Fiction horse books

[eventchic33]

I am an avid reader and read most anything but for some reason I have a hard time finding good horse fiction. Can anyone give me the names of some books or authors? Besides Rita Mae Brown, love her stuff.

[Paige777]

"Riding Lessons" and it's sequel, "Flying Changes" by Sara Gruen - AMAZING books; I cried multiple times during both of them. They're not horrendously sad, but her writing is so powerful.

[deltawave]

I stick with kid stuff when I want to read horse fiction. National Velvet, My Friend Flicka, Skyrocket, Fly-By-Night, etc. Usually the grown-up horse book genre is trying too hard to be serious AND horsey at the same time. Doesn't work for me. :)

I did enjoy the book "Riding Lessons", have forgotten the author. Most of the others are too much about needy, screwed-up women looking for a man and not enough about horses. ;)

[hedmbl]

"Riding Lessons" and it's sequel, "Flying Changes" by Sara Gruen - AMAZING books; I cried multiple times during both of them. They're not horrendously sad, but her writing is so powerful.

I read these. I thought they were okay but there was a little too much fantasy involved for my taste. They lost me when the fairly inexperienced teen hopped on an impossible to ride horse and got it to do advanced dressage moves in a matter of seconds :lol:. They're probably the best of the adult stuff that I've read though. I think I've given up on adult horse stuff b/c it bothers me too much when they don't get it right, I stick with classics now. The lady that wrote those two books does ride so alot of the info in the book is accurate, more accurate then alot of stuff I've read anyway. They're fun, quick reads for a rainy weekend.

[cranky]

I enjoyed "Horse Heaven" by Jane Smiley (same author who wrote "1,000 Acres"). I'm not a big horse racing fan, so I was surprised that I liked it as much as I did but found it well-written and interesting.

[Amwrider]

"Riding Lessons" and it's sequel, "Flying Changes" by Sara Gruen - AMAZING books; I cried multiple times during both of them. They're not horrendously sad, but her writing is so powerful.


I loved those books, but her best book is Water For Elephants which was on the NY Times Bestseller List. Fantastic book and it does have horses in it, it just doesn't center around a horse.

[grayarabs]

I am presently reading Allan Mallinson - about ten books in the series about cavalry/dragoons/Horse Guards Napoleonic era. It is historical fiction obviously.
Very well written. Great characters. Lots of horse stuff. Some romance.
Battlefield stuff. I love the books. BTW - what is "farcy"? (term used in the book for sick horse). If you read these books start in order with "A Close Run Thing".

[kookicat]

Dark Horse and The Alibi Man by Tami Hoag
In Service to the Horse: Chronicles of a Labor of Love by Susan Nusser. Not really a fiction book, but a must read!

[IsolaBella09]

Another vote for Sara Gruen. Extremely powerful writing. Riding Lessons is one of my favorite books of all time. I have read it at least 5 times. ;)

[gbnuk96]

Riders by Jilly Cooper - a must read!

[arktos19]

Horse Play, by Judy Reene Singer. VERY funny - I laughed so hard I cried at the clinic scene....

[Wellspotted]

The Show Gypsies by Leigh Brown, now out of print but may be available at or through your local library.

In the Presence of Horses by Barbara Dimmick

The Fox in the Cupboard, by Jane Shilling--not fiction, but a good read (if you like hunting).

I second what others have said here about preferring children's horse fiction to some adult horse fiction. Only most of the children's horse fiction I love is long out of print and can be hard to find at libraries (who seem to weed everything that's old). But if you can find books by Dorothy Lyons, Thomas C. Hinkle, Monica Edwards, Ruby Ferguson, and Patsey Gray, you may enjoy them.

And Spin and Marty (Marty Markham) is great! I think it's by Lawrence E. Watkin but I can't get up to look right now as I have a cat asleep in my lap. :sleepy:

[RedMare01]

I also liked Horse Heaven and the Tami Hoag books.

Caitlin

[Nezzy]

Horse Play, by Judy Reene Singer. VERY funny - I laughed so hard I cried at the clinic scene....

This has to be my favorite, and i think everyone involved with horses should read it at least once.

[Andante]

I really enjoyed Horseplay, but Riders by Jilly Cooper is an absolute must read.

[SarahandSam]

I loved "Horseplay" and second that... also loved Anne McCaffery's "The Lady." I read a lot of old childhood faves, like "Fly-by-Night" and the Jean Slaughter Doty books, but they are hard to find nowadays... sadly. Actually I kind of wish I could find the old Saddle Club books and reread them. Doesn't seem like I can find them anywhere anymore...

And I'm sure Reynard Ridge is lurking, so I'll throw in a plug for "Chronicles of the $700 Pony," though it seems a little out of the pure fiction category. d; (BTW, is Wee Spotted Pony out soon then?)

[thatmoody]

I'll have to find that Anne McCaffrey book - I love her stuff.

There are two related books by Robin McKinley - The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword - both Science Fantasy, that feature horses prominently. I loved her description of the old horse in the field doing war maneuvers alone - made me cry.

[Ponyclubrocks]

There was a great book out recently that I loved, revolves around horseracing...by Peter Tattersall and called "Or else...!" I can't wait for the next installment of that one. Also, Kit Ehrman has written 5 or 6 all with the same main character, who is part detective, all in the horse world...really enjoyed those. also if you like Dick Francis, try Lyndon Stacey, she has 5 or 6 as well. Brit author. Maybe a bit formulaic but I enjoyed all but maybe one of hers.

[poltroon]

I've/We've collected a lot of suggestions that show up in these threads at:

ponydom.com horse fiction database (http://www.ponydom.com/books/index.html)

There are over 400 adult and young adult titles there, with descriptions, ratings, and reviews. It's always good to have new books added and new reviews and ratings added. You can search them by quality, by genre, or by discipline - so if you want to see a list of fiction about dressage, you can find a bunch of titles.

Some that I like:
The Lady (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=25), by Anne McCaffrey
Ride a Dark Horse and Chance Meeting by Laura Moore (http://www.ponydom.com/books/results.html?author=Moore&submit=Search)
The Mountain's Call (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=261) by Caitlin Brennan (and also books under her other name, Judith Tarr)
Horseplay (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=256) by Judy Reene Singer (Beammeup)
Slickrock (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=126), by Laura Crum
Anything by KM Peyton (http://www.ponydom.com/books/results.html?author=K.M.%20Peyton)
Quality of Care (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=271) by Elizabeth Letts
Anything by Jean Slaughter Doty (http://www.ponydom.com/books/results.html?author=Jean%20Slaughter%20Doty)
Anything by Patricia Leitch (http://www.ponydom.com/books/results.html?author=Patricia%20Leitch)
Trophies (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=27) by Ainslie Sheridan
The Chestry Oak (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=410) by Kate Seredy

[heatherny2]

Loved Dark Horse and Alibi Man from Tami Hoag!

[deltawave]

Actually I kind of wish I could find the old Saddle Club books and reread them. Doesn't seem like I can find them anywhere anymore...

I have every single one! :lol:

[Slewdledo]

Has anyone read the mystery novels, written by a man, with a male barn manager as the main character (written from his point of view)? I know he wrote at least 3 in the series and I read two of them - they were VERY good. I think they came out within the last 3 years.

[cranky]

also loved Anne McCaffery's "The Lady."

I also loved that book. It's still on my bookshelf somewhere, I should dig it up and give it a re-read. Thanks for the reminder!

[JenLS]

Kristin Britain - Green Rider series
Caitlin Brennan - Lippizaner series
Mary Stanton - Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West and Piper at the Gate
Toby Bishop - Airs series
Robin Mckinnley's Hero and the Crown and the Blue Sword
Merecedes Lackey - Heralds of Valdemar series

Those are my favorites. I could not stand either Riding Lessons or Flying Changes, i like the fantasy genre a little better.

[Angel Undercover]

Has anyone read the mystery novels, written by a man, with a male barn manager as the main character (written from his point of view)? I know he wrote at least 3 in the series and I read two of them - they were VERY good. I think they came out within the last 3 years.

Are you thinking of the books by Kit Ehrman??

I love all of the Rita Mae Brown books, her newest one Hounded to Death comes out on Sept. 30! I also love Jody Jaffe and Jilly Cooper. I hated Riding Lessons and Flying Changes though.

[LoriO]

Has anyone read the mystery novels, written by a man, with a male barn manager as the main character (written from his point of view)? I know he wrote at least 3 in the series and I read two of them - they were VERY good. I think they came out within the last 3 years.


Those would be the books by Kit Ehrman, who is actually a woman :eek: :yes:

www.kitehrman.com (http://www.kitehrman.com)

Her books are awesome and very well done, very acurate when it comes to the horse stuff.

The titles are:

At Risk
Dead Man's Touch
Cold Burn
Triple Cross

[kookicat]

I've/We've collected a lot of suggestions that show up in these threads at:

ponydom.com horse fiction database (http://www.ponydom.com/books/index.html)

There are over 400 adult and young adult titles there, with descriptions, ratings, and reviews. It's always good to have new books added and new reviews and ratings added. You can search them by quality, by genre, or by discipline - so if you want to see a list of fiction about dressage, you can find a bunch of titles.

