Advantages: Beautiful story
Disadvantages: Sentimental account

I have always been verging on the obsessed when it comes to horses. Growing up, if a book featured horses and ponies I'd devour it. I was also fanatical about horse welfare, indignant about horses being transported live to Europe for slaughter and keen to raise money for horse rescue centres, such as Redwings with various half-baked schemes. So it probably isn't surprising that a childhood favourite of mine was the classic, Black Beauty: The Autobiography of a Horse. I recently re-visited the book and found it had retained the magic that had captured me as a child.

The story is told in the 'first horse' (first person) and is narrated by Black Beauty (also known as Darkie, Jack and Black Auster), an ebony, well-bred carriage horse. Each chapter contains a lesson relating to how horses were treated and how they should be treated.

Beauty is born the son of Duchess and as a colt lives without a care on a country farm owned by Farmer Grey. His mother taught him to always work hard and to do his best. When he is old enough to work he is sold to Mr Gordon and his family who are very wealthy; they treat him well. Here he makes friends with: Ginger, a difficult, temperamental chestnut mare; and Merrylegs, a pleasant, plump, small pony. When Mrs Gordon falls ill Beauty saves her life by galloping for the doctor. A groom, who is inadequately trained, washes him down with cold water believing it will cool him and leaves him wet with no rug on. Beauty falls terribly ill. From here his fortunes take a turn for the worse when the Gordons move abroad and are forced to sell their horses. Beauty soon faces hardship as a cab horse on the streets of London, yet never loses his sweet spirit or his will to survive.

Anna Sewell was born in Norfolk in 1920 to a devout Quaker family. She was disabled as a child after breaking both ankles severely. Unable to walk she spent a great deal of time in carriages and regularly drove her father to and from the station, which he used to commute to work. Black Beauty is Anna Sewell's only novel (although her mother Mary was a novelist), composed in the last years of her life between 1871 and 1877 while confined to her house as an invalid. Her book was well received and became an instant hit with Anna just living long enough to see its success. For those interested in learning more about the author Adrienne Gavin wrote an interesting biography, Dark Horse: A life of Anna Sewell.

In 19th century Britain there was a great deal of poverty and animals were often mistreated. Black Beauty broke all the rules by highlighting animal welfare issues. For this, in my opinion it is to be applauded, In particular it led to the abolishment of the 'bearing rein'. This was a cruel device that forced horses to carry their heads unnaturally high. Prolonged use caused irreparable damage to a horse's back and neck muscles and rendered it incapable of work long before retirement age.

Black Beauty teaches us about animal welfare but it contains valuable lessons on treating both people and animals with kindness and respect as this quote highlights: "There is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to other animals as well as humans, it is all a sham." (Black Beauty, Chapter 13, last paragraph). For this, it has earned its place in history as a children's novel. I believe this book is essential reading for any child. It could be argued that it is dated and maybe overly sentimental. However, if it is used as a tool for learning based in the context of the time in which it was written it is invaluable.

*Publications*

Black Beauty - Anna Sewell
Penguin Classics; New edition edition (27 Sep 2007)
ISBN-10: 0140621490
Available at Amazon £2

Dark Horse: A life of Anna Sewell - Adrienne Gavin
History Press Ltd (12 Feb 2004)
ISBN-10: 0750928387
Available at Amazon £20

Summary: Wonderful classic - a must read!