Hello, readers! Did you know that July 15, 2023 is National I Love Horses Day? Like many young girls, I was crazy about horses when I was growing up. I spent hours galloping around my yard pretending to be riding, or sitting on the fence around our pasture, wishing I was looking at a horse instead of cows. There were horse posters all over my room, and I dreamed of being a cowgirl or a jockey. Occasionally I would get to groom and feed my cousin’s horse, and the times I actually got to ride were a little bit of heaven on earth. In my attempts to convince my dad to buy a horse, I immersed myself in books about horses!
I read books about horse care (like this), to show that I could take care of my own horse, and I studied books about all the different breeds of horses (like this), so that I could choose the breed I liked best. I drew lots of pictures of horses, and books like this were very inspirational, although most of my drawings looked pretty much the same. But best of all were the many horse books I found in the library, and the majority of those books are still available today. So, all you “horse-crazy” girls (or anyone else), let’s ride down memory lane!
The earliest stories I loved were C.W. Anderson’s books about Billy and Blaze, and these most likely ignited my horse fever. The first book, Billy and Blaze, originally published in 1936, was the story of how Billy got his pony, Blaze, as a birthday present. Needless to say, I wanted this to be MY story, too! Billy and Blaze had more adventures in the rest of the series; there were 11 books in all, including Blaze Shows the Way, Blaze and the Forest Fire, Blaze Finds the Trail, Blaze and the Mountain Lion, just to name a few. The stories are simple, but teach lessons along the way. The illustrations alone make these books worth checking out; black and white renderings that are amazingly lifelike and detailed show why C.W. Anderson was renowned for more than just his Billy and Blaze books.
As my reading progressed, it opened up a whole new world of horse books. I loved The Black Stallion, by Walter Farley, about a teen boy shipwrecked with a wild black stallion on a deserted island; there were 20 books in the subsequent series, but the first was always my favorite. National Velvet, by Enid Bagnold, was another that mesmerized me; a 14-year-old girl disguising herself as a boy to ride her horse in the Grand National Steeplechase was simply thrilling. Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty was yet another captivating story, this one the tale of a horse’s life as told by the horse. It was also ahead of its time in portraying what should be proper treatment of horses. The latter two I initially read as abridged versions, but the originals are wonderfully written and just as appealing to adults as children. All three of these books have been made into movies as well. National Velvet (1944) stars young Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney, and The Black Stallion (1979) stars an older Mickey Rooney. Black Beauty has been adapted for the screen many times, but the 1994 version is truest to the book.
The Marguerite Henry shelf in my school library was my favorite place to find my next book. Her numerous books were about animals, mostly horses, and many were based on true stories. When I read Justin Morgan Had a Horse, I decided I wanted a Morgan horse. When I read King of the Wind, I changed my preference to an Arabian horse. Her Album of Horses was another great reference to different breeds, and was beautifully illustrated by Wesley Dennis, as were many of her other books. But by far, my best-loved book of hers was Misty of Chincoteague. I had never heard of “Pony Penning Day” and wasn’t even sure how to pronounce “Chincoteague,” but this story captured my imagination like no other. The wild Chincoteague ponies are rounded up, then they swim across the channel during the Pony Penning carnival and some of them are auctioned off. In this book a young brother and sister, Paul and Maureen Beebe, have saved money during the year in order to buy one of the ponies. It was just fascinating, and later I realized this was based on a true story; Misty was a real pony, and Paul and Maureen were the actual siblings that owned her. As an aside, this Pony Swim still happens every summer; people from all over the world flock to Chincoteague, Virginia for this huge event. Marguerite Henry continued Misty’s story with Sea Star, and Stormy, Misty’s Foal; both were wonderful follow-ups to this classic book.
