Horse Books

Horse Books For The Fall

Kristian Beverly4 Comments

Throughout the summer I watched various networks publish posts about their recommended horse books for the summer. So I’ve decided to put together a small list of some to read for the fall.  Hope you enjoy!

Stand-alones


Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

First sentence: It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die. 

This book has already been mentioned on this blog. But it’s a great horse book and one of my favorites so it’s here. It’s the story of Puck and Sean, who enter the deadly horse race for different reasons. One races for her home and the other races for freedom. While the horses are fantastical in nature, they still act like horses. This is a teen/adult novel.



Titans by Victoria Scott

First sentence: Tonight, the Titans will run.

This is the newest book on this list. It came out last year and actually doesn’t have any real horses. They’re mechanical, and that element of the story is interesting. It takes place in a near future Chicago through the viewpoint of girl who wants to be a jockey. Imagine a horse racing arcade game where there’s an actual horse for you to sit and control, and imagine it actually has four legs and gallops at high speeds. That’s Titans. It’s a middle grade/young adult.

Blind Beauty by K.M Peyton

First sentence: The foal was born without eyes. 
This is about Tessa, a troubled protagonist that revels in her track record of getting thrown out of every school she’s attended. She’s a hot mess that her mother and stepfather don’t know how to deal with. After a blowup between her and her stepfather, Tessa finds herself working in a horse yard. She sets high goals for herself and reconnects with a horse from her childhood. The reader follows her journey from pre-teen to adulthood. This is teen/young adult.


My Friend Flicka by Mary O’Hara

First sentence: High up on the long hill they called the Saddle Back, behind the ranch and the county road, the boy sat his horse, facing east, his eyes dazzled by the rising sun. 

This is the oldest book on the list but it’s a good classic horse book. It’s the story of Ken McLaughlin and his quest to tame Flicka. It’s a coming of age story set in Wyoming. The 1940s movie adaption is good (pass by the 06 one).

Series:


The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley
First sentence: The tramp steamer Drake plowed away from the coast of India and pushed its blunt prow into the Arabian Sea, homeward bound. 

There are 21 books in this series. They follow Alec, the ship wrecked boy and The Black as they maneuver through Walter Farley’s fictional horse racing world. This is middle grade/young adult.

Thoroughbred Series by Joanna Campbell
First sentence: From the front porch of her now home, Ashleigh Griffin looked out to the rolling pastures and white-fenced paddocks of Townsend Acres. 

While I haven’t finished this series, if you’re looking for a large series that you can stay immersed in for a good bit of fall and winter, this is it. The series begins following Ashleigh through adulthood and switches off to other girls as they age up. With 72 books in the series with spin offs and standalones, this is perfect for a voracious reader. This is middle grade/young adult.

Non-Fiction


Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
First sentence: In 1938, near the end of a decade of monumental turmoil, the year’s number0one newsmaker was not Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Hitler, or Mussolini.
Laura Hillenbrand is a masterful story teller. This one follows Seabiscuit and his group through their racing lives. An awesome horse book for those who love history too.


Funny Cide by Sally Jenkins
First sentence: Any sorehead disbeliever who questions the abilities of nature would do well to spend time in a horse barn.
I really enjoyed this one. It’s about Funny Cide and his band of owners as they maneuver through the race scene as their racehorse hits high levels of the sport. If you’ve ever been to Breyerfest or the Kentucky Horse Park, you’ve probably stumbled upon the Hall of Champions where Funny Cide lives. 

Secretariat by William Nack 
First sentence: It was almost midnight in Virginia, late for the farmlands north of Richmond, when the breathing quickened in the stall, the phone rang in the Genry home, and two men came out the front door, hastily closing the lawn to the car. 
An interesting look into the breeding of racehorses that starts before Secretariat’s birth and his racing years. I saw the movie based off of the book and liked reading about the decisions and circumstances that created Secretariat. 

