang stallions looking for mares. With Sam's help he lives happily out there, wild and free.
Ace
A former wild Mustang and a valuable friend of The Phantom, Ace is a bay mustang gelding who lives on River Bend Ranch with Sam for an owner. Ace is a sassy and smart horse who often gets the best of Sam. He was(early in the series)bullied by River Bend's herd of horses. He's a witty and crafty horse, often known to give Sam a buck or two to test whether or not she's paying attention. He was given as a welcome-home present by Wyatt, which was a huge surprise to Jake. Ace is a loyal horse and is treated well often being "babied" by Sam, much to Jake's disdain. Ace is also described by being a small size, being perfect for Sam.
Smoke
The Phantom and Hoku's sire and a purebred grey Mustang stallion, Smoke lived on River Bend Ranch until he died. Wyatt claims that Smoke wasn't smart, he just knew how to handle cattle, though Sam knows differently. Wyatt never thought he could tame the stallion and train him to handle cattle, and he couldn't, not until he learned to work together with Smoke. Then Smoke became a great cattle horse.
Blue Wings(Blue)
A blue roan paint gelding with "wing" markings on his withers. Blue is a Spanish mustang given to Wyatt as a gift from Brynna. He is proud and stubborn, acting like humans aren't worth his time unless they can give him something he wants. Once they got him home, Wyatt tries to "break" rather than "gentle" the gelding, hoping to have him ready for work sooner. Pepper tries and fails numerous times to ride out Blue's bucks and rears, but eventually Wyatt decides that gentling him makes more sense. He works with the gelding in the same way that Jake did with Star Shower, following him when he walks away and stopping when he stops. After a time, Blue begins to trust Wyatt and accepts him as a rider. Although he isn't as dependable as some of the other horses on the ranch, Wyatt trusts him to learn the work of a cow horse.
Queen
A Red dun mare with "zebra stripes" on her legs and a dorsal stripe along her spine. She's sassy, beautiful,and she used to be the Phantom's lead mare. The BLM took her off the range after she suffered a split hoof. She is adopted by Callie(Calliope), and the two seem to share an almost mystical bond. While the Phantom is recovering from an injury on Mrs. Allen's lands, Queen spends some time with him again, but when he returns to the wild she stays with Callie.
Teddy Bear (Teddy)
Mr. Martinez's curly-coated, brown colt who was being schooled by Jake and Wyatt. His half-Bashkir heritage gives him his curly hair. Mr. Martinez rode Teddy in the desensitization course organized by Trudy Allen and Mr. Preston.
Banjo
A saddle horse gelding from River Bend. He used to be Wyatt's favorite mount until he was regretfully sold to pay expenses that were piling up.
Amigo
Dallas' old sorrel gelding Quarter Horse, now retired from ranch work and living out his golden years on River Bend Ranch. Amigo is brought out of retirement sometimes when they need a good quiet cow-horse.
Tank
Tank is a towering bald-faced bay gelding who lives as a saddle horse on River Bend Ranch.He is usually ridden by Ross and is a dependable work horse/cow pony. He is well-mannered, gentle, and is part of River Bend Ranch's herd of many horses.
Buff
Another of River Bend's saddle horses,he is a gelding,and is only mentioned a few times. He spends half of his time at another home.
Jeepers Creepers (Jeep)
A "rat-tailed" fleabitten Appaloosa gelding, living on River Bend. Pepper usually rides him. Wyatt was riding him when the dog pack attacked and caused Jeep to fall, giving Wyatt a sore back for a several days.
Penny
Brynna's blind, copper-chestnut mustang mare. Formerly wild, the little horse is a very hard worker. Her previous owners gentled her well enough, but then she developed a habit of rearing. To fix this, they trusted an unsavory trainer to stop her rearing by bowling her completely over backward whenever she attempted it. Penny hit her head many times, and suffered severe nerve damage, making her go blind. Now she is in Brynna's care and has come to trust humans again, but she needs a careful and skilled rider to reach her full potential.