Of course, there are many other horse-related books available for young people. There are entire series, such as The Saddle Club, by Bonnie Bryant, and Heartland, by Lauren Brooke, that are still popular with young horse-lovers today. Two (more) favorites of mine are technically childrens’ books, but I didn’t discover them until I was grown. One of them is The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis, part of the Chronicles of Narnia series; did you know that this is the only book in the series set entirely in Narnia and with only Narnians as the main characters? Another is War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo, a modern-day classic; the story is told from the perspective of the horse, Joey, and is a riveting WWI tale, but it is also a powerful testament to the friendship of a young man and his horse. This was also turned into a critically acclaimed stage play, and then made into a film. I can’t neglect to mention my very favorite book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, by British artist Charlie Mackesy. The magnificent horse and the other characters in this lovely book impart the wisdom and kindness that our world needs today. Both the original and the animated version (from the award-winning film) are equally special for children and grownups.
As an adult, I still have plenty of horse-themed books to choose from. The Horse Whisperer, by Nicholas Evans, is well-known both as a book and a movie. Evans was inspired by real-life horse whisperer, Buck Brannaman, who has himself written books about his life and his practice; he is also the subject of another movie, Buck, that tells the story of his amazing life from abused child to phenomenal horseman. Horse, by Geraldine Brooks, is a recent fiction selection based on the true story of Thoroughbred race horse Lexington; the story spans from 1850 to 2019, and covers not only history, but topics relevant today. If you enjoy mysteries, you will enjoy any book written by Dick Francis; he was a highly successful British jockey who wrote novels about crime in the world of horse racing. (Fun fact: he was personal jockey for Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother from 1953 – 1957) His award-winning books are thrilling, and his son Felix has carried on his father’s legacy. Becky Wade’s Porter Family series, starting with Undeniably Yours, follows a family on a Texas Thoroughbred ranch; each book focuses on one of the siblings, in a satisfying blend of faith and romance. Other fictional choices include Sara Gruen’s Riding Lessons and Flying Changes, as well as James Patterson’s The Horsewoman, in which a mother and daughter compete against each other for a spot in the Olympics. The Horse Dancer, by popular author Jojo Moyes, references a famous riding academy, the Ecole Nationale d’Equitation in France.
Several books have been written about the world-renowned Lipizzan stallions (pictured above) from another famous academy, the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria. The first book I ever read about them was White Stallion of Lipizza, by Marguerite Henry (of course), and when I had the pleasure of actually seeing them perform years ago during one of their tours, it was truly amazing! The enthralling novel Airs Above the Ground, by Mary Stewart, also includes these white stallions; the title is a nod to one of the classical dressage movements done by these beautiful horses. Ghost Riders, a non-fiction book by Mark Felton, describes “Operation Cowboy,” one of the last battles of WWII; the herd of Lipizzaners from the Spanish Riding School had been stolen, and American GIs joined forces with surrendered German soldiers to save them from being killed. Another thrilling account of this covert mission is The Perfect Horse, written by Elizabeth Letts, who has also written other true horse books. One is The Eighty Dollar Champion, a Cinderella story about a horse, Snowman, who was bound for the slaughterhouse but instead became a show-jumping champion; another is The Ride of Her Life, about 63-year-old Annie Wilkins who rode her horse, Tarzan, from Maine to California in the 1950’s.
There are quite a few other books about real horses, some whose names are immediately recognizable: Secretariat, by William Nack, and Seabiscuit, by Laura Hillenbrand, are two books that bring the intriguing stories of those famous horses to life. Many books touch on the special relationship between horses and people, such as Joey, by Jennifer Bleakley, Saving Baby, by Jo Anne Normile, and Chosen by a Horse, by Susan Richards. These are all heartwarming books that show how we might be the one to rescue a horse, but most often it’s the horse that rescues us.
If you grew up loving horses and horse books, I hope this has brought back memories of books you also enjoyed, or introduced you to some new additions for your want-to-read list. Even if you aren’t a “horse person,” these are all still great books, and there are so many more titles that could be included here. Although I never got my own horse (and that’s okay), I still love horses, and I’m very thankful that I can still ride vicariously through the pages of so many wonderful books!
Shelf Life in the Mountains 