Some that I like:
The Lady (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=25), by Anne McCaffrey
Ride a Dark Horse and Chance Meeting by Laura Moore (http://www.ponydom.com/books/results.html?author=Moore&submit=Search)
The Mountain's Call (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=261) by Caitlin Brennan (and also books under her other name, Judith Tarr)
Horseplay (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=256) by Judy Reene Singer (Beammeup)
Slickrock (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=126), by Laura Crum
Anything by KM Peyton (http://www.ponydom.com/books/results.html?author=K.M.%20Peyton)
Quality of Care (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=271) by Elizabeth Letts
Anything by Jean Slaughter Doty (http://www.ponydom.com/books/results.html?author=Jean%20Slaughter%20Doty)
Anything by Patricia Leitch (http://www.ponydom.com/books/results.html?author=Patricia%20Leitch)
Trophies (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=27) by Ainslie Sheridan
The Chestry Oak (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=410) by Kate Seredy

Ooh, thanks! Fantastic site! :yes:

[copper1]

About kids books: way back "in the day" when I was a mere pup, there were many, many, well written horse fiction books geared to the teenager. Many were illustrated by Sam Savitt or Paul Brown and were beautiful and so accurate. Names are hard to come up with now but I wonder if one were to Googel the illustrators...... Pamela and the Grey Mare was a small series one of which the pair were trying out for the Olympic 3 day event but couldn't make the actual team since in those days no women! Copper's Chance is another book. The theme in these, even though but different authours, were of a young girl of less than great circumstances, was able to become a winner with a difficult horse. CW Anderson who was also and amazing artist, wrote some again, wonderfully accurate, Afraid to Ride comes to mind. (from his drawings, you want to OWN that horse! Think Billy and Blaze!!!!) I remeber another series about the "Rose gray Arabian stallion" one where he becomes a top class cutting horse and another, Arabs being amazingly versitile, gets a spot on the 3day team, all of course with his teenage boy owner!
Fun reads all and probably would still be so these days!

[twopoints]

Collective Marks by Nancy Feldman. Awesome story with great horsey detail!:yes:

[Reynard Ridge]

And I'm sure Reynard Ridge is lurking, so I'll throw in a plug for "Chronicles of the $700 Pony," though it seems a little out of the pure fiction category. d; (BTW, is Wee Spotted Pony out soon then?)

Lurking, always lurking ... :lol:

Thanks for the shout out. "Chronicles" is mostly true. Like 95% mostly. With an occasional lapse on the Truth Front to make it more funny. It's all about the funny. :lol:

Further Adventures, starring Herself and her compatriot, the Wee Spotted will be out "this fall." I don't have an actual publication date, but I am sure the info will get passed around when it is available on Amazon. :yes:

[SarahandSam]

I remeber another series about the "Rose gray Arabian stallion" one where he becomes a top class cutting horse and another, Arabs being amazingly versitile, gets a spot on the 3day team, all of course with his teenage boy owner!
Fun reads all and probably would still be so these days!

Oh, I'm so glad you mentioned that rose-grey Arab story! I remember that too and I really want to find it now... was that a CW Anderson? I love his illustrations...

[lucky bunny]

Has anyone read the mystery novels, written by a man, with a male barn manager as the main character (written from his point of view)? I know he wrote at least 3 in the series and I read two of them - they were VERY good. I think they came out within the last 3 years.

I'm in the middle of a mystery novel that is close to this description.
An heir to a lordship and part-time steeplechase jockey leaves his family to work as a groom on horse transport airline, then gets caught up in international smuggling.

Flying Finish by Dick Francis
written in 1966

A non-horsey mystery-loving friend recommend Dick Francis because he writes well-crafted mysteries all set in the context of horse racing with good attention to detail. The author himself was a steeplechase jockey.

[Aussie_Dog]

Along with Dick Francis, there's another ex-jock who pens mystery novels in the racing world, and that's John Francome, who I personally prefer.

My favorite book of all-time is Ruffian: Burning From The Start. It's a biography of a famous racehorse, but it's written in fiction form. The best racing book I've ever laid eyes on, along with Man o'War: A Legend Like Lightning.

[DancingAppy]

I have to second Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants. Had just enough horse stuff, but not overly horse-y. I actually hate horse novels, (loved them when I was a kid though). Water for Elephants is just a wonderful, well-written novel.

[Angel Undercover]

I really like John Francome too. And although not fiction, I agree Aussie_Dog about Ruffian. I'm just reading it now and so far it's great!

[poltroon]

Some of my favorite young adult horse fiction is written by Barbara Morgenroth (http://www.ponydom.com/books/results.html?author=morgenroth&submit=Search) - Last Junior Year (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=4), Ride a Proud Horse (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=5), and Nicki & Wynne (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=399).

Often, her books are hard to find and expensive, but I just noticed that at the moment, there are some inexpensive copies available at Amazon.

[copper1]

Sarahandsam, i don't think CW Anderson was the illustrator for the Rose Grey Arabian. I tried Googling some of those old titles but couldn't find anything. Wish I could remember authors!

[poltroon]

I have to second Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants. Had just enough horse stuff, but not overly horse-y. I actually hate horse novels, (loved them when I was a kid though). Water for Elephants is just a wonderful, well-written novel.

You might like The Language of Light (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=222) by Meg Waite Clayton - it's not extremely horsey, but it is a wonderful novel set in fox hunting country. The main character is a photographer living on a horse farm. It's good literature, but it's still the kind of writing that turns the pages for you, rather than forcing you to struggle through overly complicated metaphor. It is one of my favorites.

[copper1]

Poltroon's research was correct that the rose grey arabian story is called "Olympic Horseman" by John Richard Young.
Jane Mcllvain (sp?) was the author of so many great horse stories that were so accurate like "Copper's Chance" It has been fun and nostalgic looking all these up!

[Batteries Included]

I just finished "God of the Animals" by Aryn Kyle
BY FAR THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ EVER!

I just graduated high school and I learned to dislike reading quite a bit from all that english work...
Someone lent me this book last year and one lazy summer day this year I read it-- all in one day. SO GOOD.

I'm reading Sara Gruen's "Water for Elephants" now. About half way through, its pretty good! This reading thing isn't too bad.

[poltroon]

I just finished "God of the Animals" by Aryn Kyle
BY FAR THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ EVER!

I just graduated high school and I learned to dislike reading quite a bit from all that english work...
Someone lent me this book last year and one lazy summer day this year I read it-- all in one day. SO GOOD.

I'm reading Sara Gruen's "Water for Elephants" now. About half way through, its pretty good! This reading thing isn't too bad.

:D It's all about finding the right books. I bet you'd enjoy Judy Reene Singer's (http://www.ponydom.com/books/results.html?author=singer&submit=Search) books (Horseplay and Still Life with Elephant), anything by Jean Slaughter Doty (http://www.ponydom.com/books/results.html?author=doty&submit=Search), Fly By Night (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=6) by KM Peyton, and lots of the other suggestions here. Sometimes I think english teachers delight in assigning books that no one would want to read voluntarily. :lol:

[SarahandSam]

Sometimes I think english teachers delight in assigning books that no one would want to read voluntarily. :lol:

Noooo, it's because we English teachers simply don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to read a book we love so much. I read books going "Man, I want all my kids to read this one..." And I have never taught "Lord of the Flies" because I haaaaaated it in high school. d;

[copper1]

I thought "God of allAnimals" was one of the worst books I had ever read! I hated it and in fact, threw it in the garbage when I was done! The horse stuff was way too far fetched for me and the story line was way too depressing! I am not saying the writing was bad, just very inaccurate and again too depressing for me!

[Reynard Ridge]

Noooo, it's because we English teachers simply don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to read a book we love so much. I read books going "Man, I want all my kids to read this one..." And I have never taught "Lord of the Flies" because I haaaaaated it in high school. d;

And some stuff, you just age into. Dostoyevsky, Chekov, Tolstoy are best left for post-high school. Post college in my case. :lol: I loved Middlemarch, Vanity Fair and anything by Jane Austen - once I hit my 30s. Faukner is great once you're old enough to understand what the fruitbat he's talking about. Alas, James Joyce is beyond my wee brain. Forever. :winkgrin:

[anonymoustip]

anything by dick francis -- Banker is my favorite. they all have have a horsey spin to them and are sooooo well written. check them out. you will not be disappointed!

[poltroon]

Noooo, it's because we English teachers simply don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to read a book we love so much. I read books going "Man, I want all my kids to read this one..." And I have never taught "Lord of the Flies" because I haaaaaated it in high school. d;

Because of a strange hiccup in my schooling, I had to do that $#%$# book THREE TIMES. Once, because I foolishly picked it off a list for a project. Then, because it was part of the curriculum in a class that I effectively had to repeat. Gahhhh!

I think Reynard Ridge is right that some literature you age into. Even if you can read the words and follow the language, sometimes it's just too far past one's own experience as a teen.

I have always been a reader, but the most effective class for me in high school used a lot of short stories - 80-100 pages. What was nice was that we got more practice going over more different pieces, and they had a succinctness to them that made them much easier to read for both the fluent fast readers and for the less so.

I have come to appreciate that one factor of great literature and good writing is its page-turning properties - ie, if the reader has to struggle to decipher the metaphor and the reading feels labored, that's not a sign of good writing. :D I've also come to appreciate how audiences have changed over time, and thus what makes a 'page-turner' has changed over time. I took a class in college, Survey of Drama, that was derided as easy credits because there were no essays, only quizzes to prove you did the reading. We read a play a week for a year, in chronological order from the first known plays. That gave me a lot of depth of understanding of how conventions in writing came and went. Today's kids seeing "Jaws" would find it to be 'such a cliche' not realizing that "Jaws" is the SOURCE of all that cliche! :D

Finally, as my standard warning to all English teachers: never encourage a horse lover to read Steinbeck's "The Red Pony" if you ever, ever want them to read Steinbeck again. In 4th freaking grade, when I was 9, the teacher suggested it, you know, because it was on The List and at my reading level but it was about horses.

[poltroon]

I was trying to gather information about books by Jane McIlvaine McClary to enter at ponydom (http://www.ponydom.com/books/index.html), but other than A Portion for Foxes, I have not been able to find descriptions. Can anyone help me with:

Cammie's Choice
Cammie's Challenge
Cammie's Cousin
Maggie Royal (is this a horse book?)
The Sea Sprite (is this a horse book?)

