The importance of handling horses properly is a recurring theme in Smoky.

Horses that are treated with respect and compassion turn out well; those who are abused, intentionally or unintentionally, turn out poorly. This theme is introduced when the narrator contests the popular belief that in "breaking" horses "the cowboy breaks the horses' spirit."

The narrator goes on to assert that "breaking a horse the way he's broke on the range is about the same on the animal as schooling is to the human youngster."

Smoky starts out as a wild horse whose personality traits will be determined by the training he receives. He is carefully trained to be a top-notch cow horse, but he becomes both a killer and the meanest bucking horse on the rodeo circuit after a horse thief abuses him.

Friendship is another theme in Smoky the Cow Horse. Smoky...