A Horse Like Barney

by Jessie Haas, Lindsay Barrett George (Illustrator)

Finally, Sarah's parents say she can have a horse, but for the summer they are too busy to find one, leaving Sarah to make one of the hardest decisions of her life. By the author of Keeping Barney.

Genres: Horses, Childrens

170 pages, Hardcover

First published October 27, 1993

About the author

Jessie Haas has written over 35 books for children and adults, many about horses--a lifelong passion. She currently owns a Morgan mare, Robin, who is being clicker-trained to be a trail and pasture-dressage horse. She lives in a small, off-grid house in the woods with husband Michael J. Daley, two cats and a dog. When not writing or riding or reading she likes to knit, cook, and write, or ride, or read.

Reviews

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over thirty years ago, I read Keeping Barney for the first time...and the tenth and and twentieth and fiftieth times. As a young adult someone mentioned to me that there was a sequel. And I promptly did nothing with that information for a couple more decades until just now. I was sure my library wouldn't have it - most of the 90s YA pulp books are long gone - and I didn't love the idea of taking my forty-year-old self down to the library to retrieve it even if they did.

But what do you know, somehow they had an eBook.

As with the first book, I suspect the author has the same love for Morgans that I have for Arabians. And I think we have a soft spot for the same type of horse. Sure, the super deep soul connection horse books are (or were, are horse books still A Thing?) the bread and butter of the genre, but I've come to appreciate books like these more. About the horses who we are absolutely crazy about and who...more or less like us in return. Who are happy enough to see us but mostly because they know we feed them. Who look for things to bug out at on trails, even when they've seen that exact thing hundreds of times before. Who think it's good fun to charge or nip or bolt just because fuck it, they're a horse and they can. Who bloat their bellies being saddled, who turn their noses up (way up, sky high) at the bit, who heave their whole weight onto you when it's time to pick their rear hooves. Who get bored and learn to let themselves out of their stalls or chew through wood or leather or fabric just to see what happens, who lie down in their stalls and take a nap in a fresh pee puddle (maybe it was just my horse who loved this one. If I can offer any advice to anyone horse shopping: GET THE DARKEST COLORED HORSE YOU CAN FIND. GREYS AREN'T WORTH IT. The stains!) The horses who are just buttholes sometimes because they know we'll put up with it.

You never got a lot of books about those, and it's too bad, because those are the best horses. I could be biased, though. I got my jerk of a polrab when I was thirteen and had him until he died after an accident nearly a decade later. He'd been my lesson horse a couple years before then. I would've taken a bullet for him. And he wouldn't have peed on me if I were on fire. He was a smartass. I didn't know horses could be smartasses. He couldn't stand to be alone for a second - he'd untie himself if anyone left him alone and walk off to find them; if he couldn't undo the knot he'd just paw at the floor practically throwing up sparks until all eyes were on him. He'd chuck me off his back like a boomerang because the wind blew a little too hard and scared him...then plod back to me with a hangdog expression, head drooped down to his knees, knowing if he looked sorry enough I couldn't get mad. He liked to play tag. He loved an audience and was the biggest show-off I ever knew.

He won ribbons at national shows and crap too (not with me, I never had any desire to compete and I was average at best...he was too good for me honestly) but those aren't the things you think about when you had the best horse in the world. I think this author gets that.

And I love how down to earth these books are - there are a couple others I hold in similar regard just because everyone is so NORMAL. Buying a horse takes a dozen tries or more. Horses bolt, bite, just plain decide they're not gonna move and you can't make them. Riders screw up in the most embarrassing ways. Horses have names like...well...like Barney, Thunder and Roy, rather than, say, Romance, Battlecry, Glory, Shining, Sterling Dream, Fleet Goddess, Wonder, Whisper, Winsome, Windsong, or the entire night-sky ouevre (have you ever noticed this? off the top of my head from the series of my youth: Starlight, Stardust, Starfire, Evening Star, Firefly, Sunset Fawn, Golden Dawn, Moon Glow, Thundercloud, Thunderhead, Night Dancer, Black Night, and so many Lunas...if you cut these names and anything ending in -dancer or -song, you'd barely have any horses left) Success is measured in fun and self-improvement, not championship ribbons and Kentucky Derby wins. They're not set in a world where a second place finish in a Triple Crown race is a disappointment. I appreciate that, what can I say?

I've got the book at three stars because, well, it's a pretty standard 90s horsegirl book. Doesn't mean it's not a good one if that's what you're into.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a total disappointment after Keeping Barney! Skip this. I especially hate the sentence "When I grow up I'm going to have a horse and nobody's going to stop me." That's not how real life works, kid.

[Alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, fully, with no "for a kid's book" qualifier. The author captures riding and horses so well, but more importantly captures the conflicting emotions, thoughts, and opinions that face a person making a big decision. Excellent.

[Katelynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome

[Md · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet horse story with an ending both big and little girls will love.