The Phantom Stallion books, first published in 2002 by Avon Books, are a series written for young adult readers by American Terri Farley

Terri Farley

American author Terri Farley is the author of Seven Tears into the Sea, and the The Phantom Stallion series for young readers and many nonfiction magazine articles....

.

The main character is a girl named Samantha "Sam" Forster who shares a unique bond with a wild horse called the Phantom. Having spent two years away from her family's Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

 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 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.

Samantha Anne Forster (Sam)

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 to a wild gray stallion known as the Phantom. When Sam was littler she fell off "Blackie" and had to go to San Francisco. Sam is known for being stubborn, loving animals, and doing anything for the horses she loves. 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

Photography

Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...

. Sam is on the Newspaper Staff at Darton High, her school.

Jacob Ely (Jake)

Always referred to as Jake, unless someone is angry with or teasing him. He is half Shoshone

Shoshone

The Shoshone or Shoshoni are a Native American tribe in the United States with three large divisions: the Northern, the Western and the Eastern....

 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. At the end of "Run Away Home" you get the feeling that Jake likes Sam as more than a friend as he walks over to her and takes her hand. Then he arches his eyebrows "as if asking permission" and asks her to walk over to the bonfire with him. The series ends with them walking hand in hand toward the bonfire.

Jennifer Marie Kenworthy (Jen)

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 falls in love with 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. 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 protective father. Formerly Louise's (Sam's mother) husband, and currently Brynna's (Sam's stepmother) husband. 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

Her name is pronounced like "Brin-Ya." Sam's step-mother and Wyatt's second wife. Grace's new daughter-in-law. She works at the BLM, Bureau of Land Management, and loves wild horses. She's an excellent rider. She has long red hair and beautiful 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 mare who is blind. Terri Farley came up with her name from an actual BLM worker in Nevada named Bryan.

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 were in town trapped by the storm. Cody was an early Christmas present for Sam and her family. Cody looks like Brynna.

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 Slocum (Linc or Slocum)

The villain 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

The villain's daughter, set on ruining Sam's school life as a freshman. Ryan's twin sister. Rich and popular, Rachel wears fashionable clothes and looks wonderful in everything she wears. Thinks of horses as dumb beasts. Rachel has a slight British accent. As Sam puts it, she's a beautiful witch.

Ryan Slocum

The villain's son. Rachel's twin brother. 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, and he and Jake tend to be competitive. 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 took over the ranch after Rachel moved 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.

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.

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 moved back home before moving to Hawaii. Kit works for Darby's grandfather in "The Phantom Stallion: Wild Horse Island" series.

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 has a chocolate brown Quarter Horse named Chocolate Chip, who is identical in conformation to his full sister Witch.

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 Bryan, a character named Seth Ely was mentioned only once throughout the entire series. He was mentioned during the fire at River Bend in Dark Sunshine and was never mentioned again. However, in several books it is said that there are seven Ely brothers. Kit, Nate, Seth, Adam, Bryan, Quinn, Jake are the Ely brothers.

MacArthur Ely (Mac)

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. Jake has his eyes. He appears in "Red Feather Filly."

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". Darrell also has a habit of calling Sam 'darlin'.

Aunt Sue

Sam's aunt. Louise's sister. Wyatt's sister-in-law. Lives in San Francisco, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. 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.

Trudy Allen (Mrs. Allen or Trudy)

Gram's bossy friend. She is the same age as Gram and has black hair and blue eyes. After her husband's death, she 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.

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 O'Malley (Pam)

Usually called Pam. Pam is Sam's Irish American

Irish American

Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...

 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

Scientist

A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...

. 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)

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 Stallion (Blackie, Phantom, Zanzibar)

Originally called Blackie, and Sam's first horse. The Phantom Stallion is half Nevada mustang and half Quarter Horse. His sire was Smoke, a gray mustang and his dam Princess Kitty, a sorrel Quarter Horse that belonged at one time to the Forsters. Sam's horse has changed a lot since he was her beloved black colt. The stallion has changed from coal black to dappled-silver and gray (on the way to solid white),but he and Sam still share a special bond. When he was a colt, Sam gave him the secret name, Zanzibar. A Native American Indian technique used to bond with horses, this special name is something Sam never tells anyone. The Phantom, having one of the largest herds in Nevada, battles bachelor stallions, watches over lone foals, and will do anything to keep his herd safe. He has also shown remarkable resilience in the face of terrible odds, having been chased down and injured by Linc Slocum, captured and abused by Karla Starr, and temporarily deafened by exploding paint cans in a brush fire. His herd usually winters in a secret valley, hidden from outsiders by a narrow, dark tunnel. The stallion is also very protective of Sam, defending her from other horses, animals, and people that he feels are threatening her. It should be noted though, that the Phantom is still a wild creature and has "rebuffed" Sam many times when he feels wary of a situation or if she tests their bond too far. By the end of the last book in the series; "Run Away Home," an avalanche of snow and rock blocks the entrance to herd's secret valley. Sam is almost trapped there, but she manages to climb out, but not before promising her stallion that this will not be the last time they see each other. The Phantom is strikingly similar to an actual wild horse in Nevada.

