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What's your favorite horse book?

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  • #81
    That was Little Black, A Pony by Walter Farley. Loved that book!
    Don't tell me about what you can't do. That's boring. Show me what you can do. - Mom

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    • #82
      Originally posted by Groom&Taxi View Post
      I remember a book that I read in my childhood about a girl who went out west for the summer to a ranch - got "involved" with a wild horse that lived in a canyon. Seems like there was a love interest for the girl too. I know the details are sketchy here, but I remember it being emough of a favorite with me that I checked it our again and again - and though I can remember neither the title nor the the author, I remember (based on where it was shelved in the Juvenile Fiction section of the Memphis Public Library - Poplar Ave branch) that the author's last name would have been towards the end of the alphabet - like 'P' or later. Anybody have any ideas?

      G&T
      Miracle of Sage Valley - I probably still have it back in my room at "home" (where my parents live )
      Maybe Janet Randall was the author? The "R" would be close to the back of the alphabet.
      Last edited by Reynard Ridge; Nov. 11, 2006, 11:13 AM.
      Chronicles of the $700 Pony
      The Further Adventures of the $700 Pony
      www.blithetraveler.com <-- My Blog

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      • #83
        The book with Frog was Called "Frog, the Horse that knew no Master" by Colonel Meek. Set, I believe around the Panama Canal. The hero, Scott works with the outlaw horse after the villain has abused him. Of course they become a team and are constantly being threatened by circumstances and the villain in one way or another. I remember being upset with the hero at the end when Frog is drugged by the villain and Scott knows there is something wrong but basically beats him into running in the Very Important Steeplechase which he wins before collapsing. Good read in a lot of ways though.
        I also read the Mountain Pony books by Henry Larson and a lot of the "Timber Trail" series (another riding academy series). Grew up on the Black Stallion series which I found pretty uneven - loved some and hated others.
        What was the book where the girl gets her dream horse which turns out to be really nervous. Something scares the horse and there is a wreck in which the girl is hurt and the horse killed. She then gets a horse named "Charlie" but has a hard time at first because he is not her dream horse and is very different.

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        • #84
          Okay you book detectives.....!! This has been driving me crazy for YEARS. I loved this book, and yet the only thing I can really remember about it is.... a girl and her (I think) palomino horse, and when the horse had thoughts, it thought of her as 'It'. As in (and I remember this part well) "IT was the only person who would hold an apple and let the juice run all over It's hand while being crunched" ... or something like that. And I think she brought the horse in the house at one point, but that could be another story, LOL. Any ideas??
          Life is short, do it now. www.dleestudio.com
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          • #85
            Originally posted by Emryss View Post
            That was Little Black, A Pony by Walter Farley. Loved that book!

            Thank you!! Just looked it up on Ebay and I remember the cover!

            Also Googled the horse camp series that I remembered, and the 6-book series was called "Horse Crazy" and also written by Virginia Vail.
            It's a uterus, not a clown car. - Sayyedati

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            • #86
              Originally posted by poltroon View Post
              Going to try to pump you for more details:
              - rough age of the protagonist (like 12ish or 16ish?)
              - what kind of canyon - deserty, oak scrub, trees? Was it a specifc state (California, Texas?)
              - Any big events, like a fire?
              - Was this a mustang or just a loose unruly horse?
              - Jacket picture?
              - Were her parents there?

              Some that probably aren't it but come to mind are
              Star Lost by Patsey Grey
              Hold the Rein Free by Judy Van Der Veer
              Green Grass of Wyoming by Mary O'Hara
              Thanks, Poltroon, for jumping in to assist me in searching through the fog. The protagonist would have been a little older - 16-17 - her having a love interest would have been reasonable. The love interest was local - son or hired hand for the ranch owners. I want to say mountainous western state with treed canyon - like Colorado, Wyoming, Utah. I also want to say the horse was more like purebred lost/escaped at a young age rather than mustang or rogue. No picture on the jacket (library type binding) and no dust cover. Don't remember any big natural events (fire, flood) but possibly a rodeo...? Girl's parents were not there. Know definitively it was not "Star Lost" or "Green Grass of Wyoming"

              RR, Randall sounds very possible as author last name, but Miracle of Sage Valley does not resonate as title - if I could read a synopsis I could probably rule it in or out.

              Thanks for the leads -
              G&T

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              • #87
                I'll second or third Beauty by Bill Wallace. I read it in the third grade, in class after finishing all of my work (the joys of being genius ), and cried and cried in class.

