The Black Stallion
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- For the film, see The Black Stallion (film)
The Black Stallion, known as "the Black" or "Shetan", is the title character from author Walter Farley's bestselling series about the wild stallion and his young friend Alec Ramsay. The series chronicles the story of the prize stallion of an Arab sheik, although it is the later books that furnish the background story of the Black.
The first book of the series was published in 1941, titled The Black Stallion. The subsequent novels tell of the stallions three main offspring - his firstborn son, Satan; his second son Bonfire, and his firstborn daughter, Black Minx - as well as of the Black himself and his history. Along with the Black, the series has a second stallion who is considered the Black's only real equal - The Island Stallion, who has a separate storyline until he and the Black meet in two books of the series.
[edit] The Black Stallion books
These are a list of the books written by Walter Farley himself, although No. 19, The Young Black Stallion, was partially written by Walter Farley's son Steven Farley. Steven Farley continued The Young Black Stallion series - about the Black's colthood - and wrote one or two Black Stallion novels, but they are not included here.
1. The Black Stallion (1941) - In this first book of the series, the Black and a boy named Alec Ramsay are both passengers on a ship. When the ship sinks near a deserted island, the boy and horse swim to the island and are the only survivors. Between their arrival on the island and their rescue, much later, Alec gains the wild horse's trust and later races him against the most celebrated racehorses of the day, Cyclone and Sun Raider.
2. The Black Stallion Returns (1945) - In this, the second book in the series, Alec discovers that two men are after the Black. One claims to be the Black’s rightful owner and one is trying to kill the beautiful steed. An Arab chieftain proves his ownership of the Black and takes him away, but Alec is determined to find his horse again. Following the pair to Arabia, Alec encounters great evil and intrigue, as only a horse as spectacular as the Black could inspire.
3. Son of the Black Stallion (1947) - When Alec receives the Black Stallion’s first son as a gift, he believes his dreams have come true, but Satan’s savage arrogance makes him dangerous and unpredictable. Still, Alec is resolved to gain the fiery colt’s trust, even if he must risk his life to do it.
4. The Island Stallion (1948) - A boy, Steve Duncan, and his archeologist friend spend two weeks on a desolate Caribbean island where they discover a hidden valley, underground tunnels built by Spanish Conquistadors,and a wild flame-colored stallion.
5. The Black Stallion and Satan (1949) - Alec Ramsay gets the chance to discover which of his two stallions--the Black or his son, Satan--is faster when the two horses must race for their lives from a raging forest fire. When the Black is returned to Alec Ramsay, the whole racing world, including Alec himself, wonders which horse is faster: the great stallion or his son, Satan.
6. The Black Stallion's Blood Bay Colt (1951) - Veteran driver Jimmy Creech pins his hopes on making a comeback in harness racing with Bonfire, the second son of the Black Stallion, but his hopes are dashed by ill health and the inexperience of his young apprentice, Tom. A boy is entrusted to attend the birth, train, and drive a blood bay colt that is the great hope of an aging reinsman who refuses to be reconciled to the fact that sulky-racing has moved from the county fair to the big night time, moneymaking raceways.
7. Island Stallion's Fury (1951) - Pitch and Steve's secret island valley is discovered and invaded by a hard and vicious man, who is a threat to the island stallion and his band.
8. Black Stallion's Filly (1952) - "She'll never be a racehorse, " murmurs the crowd as Black Minx is led into the sales ring. But Henry Dailey thinks differently and buys the Black's first filly to train her for the Kentucky Derby. But Black Minx, like her sire, has a mind of her own. This fast-paced racing story follows a great horse's journey through training and preliminary races to the opening gate at America's most famous racetrack: Churchill Downs.
9. Black Stallion Revolts (1953) - When his wild black stallion revolts against the routine and schedule of stable life, becoming a killer and a threat, a plane crash thwarts Alec's plans to give the Black a free run in the desert and brings danger to both boy and horse.
10. Black Stallion's Sulky Colt (1954) - A racing accident resulting in a frightened horse and an injured driver leads Alec Ramsay and Henry Dailey to try harness racing, working a son of the Black toward the Hambletonian.
