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Flying Hoofs: Stories of Horses
24 stories by authors including Will James, Montgomery Atwater, Sewell Ford, Ethel Parton, Glenn Balch, Lavinia R. Davis, Frances Margaret Fox, Laura Adams Armer, Alexander Finta, Alice Gall, and Fleming Crew, etc.
292 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1939
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July 29, 2024
This rare 1939 anthology was illustrated by the legendary Paul Brown. I've no idea who Wilemina Harper is. Most of the selections are chapters from novels. It's currently up on The Open Library for who knows how much longer. Most of these stories were written 1900- 1920, so phrases like "he ejaculated" have unintentional hilarity.
Despite racial stereotypes and general silliness, I gave this four stars because it's a horse anthology with something rare -- no main horse in each selection dies.
Stories:
* "A Pure-bred Pulls Through" by Montgomery M. Atwater. This has appeared in many anthologies, for good reasons.
* "Smoky and the Wolves" by Will James. Excerpt from the classic American horse story, Smoky, the Cow Horse.
* "The Indian Horse Race" by Ernest Thompson Seton. Excerpt from The Preacher of Cedar Mountain. Tale of the West, with stereotypical treatment of Native Americans.
* "Shaggy at the Front" by Russell Gordon Carter. Excerpt from "Shaggy, the Horse from Wyoming." This seems like an early version of War Horse, only about an American horse this time.
* "Old Dude, the Mystery Horse" by Belle Coates. Sweet but predictable Western, where an old horse helps an asshole of a boy.
* "The Swede" by Russ Santee. Excerpt from Men and Horses. Western about a Swedish cowboy and the horse no one could ride.
* "Trustworthy" by S. P. Meek. Excerpt from Frog, the Horse Who Knew No Master, about a cavalry horse in Panama, based on a real horse.
* "Black Storm" by Thomas C. Hinkle. An early chapter from the Western of the same name.
* "A Herdboy of Hungary" by Alexander Finta. Excerpt from Herdboy of Hungary. The author claims this was a true story of his old mare. Anne Rice fans will be interested to note that there word "taltos" here means "magic horse".
* "Judy and Hammerhead" by Frances L. Cooper. Stop me if you've heard this one before: A rancher's young daughter and a Horse no one can ride ...
* "An Indian Boy and His Pony" by Lara Adams Armer. Excerpt from Waterless Mountain. Here, the word "jedi" means "engine sound." This story is another kind of stereotyping of Native Americans ... that of the noble savage.
* "The Last Inch" by Constance Holme. Story of a tree-killer and his Shires in Scotland.
* "Pasha, the Son of Selim" by Sewell Ford. Excerpt from Horses Nine. An Arabian horse gets caught up with the Confederates in the Civil War.
* "The Pony Express" by Howard R. Driggs. Excerpt from The Pony Express Gets Through. Okay ... not only is the Pony Express horse named Nigger, but them Injuns get killed and isn't it all funny.
* "Jock, the Pony of an English King" by Alice Gall & Fleming Crew. Excerpt from Each in His Way. Continuing the racial slurs, we have a fictional story of Jock, the Highland Pony of George V.
* "Belinda in the Fore-Room" by Ethel Parton. Excerpt from Stories About Horses: Retold from St. Nicholas. Set in the days of the American Revolution, three kids try to hide the beautiful mare Belinda from being requisitioned into the British Army. One of the girls says, "The soldiers won't hurt me. I'm a girl." Oh. My. GAWD.
* "The Black Horse" by Catherine C. Coblentz. Excerpt from Animal Pioneers. Story of Cortez' horse, called The Black. Keep in mind, this was written years before The Black Stallion.
* "The Cream-Colored Pony" by Chesley Kahmann. Excerpt from Gypsy Life. This was more about a Gypsy girl than the pony.
* " Stable Call" by Cornelia L. Meigs. A 14 year old boy decides to join the troop of Custer. What could possibly go wrong?
