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The Dressage Chronicles
(The Dressage Chronicles #1)
by
You know what happens to all those girls who are just crazy about horses?
Once they discover boys, the horses are history.
Or maybe not.
For Lizzy, and others like her, no boy, no man who knows what’s good for him, speaks the unspeakable.
“It’s me or the horse.”
It’s no contest.
And so Lizzy snips the threads that hold her, however tenuously, to a conventional life, and begins h ...more
Once they discover boys, the horses are history.
Or maybe not.
For Lizzy, and others like her, no boy, no man who knows what’s good for him, speaks the unspeakable.
“It’s me or the horse.”
It’s no contest.
And so Lizzy snips the threads that hold her, however tenuously, to a conventional life, and begins h ...more
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Kindle Edition, 242 pages
Published
July 5th 2011
by Deeds Publishing
(first published January 1st 2011)
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Community Reviews
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Start your review of The Dressage Chronicles (The Dressage Chronicles, #1)
LOVED!!...Karen McGoldrick captures the "behind-the-scenes" stories of the horse show world in The Dressage Chronicles. From the first page I was wrapped up in the storyline and the characters and my interest never faded through 405 pages! This is essentially a wonderfully juicy soap opera for the horse-crazy reader! And, the descriptions of the horses, riding, and equine behavior is exactly on-spot...I even learned some new things about dressage! Kudos to McGoldrick!
I cannot wait to download th ...more
I cannot wait to download th ...more
Stylistically not quite my bag, and I had been dreading another horse book that ended up being a telenovela-style Barn Drama, but this book managed to surprise me with its nuanced, positive portrayal of the rigors of the sport / lifestyle and the relationships between riders, trainers and barn owners - and of course the horses. McGoldrick doesn't stoop to the level of anthropomorphizing the animals in this book because she doesn't have to. She knows and has worked with actual horses, and it show
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Finally a book truly focused on the world of dressage, written by somebody who truly knows what she is talking about. Loved this glimpse into the world of elite dressage. I was sad that it ended and found myself wanting it to go on and on. This book could have been 4x's longer and I probably still would have wanted more.
Great, real story of life at a dressage barn
Loved this story,told in a realistic way, of a life making a living with horses. I have taught riding and trained thoroughbred race horses, and feel this is a wonderful glimpse into such a life. Great characters, from people to animals,described in such a way to become your friends. Recommend this to all horse loving people, you will not be disappointed.
Loved this story,told in a realistic way, of a life making a living with horses. I have taught riding and trained thoroughbred race horses, and feel this is a wonderful glimpse into such a life. Great characters, from people to animals,described in such a way to become your friends. Recommend this to all horse loving people, you will not be disappointed.
Other the bland title, this book was satisfying like a dish of delectable ice cream on a hot summer day. It tells the tale of a young woman who applies and gets accepted to be a working student for a Grand Prix rider. She hauls her young mare to FL for the winter show season there. Full of complex characters, stunning dressage horses, and lots of dressage training details, it chronicles her path from 1st level to Grand Prix in a couple months as she rides a schoolmaster and rises to the challeng
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The Dressage Chronicles was another entertaining adult horse book. It really made me wish I was still young enough to try the hard world of being a working student. This book attested to the fact that a working student has very long days and hard work, but has the opportunity to reap the rewards of training under a top level instructor. And let's not forget the horses you would be able to learn on! This book covered all of that in a great story with interesting characters. I honestly wouldn't mi
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Searching for books to download on to my kindle I found the Dressage Chronicles. As a rider who loves dressage it seemed the perfect book for me to curl up and read. Its the story about Lizzy who gives up everything to follow her dream and ride at the top level. She loads her horse Winsome and heads south to Florida to become a working student to Margot.
I couldn't put the book down once I started reading it. I was just as interested in the story and its progression as well as with the surroundi ...more
I couldn't put the book down once I started reading it. I was just as interested in the story and its progression as well as with the surroundi ...more
For anyone who loves horses & the art of Dresssge this is a well written, inspiring read. I love how Karen captures the beauty of of the art of Dressage, and the athletes that participate- both human and horse. I found myself living my dreams through Lizzy's passion, her accomplishments and hardships.
...more
I liked that this book had accurate Dressage references. It is relatable for a working student. I was very disappointed in the ending, however, and felt that there were many loose ends in the plot that were never tied up.