Blaze
As River Bend's loyal ranchdog,Blaze is a tricolored border collie.He barks at unfamiliar cars and usually sleeps in the bunkhouse with the ranch-hands.He,later in the series,starts leaving the house at night,and it is revealed in the book "Gypsy Gold" that he has a coyote mate which is unfortunately shot by Linc Slocum.Sam later gives Singer,Blaze's son,to Jake Ely as a birthday present.
Buddy
Sam saves this calf from drowning in quicksand out on "Cow Killer Caldera", and she later becomes Sam's. Sam bonds with the tiny calf and begs her father not to butcher her, which he accepts, but he makes Sam brand the calf for Buddy's own safety. When she is almost full grown Sam returns Buddy to one of the River Bend herds. In later books, Sam sees Buddy as a yearling and an adult, traveling with the herds out on the range.
Daisy
Sam later saves the life of a small yellow calf named Daisy. Sam had her for only a few books, when a River Bend heifer who had a stillborn calf adopts her.
Cougar
Sam's brown tabby cat. He was a gift from Jake in "The Challenger," and named for the adolescent cougar that attacked Sam while riding Strawberry earlier in the book. He is most often seen racing Sam down the stairs in her ranch home or snuggling deep into her covers on cold nights. Everyone on the ranch, including Wyatt and the hands have to keep constant watch that he doesn't slip out the door with them. The cat enjoys the outdoors, but Sam worries a coyote could kill him. Cougar develops a friendship with the draft horse mustang Tinkerbell(Tinker)and Cougar would often sleep on Tinker's back in the barn.
Fluffy
Darrell's fighting Rooster that he rescues in "Wild Honey". He pleads with Sam to keep the rooster at her home, in order to save him from a bloody death in illegal cock fights. Sam reluctantly agrees, but is worried that the rooster will fight with Gram's established rooster, Rusty. Surprisingly, Gram is delighted to have another rooster to create a new flock and accepts Fluffy with no problem. Rusty and Fluffy seem territorial at first, but soon settle into a calm truce.
Lucky
A black and white rooster confined at the site of the illegal cock fights. When Sam and Preston ride to investigate on a hint from Darrel, Lucky jumps on top of his enclosure and acts like a guard dog. After Flick threatens Sam and Preston with a rifle, he shoots at the bird, who falls to the ground in a flurry of feathers. Somehow, he isn't actually hit and Preston later gives him to Trudy Allen as an engagement present.
Singer
Jake's Coydog puppy. Singer is Blaze's son.
Cha Cha Marengo (Honey)
The big, golden-honey colored mare who takes over after Queen as lead mare for the Phantom. In "Wild Honey," Sam finds the mare on her own with an injured leg. Fearing that the mare will be attacked while she's injured, Sam ropes her and takes her to Mrs. Allen's ranch, begging her to keep her secret. It turns out that she is actually Phineas Preston's police horse, stolen from his corrals at least 2 years prior to "Wild Honey." Preston believes that she was turned loose onto the range because the man who stole her didn't want her killed. Once her leg is healed, she stays on Deerpath Ranch/Blind Faith Mustang Sanctuary lands as his horse.
Dark Sunshine (Sunny)
The Buckskin mare that Sam saves in the book "Dark Sunshine". She was being used as a Judas horse to lure other mustangs into a trap for horse rustlers, who were selling the animals for meat. They blindfolded her so she is extremely sensitive to light, and at first can only be gentled at night. During the fire at River Bend Ranch she escapes and runs with the Phantom's herd for a little while. Afterward, she becomes pregnant with the Phantom's foal and returns to the ranch, seeming to choose it as the safest place for her baby to be born. After her filly, Tempest, is born she becomes calmer, but Sam still struggles with training the mare to accept strangers and any sort of tack besides her halter. Sam chooses to focus on gentling Tempest instead, hoping her contact with the filly will teach Dark Sunshine that humans can be kind. In "Run Away Home" Sunny is penned in Clara's pasture behind her diner while Tempest is weaned. One day, a truck accidentally backs into the fence and brings down several of the rails. Seeing her opportunity for freedom, Sunny escapes and returns to the Phantom's band. As an adopted and branded horse, she is not legally allowed to remain on the range, but the avalanche traps her and the rest of the herd inside their secret valley. Later on, Sam is told that the territory the Phantom's herd lives on is part of Rive Bend's land, so as long as they stay within the area owned by the Forster's, the Phantom's family can run free until the end of their days.