Ace

Sam's new horse whom we meet in "The Wild One". Ace is a "welcome home present" from Wyatt much to the shock of Jake. He is a bay mustang gelding, standing at around fourteen hands high. He tends to test Sam when she least expects it, and although he can be sassy and stubborn, Sam still loves him. Living life as a mustang, he is sure-footed and smart, helping to keep his rider out of danger instinctively. Except when she's grounded, Sam usually rides Ace every day. Ace has a star on his forehead and two hind stockings. Ace ran with the Phantom's band when he was wild and still seems to have a friendship with the stallion, always alerting Sam to his presence and enjoying playful runs with the wild horse.

Smoke

A dark-gray mustang who lived on River Bend Ranch until his death. He sired the Phantom and Hoku with Princess Kitty. Initially, Wyatt never thought he could tame the mustang and expected him to be unusable as a work horse, but after a while they came to trust each other and Smoke became a very good cow pony.

Blue Wings (Blue)

A blue roan 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 get 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. His favorite treat is warm oatmeal cookies, but without raisins. He will spit the raisins out!

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 from River Bend. He used to be Wyatt's 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.

Tank

One of River Bend's saddle horses. Tank is a huge bald-faced bay with a solid temperament and good sense. He is usually ridden by Ross.

Buff

Another of River Bend's saddle horses, only mentioned a few times. He spends half of his time at another home.

Jeepers Creepers (Jeep)

A "rat-tailed" brown and white 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

The Forster's Border Collie

Border Collie

The Border Collie is a herding dog breed developed in the Anglo-Scottish border region for herding livestock, especially sheep. It is the most widespread of the collie breeds....

 dog. He guards the ranch, barking at any strange vehicles that cross the bridge and chasing off predators that might threaten the chickens, cattle, or horses. Later in the series, he has a coyote mate, but then Linc shoots and kills her. This leaves their Coydog

Coydog

A coydog is the hybrid offspring of a male coyote and a female dog . Together they are genetically capable of producing fertile young. The dogote, a similar hybrid, is the result of breeding a male domestic dog with a female coyote...

 pup (Singer) abandoned, who Sam gives to Jake as a late birthday present. He is a tri-color Border Collie (black, brown, and white in color).

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 still-born 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.

Fluffy

Darrell's fighting Rooster

Rooster

A rooster, also known as a cockerel, cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels...

 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.

Queen

A red dun mare with primitive "zebra stripes" on her legs and a dorsal stripe along her spine. 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, and the two seem to share an almost mystical bond. While the Phantom is recovering on Mrs. Allen's lands, Queen spends some time with him again, but when he returns to the wild she stays with Callie.

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 the 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

Buckskin (color)

Buckskin is a hair coat color of horses; referring to a color that resembles certain shades of tanned deerskin. Similar colors in some breeds of dogs are also called buckskin. The horse has a tan or gold colored coat with black points . Buckskin occurs as a result of the cream dilution gene acting...

 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 path 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 deafen 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 and 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

A 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 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 overreacts 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.

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.

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 know 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.

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 Stan 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."

Singer

Singer is Blaze's coy-dog son. The pup is described as looking like a mix between his coyote and Border Collie parents, with a gray-brown coat and a thick white ruff. Sam also points out his over sized ears and black "eyebrows." He was given to Jake by Sam after his coyote mother was killed by Linc in "Gypsy Gold". Sam had originally wanted to keep Singer on her ranch with Blaze, but once they captured Singer and Sam saw the connection between the two, she decided that Jake and the pup were meant to be together. Singer now lives on Three Ponies Ranch, usually staying in the barn while Jake gentles him. It is not clear whether Jake will be taking Singer with him when he goes off to college.

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.

Sweetheart

Gram's old American Paint Horse

American Paint Horse

The American Paint Horse is a breed of horse that combines both the conformational characteristics of a western stock horse with a pinto spotting pattern of white and dark coat colors. Developed from a base of spotted horses with Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred bloodlines, the 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 described 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.

Chocolate Chip (Chip)

Quinn's chocolate brown Quarter Horse

American Quarter Horse

The American Quarter Horse is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name came from its ability to outdistance other breeds of horses in races of a quarter mile or less; some individuals have been clocked at speeds up to 55 mph...

. 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.

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".

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 (Formerly Tinkerbell)

A massive dark brown male draft horse. Thought to be a Percheron or 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.

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 chestnut 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.

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.

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 with out 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

1. The Wild One – (July 2002)
2. Mustang Moon – (2002)
3. Dark Sunshine – (October 2002)
4. The Renagade – (November 2002)
5. Free Again – (January 2003)
6. The Challenger – (March 2003)
7. Desert Dancer – (May 2003)
8. Golden Ghost – (July 2003)
9. Gift Horse – (October 2003)
10. Red Feather Filly – (February 2004)
11. Untamed – (April 2004)
12. Rain Dance – (July 2004)
13. Heartbreak Bronco – (October 2004)
14. Moonrise – (February 2005)
15. Kidnapped Colt – (April 2005)
16. The Wildest Heart – (June 2005)
17. Mountain Mare – (September 2005)
18. Firefly – (October 2005)
19. Secret Star – (January 2006)
20. Blue Wings – (February 2006)
21. Dawn Runner – (May 2006)
22. Wild Honey – (July 2006)
23. Gypsy Gold – (September 2006)
24. Run Away Home – (December 2006)

There is also another series The Phantom Stallion:Wild Horse Island

External links

• The Phantom Stallion