                My mom moved around a lot, so I got to read all the horse (and unicorn) books in every school library and most public libraries. Some of the ones that stick with me are:

                The Crumb by Doty
                Touch the Moon by Bauer - about a tiny horse statue that comes to life
                Whinny by Laundrie - lots of anamorphism, but a good read
                The Follyfoot Collection by Monica Dickens

                There are a few I remember reading and being struck by, but cannot remember either title nor author. The first one really haunts me, it is about a jumper named Cat Burglar I think? or maybe just The Cat or something about Hawk Eye? because he can jump so well. Anyways, he becomes incorrigible for some reason and even though a person (girl?) shows up and rides him perfectly, he is euthanized because he seriously injured or killed another rider.

                Another one that was awesome is about a boy whose family moves to a farm, and there is an ancient horse named Colonel there. The boy spends his time with the horse...then there are some awful tornadoes, I can't remember exactly but he somehow finds a bay or chestnut mare who is terrified out of her mind and attaches herself to Colonel. They make their way out of torn up country side, are almost home and Colonel gets ill or another tornado comes and he dies (I do specifically remember him feeding potatoes to the horse), and the mare's owner shows up and says she is a show horse and ruined from a cut and tells the vet to put her down. Boy of course wants the mare because she reminds him of Colonel, vet takes the mare off the trailer and boy gets horse. Colonel is buried under a tree called Colonel's Tree, which I thought might be the title but no.

                Another is about a boy and a drafter he owns who wins a state fair competition for pulling, and is stolen that night by a teenaged boy who wants to use him to get some drugs through the woods, and then kill him (horse not boy). His younger sister finds the owner and tells him, and they search out and find the horse before he can be killed. I can remember the cover art on this one, shows a boy and girl bareback on a horse (not an obvious draft) coming out of some bush, so part of the horse is obscured.
                COTH's official mini-donk enabler

                "I am all for reaching out, but in some situations it needs to be done with a rolled up news paper." Alagirl

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                • #88
                  the Flicka series by Mary O'Hara
                  Rita Mae Brown books- the foxhunting ones
                  Polo
                  flogarty
                  "It is difficult not to be unjust to what one loves" Oscar Wilde

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                  • #89
                    What a great thread. A while back I also recommended "NO SMALL THING" by Natale Ghent. Iwhole-heartedly agree w/ the previous recommendation. It was short-listed for the Canadian Libarary Assn."Book of the Year" & a terrific read for any horse (pony) lover. Others ... from the days of yore...Black Beauty, The Island Stallion, Mary O'Hara's triology ( FLicka, Thunderhead (the best)& Green Grass of Wy) Marguerite Henry's classics,Misty, BLack Gold, King of the Wind. Don't forget Brighty of the Grand Canyon & Album of Horses (one of the most beautiful books w/ Wesley Dennis Illustrations). Loved Jean Slaughter Doty books & A Horse Called Mystery by Marjorie Reynolds. Seabiscuit & every adult should read HOT BLOOD by Ken Englade. Vicky Moon's coffee table book on Jackie Kennedy Onassis & horses is even better than I thought...great shots of her lovely horses and Caroline K's Macaroni.

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                    • #90
                      Originally posted by cllane1 View Post
                      Okay, like everyone else, I remember this book but not the title. The girl wants her horse Kickapoo to barrel race, but he's really not into it. Doesn't her mom not want her to do it for some reason, like maybe mom got hurt doing it years ago? Anyway, she keep trying to force Kickapoo to run the barrel pattern, but he hates it and they're both getting fed up. Then one night they hear a horse thundering around, and go out to look and it's the old barn hand's retired mare who just hangs around, and she's running the barrrel pattern alone in the moonlight. Turns out, she was a champion barrel racer! So the girl gets to compete on the mare, and the mom lets her wear her old barrel racing shirt, which was green with mirror spangles.
                      I remember this book, too! She sells her spoon collection to pay the entry to the barrel comtest...there was a doll and spoons on the cover. What was it called????? I think it was called The Best Horse

                      I LOVE the book SNOWMAN by Rutherford Montgomery. Awesome true story and great photos!

                      april
                      Last edited by equusus; Nov. 11, 2006, 08:02 PM. Reason: remembered what the book was called (I think)
                      april
                      Equine Retirement at
                      www.StonyRidgeFarm.webs.com

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                      • #91
                        Love this thread! So many of these books mentioned have meant so much to me in my life. As a kid, I read all the Marguerite Henry's and can still remember many of the covers; ALL the Walter Farley's (he lived in the next town and was a friend of friends, but that didn't really matter, I just loved the books); the classics like Black Beauty and Flicka, of course.For adult books, I agree with many of the recommendations here, especiallyJane Smiley's Barn Blind, and Horseplay, by Judy Reene Singer (hilarious), also Riding Lessons and Flying Changes by Sara Gruen.