Firefly (Pirate)
A reddish bay colt with a white patch over his right eye. Sam first spots him romping with other foals in the Phantom's band, and she loves his bold spirit and markings, giving him the name Pirate. She sees him off and on for several more months, before he follows his band into the area around the mustang sanctuary to escape a brush fire. The Phantom tries to herd him away from danger, but paint cans Sam left out by the fence explode in the fire and severely burn the colt and temporarily deafens his father. Dr. Scott manages to save the colt's life, but he is badly burned and traumatized by the event, suffering strange "attacks" where he sweats profusely and acts "loco." Sam takes on the task of working with the colt for a week at Mrs. Allen's place to try to get through to him, but he only makes real progress when Gabe (Mrs. Allen's grandson) gets involved. The injured boy and colt form a bond and eventually Gabe convinces his parents to let him adopt the colt, who he continues to work with, for both of their sakes. Dr. Scott, the vet, and Brynna, Samantha's pregnant step-mother, decide that Pirate is a paint before Dr. Scott trailers him over to Mrs. Allen's ranch.
Popcorn
An albino mustang gelding, used in the HARP program. He starts off as a very skittish horse, but soon learns to trust Mikki Small (the first HARP girl) and bond with her. After that, he is used often and is very quiet and accepting of the girls, even those who don't know how to act around horses.
Princess Kitty
The Phantom's dam, a sorrel Quarter Horse once owned by the Forsters. Wyatt sold the mare to the Kenworthys right after Sam's accident, almost as if he blamed her for Blackie kicking Sam in the head by mistake. She was bred twice more while under her new ownership, once to Smoke a second time that produced the Phantom's sister (Hoku), and again to Golden Champagne (Champ). The second pregnancy did not come to term, and most people think she aborted the baby due to stress. Kitty ended up in Linc's pastures after he bought the Kenworthy's ranch, where she lived mostly by herself until she was chosen as a friend and foster mother for Boots.
Sky Ranger (Sky)
A tall, well-muscled bay Thoroughbred gelding owned by Linc Slocum. Linc rode him after the Phantom, attempting to tire the wild stallion long enough to capture him, but he only succeeded in winding Sky. Ryan rides Sky at some points as well, including his initial attempts to recapture Hotspot. Sky is a good, strong horse who runs tirelessly, but as a hotblooded breed he spooks easily. Jen was thrown from his back during the "Superbowl of Horsemanship" when a crazed bison burst into the horse's path on the race track.
Silk Stockings (Silly)
Jen's palomino Quarter Horse mare, whom she nicknames "Silly". Jen calls her neurotic for the way she freaks out to things she knows are not dangerous. One of the Kenworthy Palominos, she has beautiful conformation and coloring, given her name for the pure white "stockings" on her legs. She is the horse most often ridden by Jen, for all of her trail rides with Sam, for work, etc.
Golden Champagne (Champ)
Another of the Kenworthy Palominos. He is a tall, beautiful horse who Linc Slocum has chosen as his personal mount, but Linc rides very badly and often hurts Champ's mouth. Linc also insisted he was gelded.
Sonora Sundance (Sundance)
One of the Kenworthy palominos, a stallion. Jed wants to restart their "Fire and Ice" breeding program with Sundance and Rose.He is well built and is very well-mannered.
Golden Rose (Rose)
A lovely, rosy-gold colored Palomino mare who was part of the Kenworthy "Fire and Ice" breeding program. She escaped years ago and was only found after Sam and Jen ride out to a ghost town called "Nugget" for a history project. For a time, Ryan Slocum was hiding the mare in a makeshift stall inside the town, intending to keep her. Jen asks for Sam's help to recapture her, but it causes problems between the two girls, with Sam thinking all Jen cares about is finding the horse. After a while, Jen manages to lead Rose home to her dumbstruck parents and her actions seem to heal their relationship. Jed intends to restart his breeding program with Rose and Sundance. She is Lila's horse.
Mantilla
Another of the Kenworthy's Palominos, a mare. Lilla rides Mantilla when Golden Rose goes missing.
