# The Cougar — Smoky the Cowhorse character guide

> The Cougar in Smoky the Cowhorse by Will James.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Cougar, The Grey Cougar, Old Cougar

**First appearance:** 0004-iii-where-the-trails-fork

## Snapshot

A horse whose name once rang from state to state as a champion bucking outlaw, he is the shadow Smoky's own legend is measured against.

## Who they are

The Cougar is the horse the cow country talks about, the one nobody could ride for so long that his name became a thrill in itself, and by the time a stable man hands him to a tourist under a borrowed name, he has already passed through his own kind of fame. His story is a warning and a mirror: a top cowhorse can become a champion bucking horse and then fade, and the name that once carried weight can be quietly traded for a safer one. He matters to Smoky's arc because he shows what the range can do to a horse, and what a horse can become when the range is done with him.

## Relationships

### [Smoky](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/smoky_the_cowhorse_se/characters/smoky)

_rivalry_

Smoky and the cougar are natural enemies, with the cougar posing a deadly threat to the horse.

### [Cloudy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/smoky_the_cowhorse_se/characters/cloudy)

_rivalry_

Cloudy, a mare, is threatened by the cougar, representing a predator-prey dynamic.

### [Clint](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/smoky_the_cowhorse_se/characters/clint)

_rivalry_

Clint views the cougar as a dangerous predator to be eliminated for the safety of his livestock.

### [Old Tom](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/smoky_the_cowhorse_se/characters/old_tom)

_rivalry_

Old Tom sees the cougar as a menace to the herd and a target for hunting.

### [Smoky](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/smoky_the_cowhorse_se/characters/smoky)

_rivalry_

Smoky and the cougar are natural enemies, with the cougar posing a deadly threat to the horse.

## In the story

### [Where the Trails Fork](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/smoky_the_cowhorse_se/chapters/iii-where-the-trails-fork)

Not directly present, but the chestnut stud and black stallion serve as antagonists that shape Smoky's development.

### [Smoky Starts Out](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/smoky_the_cowhorse_se/chapters/viii-smoky-starts-out)

Not directly present, but Smoky's fear of ropes and strangers hints at future encounters with the cougar.

### [XI: “The Feel of a Strange Hand”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/smoky_the_cowhorse_se/chapters/xi-the-feel-of-a-strange-hand)

Smoky is compared to a cougar when he attacks the thief, and the thief later calls him 'The Cougar.'

### [XII: “When the Good Leaves”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/smoky_the_cowhorse_se/chapters/xii-when-the-good-leaves)

The notorious outlaw persona fades as Smoky's gentle heart takes over, disappointing crowds and losing his reputation.

### [A Many-Men Horse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/smoky_the_cowhorse_se/chapters/xiii-a-many-men-horse)

Smoky's former outlaw identity, now faded; he is sold for $25 and becomes a tourist horse.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/smoky_the_cowhorse_se/characters/the_cougar
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/smoky_the_cowhorse_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/smoky_the_cowhorse_se/characters