                        A few more I love that haven't been mentioned (these are all nonfiction but are narrative and/or memoir/essay, not at all dry): Dark Horses and Black Beauties by Melissa Holbrook Pierson, Forward Motion by Holly Menino, Life in the Saddle by Gretel Ehrlich, and Beautiful Jim Key by Mim Eichler Rivas. Then there's Night Ride Home by Barbara Eastman (an adult novel).

                        I'm a writer, working on my own horsey novel now - it's so heartening to see how many others of you love these books as much as I do.

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                        • #92
                          Originally posted by Reynard Ridge View Post
                          Two day shipping to FL!

                          But, seriously, the $700 Pony, while a fun read, is just not in the same league with most of the classic horse books listed here. I mean, we all grew up with Walter Farley books and the Jean Slaughter Doty books - and we will buy them for our children - that is classic.

                          What I love about threads like these is that they take me back to my horse crazy, horse deprived childhood. I would scour the library for every horse book I could get my hands on. And read them over and over again, just to get my "fix." I didn't set hands on a live horse until I was probably 12 years old, so these books (plus a few miscellanious Breyers) got me through until I could channel my passion into real, live horses. Ah, the memories.
                          Don't you think the Black Stallion series is a fun read? What I am currently doing right now is reading down the list in the Black Stallion series because I have not read them since grade school. While there are times that its obvious the "reader" is supposed to be a horse-sick child (lol) I can relate to them now as well as I did then. I just completed the Island Stallion, aka, Flame who I remember vividly. Not the part where he killed the other two stallions though!

                          Ditto on the 2 day. I haven't started xmas shopping yet, am starting this week. shoosh though, one might be my secret santa!

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                          • #93
                            I love the heartland books! Though they are made for young teenagers they are very good.
                            And for instructional books I would suggest the Pony Club Manuals.

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                            • #94
                              Originally posted by G&T
                              RR, Randall sounds very possible as author last name, but Miracle of Sage Valley does not resonate as title - if I could read a synopsis I could probably rule it in or out.
                              Oddly enough I think on the LAST thread like this, this exact question came up, I answered "MIRACLE OF SAGE VALLEY!" and was roundly voted down. I would imagine there are at least two books with the same premise. Here goes:

                              High school girl goes to spend the summer with her divorced dad in LA. Divorced dad has apparently met an LA Lady and sends high school chickie to a "ranch" somewhere out west. Girl pouts and cries and makes herself (and everyone around her miserable). She loved horses as a kid, but is all grown up now and has left that behind.

                              It is a "working" ranch, so chickie has to actually work and gets more resentful. She meets son of local rancher, who is a hottie and she treats him like he's the hired help. He's a nice guy and wants her to get along, so he is nice to her.

                              Somehow, and I forget how, she wanders out (with him, maybe?) one day and discovers a beautiful mare stuck IN A CANYON!!! With a gorgeous little baby! NEAR DEATH!! Wrapped in barbed wire, or something. She manages to dig the mare out of wire, but mare is too injured to get out of canyon.

                              Chickie runs back to ranch. They all decide mare and baby should be put out of their misery - this is working ranch, no time for mollycoddling! Chickie manages to convince BO that SHE can save mare and baby! And she goes to live in canyon. Lives there for a day or two or three (who can remember), whereupon, entire ranching extended community comes to the rescue and by the combined efforts of many people, they get the mare and foal out. Whew!

                              Chickie, meanwhile, has fallen in love with mare and foal. Mare gets better, chickie begins riding her in secret. Meanwhile, she is falling in love with rancher hottie boy. They go squaredancing, etc. BO gives chicken mare and foal - who turns out to be SPECTACULAR - apparently a "love child" of a really, really nice stud in the area - who happens to be owned by hottie boy's dad. Chickie decided so stay on ranch forever and go to high school there.

                              The end.