Jinx (Heart Breaker)
A grullo mustang gelding with chocolate coloring around his legs and head, thought to be "cursed" by his previous owners. Used at one time as a bucking horse and abused, all Jinx really wanted was to run. Sam worked with him long enough to enter him in a claiming race, where Sheriff Ballard won him. He now uses Jinx for search and rescue work.
Spike
A bay bachelor stallion with a black mane that stands up along his neck like a Mohawk. He is usually seen running with Yellow Tail, and used to run with New Moon before he found his own mares.
Yellow Tail
A chestnut bachelor stallion with a flaxen tail. He runs with Spike.
Hoku
A golden-chestnut filly with a white star on her chest. She is the Phantom's full sister and was actually born on the Kenworthy's ranch, but then sold to Shan Stonerow. He couldn't handle her sassy, proud attitude and called her a "monster." No one knew she had gone wild until she is struck by the school bus carrying Darby Carter and Sam to Blind Faith Mustang Sanctuary for its new Dream Catcher Wild Horse camp. Darby makes an unbelievable connection with the young horse, keeping her calm while Sam and others get help for her. Hoku is taken to Mrs. Allen's place to heal, and then she is later transported to Hawaii to stay with Darby in the next series of books; "Phantom Stallion: Wild Horse Island."
Gal
The Ely's big German shepherd dog. Sam hints that she weighs around 130 pounds, but she is a big softy and loves to play with Singer. The only time she is mentioned is in the last book, "Run Away Home."
Strawberry
A red roan, Quarter Horse mare. The leader of the herd at River Bend Ranch, she tends to be bossy and snappish with new horses. Sam was riding her when she was pounced on by the young orphan cougar in "The Challenger". A good work horse, she is sometimes ridden by Wyatt, but is most often "seen" in the ten acre pasture keeping the other horses in line. In "Mustang Moon" Diablo (Hammer) tries to steal Strawberry when Sam is riding her but is saved by the phantom.
Sweetheart
Gram's old American Paint Horse. She used to be Louise's, but was given to Gram after her death. She is a dark brown pinto mare with a white heart-shaped patch on her side. Gram asks Sam for permission to give her a new home in town, to be used for therapy work. Sam is reluctant and sad, but eventually allows Gram to move her there, knowing she will get the attention she deserves from the children. Sweetheart is gentle and kind, allowing anyone to do just about anything to her, and is the perfect mount for people who are not used to interacting with horses.
Tempest (Xanadu)
Sam's black filly, sired by the Phantom. Her dam is Dark Sunshine. She was born on a stormy night in "Rain Dance", and is known as the princess of River Bend Ranch, partly because of her father's status as "King" of horses. The little filly has warm, chocolate brown eyes and a coat as sleek and black as her father's was as a colt. As a result, Sam expects the night-black filly will slowly turn white as she ages, just like her sire. Sam gives Tempest a secret name and starts the gentling process with her using Native American techniques just like she did with the Phantom. Tempest has already proven that she has mustang blood, with a fiery attitude and plenty of energy to spare. The little filly is not fearless, but she takes interest in many things considered dangerous for her, including much larger horses. She showed a particular interest in the stunt stallion Bayfire, while he stayed for a few days on River Bend Ranch during a film shoot.
Bayfire
A tall, strong bay stunt stallion with a white star. His owner and trainer brings him to River Bend for some TLC before trying to get the jumping shot they need for the movie. Bayfire has been acting strangely and sometimes aggressively towards her all of a sudden.
Witch
Jake's big black Quarter Horse mare. Witch has a bit of an attitude, thinking she is the queen of mares. According to Sam's father, "the only safe place is on her back," and Sam is admittedly somewhat afraid of Witch. All forms of baby talk just tend to irritate the mare, since her owner Jake is a "no-nonsense" type who would never coddle his horse. The words "fast and quick-tempered" were once used to describe the black mare. She tends to bully other horses out of her way, but for some reason gets along with Ace just fine after their first few rides together. Witch is Chocolate Chip's sister, sharing identical conformation, if not temperaments. Despite her demeanor, Jake often doesn't halter her, knowing she'll follow him anywhere Jake would never trade witch for another horse.
