Horse Books

[Vivien]

Ahorse book, in my definition, is a book about equestrian life. It can be a romance, a literary fiction, a mystery novel, or even a steampunk combination of all three of those things. What qualifies the book as a horse book is that it has scenarios and characters recognizable to the equestrian community.

Writing for any audience is tough, but writing for equestrians is exceptionally challenging. In 2012, I interviewed Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley for the equestrian lifestyle site, Dappled Grey. Jane Smiley stormed into the equestrian scene with her massive racing/showing novel Horse Heaven, and became as common a barn name as any big name trainer. I remember working at the Ocala, Florida branch of Barnes & Noble when Horse Heaven was at its height. I was selling copies one after another to well-known hunter/jumper riders in town for HITS. I was actually star-struck by some of the luminaries who walked in and asked for the book by name.

The My Name Is America series ran from 1998 to 2004. It was a series of historical novels written in a journal format during an important period or event in American History. The Journal of Joshua Loper, A Black Cowboy was written by Walter Dean Myers. Joshua Loper is a 16 year old in 1871, and records his journey during his first cattle drive while dealing with racial prejudice.

The King of The Wind by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Wesley Dennis is probably the most well known book on this list. I kept flipping between including it and not including it on the list, but eventually decided to because I wanted another fictional book on the list. It won the Newberry Award in 1949. This is the fictionalized story of Sham, one of the founding stallions of the Thoroughbred breed, and his relationship with his steadfast friend, Agba.

The Saddle Club series follows the adventures of Carole, Stevie, and Lisa who ride at Pine Hollow Stables. This middle grade series spans 101 books with ten spin offs. The books were published between 1988 through 2001. A seventeen book young adult series that follows the girls four years after the Saddle Club series were also published, but seem to be out of print.

Night Hawk by Beverly Jenkins is a historical romance set in 1880s Wyoming. Maggie Freeman grudgingly accepts the help of bounty hunter Ian Vance after a vigilante mob wants to see her hanged. On their journey to a safe place to try her case, love and freedom cross barriers.

The adult nonfiction list was the last I compiled. Finding books in the other categories felt like pulling teeth. This one was marginally easier. The books primarily settled in two categories: Black cowboys and Black jockeys.

African American Women of the Old West by Tricia Martineau Wagner highlights 10 Black women from backgrounds ranging from slavery to freedom. Included are the biographies of woman like Elizabeth Thorn Scott who made it her mission to educate Black children.

Most horse books that highlight horse racing and records will have his picture. Issac Burns Murphy is considered to be the most winning jockey. The Prince of Jockeys by Pellom McDaniels III is a biography of the famed jockey who was not only an incredible horseman but also a cultural figure.

Beautiful Jim Key: The Lost History of a Horse and a Man Who Changed the World by Mim Eichler Rivas is about Dr. William Key. He was a former slave, Civil War Veteran, and veterinarian who turned an ugly duckling colt into a beloved hero. Dr. Key and his wonder horse performed across the country for nine years and earned respect from some of the most influential figures of the time.

The greatest jockeys of all time rode to victory against tough competition from the late 1800s until just before 1906. Their glory came crashing down when the United States adopted the color line and Jim Crow laws, forcing them off the tracks. Who were these riders? What made them so special that history has forgotten nearly everything about them?

This is an important book for anyone interested in learning more about African American history or simply wanting to enjoy a fascinating story. Legendary Maestros is sure to educate and entertain readers of all ages, hopefully inspiring those who see themselves within these remarkable men to accomplish whatever they dare to dream, and to crush any barriers standing in their way.

Trafalgar Square Books is a small, independent women-owned business based on a farm in rural Vermont. We publish quality books on horses and equestrian sport, dog health and training, the natural world of New England, and crafting history and techniques.

Show me thoughtfulness and I'll show you a loyal friend; the person willing to bend over backwards for others. I am an introvert so I tend to keep to myself and hold my own insecurities and struggles within but I am always an open ear for a good friend.