[thatmoody]

The Red Pony ruined me for Steinbeck, as well. As an English teacher (college level) I don't teach a lot of literature, simple because I'm a tech writing professor! But I had the chance to teach an advanced expository writing course this semester, and I'm so glad that I did. I had forgotten how much fun it was to teach and to read stories :D.

I usually don't read until the summer because during the semester I'm too busy with my courses, but this list is getting bookmarked for sure!

[WldnHrseCrzy03]

I have read quite a few of the books already mentioned. A couple that weren't mentioned that are VERY good are:

Cut Throat by Lyndon Stacey

Remember Summer by Elizabeth Lowell

:D

[equest]

Jean Slaughter Doty's books were the best! As a horse crazy kid, I checked them out from the library again and again....

[SarahandSam]

Finally, as my standard warning to all English teachers: never encourage a horse lover to read Steinbeck's "The Red Pony" if you ever, ever want them to read Steinbeck again. In 4th freaking grade, when I was 9, the teacher suggested it, you know, because it was on The List and at my reading level but it was about horses.

Amen. I read it around the same grade, and was absolutely furious at Steinbeck.

I definitely also agree about aging into certain authors... guess I wouldn't love Jane Austen so much if I hadn't read her as an adult who could appreciate all the nuances. And I love 1984 every time I read it now, but didn't find it as chilling as a high school student... I might even like Lord of the Flies now but am not willing to attempt it. d;

[Reynard Ridge]

Finally, as my standard warning to all English teachers: never encourage a horse lover to read Steinbeck's "The Red Pony" if you ever, ever want them to read Steinbeck again. In 4th freaking grade, when I was 9, the teacher suggested it, you know, because it was on The List and at my reading level but it was about horses.

Took me 30 years to be able to pick up Grapes of Wrath. :no:

[Batteries Included]

Took me 30 years to be able to pick up Grapes of Wrath. :no:


My crazy english teach jr year in High School had us read, write a 6 page paper and take a test on the Grapes of Wrath in 3 weeks...
but still for some reason my fav english teach throughout school?!

[SarahandSam]

My crazy english teach jr year in High School had us read, write a 6 page paper and take a test on the Grapes of Wrath in 3 weeks...
but still for some reason my fav english teach throughout school?!

Dear God. I wish I could do that with my kids; it took us a whole semester to make it through To Kill A Mockingbird... I didn't even put Grapes of Wrath on my order list this year because I figured we didn't have four months to devote to it. ): I don't think kids today read nearly as much as we did, and I'm embarrassingly young to be saying that. Sigh.

[pines4equines]

Okay horse crazy book fans...My friend has a little bookstore called Blue Ribbon Books, she does not have a web site. She goes to all the big tradeshows, mainly west of the Mississippi, because she is based out of CO.

Anyway, she has every horse book you can imagine, from ficton to non. I see her in Denver every year and give her my credit card and say load me up on horse novels. I don't even ask her anymore what she is giving me.

She is honest about the quality of the novel and asks what you're interested in. She is currently traveling but do call her: 719-541-3157. Tell her June sent you...

I'm still working on the books I bought in January. And, she usually has some sort of deal like buy 5 books and get the 6th or something. You might even see her at some of the horse events. Her name is Robbee Huseth of Blue Ribbon Books and a nicer person you'll never meet. She has so many repeat customers, which makes it incredibly interesting to be in her booth at shows!!

I'm currently reading a schmaltzy novel called Ride a Dark Horse. She did warn me...But I had to have it.

Have fun and read on!!!!

[poltroon]

Took me 30 years to be able to pick up Grapes of Wrath. :no:

Why do they even have The Red Pony on school reading lists? His other stuff is a much better introduction.

[Angel Undercover]

My crazy english teach jr year in High School had us read, write a 6 page paper and take a test on the Grapes of Wrath in 3 weeks...
but still for some reason my fav english teach throughout school?!

I did that too in my writer's craft class... I actually really like The Grapes of Wrath. I also was scarred by The Red Pony when I was 8 or 9. :(

[phoebetrainer]

For those who like the books for young / teenagers, try Tamora Pierce, especially the Protector of the Small series. Everyone that I've introduced to her books has raved about them. Not fully horsey, but horses are involved.

[Indy-lou]

I read every horse-related book in our library as a young girl. If there was even a mention of a horse, I read it. This included every "Misty of Chincoteague" and "Black Stallion" series book there was. Then there was "Spurs for Susanna" and "Ride like the Wind" (I think Wesley Dennis illustrated a majority of these books that were available through the Scholastic reader series that we ordered paperback books from in our schools) Another memorable one was the story of the Godolphin Arabian "King of the Wind" who was called "Sham" in the book .... "and the thin brown horse-boy who loved him"...., also illustrated by Wesley Dennis. Did any of you ever read the biography of Man O' War? It was awesome, and I remembered his pedigree and the qualities of his dam forevermore. As an adult, Jane Smiley rules for me. You must read "Horse Heaven" and "A year at the Races". One of her earlier books even before "A Thousand Acres" was "Barn Blind". She has also some short stories for Practical Horseman: "Mr. T's Heart" and "The year of Living Dangerously" (about riding three year olds) come to mind. I love Jane Smiley. Thank you Jane! The biography of Seabiscuit was also well written. All of these books are about horses, but the one book that completely undid me as a young girl was "The Yearling" by Marjorie Kinnan Ross (I think I have that name right) where the young boy Jody raises the orphan fawn "Flag" and then has to shoot him. I sobbed so uncontrollably throughout the night and into the next day that my mother came and took the book away from me, but it was too late: I was scarred for life.... There was also the "Red Pony" and "Black Beauty" two books that I cannot read again to this day, though there is some comfort in knowing that Black Beauty was really written as a protest against the way horses were treated in England at that time ..."who broke your knees, Beauty?" Oh my God, I must talk about this in therapy....

[grayarabpony]

I like the kiddie stuff for horses too: Misty of Chintoteague and King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry are great. If you don't shed at least one tear at the end of the second one there's something wrong with you. :sadsmile:

I LOVE Ralph Moody's Come On Seabiscuit and Walter Farley's Man o' War.

Another hater of The Red Pony here.

[DancingAppy]

Ah, AP and Honors English classes. I loved how I liked all the books the other kids hated. I LOVE "Lord of the Flies". Don't know how many times I've read it. For one project, we had to read 500 pages worth of books, and I choose Bradbury novels: Fareinheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. I wanted to include Dandelion Wine (the opposite of Something Wicked) but didn't have enough time.

Everyone hated the Great Gatsby, I loved it. Same thing happened with Heart of Darkness, Grapes of Wrath (I love that book), Othello, Frankenstein, Of Mice and Men, Things Fall Apart, etc. I also enjoy Dickens and hate Austen (that made me WiErD). :lol:

For my AP Lit and Comp test, my essay was about A Clockwork Orange! Majority of people used either Othello or Huckleberry Finn. I was one of two people that year in my school to pass the test.

Ah gotta love high school English...

I loved Marquerite Henry when I was a kid. I also liked that book about the boy and a gray horse. I think it was called Beauty. Sad ending though...

[Indy-lou]

Memory flooding...My Friend Flicka and the Trilogy "Thunderhead" and "Green Grass of Wyoming". I think films were made of these, but poor versions of the books.

[Silver Snaffles]

I used to love Horse Heaven Jane Smiley, Until I heard what happened to her mare. That women is not a horse lover :(

[Katy9532]

Can we get this made a sticky?

[Katy9532]

I thought "God of all Animals" was one of the worst books I had ever read! I hated it and in fact, threw it in the garbage when I was done! The horse stuff was way too far fetched for me and the story line was way too depressing! I am not saying the writing was bad, just very inaccurate and again too depressing for me!

Agreed agreed agreed.
That book was more than horrible. I threw it in the fireplace when I finished and used it at fire starter.




I would like to also agree that "Water for the Elephants" is excellent.

[Moderator 1]

Just a heads up: if this thread reaches 100 posts, it'll be saved from the regular board pruning/deletion process by default. If it doesn't we'll move it over to the reference forum for safekeeping. ;)

We've had some requests for maintaining some of these threads for a COTH Library of sorts. The longer ones are saved by default, but we could also add shorties into one big ol' reference thread to be saved for posterity--and we can add a post to that thread with links to the longer book threads elsewhere in the forums. We'll see what format seems to be most applicable, but feel free to let us know via alert or PM, now or in the future if there's a book (or other) thread you think would be a good one to save.

We'll check back on this one in a week or two and go from there, as this one seems to be pretty comprehensive and could be a good place to start.

Thanks!
Mod 1

[cranky]

Memory flooding...My Friend Flicka and the Trilogy "Thunderhead" and "Green Grass of Wyoming". I think films were made of these, but poor versions of the books.


OMG, I loved that trilogy as well! I feel like I could go back and read it even now. Also loved almost anything written by Marguerite Henry.

[grayarabpony]

I used to love Horse Heaven Jane Smiley, Until I heard what happened to her mare. That women is not a horse lover :(

What happened to her mare?

I used to read and re-read the Mary o' Hara triology all of the way through high school and college.

[HandD]

I just read the Mountain's Call by Caitlin Brennan. Really a nice fantasy work revoloving around majestic white stallions as this race's Gods. Cool premise and interesting story.

[poltroon]

Just a heads up: if this thread reaches 100 posts, it'll be saved from the regular board pruning/deletion process by default. If it doesn't we'll move it over to the reference forum for safekeeping. ;)

We've had some requests for maintaining some of these threads for a COTH Library of sorts. The longer ones are saved by default, but we could also add shorties into one big ol' reference thread to be saved for posterity--and we can add a post to that thread with links to the longer book threads elsewhere in the forums. We'll see what format seems to be most applicable, but feel free to let us know via alert or PM, now or in the future if there's a book (or other) thread you think would be a good one to save.