Chocolate Chip (Chip)
Quinn's dark bay Quarter Horse gelding. He is Witch's full brother, with identical conformation, although his attitude is much better. Whereas Witch is very cranky and generally won't tolerate other horses, Chip is sweet to almost everyone. Sam and Jake Ride Chip while they Try to catch Star shower and lasts through it all even though he was ridden day and most nights.
Digger
Nate's horse. It is not specified, but he is probably a gelding. Sam remembers him as a clean-limbed, brown horse with a white chin spot. He is not mentioned or described except in the last book; "Run Away Home." Nate jokes with Kit, who has just returned home from rodeo, that Digger thinks he's a bronc, but is generally a good horse. Kit tells his younger brother to, "brace [his] arms, keep [Digger's] head up and drive him forward."
Apache Hotspot (Hotspot)
A bay Appaloosa mare with a broad swathe of white across her body and a mostly white tail. She was purchased before Ryan arrives, intended to be the beginning of Linc's latest breeding scheme. In "Mustang Moon" she was stolen by the blue roan hammer-headed stallion, Diablo and became pregnant to him. She ran free with the Phantom's herd after having her colt, Shy Boots, for a few books, but she was always a little spooked by the range. Ryan Slocum accepts her estrangement for a while, but soon decides he needs to get her back for Boots' well being. He recaptures Hotspot in "Dawn Runner".Is on the cover of "Dawn Runner".
Shy Boots (Boots)
Hotspot's foal, sired by the blue roan hammer-headed stallion, Diablo. He is bay with a white blanket and two front stockings. Timid by nature, he is nevertheless a spirited young horse and has fun when Ryan brings him to play with Tempest at River Bend. Temporarily hidden in Lost Canyon with his mother when Ryan thought Linc would have him killed, the little colt was stolen by Karl Mannix and sold illegally to a petting zoo. Sam finds and reunites him with Ryan, though his mother is running wild at the time so he is fostered by a Jenny (female donkey) from the same petting zoo, but not for long. The woman refuses to sell the Jenny to Ryan and he is left without a mother for Boots. In "Dawn Runner," Boots is listless and shows no interest in food. Concerned that he needs the companionship of other horses, Dr. Scott, Sam, and Jen convince Ryan to turn the colt out with Princess Kitty. She turns out to be a gentle, caring foster mother for him and Boots thrives once again. When Ryan brings Hotspot home he is worried that the mares will fight over the colt, but once he releases the Appaloosa into the pasture everything goes just fine. The two females seem content to share mothering of Shy Boots. He is on the cover of the book "Kidnapped Colt".
Diablo (Hammer)
Diablo is a huge, broad-chested blue roan stallion. Sam immediately notices his massive head and "bullish" attitude, nicknaming him "Hammer". He escaped from his original owner, and appeared in Nevada. He challenged the Phantom for his mares, but was defeated. Wanting to gather a harem, he trespassed onto several ranches looking for mares. Briefly, he managed to steal Sweetheart and Apache Hotspot, from River Bend and Gold Dust Ranches respectively. Linc Slocum was convinced that the Phantom had stolen his mare, but Sam knew better. Sam hides out one night and snaps a photo of Diablo attempting to steal mares, effectively clearing the Phantom's name. Diablo is captured and reunited with his owner who is delighted to have him (the mares are also returned home), but Sam soon learns that Hotspot is in foal to the roan. Their resulting offspring is Shy Boots, the bay Appaloosa colt. Diablo is on the cover of "Mustang Moon."
Star Shower
A black and white, Tobiano pinto filly who was running free on Shoshone land. Jake catches and gentles her for a race in "Red Feather Filly" as a rite of passage initiated by his grandfather. She has a variegated mane and tail and dozens of white speckles on her chest. The name of the book comes from the beautiful Red-tailed Hawk feather Sam gives Jake to braid into her mane. After the race, Jake returns her to the wild.
Tinker
A massive black draft horse gelding. Thought to be a Clydesdale. Over 17 hands tall. He was described by Jake as being "big enough to shade an elephant" and "not having a mean bone in his body." Smart and good-natured. He was a mustang in the far past. Rescued by Sam at an auction from being made into dog food. While being tested by Ryan Slocum he was discovered to be an experienced jumping horse. Sam sold him to Sterling Stables as Wyatt would not allow her to keep him. Is on the cover of "Gift Horse."