Children's Author and Illustrator Week

Kristian Beverly12 Comments

The first week in February is Children’s Author and Illustrator Week.
There are many equine authors and illustrators, but I thought I’d highlight Walter Farley and The Black Stallion because 2016 is the Black Stallion‘s 75th anniversary. In honor of the anniversary, the publisher is releasing new covers for the books (and they’re pretty)! In some of my editions of The Black Stallion series,  the Black is described as being “The most famous fictional horse of the century” and for good reason. Random House published the first novel in 1941 when Farley was 26. It’s been in print since, which is a spectacular feat. The series has captivated generations since its release.

1991 edition

This was the first copy I got. Keith Ward illustrated it. His art spanned across numerous subjects, and he was born in 1906 and passed in 2000. The dust jacket has been through hell, but the actual book is still in excellent condition. I found most of the older hardbacks of the series at a yard sale. All of them but this one had pretty much intact dust jackets.

All of the hardbacks of the books have illustrations, but none of the paperbacks I’ve come across contain any. 
Farley  was born in New York on June 26, 1915. He wanted a pony when he was small, but lived through his horse filled stories instead until his uncle moved close. From there he entered the world of real horses.  He began writing the Black Stallion in High school and finished it before graduating from Columbia University. It was quickly picked up by Random House. The series took off, catching the interest of both boys and girls. Celebration was cut short by WWII because Farley signed up. While active in the army, he also received an award for The Black Stallion.
He and his wife had four children and they lived on a farm in Pennsylvania. He participated and owned horses.

1977 Cover

Breyer has made different versions of The Black. Chris Hess sculpted The Black in the early 80s. Since then, he’s been redesigned on the Sham mold, classics, and even a plushie. The one below is the 80s Chris Hess one.

The Black Stallion movie first came out in 1979 and 2014 marked the 35th anniversary of  it. In honor of that milestone Horse Illustrated had a couple of articles written about The Black Stallion. One was from Walter Farley’s son who got to be on set during the shooting of the movie, screenwriter Jeanne Rosenberg and the other was Kelly Reno (Alec).

A spin off TV series, Adventures of The Black Stallion, appeared in the early 90s (from 1990-1993), with Mickey Rooney retaining his role as Henry and Richard Ian Cox as Alec. It’s loosely based on the books, but not such a change that you lose the story. I enjoyed it!

Picture from Amazon

Farley wrote a shorter verison of The Black Stallion called Big Black Horse.  It was illustrated by James Schucker. James Schucker was a versatile artist who was born in 1903 and passed in 1988. Big Black Horse was originally published in 1953.



It was written with younger readers in mind. 
I enjoyed the illustation style.
Falrey died in 1989. In total he wrote 28 books. The last book he wrote was The Young Black Stallion and he co-wrote it with his son, Steve Farley. Steve Farley has continued The Black’s story with The Black Stallion and the Lost City. I haven’t read it, so I have no idea about how it compares to his father’s series.

While Walter Farley is no longer with us, his books have left a large print on the hearts of horse loving kids. 

Water Horses In A Signed Book

Kristian Beverly12 Comments

These two books look the same, but they aren’t.

Back in December, before Christmas, Maggie Stiefvater made an offer on her Facebook page that I couldn’t refuse.

A signed book with a doodle in it? YES PLEASE. The first thing that crossed my mind was “Nice gift–for myself.” I am a semi-selective book hoarder, so having multiple copies of my most favorite books is not unusual for me. And The Scorpio Races is one of them. I bought the first hardback last year after having an ebook copy for a couple of years.
Maggie Stiefvater is an artist and was one before becoming a full time author so I knew the doodles would be nice. A week or so after ordering, she posted a video of her drawing and signing at Fountain Bookstore.

And what’s the book about? The Scorpio Races takes place on the island of Thisby from the the dual perspectives of Puck and Sean. Every November there’s a special race where riders try to control their horses long enough to survive past the finish line.It’s called The Scorpio Races. The story surrounds the events working up to the race. These aren’t regular horses either–they’re called the Capaill Uisce and the sea calls to them. And sometimes your blood. 
In other words, it’s pretty awesome and I love the characters, plot, and writing style. Hence why I now own three copies. My doodled copy came a couple of weeks ago, but I thought it was about time to share it.

I am quite pleased with my copy.  And I love the horse!

And in tiny model horse news, I finished another American Pharoah halter today. I liked how it came out, so here’s a random tack photo!