Jody Tiflin
Jody is the protagonist and main character. In all four stories, he remains a child with high expectations and is kind-hearted. Jody is the son of Carl Tiflin. Starting in the first story as about 10 years old, he grows, but never becomes an adult. He has many dreams that many know will never be fulfilled.
Carl Tiflin
Carl is the father of Jody and owns and runs the family ranch. He doesn't show much love for his only son, and is not the emotional type. Carl is the biggest human protagonist, as he always goes against what Jody wants and is mean to all of the people that visit the farm.
Billy Buck
Billy is the only hired employee of the ranch, taking care of the animals and Jody. He is very experienced and cares deeply for Jody, trying not to let him down. Billy has done some things wrong on the farm before (resulting in the death of much loved animals), but tries to fix things, never letting it stop him.
Mrs. Tiflin
Mrs. Tiflin is Jody's mother, but we don't read much about her during the story, as she is a static character. She keeps house, cooks, and cares for Jody.
"Grandfather"
Simply referred to as grandfather, this is the father of Mrs. Tiflin. He often tells stories of the days that he travels across the Great Plains, and is despised by Carl. Jody forms a deep connection with him and learns a lot from him.
Gabilan
Appearing in the first story, Gabilan is a horse very important to Jody. He is a red pony and is completely Jody's responsibility. He is hard to control and train, providing a problem for Jody. Gabilan, while being trained to be ridden on, strikes ill after being out in the rain for a while. Problems occur, and the horse runs away.
Gitano
Appearing in the second story, Gitano is a man of Hispanic descent that visits the farm. He claims that he lived on the farm when he was younger, being born there. He asks if he can live out the rest of his life on the farm, but stern Carl does not let that happen. Jody talks to him in secret, asking him if he has ever been in the mountains. He says he has, but cannot remember it well. At the end of the story he has disappeared, but a local says they spotted a man going into the mountains on horseback carrying a sword (that had been associated with Gitano earlier in the story).
Nellie
Nellie is a female horse that was given to Jody by Billy and Carl to breed so that Jody could raise a colt. Hard to manage, she finally becomes pregnant. When the time comes to give birth, problems once again occur. Recalling what had happened with Gabilan, Jody becomes wary of Billy. There are severe problems, and Nellie has to be killed to give birth to the colt.
Easter
Barely mentioned, this is Carl Tiflin's old horse.
Doubletree Mutt
A dog that is sometimes seen around the farm.
Smasher
Smasher is a shepherd that killed a coyote, but, other than that, is barely mentioned in the story.