We'll check back on this one in a week or two and go from there, as this one seems to be pretty comprehensive and could be a good place to start.

Thanks!
Mod 1

Over the years, there have been several:

http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=89863 (175 posts)
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=157483 (30 posts)
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=152765 (30 posts)
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=73524 (129 posts)
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=70735 (126 posts)
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=24440 (295 posts)
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=24259 (237 posts)
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=24284 (251 posts)
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=35614 (67 posts)
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=35677 (41 posts)
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=35271 (104 posts)
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=35672 (103 posts)
All the way back to 2001. :D

Here are the links with titles:
Well written horsey novels for grown-ups (http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=89863) (175 posts)
Horse-centric summer reads? (http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=157483) (30 posts)
Horsey reads (http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=152765) (30 posts)
If you could have one fictional horse, which one would you want? (http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=151992) (292 posts)
Your fav horsey book when you were a pre-teen & why? (http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=73524) (129 posts)
What's your favorite horse book? (http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=70735) (126 posts)
Teen Horse Fiction for $200, Alex (http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=24440) (295 posts)
I need the author and title of a book (http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=24259) (237 posts)
Name five best horse stories for kids (http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=24284) (251 posts)
Books about life on the A circuit (http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=35614) (67 posts)
And the New Grown Up Horsie Book Recommendations Are?? (http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=35677) (41 posts)
Favorite Grown Up Horse Books (http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=35271) (104 posts)
Favorite Horse Books from way back when (http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=35672) (103 posts)

You can see why I started keeping track of these in a database at ponydom.com (http://www.ponydom.com/books/index.html) - solely for my own sanity, because I couldn't remember them all! :D

[Bearhunter]

Virginia Gentleman by Mary Mitchell Barnes. Great book but a serious, serious tearjerker. I can't remember a book where I cried as hard but then again it truly touched me. I recommend it to anyone who has ever had a once in a lifetime horse; a horse that has truly made a difference in your life.

[poltroon]

Another one that I've come to love that came from a suggestion here is Catch Rides (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=250) by Sara McAulay. Not only is it a window into the California horse scene of the 70's, but it also is a good window into how life has changed for women since then. It's quite well written, definitely literature, and it's mostly been forgotten, so you can find used copies cheap.

[Angel Undercover]

What happened to her mare?

I used to read and re-read the Mary o' Hara triology all of the way through high school and college.

Try a fugly search... I will see if I can find the link for you tonight.

[cranky]

Another one that I've come to love that came from a suggestion here is Catch Rides (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=250) by Sara McAulay. Not only is it a window into the California horse scene of the 70's, but it also is a good window into how life has changed for women since then. It's quite well written, definitely literature, and it's mostly been forgotten, so you can find used copies cheap.

OMG, I've been looking for this book for YEARS! I read in high school and I've been trying to remember the author and find it. I think I remembered the title correctly and haven't been able to bring it up on an Amazon search, but maybe having the author name will help. Thanks so much!

[poltroon]

What happened to her mare?

I used to read and re-read the Mary o' Hara triology all of the way through high school and college.

This is the thread about Jane Smiley's mare Waterwheel, featured in A Year at the Races.

http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=144574

Edited to add: the mare is fine and has a good home, but people are upset that she was sold in foal at auction for a low price with no reserve, and feel that Smiley didn't do her due diligence to ensure Waterwheel and her foal would go to a caring situation.

[poltroon]

OMG, I've been looking for this book for YEARS! I read in high school and I've been trying to remember the author and find it. I think I remembered the title correctly and haven't been able to bring it up on an Amazon search, but maybe having the author name will help. Thanks so much!

Follow my link for Catch Rides (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=250) and you go to ponydom.com which has a review and excerpt from it, and also contains a link over to Amazon, where today you can find copies starting at $2.05. :)

[poltroon]

I just read the Mountain's Call by Caitlin Brennan. Really a nice fantasy work revoloving around majestic white stallions as this race's Gods. Cool premise and interesting story.

I quite enjoyed the way she took essentially the Spanish Riding School and made it into a guild of magic users, with quadrille patterns being a way to cast extraordinary spells. All the horses in Judith Tarr's (Tarr/Brennan are the same person) books are clearly Lippizans; she's a breeder in addition and writes about them quite lyrically.

[Peggy]

Hearts of Horses (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=411) by Molly Gloss - young female horse breaker in rural Oregon ca 1917. Really gives you a feeling for the era.

I liked Lord of the Flies in HS and got an A++ or something like that on the paper with the comment "you really understand Golding." Perhaps not necessarily a good thing for a 16- y.o. girl. Not an easy teacher either--the infamous Rose Gilbert at Pali High who's still teaching there.

[hedmbl]

King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry are great. If you don't shed at least one tear at the end of the second one there's something wrong with you. :sadsmile:

.

My fave book as a kid was King of the Wind. My dad tracked down a rare copy complete with hand drawn/painted illustrations with gold leaf pages and gave it to me for my 8th bday, it's still one of my prized posessions. It might still rank in my all time favorite books although I haven't read it in several years. I did read it at least once a year from when I was five until I was 14 or 15 and cried every time. hmmm...off to pull my paperback copy off the shelf.

[poltroon]

Noooo, it's because we English teachers simply don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to read a book we love so much. I read books going "Man, I want all my kids to read this one..." And I have never taught "Lord of the Flies" because I haaaaaated it in high school. d;

Clearly, we need to figure out how to add some horse fiction to your reading list. :D :D

[SarahandSam]

Clearly, we need to figure out how to add some horse fiction to your reading list. :D :D

Hmm, we're doing a unit on differing viewpoints and perspectives right now... maybe I can work "Black Beauty" in. d; My students are kinda fascinated by my horse, since most of them have never seen one before and don't understand where I keep it ("Why don't you just chain him up in your backyard?")... they'd probably enjoy it...

[paulosey]

What about the Dorothy Potter-Benedict books featuring some Appaloosas, 'Pagan the Black', 'Fabulous', 'Bandoleer'. I read them in elementary school and wish I could get some copies and re-read them. They seem to be a figment of my imagination though, as I have had no luck finding copies.

[poltroon]

Hmm, we're doing a unit on differing viewpoints and perspectives right now... maybe I can work "Black Beauty" in. d; My students are kinda fascinated by my horse, since most of them have never seen one before and don't understand where I keep it ("Why don't you just chain him up in your backyard?")... they'd probably enjoy it...

Black Beauty is one of those books that turns out to be historically important even though we've come to think of it as a children's tale. In that way, I think it would be an excellent lesson, not just for the book itself, but how a book can be seminal for history and how some of these stories we take for granted were once daring and original. It also happens to be very readable, which I think is a plus for teaching grumpy, tired students. ;)

You might also look at KM Peyton. Her work is not as historically important, but she has written many quite wonderful coming of age novels and historical fiction based in Britain.

Kate Seredy's The Chestry Oak is a pretty interesting work, too, written about WW2 right after it ended, about a young prince whose castle is taken over by Nazis.

You might not necessarily teach these, but I think they'd be good on a list of "you can pick these for a book report" type books.

[poltroon]

Here's a book that I don't think has come up on these threads: November Grass (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=360), by Judy Van der Veer. I always thought her only book was "Hold the Rein Free" (with Mia and Tesoro), but I came across November Grass in my library. It was reprinted in 2001 via an arts grant as a piece of iconic California fiction, and it got a foreward from Ursula K. LeGuin.

It's set near Ramona, in the San Diego area, written in 1940, when Ramona was way in the sticks, far far away from The Big City. It's more about setting than plot, but it's a very effective description of the open spaces of wild California, which I also experienced, but in a later decade in a different place.

Ursula K. Le Guin writes, "Van der Veer gives us a rural landscape as deeply known and lived in as Willa Cather's Nebraska or Sarah Jewett's Maine. The valley ranches of John Steinbeck's Red Pony and East of Eden are natural comparisons, but Van der Veer's picture is truer, I think, to the patient obscurity of the lives and deaths of those who live on and from this austere land.... Pain, suffering, grief are intense in her story, but not more intense than tenderness and praise."

[Sargentmajor]

There was a book I read years ago..pre 1980 I think, about a girl who does eventing. She and her horse had a wreck and she's working toward some big competition with this nervous horse named Maestro. I think the name of it was "three Day Challenge" but I'm not sure as have received no results when searching for it under that title. And of course I don't remember the author! Does anybody remember this book?

[poltroon]

There was a book I read years ago..pre 1980 I think, about a girl who does eventing. She and her horse had a wreck and she's working toward some big competition with this nervous horse named Maestro. I think the name of it was "three Day Challenge" but I'm not sure as have received no results when searching for it under that title. And of course I don't remember the author! Does anybody remember this book?

Three Day Challenge (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=161) by Joan S. Weir. Eighteen year old Janey is trying out for the Canadian eventing team with her horse, Storm, who has a lightning bolt marking. She calls him Maestro as a pet name. They've had a fall and so they're quite concerned about downhill jumps, but she must make the team in the upcoming competition, or, without her knowledge, her brothers will sell off part of the ranch to a developer (and father of a fellow compeititor), to raise money for her to train.

I giggled, because ponydom has a random suggestion feature, and that happened to be the book suggested!

[Sargentmajor]

Three Day Challenge (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=161) by Joan S. Weir. Eighteen year old Janey is trying out for the Canadian eventing team with her horse, Storm, who has a lightning bolt marking. She calls him Maestro as a pet name. They've had a fall and so they're quite concerned about downhill jumps, but she must make the team in the upcoming competition, or, without her knowledge, her brothers will sell off part of the ranch to a developer (and father of a fellow compeititor), to raise money for her to train.