I enjoyed this book but gave it only 3 stars. The characters are so shallow but they get you through the book. There was so much repetetition in this book that it exhausted me. I learned much about dressage. This is a good read for any horse lover.
Can't wait for the second book!
A charming, entertaining read! It was chronicled, with exacting and hilarious detail, life as a working student in a dressage barn! I loved every minute and have read it twice already! :)
I loved this book. I learned so much about horse care, dressage and how to be a working student. I own a horse and I learned quite a bit! :)
"The Dressage Chronicles" a novel by Karen McGoldrick, is a fascinating, wonderful, creative way to look into the world of horses and the sport of dressage. Lizzy, the main character, goes through many adventures that keeps readers entertained while learning about the bits and pieces that are vital to riding dressage. I recommend this book to girls and guys who love horses and who are interested in dessage and other horse sports.
Most realistic horse novel I've ever read ... love it! Yes, there are some things that are not likely to happen, but the background and training is very "true to life" as are the issues and feelings of the riders. I wasn't surprised to learn that the author is a rider / trainer / exhibitor of upper level dressage horses! Would love to read more like this series!
Absolutely loved this first book in The Dressage Chronicles! Margot is so great, the absolute definition of the kind of horse ladies I've known in my life. Lizzy's development was realistic, relatable, and inspiring, I cannot wait to read the rest of this series. Officially one of my favorite books ever.
Couldn't put it down
If you ride, you will relate to the barn drama, distinct horse personalities, the amount of work that goes into life as a competitive rider and the love one feels for these amazing animals.
If you ride, you will relate to the barn drama, distinct horse personalities, the amount of work that goes into life as a competitive rider and the love one feels for these amazing animals.
Truly, a great story
You read a chapter or two and before long you find yourself immersed in the lives of these people, caring about them, loving their rides, feeling the heartbreak....
You read a chapter or two and before long you find yourself immersed in the lives of these people, caring about them, loving their rides, feeling the heartbreak....
This was the first horse book I've read since I was a kid and really enjoyed it. Great character development and loved the behind the scenes look into the world of dressage riding. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
I couldn't put the book down! Finally a well written Dressage novel. Very well done and can't wait to start reading the next one.
Loved the riding descriptions and the story was spot on, I don't like reading inaccurate horse books. This was fantastic!
Well written and lovely story line. I’ve read all 4 and loved them. It’s a good story for horse lovers and those are not. Please enjoy!!
Great for the horse lover
Whether you’re a rider or not; if you love horses and the discipline of dressage, you’ll be entranced. You feel truly apart of it all
Whether you’re a rider or not; if you love horses and the discipline of dressage, you’ll be entranced. You feel truly apart of it all
Easy read, very relate-able as I too was a working student in my early horsey days!
One of my favorite horse fiction series. Always a bit of mystery and some light romance, but it’s mostly about the horses and the riding. I️ always learn a ton about dressage and horsemanship.
Really enjoyed this book. It's refreshing to read a book by an actual rider/judge. The book is realistic and I love the fact that's it's based in Wellington/WEF.
Some books reel you in and don't let you go until they're finished. This was one of them. Thoroughly enjoyable. I wish the characters were a bit more developed, but this was a solid start for a series. I'm already starting book two.
3.5 stars for me. I loved the fact that this equestrian story wasn't one of the over used very cliche circulated story plots that a lot of equestrian books seem to come with. As a mature reader I appreciated the fact that the narrator was an adult and I enjoyed her character's development. With that being said, I had a bit of a hard time connecting with the characters. I believed that it was probably due to the lack of physical description and back stories. Yes we knew a good bit of the women we
...more
The Dressage Chronicles really made me wish I was still young enough to try the hard world of being a working student. This book attested to the fact that a working student has very long days and hard work, but has the opportunity to reap the rewards of training under a top level instructor. And let’s not forget the horses you would be able to learn on! This book covered all of that in a great story with interesting characters. This book follows the main character, Lizzy, as she begins her new l
...more
While the characters fell a little flat (especially the main character), I was pleasantly surprised to find that the author has actual horse experience as opposed to writing from the perspective of wanting to be a horse person (sorry that was really snooty, but I'm very critical of horse books!) The book was meant to entertain and I was definitely entertained. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
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