Mary O’Hara’s beloved novel My Friend Flicka has inspired a new movie with a modern twist. The film takes us to a working Wyoming ranch owned by Rob and Nell McLaughlin and their two children, Howard and Katy. Cities are expanding and the ranch has fallen on hard times. Rob has resisted the developers who want to buy his land for as long as he can, and is near giving up. But the west is in Katy’s blood, and she still believes their home can be saved. She defies her parents’ desire for her to go to private school and then college in favor of saving a Mustang filly she finds in the wild mountains. Flicka, whose name means “pretty young girl,” gives Katy her chance to prove that the ranch is where she belongs and that the loco mustangs are worth saving as more than just rodeo broncos. Katy’s struggle to prove herself and her horse pits the pair against wild animals, a rodeo contest, and her father’s iron will. My Friend Flicka takes us on a Wild West ride with a girl and her horse. Katy and Flicka both find a chance to prove themselves to the world as a team – and may even have an opportunity to save the McLaughlin ranch from being turned into a housing development.
Mary O’Hara (1887-1981) inspired the dreams of thousands with her first book, My Friend Flicka, first published in the 1940s. After some time in Hollywood as a screenwriter, O’Hara moved to a Wyoming ranch where she began her career as a writer. She published Thunderhead, a sequel to her first novel, and then Green Grass of Wyoming, a conclusion to the “Flicka” story. Her novels have been loved for generations and are a staple of any horse-lover’s library. The modern movie re-telling of her first book stands poised to inspire a new generation of equine dreams.
Article courtesy of Breyer horses
Traditional Flicka (Includes 11" x 7" Movie Poster)
Flicka with Cougar
Flicka Floppy Horse
Flicka & Family - Stablemates
