Raised on a ranch in northern California, Jody is well-schooled in the
hard work and demands of a rancher's life. He is used to the way of
horses, too; but nothing has prepared him for the special connection he
will forge with Gabilan, a hot-tempered pony his father gives him. With
Billy Buck, the hired hand, Jody tends and trains his horse, restlessly
anticipating the moment he will sit high upon Gabilan's saddle. But when
Gabilan falls ill, Jody discovers there are still lessons he must learn
about the ways of nature and, particularly, the ways of man.