Esperanza  is about Spirit’s mother and how she ended up as lead mare and founder of the Cimarron herd. each chapter starts off with a page in Esperanza’s point of view while the rest of the chapter is in 3rd person.

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Esperanza
By Karthleen Duey
 

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (April 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142300977
• ISBN-13: 978-0142300978

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The book starts after a long cold winter: the herd is weak from hunger and has lost it’s lead mare and stallion. Alma, Esperanza’s mother, was the mare who decided to move on. She and a small group of mares, a filly and Esperanza followed her, while the rest of the small, frightened herd stayed in the cold.

The small group of five are heading downward next to a canyon. Esperanza is annoyed that they are going slow, thinking  they could go faster if it where not for the eldest horse midnight, a black mare.

It is said Esperanza is uneasy with out a lead stallion and feels the journey was different from years past. Eight horses left the herd, the filly being Esperanza best friend. The second morning the grey mare leading the filly's mother and the filly stayed to eat, while the rest of the herd left to keep moving. 

As the herd moved, they smelt  Cougars, however never ran into any. One evening, when the herd had stopped, Esperenza relized that one of the other mares ,Aspen , is in foal. While they stop, she finds a young doe and the two young animals play, until Alma and the does mother called them back.

The herd moved on and, after some days, the land flattened out and they soon saw another herd.It was very large; the colts and fillys were in there own group in the herd, as where the mares and fillies. The stallion of the group, Ceadar, was prancing about the herd keeping a keen eye on them.

As they came closer, Cedar came over to the small group of mares, greeting them along with a black mare and black colt. After greeting Alma the black mare greeted the mares. Strider was looking at Esperanza

After the small herd was allowed in, Strider spent time with Esperanza, and after some days in the herd aspen had her foal: a grey filly. Some days later another mare in the herd had a foal, and so Aspen and her filly walked with them while the two foals would play.

One morning, Strider was galloping around the herd, when Esperanza joined him, followed by other young horses. After a short time the only two left where strider and ezzy, and as strider went past his mother  he greeted her and she greeted him. Cedar didn’t seem to mind the activity, and was grooming a mare.

Esperanza thought about her old friend Alicia, and hoped  she had new friends like Strider. Not long after, While grazing in long grass, something spooked Aspen and her foal: a snake. Strider charged over and struck the snake, repeating the move, over and over again. This is when cedar let out a mighty squeal and charged at Strider, the mares stepping out the way. Cedar aimed a bite at Strider, before chasing the young horse, but, after some time cedar stoped and went over to Aspen and her foal. Stider went over to Esperanza, who knew this reaction was normal, and that at some point, young stallions will want their own herd and would leave or fight for the lead: but Cedar was still young and strong, and would not be giving up his role any time soon.

Another morning, Strider wanted to go for a gallop, but Esperanza thought if they moved away from their herd it'd upset Cedar, as he had been keeping an eye on strider ever since he saved Aspen's foal. The two moved away from the herd regardless, and began to gallop. However, Esperanza stopped suddenly, after spotting a bear. Strider (haivng been ahead) did not see it till it was too late, and got in between the mother bear and her cubs. When they eventually got away from the angry mother, the two saw Cedar coming over to them.