Calico, Ginger, and Judge
Two chestnut pinto mares and a bay gelding, they are Trudy Allen's personal saddle horses. Old and relatively calm, they accept most new horses without any problem and greet Sam whenever she comes to visit. Sam even rode Calico into a blizzard to rescue Faith, the blind Medicine Hat filly who wandered away from Blind Faith Mustang Sanctuary. Judge is sent oversea's to Hawaii with Hoku The phantom's full sister.
Roman
A liver chestnut mustang gelding with a pronounced "Roman nose," and one of the fourteen "un-adoptable" mustangs living at Mrs. Allen's sanctuary. He believes he is the boss of the captive mustang herd on Blind Faith Mustang Sanctuary's lands. Ryan gentled and rode him in the "Superbowl of Horsemanship," but the gelding never lost his attitude. While the Phantom was staying on Mrs. Allen's lands, recovering from his injuries in the brush fire, Roman challenged him for leadership of the wild bands.
Belle
Belle is one of the fourteen "un-adoptable" mustangs that Mrs. Allen saved from euthanasia at the B.L.M. corrals. She is a paint mare and the mother of Faith, the blind "Medicine Hat" filly who gave the sanctuary its name.
Faith
The delicate-looking, blind mustang filly who lives at Blind Faith Mustang Sanctuary. She is a palomino pinto with "Medicine Hat" horse markings including, but not limited to a "hat" of color on her head and a "shield" across her chest. Despite her blindness, she is extremely curious and confident, and even made friends with the Phantom while he was recovering from his fire injuries on the sanctuary lands.Is on the cover of "Free Again"
Fourteen
Named as such because she was the fourteenth horse chosen by Norman White to go home with Mrs. Allen to her newly created mustang sanctuary. Trudy told him to choose her a fourteenth horse, thinking taking thirteen with her would be unlucky. Fourteen is later referred to as a mare, in The Wildest Heart.
Licorice and Windfall
A solid black mare and her bay colt from the "un-adoptable" herd at the mustang sanctuary. Licorice seemed to always be grumpy for the first few weeks she was there, but eventually softened.
Lace
A big, beautiful Gypsy Vanner mare. She is a black and white pinto with a variegated mane and tail and black tufts of hair in her ears. Belonging to Nicolas, she is trained to drive, pulling his "vardo" cart for his trip across the western states. Along the way, Lace adopts a dun colt who tags along with her and Nicolas. Is on the cover of "Gypsy Gold".
Mocha
Rachel Slocum's beautiful coffee-colored Morgan mare, whom she bought solely because the horse's coloring matched her hair. Ryan rides her on the last leg of his quest to recapture Apache Hotspot, taking Sam's advice to ride a less dominant horse than Sky Ranger. After Ryan takes off for home on Hotspot, Sam approaches Mocha and rides her back to Gold Dust Ranch. She would have ridden Ace, but he ran off without her after she made a failed attempt to slide from his back to the Phantom's. Mocha is wary of new riders, but Sterling Stables taught her exceptionally well and Sam rides her with no problems. She is trained under both English and Western saddles.
Novels in the series
- The Wild One – (July 2002)
- Mustang Moon – (2002)
- Dark Sunshine – (October 2002)
- The Renagade – (November 2002)
- Free Again – (January 2003)
- The Challenger – (March 2003)
- Desert Dancer – (May 2003)
- Golden Ghost – (July 2003)
- Gift Horse – (October 2003)
- Red Feather Filly – (February 2004)
- Untamed – (April 2004)
- Rain Dance – (July 2004)
- Heartbreak Bronco – (October 2004)
- Moonrise – (February 2005)
- Kidnapped Colt – (April 2005)
- The Wildest Heart – (June 2005)
- Mountain Mare – (September 2005)
- Firefly – (October 2005)
- Secret Star – (January 2006)
- Blue Wings – (February 2006)
- Dawn Runner – (May 2006)
- Wild Honey – (July 2006)
- Gypsy Gold – (September 2006)
- Run Away Home – (December 2006)
There is also another series The Phantom Stallion:Wild Horse Island