I giggled, because ponydom has a random suggestion feature, and that happened to be the book suggested!

Oh thank you, thank you thank you!!!! You have no idea how long I have searched for this book! As I remember it was one of the few horse books I read that wasn't completely cheesy! Now how do I get a copy? Amazon doesn't have it.

[poltroon]

Oh thank you, thank you thank you!!!! You have no idea how long I have searched for this book! As I remember it was one of the few horse books I read that wasn't completely cheesy!

You're welcome! It's one of my favorites, too.

Another book you might like, if you like eventing fiction, is A New Horse for Marny (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=163), set in Australia.

[BAC]

I was trying to gather information about books by Jane McIlvaine McClary to enter at ponydom (http://www.ponydom.com/books/index.html), but other than A Portion for Foxes, I have not been able to find descriptions. Can anyone help me with:

Cammie's Choice
Cammie's Challenge
Cammie's Cousin
Maggie Royal (is this a horse book?)
The Sea Sprite (is this a horse book?)

Do you still need this info? I have all the Cammie books and could get the descriptions off the jacket covers I think. The first is about Cammie learning to ride and ends with her first foxhunt, Challenge is about pony club regionals, Cammie's club goes to the finals on LI, and in Cousin Cammie visits Ireland and meets a wild pony.

There was a childrens/young adult book by the name of Sea Sprite and it was about a boat or sailboat, not sure if its the same one you are referring to.

Maggie Royal is listed on Barnes & Noble's website under used books, you could email the seller and ask.

[poltroon]

Do you still need this info? I have all the Cammie books and could get the descriptions off the jacket covers I think. The first is about Cammie learning to ride and ends with her first foxhunt, Challenge is about pony club regionals, Cammie's club goes to the finals on LI, and in Cousin Cammie visits Ireland and meets a wild pony.

There was a childrens/young adult book by the name of Sea Sprite and it was about a boat or sailboat, not sure if its the same one you are referring to.

Maggie Royal is listed on Barnes & Noble's website under used books, you could email the seller and ask.

Yes, please, I still need it! :D

[BAC]

I got this description from Barnes & Noble website about Cammie's Challenge.

"Now having become an expert horsewoman, Cammie faces the challenge of pony rallies. First she must work long and hard to bring out the best in her own horse, Sabrina; and then the two of them go at it. First on the local level, then for the whole state of Virginia and finally in the national pony rally, Cammie and Sabrina show their stuff..."

[cranky]

I want to thank everyone for their contributions to this thread! I am an avid reader, as well as a horse lover, and as a recent "re-rider" I am so looking forward to helping to satisfy my horse crazy appetite with some good, horsey reading. And now I will have a good stack of books to start working through. I am so happy.

[slpeders]

wow - I'll checking out the library tomorrow - -thank!
No one mentione Carolyn Banks though...her dressage mysteries are great fun, and will forever be the source of my dressage ring mnemonic: A Killer Enzyme Harmed Crazy Ms Banks' Face (small ring) and A Killer Vicious Enzyme Seriously Harmed Mr Raul Bank's Precious Face (large ring). Loaned my books to my then-trainer and never saw them again. :(

[Reynard Ridge]

Loaned my books to my then-trainer and never saw them again. :(


Buy new ones. The author will thank you. ;) (1)

(1) Not really, of course, but ultimately sales are a great way to send an anonymous kind of thank you. :yes:

[skatepixie]

LOL I have a funny story about Jilly Cooper's Riders. My friend grabbed it off the shelf at BN as a joke because the cover is so risque. I started reading it, liked it, bought it. LOL. He still makes fun for me for liking it because he opened it up to a scene with an orgy. I skipped that part, lol.

Here's the cover if you haven't seen it:
http://www.amazon.com/Riders-Jilly-Cooper/dp/0743297008/ref=pd_sim_b_4

[slpeders]

good advice RR -- I should start picking them up again when I see them because I see them less and less often! I think there are four...

I *was* able to score a copy of "The Chestry Oak" though, from a 2nd-hand bookseller after hearing about it from someone at a book sale. Very good read, as folks have already mentioned. Of course, I spent quite a while looking for "The Chess Tree Oak" before I found out I had the title wrong! oops.

very excited to hear about a new Rita Mae book AND a new $700 Pony book -- woohoo!!

[riverbell93]

What about the Dorothy Potter-Benedict books featuring some Appaloosas, 'Pagan the Black', 'Fabulous', 'Bandoleer'. I read them in elementary school and wish I could get some copies and re-read them. They seem to be a figment of my imagination though, as I have had no luck finding copies.

Have you tried Bookfinder?

http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?author=Dorothy+Potter-Benedict+&title=&lang=en&submit=Begin+search&new_used=*&destination=us&currency=USD&mode=basic&st=sr&ac=qr

[BAC]

Poltroon, please PM your email and I will scan the descriptions from the book jackets to you. It will be much quicker than typing each description on the BB.

[Sargentmajor]

I ordered another book I read as a kid was Old Bones. True story about a race horse called Exterminator, set in the 20's or 30's I think. Really quick read but just as good as I remembered it!:D

[poltroon]

Poltroon, please PM your email and I will scan the descriptions from the book jackets to you. It will be much quicker than typing each description on the BB.

You have a pm. :D

[poltroon]

LOL I have a funny story about Jilly Cooper's Riders. My friend grabbed it off the shelf at BN as a joke because the cover is so risque. I started reading it, liked it, bought it. LOL. He still makes fun for me for liking it because he opened it up to a scene with an orgy. I skipped that part, lol.

Here's the cover if you haven't seen it:
http://www.amazon.com/Riders-Jilly-Cooper/dp/0743297008/ref=pd_sim_b_4

"Riders" is very popular, but I'm not really a fan because I find the characters to all be fairly unlikable.

My friends make fun of me because like clockwork, I pick up every single book in a bookstore with a horse on the cover. :D I protest that I don't usually buy them unless they actually look good.

The last one I picked up (and bought) is called "Out Stealing Horses" by Per Petterson. It looks quite interesting, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet, and I'm not sure if it's a horse book or not. It's from Norway, and I tend to enjoy reading novels from new and different settings.

[winter]

I loved the racehorse books as a kid, and the mention of 'Old Bones' really brought me back. There was another that was the same sort of binding that was called 'Black Gold' .

[poltroon]

I loved the racehorse books as a kid, and the mention of 'Old Bones' really brought me back. There was another that was the same sort of binding that was called 'Black Gold' .

Black Gold is one of the Marguerite Henry/Wesley Dennis books.

[ace**]

I just read In & Out by Barbara Moss. It's a fun read, focuses on an "unknown" trainer making it to the WEG. The first chapter was all "romance" no horses, but it gets better after that.
http://www.amazon.ca/Out-Barbara-Moss/dp/0976519836/ref=pd_sim_b_3

[horsegirl888]

I would definitely reccommend Horseplay, by Judy Reene Singer- very possibly THE funniest book I have ever read. I cannot read it in public because I can never avoid laughing out loud all the way through it. Great book.

Also, The God of Animals, by Aryn Kyle- lovely writing and a powerful, powerful story. An amazing, eye-opening read.

[poltroon]

Thank you, BAC, for sending me the full jacket copy for all three Cammie books, which are now listed on ponydom.com (http://www.ponydom.com/books/results.html?author=Jane%20McIlvaine%20McClary). :D

I notice the jacket for Cammie's Choice (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=418) talks about Jane McIlvaine as already being a "celebrated author" of horse stories. It looks like more titles are "Copper's Chance (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=422)" and "Cintra's Challenge (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=421)".

[BAC]

Thank you, BAC, for sending me the full jacket copy for all three Cammie books, which are now listed on ponydom.com (http://www.ponydom.com/books/results.html?author=Jane%20McIlvaine%20McClary). :D

I notice the jacket for Cammie's Choice (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=418) talks about Jane McIlvaine as already being a "celebrated author" of horse stories. It looks like more titles are "Copper's Chance" and "Cintra's Challenge".

Yes, she wrote quite a few horse books for young girls including the Cammie series and A Portion for Foxes.

I sent you the illustrated covers separately, didn't realize in your first request that you wanted them.

[poltroon]

Thank you again, BAC! I got the cover images and I'll put them up this weekend. So I have:

A Portion for Foxes
Cammie's Challenge
Cammie's Choice
Cammie's Cousin
Cintra's Challenge
Copper's Chance

And I have a cover image in the wings for all but Cintra's Challenge. I found other titles by McIlvaine, but I could not verify whether or not they were horsey.

[BAC]

Thank you again, BAC! I got the cover images and I'll put them up this weekend. So I have:

A Portion for Foxes
Cammie's Challenge
Cammie's Choice
Cammie's Cousin
Cintra's Challenge
Copper's Chance

And I have a cover image in the wings for all but Cintra's Challenge. I found other titles by McIlvaine, but I could not verify whether or not they were horsey.

I have Cintra's Challenge but without the jacket cover, also Copper's Chance was also published as Blue Ribbon Romance. Sea Sprite is about sailing, the Jennifer books are not horsey either.

[eventer_mi]

I just read the Mountain's Call by Caitlin Brennan. Really a nice fantasy work revoloving around majestic white stallions as this race's Gods. Cool premise and interesting story.

Oh wow, this just goes to show how much we differ in our likes/dislikes in literature. I HATED the Mountain's Callo. Thought the writing was silly and insipid, very elementary. I was very disappointed as it definitely sounded promising.

Some that haven't been mentioned:

Jane Smiley's Barn Blind. I actually liked this a bit better than Horse Heaven, but I loved that one, too.

Someone mentioned Mercedes Lackey's books, the Valdemar series. I'm pretty picky about my fanstasy novels (the writing is so often incredibly POOR), but I thorougly enjoy each and every one of her Heralds of Valedemar books.