I am often energetic and upbeat with an extra serving of quirky. I love to "geek out" on science, particularly biochemistry and any science pertaining to health, nutrition, fitness, or animals. Although I struggle with weight issues and a serious sweet tooth I really enjoy fitness...horseback riding, kickboxing, pilates, and HIIT training are my favorites. I also have that crazy horse woman gene...the kind that makes us eat sleep and breathe horses....but at least I admit I'm crazy, right?

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I hadn't read Elska yet, and I had owned horses in the past that loved water, so I could definitely picture a horse jumping into a river. I was a little skeptical of the review and still had high hopes for the series. But after reading that first book, I understood the reviewer's point. The horse deliberately jumps into the water to save the main character from drowning. I could possibly see a good dog doing that, but a horse? Never.

The Horse Diaries books are extremely short. Given the target age, that may be unavoidable, but it definitely makes it challenging to develop much of a storyline. Other than the almost nonexistent plot and the unbelievability of the Icelandic horse's behavior, I didn't find too much unacceptable in the book and decided I would forgive that scene and read on in the series.

One day, Katie hears her mother calling her, but deliberately runs off on Star to ride to the river where she finds a young slave girl clinging to branches in the water, about to be swept downriver. Katie rescues the girl, Eliza, lies to her father, Hiram, and hides Eliza in the barn.

Slave catchers arrive the next day looking for the slaves. Katie is horrified when her father is seemingly tempted by the $100 reward for information leading to the runaway slaves. "The new law says that no one can help runaways. That includes fathers and their meddling daughters."

That night, Katie bridles the two horses, Star and his mother, Bell, to secretly take Eliza to the schoolteacher. Star knows the slave catchers are still in the area. Before Katie can mount him, the horse runs off to divert the slave catcher's attention. (Smart horse!)

Both girls ride Bell, bareback, to Miss Biddle's where Star later joins them. When the slave catchers approach, Katie puts Eliza on Star, and the horse takes off with her to outrun the slave catchers to Canada. Eliza had never ridden horses before meeting Katie, yet she's able to stay on Star at a mad gallop, bareback.

Star delivers Eliza to her mother and father at a camp in Canada (I guess because Canada is such a small place, the horse is able to go directly to the spot where her parents are camped.) Star learns what it means to be truly free, and he returns to his farm and Katie.

A young girl, Jasmine, gets lost on the prairie during her family's westward journey. The horse, Koda, finds her lying in a heap nearly dying of thirst. "Her mouth and lips were cracked and swollen."

Somehow, the weak little girl gets on the Quarter Horse, bareback. As an athletic teen, I could get on most horses bareback, but I don't think any of my daughters ever could. There's simply no way this young girl got on the horse in her weakened state and remained on at a gallop. Koda takes Jasmine back to the wagon train which seems to be some distance away.

This one borrows a scene from National Velvet. Toward the end of the book, when a boy/man named Hans sprains his ankle and can't ride Petra in a performance, a girl named Liesl cuts her hair, puts Hans' uniform on, and rides in his place.

A rattlesnake speaks to a Native American boy. Hmm, the only time I recall a snake speaking to a human, it caused a whole lot of trouble for everyone.

"You are a healer, and I will be your guide. I grant you the power to draw the poison of sickness from human or animal."

Wolves attack Black Cloud as a foal. "He sank his teeth into the soft part of my belly. ... The critter's jaws were clamped on to my belly, and he hung there, swinging back and forth as I moved. ... I tried shaking him off, but his jaws were clamped down hard, and pain surged into my gut. Then another critter set upon me from behind! He snapped his jaws down on my rear leg. The pain was too much. I collapsed, my knees buckling beneath me." (That seems as if it would have been enough to kill a foal, but he is rescued by his mother who kills several of the wolves.)

"I turned and looked back once. The rest of those critters had returned and were feasting on their dead kin!" (Wow! Was that necessary? I'm no wolf expert, but that seems odd to me, perhaps if they were from different packs, but within the same pack??)

The Mustangs are rounded up by airplane and trapped in a pen. When Black Cloud finds his mother.

"She was dark with blood! It poured from both of her front legs and from her neck. Her flesh hung in strips, her bones showing underneath." (from running into barbed wire, she dies) "I lay beside Mama all night, nuzzling close to her. She was cold, and I tried my best to warm her. But in the morning, she was still dead."

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