                              I read it about 14 million times as a child. I must look on my old bookshelf next time I go home!
                              Chronicles of the $700 Pony
                              The Further Adventures of the $700 Pony
                              www.blithetraveler.com <-- My Blog

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                              • #95
                                awesome thread!!!!

                                Ditto to someone who posted 'i go through books like most people go through bread and milk'

                                Here's some more books, I'm so glad somebody put up 'I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade', the title gives me shivers Absolutely gorgeous imagery

                                Anyway

                                'The Horse Goddess'- Morgan Llywelyn (LOVE)

                                'Traveller: A Novel'- Adams Richard, or Richard Adams

                                These next two are late teen marketed, but still good afternoon, light reads
                                'Kotoku'- Deborah Savage (not sure if I spelled her first name correctly)
                                'Green Rider'/'First Rider's Call' (kind of predictable, but...) Kristin Britain

                                Not entirely about horses, but 'Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle' is pretty horsey

                                Nonfiction: 'Horse, Follow Closely' and 'Of Women and Horses', both by GaWaNi Pony Boy

                                Nonfiction: 'She Flies without Wings', can't remember the author, the book grew on me

                                A couple fav. childhood reads were (when I was first learning to read) 'A Mare For Young Wolf', (maybe fourth grade) 'Dawn Rider', (fifth grade?)'Justin Morgan had a Horse' (all the Black Stallion/Marguerite Henry books), 'The First Horse I See',

                                Zane Grey wrote 'Riders of the Purple Sage' along with its sequel, 'The Rainbow Trail' (or something like that) and there's a good bit of horses in it.

                                Charro, The Mexican Cowboy

                                The Fantasy genre really offers a lot more in terms of plot and theme, rather than a straight horse story...finding the right mix of elements is hard but I'm a history nut...OH! Aother book that just came to me is 'Black Horses for the King', or something similiar.

                                And another vote for 'The Blue Sword' and 'The Hero and the Crown'

                                I always thought the Hillfolk's horses sounded a lot like abnormally tall Akhal-Tekes...metallic coat, suspicious of strangers, deeply attached to owners, etc.

                                AND one last book, 'The Art of Horsemanship' by Xenophon, if you're ever in the mood for a real classic


                                This thread was such a picker-upper...I loff books

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                                • #96
                                  Wait...I needed to add one that I don't think has been mentioned! Smokey the Cowhorse by Will James! Also, another one about a blind mustang a boy takes care of, can't remember the title but it was an awesome book, great line art illustrations, same type of genre.
                                  COTH's official mini-donk enabler

                                  "I am all for reaching out, but in some situations it needs to be done with a rolled up news paper." Alagirl

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                                  • #97
                                    Book Share/Swap?

                                    There are so many books I would love to re-read, as many of these mentioned above I read as a child, but would love to read as a still horse-crazy adult. Is there a place for such a thing or if not, could we start a book share/swap...recipient would be responsible for any and all shipping charges ,of course, unless maybe it was a swap. I have several horsey books, not sure if anyone would be interested in them or not. I personally would LOVE to re-read The Horsemasters...alas cannot afford it on e-bay or anywhere else for that matter. Whadaya think?

                                    Lynn
                                    Member of the \"I LOFF my Mare!\", Re-riders and "Sisterhood of the SmoothStride Pants" cliques!

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                                    • #98
                                      I don't remember much about Blue Ribbons for Meg myself, but I Googled it last night and learned that Meg lived in Boston and was sent to live on a military base, where she learned how to ride.

                                      I also loved the Windy Foot books, about the pony Windy Foot and the boy Toby.

                                      And Stephen Meader's books, Red Horse Hill and Cedar's Boy(?)
                                      Founder of the People Who Prefer COTH Over FB Clique
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                                      • #99
                                        Dressur Pferd by Harry Boldt. Expensive, written in German, excellent photography.

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                                        • #100
                                          Originally posted by YoungFilly View Post
                                          Don't you think the Black Stallion series is a fun read? What I am currently doing right now is reading down the list in the Black Stallion series because I have not read them since grade school. While there are times that its obvious the "reader" is supposed to be a horse-sick child (lol) I can relate to them now as well as I did then. I just completed the Island Stallion, aka, Flame who I remember vividly. Not the part where he killed the other two stallions though!

                                          Ditto on the 2 day. I haven't started xmas shopping yet, am starting this week. shoosh though, one might be my secret santa!

                                          Well your Chritmas Elf is glad to have a little more research on what you are reading these days. Good boys and girls (of any age of course!) all deserve a good horsey book!

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