Someone also mentioned Jody Jaffe. I love mysteries, and these are great fun! I wish she'd write more.

I can't remember who wrote the latest Seabiscuit (something-Hillebrand, was it Lauren?), but her writing is wonderful. Her prose reads like a good non-fiction tale.

Although a lot of people didn't like it, mostly because the book is about his adoration of his blonde, ex-model wife who cleans up at the lower levels of eventing and they have unlimited funds to pour into her sport, Michael Korda's "Horse People: Scenes from the Riding Life" was very entertaining. I loved his description of his first time foxhunting, and all the drama surrounding the Claremont Stables in NY.

"Show Stopper" by Mary Monica Pulver is a pretty decent horsey mystery. Deals with show Arabs and a murder, and for the most part, the details are quite accurate.

"Beautiful Jim Key" by Mim Eichler Rivas is good if you liked Laura Hillebrand's "Seabiscuit". It's non-fiction, about a former slave, Dr. William Key and his horse, Jim, who could read, write, spell, and do math. The way he loved his horse is very touching.

There's another book called "In the Presence of Horses" by Barbara Dimmick that's pretty interesting - not a must-read, but if you come across it, worth picking up. You want to shake the main character, though, for her wallowing in self-pity.

Wasn't there sort of an anti-Black Beauty story called "Sweet William", or something like that, by John Hawkes? Features a crotchety old horse telling the tale of his life. Pretty well-written.

Oh, and I, too, loved "Lord of the Flies", love Dickens (don't care much for Jane Austen, although I love the movies made off her books), love "Light in August" by Faulkner, once I was mature enough to understand it, love anything by Steinbeck (even the Red Pony, but I had to forgive him for killing it off), and my favorite author right now is Amy Tan, if that gives you any idea of my taste in fiction.

[grayarabpony]

OMG you liked Light in August?? :eek:

20 years later just remembering the book I still hate it. :lol:

[Rienzi]

"The Black Stallion" -- good book, but how many times does he have to use the word "arrogant?"
"National Velvet" the book, not really a kid's book, lots of deeper meanings.
"The Horsemasters"
"Danza!"
"Golden Mare"
"A Horse Came Running"
"My Friend Flicka" the book!

Hokey horse books: anything by Max Brand

As for "children's literature" like "The Red Pony" and "Lord of the Flies" -- ha! i remember when I had to read "The Old Man and the Sea". Yeah, that's sure to get kids interested in reading! I didn't even read the middle section, and we had a multiple choice test on that section. I just looked at the choices and anylized (sp) the author: "OK, which of these choices is the most boring, and worst thing that could have happened?" I got a 100 on the test!

As I said in another thread, I am convinced there is a powerful secret group named Subjecting Kids to Awful Books (SKAB) that sends out these recommended reading lists!

[ravenclaw]

I don't have any horsey books to add, but I just wanted to say I agree about people maturing into certain books and authors. I HATED Shakespeare in high school. We studied one of his plays every year. I always thought they were boring and stupid and impossible to understand. Fast forward a few years. I took a Shakespeare's Tragedies class in college (only because I needed an English class and it was the only one available during the time slot I needed). I really enjoyed the class and I didn't find the plays to be boring or hard to understand anymore.

Freshman year in high school, we read "Great Expectations." I hated it.

Senior year, we read "A Tale of Two Cities." I liked it.

Also hated in high school: "The Scarlet Letter," "The Sea Wolf," "The Red Badge of Courage."

Liked: "Lord of the Flies" and "The Great Gatsby"

Loved: "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Tess of the d'Urbevilles"

[Proffie]

Does anyone remember "Vicki and the Brown Mare" by Sam Savitt? I loved that book, and still re-read it occasionally now (in my 30's). Very technically accurate and a great story for hunter/jumper riders.

I also loved a book called "A Horse Called Summer"... don't remember the author, maybe Jean Slaughter Doty?

[archieflies]

Sorry, I've only read the first page, but thought I'd chime in. For some reason, I HATED Sara Gruen (I only read the first one of her books) and Barbara Dimmick when I read them several year ago. I remember thinking Dimmick was a talented writer, but still hated the book (In the Presence of Horses). I seem to remember a lot of sap and trying too hard to be "deep."

Read and enjoyed Horseplay, but it requires a lot of "looking the other way" as to the horsey details. Seriously, I wish dressage could be learned so easily.

I sort of enjoyed Dark Horse and didn't realize that Tammy Hoag had written more horsey books. I'll give the other one a try.

I loved, loved, loved Horse Heaven. Before reading that I only enjoyed horse racing as far as watching the Derby and reading Dick Francis books. Horse Heaven is what actually brought me out to the track (and the betting window). Thanks, Ms. Smiley, you've made a gambler out of me.

When I ran out of Dick Francis books, I started reading some John Francome. I really liked one that I can't remember the name of (Inside Track, or something like that), but haven't yet been able to get into reading Stud Poker, which has been sitting on my shelf for a year or two.

Small library in a small town doesn't get too much in stock, but I don't like actually buying books unless I know for sure that I'll like them. I also find that a lot of horse books try to throw in a lot of bad language to, I guess, prove that they're "serious" books and not just cute horse stories. I've put down many a horse book because I just have trouble reading any book that starts off with using the F-word more than once on the first page. But maybe that's just me.

I mostly just live for the next Rita Mae Brown book. She really should be cloned so the books can come out more rapidly.

ETA: I forgot to add... For a slightly-horsey, loose on the details story, I loved a book called Around Again about a girl working at a pony ride place for the summer. It was by Suzanne Strempek Shea or something close to that. It really struck home due to a similar experience with a similar summer job, and the second I finished it I put it in the mail to a friend I had worked with. I wish I had it to read again!

[archieflies]

Clearly, we need to figure out how to add some horse fiction to your reading list. :D :D

Many schools use All the Pretty Horses, if that counts!

I'm in a school that discourages using novels in the classroom (don't ask... :rolleyes:), but I do keep a shelf that is well-stocked with horse books for my 8th graders. It's amazing how some of the rough-tough gangsters will pick up Black Beauty and read it. :)

Oh, and I HATED Lord of the Flies and Fahrenheit 451. Tried reading F451 again this summer because my students have it for summer reading before 9th grade... I couldn't offer them any encouragement. It's still just as awful as ever. I burned LOTF both times I read it. Hated Tess too. The last scene still gives me the creeps. My all-time favorite school books? Great Gatsby, Great Expectations, Grapes of Wrath (excluding the final, creepy, chapter), and (most of all) Alas, Babylon. Oh! And The Importance of Being Ernest!! I'm also a Jane Austen person... even suffered my way through Mansfield Park, which only a true fan could bring themself to do. :) I would love to teach AP Lit someday, when I look older than the students. Heck, I still have a hard time looking older than my 8th graders. But I'm the dork that went to an AP Institute and actually sat and read all the sample essays that the grader provided. The instructor made fun of me.:)

[Ponyclubrocks]

Wasn't there sort of an anti-Black Beauty story called "Sweet William", or something like that, by John Hawkes? Features a crotchety old horse telling the tale of his life. Pretty well-written.



Someone gave me Sweet William 10+ years ago and I did not enjoy it in the least. It was the anti-sentimentalist view of a horses life...come to think of it I can think of a few posters on COTH (not necessarily on this particular thread) who epitomize the same view point! They would love the book....:lol:

[poltroon]

Someone gave me Sweet William 10+ years ago and I did not enjoy it in the least. It was the anti-sentimentalist view of a horses life...come to think of it I can think of a few posters on COTH (not necessarily on this particular thread) who epitomize the same view point! They would love the book....:lol:

I didn't particularly like it either. Somehow I never found any of the characters (including the horse) all that sympathetic - but it's definitely interesting as a piece of writing, and wondering WHY I never got into it. It's a little like Black Beauty except that the horse is a jerk and knows he's a jerk.

[poltroon]

Does anyone remember "Vicki and the Brown Mare" by Sam Savitt? I loved that book, and still re-read it occasionally now (in my 30's). Very technically accurate and a great story for hunter/jumper riders.

Yes, that's a terrific one. It's a sequel to Vicki and the Black Horse (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=17), which is good, but not quite as good as the Brown Mare (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=18).

One of the things that I really appreciated about it was that Vicki, as good and tough and well taught and as talented as she was, found the end of her talent riding Skylark. That's unusual in horse stories, where there are far too many examples of 'our Mighty Heroine winning first place at her first show -- next stop the Olympic games.'

[poltroon]

Small library in a small town doesn't get too much in stock, but I don't like actually buying books unless I know for sure that I'll like them. I also find that a lot of horse books try to throw in a lot of bad language to, I guess, prove that they're "serious" books and not just cute horse stories. I've put down many a horse book because I just have trouble reading any book that starts off with using the F-word more than once on the first page. But maybe that's just me.

My library is also small, but it's hooked into a larger three-county system that happens to have a lot of horse books. The catalog is even online, so it's easy for me to find and request books from home. You might see if your library has something similar.

Anything marked "Young Adult" will be safe from the language (and also explicit romance), and there's a lot of good horsey lit there. You might enjoy KM Peyton, for example.

The recent release, The Hearts of Horses (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=411), is also one you might try. It's a western setting, and it's kind of slow and sweet (with some sadness), but a nice piece of literature.

[archieflies]

Wait, I forgot my favorite horse book ever!

Robert the Rose Horse!

Apparently, I was hooked on it when I was a toddler. I never knew of this until Mom started reading it to my nieces. But I love it now! Robert is a allergic to roses, so he has to find a new job, and he ends up saving the day as a police horse. It's great!

[MHM]

I just found out there is a new Dick Francis book out. It's another one written with his son. I think the title is Silks.