11. The Island Stallion Races (1955) - Two visitors from another world enter the secret valley of Azul Island and provide Steve with a chance to see how Flame can do in competition with the world's fastest horses.
12. Black Stallion's Courage (1956) - With Henry and Alec needing money to rebuild a barn destroyed by a fire, the black stallion comes out of retirement to run a match race against two of the greatest horses of all time.
13. The Black Stallion Mystery (1957) - The arrival of three strikingly handsome colts in the U. S. leads Alec Ramsay to believe that the sire of his world-famous black stallion is still alive. His quest takes him back to Arabia.
14. The Black Stallion and Flame (1960) - A plane crash leaves the Black stranded on a desert island with that other legendary Farley stallion - Flame. Their struggle for power turns into a struggle for survival when the two horses fight a deadly vampire bat. A plane wreck at sea separates Alec and the Black until the search for a rabid vampire bat leads the boy to Flame's island sanctuary.
15. The Black Stallion Challenged (1964) - Alec Ramsay, racing the Black in Florida over the winter, receives a letter from Steve Duncan which results in the island stallion's challenging the champion. Steve and Alec meet for the first time, but what the boys don't know is that their stallions have met before, and they hate each other.
16. The Black Stallion's Ghost (1969) - A peaceful Florida vacation is transformed into a nightmare, when Alec Ramsay and the Black stumble upon a mysterious, somewhat insane French horseman and his great grey mare, the Ghost, in the heart of the Everglades.
17. The Black Stallion and the Girl (1971) - Hopeful Farm’s success has greatly increased Alec and Henry’s workload, and finally, Alec decides to seek help. When Pam Athena, a very diminutive and very pretty girl applies for the job, Alec can’t imagine that she could be of any use. But then he sees how well she works with the horses. Even the Black, usually untrusting of strangers, is surprisingly calm around her . . . and it isn’t long before Alec himself falls under her spell.
18. The Black Stallion Legend (1983) - The black stallion helps save an Indian tribe during a time of disaster, thereby fulfilling an ancient prophecy.
19. The Young Black Stallion (1989) - In this prequel to The Black Stallion, we learn the story of the Black before he was shipwrecked with Alec Ramsay. Born in the mountain stronghold of Sheikh Abu Ishak, the colt - named Shetan - was bred to strengthen the bloodlines of the sheik's Arab steeds (the black stallion is not a purebred Arab, and is much larger than the average Arabian horse). Driven out of his secluded pasture during a failed horse raid, the colt takes up with a herd of ibex. Soon he is scaling sheer rock faces and dueling fierce rams to the death. Befriended by Rashid, a young Bedouin, the stallion journeys to the desert, attempting to elude the rival groups of horse traders that seek him. As all devotees of the series know, the Black is finally recaptured and put aboard the tramp steamer Drake, just in time for his star-crossed meeting with Alec Ramsay, his future master.
[edit] The Black Stallion's family tree
KEY: UM = unknown mare
UM = Ziyadah = Jinah al Tayr
!
!
| |
! UM = Shetan = Johar; =Volo Queen; =Elf;
! purebred Standardbred Thoroughbred
! ! white
! Arab
2 dark ! ! ! !
brown; ! ! ! !
1 golden ! ! ! !
chestnut ! | | |
colts ! | | |
--- ---- ---------- ---
| | | |
Storm Satan = UM Bonfire Black Minx
| (= ? Wintertime;
| Thoroughbred)
Black Sand !
!
Black Pepper
blk filly
Satan was the last of the Black's line to be born and bred in the sheik Abu Ja Kub ben Ishak's stables in Arabia, as his sire and grandsire were. As the Black sired Satan while in Arabia, it is probable that the Black was bred to one of the sheik's Arab mares.
Storm, the fourth foal and third son of the Black, is an invention of Walter Farley's son Steven Farley, and is not considered canon.
Bonfire's mother bore the bloodlines of champion Standardbred racehorses.
Hopeful Farm (Henry Dailey and Alec Ramsay) purchased the blood-bay Thoroughbred Wintertime after an injury ended his racing career, largely because their filly Black Minx was "in love" with him; presumably, he sired her foals; only the black filly Black Pepper is mentioned (The Black Stallion and the Girl).