Add me to the list of Red Pony haters from way back. I just thought of that one recently- one horse I ride is very wary of crows, and I wondered if somebody had read that awful story to him! :lol:

[Peggy]

One that I found out about on one of these threads, bought used in PB for about $2, and really enjoyed is The Monday Horses (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=12) by Jean Slaughter Doty.

I bought Robert the Rose horse for one of my nephews, back when it was more age-appropriate. He's now a senior in HS! One of the kids at my barn hated Fahrenheit-451 so much that she did a You-Tube.

[SarahandSam]

One that I found out about on one of these threads, bought used in PB for about $2, and really enjoyed is The Monday Horses (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=12) by Jean Slaughter Doty.

I bought Robert the Rose horse for one of my nephews, back when it was more age-appropriate. He's now a senior in HS! One of the kids at my barn hated Fahrenheit-451 so much that she did a You-Tube.

I loved "The Monday Horses," my sister-in-law just bought me a copy last Christmas because I was waxing nostalgic about it... I love "Fahrenheit-451" and Ray Bradbury, though--I did that with my freshmen a few years ago and they liked the ideas, but wanted him to just get to the dang point with all the description. Sigh.

[BAC]

And I have a cover image in the wings for all but Cintra's Challenge. I found other titles by McIlvaine, but I could not verify whether or not they were horsey.

Turns out I do have a jacket cover for Cintra's Challenge but I forgot to bring it to work, I will try to remember to bring it tomorrow and scan it to you.

Has anyone mentioned The Horsemasters and the Blue Mare books? These and the Cammie's are my all time favorite young adult horse books.

[MTshowjumper]

I have a few to add to the list with a bit of a fantasy leaning. These are out of print, but you should be able to find them on amazon or ebay. I highly recommend Mary Stanton's Heavenly Horse From the Outer Most West, and the sequel Piper At The Gates. I love these books and read them regularly, they are both told from the horses point of view.

Just this weekend I read Roberta MacAvoy's The Grey Horse. I stayed up to 2am reading because I couldn't put it down! Great book, and a lot of fun to read.

[poltroon]

Has anyone read Legends Lake (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=236) by JoAnn Ross? The plot description looks a little cheesy, but it does have a nice picture of a horse on the cover. :D

[poltroon]

Wait, I forgot my favorite horse book ever!

Robert the Rose Horse!

Apparently, I was hooked on it when I was a toddler. I never knew of this until Mom started reading it to my nieces. But I love it now! Robert is a allergic to roses, so he has to find a new job, and he ends up saving the day as a police horse. It's great!

I still have my childhood copy. But I've gotten a little tired of it because of the period where my Dear Sweet Daughter had me read it to her twice a night for about 10 days. Then I hid it. :D

I found it exhausting to read aloud with all those sneezes. :D

[TrakGeorge]

Not sure if they were mentioned...but I LOVED James Herroit books (ie: All Creatures Great and Small)....I read all of them in 7/8th grade.....and have re-read them over the years. Still waiting and hoping for one to uncovered. :winkgrin:

Also for history/civil war buffs...I also loved Traveller by Richard Adams (the same guy who wrote Watership Down with the bunnies) about the civil war from General Robert E. Lee horse's point of view.

[poltroon]

Also for history/civil war buffs...I also loved Traveller by Richard Adams (the same guy who wrote Watership Down with the bunnies) about the civil war from General Robert E. Lee horse's point of view.

Somehow Traveller didn't do it for me, but I loved Mr. Revere and I (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=184), by Robert Lawson. I was a little sad when I found out that Revere rode a borrowed horse, and her name was probably not Scheherazade, though.

[poltroon]

Beameup: I finally had a chance to read Still Life With Elephant (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=397) and it's fantastic. I loved Horseplay (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=256), but this one is even better. Definitely now one of my favorite horse novels; I'm only sorry I didn't read it sooner!

I hope there's a third novel on its way.
</shameless plug> :D

[eventer_mi]

OHMYGOD - "Watership Down" is my all-time favorite book. I didn't like his others so much (THe Plague Dogs, etc) but I was introduced to Watership Down in middle school, and have read it once a year since. Wonderful writing, and you sort of forget that he's writing from the bunny point of view (laugh if you want - it's a great book and not the least bit child-like).

I know it's not a horsey book, but all animal lovers who love good writing should read it. It's as timeless as Black Beauty.

PS - loved the Jean Slaughter Doty books, mostly because they WEREN'T all sunshine and ribbons. Remember "Dark Horse"? In the end, she leaves you wondering if the title character is going to be put down. LOVED "Can I Get There By Candlelight?" I have always wanted to name a white pony Candlelight for that very book.

Also loved "The Brown Mare" - great ending. Girl realizes that the horse is better than she is and sells her on to someone who can truly showcase the mare's talents. Talk about realism.

Just finished "Riding Lessons". Not bad at all. First piece of adult horsey fiction that I actually enjoyed from start to finish, although at times I really had to work to like the main character.

[beameup]

oh thank you, poltroon, i love shameless plugs! and yep, i signed a contract with HarperMorrow to write the sequel to Still Life, to be called An Inconvenient Elephant. more horsies and ellies! (writing it as we speak!)

[Coreene]

Beameup, I can't wait!

The new Rita Mae Brown - Hounded to Death - just arrived today. So after the barn tonight, I'm off on another Sister Jane adventure! :D

[SarahandSam]

PS - loved the Jean Slaughter Doty books, mostly because they WEREN'T all sunshine and ribbons.

Agreed--very realistic and honest. I loved "The Monday Horses" even though it shattered some illusions for me.

[poltroon]

oh thank you, poltroon, i love shameless plugs! and yep, i signed a contract with HarperMorrow to write the sequel to Still Life, to be called An Inconvenient Elephant. more horsies and ellies! (writing it as we speak!)

Oh, I am very pleased to hear it. I look forward to reading it! :D

[Foxtrot's]

Thanks Mods - for listening to your COTHers - as usual. A permanent reference will be great.

[Foxtrot's]

My now grown up daughter is an avid reader - thanks to her friend who gave her Jilly Cooper's Riders to read when she was about l3 years old. Her first long, lusty novel, but she developed into a reader with wide, eclectic tastes and a BA in English - all thanks to Jilly Cooper!

[Wellspotted]

I ordered another book I read as a kid was Old Bones. True story about a race horse called Exterminator, set in the 20's or 30's I think. Really quick read but just as good as I remembered it!:D

I read that book. Exterminator won the Kentucky Derby in 1918.

I looked for Black Gold for a present for a young relative a couple of years ago. I was amazed when I couldn't find it at Barnes & Noble, or Born to Trot. I think both of those are classics and should always be in print and on shelves for people to buy. B&N did have King of the Wind.

I remember getting so irritated years ago when I saw a copy of Born to Trot in a book store. Lovely cover illustration ... of a pacer! :eek: :no:

[Angel Undercover]

I preordered the new Rite Mae Brown book from amazon a few weeks ago, I actually have a day off on Sunday so I can't wait to curl up and read it!!

[HappyTalk]

Some books from my horsey collection that I have enjoyed:

Bluegrass by Borden Deal: TB breeding in Kentucky

Dead Horses by Pat Hewitt: Standardbred Racing mystery. This one was written by someone in the industry

The Last Virginia Gentleman by Michael Kilian: Timber Racing and environmental politics. Set in Virginia

Enjoy!!!

[Larksmom]

About kids books: way back "in the day" when I was a mere pup, there were many, many, well written horse fiction books geared to the teenager. Many were illustrated by Sam Savitt or Paul Brown and were beautiful and so accurate. Names are hard to come up with now but I wonder if one were to Googel the illustrators...... Pamela and the Grey Mare was a small series one of which the pair were trying out for the Olympic 3 day event but couldn't make the actual team since in those days no women! Copper's Chance is another book. The theme in these, even though but different authours, were of a young girl of less than great circumstances, was able to become a winner with a difficult horse. CW Anderson who was also and amazing artist, wrote some again, wonderfully accurate, Afraid to Ride comes to mind. (from his drawings, you want to OWN that horse! Think Billy and Blaze!!!!) I remeber another series about the "Rose gray Arabian stallion" one where he becomes a top class cutting horse and another, Arabs being amazingly versitile, gets a spot on the 3day team, all of course with his teenage boy owner!
Fun reads all and probably would still be so these days!


I think you are thinking of Smoke Rings. maybe by Dorthy Lyons. This was one of my favorites. The research was done by James Wofford's dad I think.

[poltroon]

I think you are thinking of Smoke Rings. maybe by Dorthy Lyons. This was one of my favorites. The research was done by James Wofford's dad I think.

I didn't know about Smoke Rings. I Googled it and found this synopsis:

Ginny Atkins's quick thinking saved a stranger and the horse he rode in on, but little did she know this act of kindness would change the very course of her life. After her courageous actions, Ginniy found herself the new owner of Smoke Rings, the stranger's Thoroughbred hunter, and actually approaching her dream to be a member of the U.S. Olympic Equestrian Team.

Of course, it turns out to be another dreadfully expensive title.

[copper1]

Just for the fun of it I bought a couple of kids books off ebay, CW Anderson's "Afraid to Ride" and "Lonesome Little Colt" and Jean Slaughter Doty's "Summer Pony" illustrated by Sam Savitt. Books were so good in those days and simple and accurate!

[cj30080]

Dorothy Lyons also wrote Bluegrass Champion (Harlequin Hullabaloo) which is about a girl with an American Saddlebred. Also, I remember reading Smokey the Cow Horse by Will James. Lastly, I remember a series called The Timber Trail Riders for young adults.

[poltroon]

I just noticed that Jean Slaughter Doty's "Summer Pony" and "Winter Pony" are back in print in new editions in a reading series labeled "Stepping Stones." I'm glad to see that her stories will be presented to a new generation of readers... but my mind rebels at the new illustrator, after years of the Sam Savitt cover.

The good news is that it is a really nice new cover (and with an accurate pinto pattern), other than the fact that it's different. :D

http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Pony-Stepping-Stone-Book/dp/037584709X/?tag=widgetsamazon-20

[hey101]

I loved those books, but her best book is Water For Elephants which was on the NY Times Bestseller List. Fantastic book and it does have horses in it, it just doesn't center around a horse.

Well how 'bout it. I loved Water for Elephants and had no idea the author also wrote horse-themed stories. Will have to check it out. Same with Traveller- Watership Down is one of my all-time favs as well, had no idea R. Adams had written a similar book from a horse's POV.

Only read the first two and last two pages of the thread so apologies if already mentioned... I didn't see Seabiscuit on here, by Laura Hillenbrand. I thought that was really a well-done book. A lot of my non-horsey friends read it and liked it as well (I disliked the movie though...)

Will have to check out Rita Mae Brown too since she seems to be getting rave reviews. :)

[Mozart]

My book club is doing this book right now; I am really enjoying it. Thought I might get Riding Lessons and Flying Changes....okay, how badly are the riding inaccuracies going to bug me? Will the quality of the writing help me overcome that?

[Ponyclubrocks]

Flying Changes was a bit better than Riding Lessons (IMHO) but both of them are very unrealistic regarding skill levels of the kid and horse etc. Ridiculous scene in Flying Changes when the daughter takes her first ride on the un-rideable Nakota horse and proceeds in 15 minutes to execute Grand Prix level dressage moves.... bleh!!!!!

[Mozart]

Flying Changes was a bit better than Riding Lessons (IMHO) but both of them are very unrealistic regarding skill levels of the kid and horse etc. Ridiculous scene in Flying Changes when the daughter takes her first ride on the un-rideable Nakota horse and proceeds in 15 minutes to execute Grand Prix level dressage moves.... bleh!!!!!

Okay thanks. You just saved me the cost of two books and shipping. No, I'm not going to be able overlook that. :no: That is just tooo much.

[poltroon]

I came across a new one, courtesy of my time manning the Scholastic Book Fair for my daughter's school.

Paint The Wind (http://www.ponydom.com/books/book.html?id=436) by Pam Muñoz Ryan

It's set in Wyoming, with the main characters being an orphaned girl and the mustang mare her mother once rode. It's a lovely book, a tearjerker, but well written, and it reminds me of the wonderful, well-written, standalone books I remember from my childhood and Scholastic. Definitely an adult-worthy read.

[lizathenag]

http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/2409/

It is a quick read and worth every second.

[Susan P]

Actually Flying Changes is loosely based on a Chester County Nokota horse named Moonshadow aka Max. Sara met him at the Equne Affaire in MA at this time of year since it's going on right now. Maybe she's up there looking for a future horse to write about. Smokey Joe is basically Max. Max has remarkable talent in fact. He's an incredible jumper. He was used in a presentation at the American Gold Cup the last year it was held at Devon. To my knowledge he has not been used in serious competition but when being exercised and training him to jump he doesn't bother with the landing between the in and outs, he just jumped the whole space according to his trainer. He's a handsome blue roan and his owners are often seen lounging on him in the pasture. But this is not something just anyone can do with him. Nokota horses are unique in their personalities. Many of the Traditional types are more serious and take their relationships with people that way. These horses have had close relationships with their Lakota owners over 100 years ago in the late 1800's. I have 3 Nokota horses. One is a Traditional type and he is definitely more serious about things that the 2 Ranch types I have. But all of them really bond to individuals and are loyal to death.

You can read more about them in www.nokotahorse.org (http://www.nokotahorse.org) and if you want to see the inspiration for Flying Changes go to http://www.willowmayfarm.com/boarding_services/max.htm

Nokota horses are unrideable unless the let you ride them. They are very willing and want to partner with you, but don't cross them. They have incredible jumping ability which has never been put to the extreme test. They love open space, they tolerate ring work. I've never known a Nokota not to love to run in an open field and still have brakes when you want to stop. My oldest Nokota is 12 and when I seriously want him to stop no matter what he's up to I firmly say NO, WHOA, HO or pretty much anything ending in O, LOL. I don't have to have even a halter or be near him and it works but I'm not sure why. I just have to be firm and serious. I've seen him do some pretty cool dressage moves but he wasn't asked to do them, oh well. He was actually avoiding doing something else.

It would be great to find someone to work with a very talented Nokota who can bring out the best in them but so far they only have a few of us who are not that high level.

http://www.nokotahorse.org/store/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=11

The Dressage Riders Survival Guide (http://www.nokotahorse.org/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=19) This might be a book for those DQ's with a sense of humor.



Flying Changes was a bit better than Riding Lessons (IMHO) but both of them are very unrealistic regarding skill levels of the kid and horse etc. Ridiculous scene in Flying Changes when the daughter takes her first ride on the un-rideable Nakota horse and proceeds in 15 minutes to execute Grand Prix level dressage moves.... bleh!!!!!

[poltroon]

I think maybe there's a terminology disconnect on the jumping prowess of the Nokota. I can believe that a bounce might be jumped in one effort by an unusually athletic individual (not that you'd want to encourage that!), but there's no way a 24' one stride, at height, could be jumped in a single leap by any horse. :)

[Susan P]

I think she said it was 8-9 feet apart which I thought was amazing. She set it up to try to force him to not take such large strides and to force him to land and jump again.

I wasn't there but she's said that he's just done some incredible jumping at her barn. My point is that they have jumped some amazing heights and widths. That doesn't mean what was in the book is accurate though. Not making any outlandsih claims. For drama I suppose there was exaggeration. But they are very athletic. The terrain they came from is very rugged, the Little Missouri Badlands of North Dakota. They've acquired extreme skills over generations for survival sake. But even when Sitting Bull's people had them they chose only the most athletic to breed. They put them through extreme tests to find the most athletic horses. Then they were tested again by nature in the Badlands. Only the fastest, most agile and skillful at eluding danger and capture survived.

Now I'm embarrassed to tell you that my 16.2 H built like a brick Nokota has completely turned from facing front to back in my little 2 horse bumper pull but he did. My bad. He was such a pain to load and I had only 1 mile to haul him. My husband drove the trailer and I fought him to get on. As soon as he got inside I didn't bother to tie his head just told my husband to get him out of here, down the road. As soon as he started driving away I followed only to watch him watching me in the car behind him. Yes, the trailer took a beating but this guy is so wide that you could not imagine how he did it. He had to almost bend in half. Believe me, I learned my lesson. I never imagined he could have done that. These are naturally very agile horses.

I've watched a stallion in ND try to get over a 12 ft. wall, he actually even tried. He got hurt by the pole at the top of the wall but he was determined. I think the reason some of the horses do amazing things is their determination to get away from danger. The roundups are evidence of that. It's always been escape or die. So when a stallion called Nacona fought valiently during the auction after the round up then Dr. Castle McLaughlin had to out bid who she thought were kill buyers but it was actually the Kuntz brothers bidding on him to preserve the type. They've worked together for their preservation ever since. These horses don't give up when faced with an 8 ft. obstacle, they will go for it. They may not make it but they will try. They also seem to enjoy jumping.



I think maybe there's a terminology disconnect on the jumping prowess of the Nokota. I can believe that a bounce might be jumped in one effort by an unusually athletic individual (not that you'd want to encourage that!), but there's no way a 24' one stride, at height, could be jumped in a single leap by any horse. :)

[Nezzy]

i am 2/3 of the way thru Riders, Recommended on this thread. I got it used at amazon for About $7 total for shipping and the book. And this is a FAT book. about 2x the size of a normal paperback. Amazon sells many used books, and it's often worth the cost to get a nearly new book. I think i like the story, but not my favorite.

I am still putting Horseplay at the top of the list no book has made me laugh out loud as this one did. It made me think of my own stable friends and how we banter. i also love Carolyn Banks books, and i have all 5. They are hard to get now. I think they are all out of print.

I enjoyed Water for Elephants and then i learned she had written 2 horse themed books and bought them, Also used on Amazon. I was happy with Riding lessons and Flying changes. I have learned over the years, there are very few books that are exactly true to life, but i can overlook that, just for the story sake. If i didn't, i would never enjoy any horsey books.

Thanks to those who recommended books, here.

[CrzyCorgi]

AWESOME thread!! I am a book junkie, esp horsey books. I now have a list a page and a half long of books to read! I am a big fan of Rita Mae Brown. I currently getting ready to start reading Sourpuss (a Sneaky Pie book) and can't wait to get her new Sister Jane book.

I do have to say, that I believe HorsePlay is the funniest book I have ever read! I don't remember EVER laughing that loudly at a book!

[SarahandSam]

I read "Riders" recently at the recommendation of this board and got soooo hooked. Couldn't put it down. So trashy and delightful. (:

[Reynard Ridge]

http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/2409/

It is a quick read and worth every second.


That was fabulous. :yes: I read it a million years ago, but it was well worth clicking and reading. It's Rudyard Kipling's story about the polo ponies, so I am sure many here are familiar with it.

[lindasp62]

Took me 30 years to be able to pick up Grapes of Wrath. :no:

I am currently reading THE GRAPES OF WRATH...well, I have been reading it every night for about 3 weeks now...it is a S-L-O-W-as-molassses read, but I quite find that I am enjoying it...and love all the vernacular speech. Who woulda thunk it!?!:D

On to one of these recommended horse books when (whenever!) I get through this Steinbeck!!!!!

[tx3dayeventer]

Is anyone else irritated with Fiona Walker's books??

I just finished both French Relations & Well Groomed and I want to know what happens to Tash & Snob!!! I can't find anywhere that Tash's story is continued in any of Fiona Walkers books.

Anyone know anything???????