* "Tale of Two Horses" by A. F. Tschiffley. Excerpt, possibly two chapters, from the book of the same name. Told first person by Tschiffley's horses as they make their monumental ride.
* "A Thoroughbred" by Glen Balch. An early chapter from Tiger Roan. Warning -- lotsa horse abuse here.
* "Betsy's Horse-Show Ribbon" by Lavinia R. Davis. Betsy has to ride an evil-tempered Hackney Pony in her first horse show.
* "Rodney" by Leonard H. Jason. Although a heartwarming story about a horse that survived WWI, there were only a handful of war horses that went home. Horses like Rodney would've been shot and eaten after the Armistace.
* "The Last Run" by Frances Margaret Fox. Excerpt from Uncle Sam's Animals. Bizarre ending about the retirement of three fire horses, and the last charge of an old cavalry horse.
Despite racial stereotypes and general silliness, I gave this four stars because it's a horse anthology with something rare -- no main horse in each selection dies.
Stories:
* "A Pure-bred Pulls Through" by Montgomery M. Atwater. This has appeared in many anthologies, for good reasons.
* "Smoky and the Wolves" by Will James. Excerpt from the classic American horse story, Smoky, the Cow Horse.
* "The Indian Horse Race" by Ernest Thompson Seton. Excerpt from The Preacher of Cedar Mountain. Tale of the West, with stereotypical treatment of Native Americans.
* "Shaggy at the Front" by Russell Gordon Carter. Excerpt from "Shaggy, the Horse from Wyoming." This seems like an early version of War Horse, only about an American horse this time.
* "Old Dude, the Mystery Horse" by Belle Coates. Sweet but predictable Western, where an old horse helps an asshole of a boy.
* "The Swede" by Russ Santee. Excerpt from Men and Horses. Western about a Swedish cowboy and the horse no one could ride.
* "Trustworthy" by S. P. Meek. Excerpt from Frog, the Horse Who Knew No Master, about a cavalry horse in Panama, based on a real horse.
* "Black Storm" by Thomas C. Hinkle. An early chapter from the Western of the same name.
* "A Herdboy of Hungary" by Alexander Finta. Excerpt from Herdboy of Hungary. The author claims this was a true story of his old mare. Anne Rice fans will be interested to note that there word "taltos" here means "magic horse".
* "Judy and Hammerhead" by Frances L. Cooper. Stop me if you've heard this one before: A rancher's young daughter and a Horse no one can ride ...
* "An Indian Boy and His Pony" by Lara Adams Armer. Excerpt from Waterless Mountain. Here, the word "jedi" means "engine sound." This story is another kind of stereotyping of Native Americans ... that of the noble savage.
* "The Last Inch" by Constance Holme. Story of a tree-killer and his Shires in Scotland.
* "Pasha, the Son of Selim" by Sewell Ford. Excerpt from Horses Nine. An Arabian horse gets caught up with the Confederates in the Civil War.
* "The Pony Express" by Howard R. Driggs. Excerpt from The Pony Express Gets Through. Okay ... not only is the Pony Express horse named Nigger, but them Injuns get killed and isn't it all funny.
* "Jock, the Pony of an English King" by Alice Gall & Fleming Crew. Excerpt from Each in His Way. Continuing the racial slurs, we have a fictional story of Jock, the Highland Pony of George V.
* "Belinda in the Fore-Room" by Ethel Parton. Excerpt from Stories About Horses: Retold from St. Nicholas. Set in the days of the American Revolution, three kids try to hide the beautiful mare Belinda from being requisitioned into the British Army. One of the girls says, "The soldiers won't hurt me. I'm a girl." Oh. My. GAWD.
* "The Black Horse" by Catherine C. Coblentz. Excerpt from Animal Pioneers. Story of Cortez' horse, called The Black. Keep in mind, this was written years before The Black Stallion.
* "The Cream-Colored Pony" by Chesley Kahmann. Excerpt from Gypsy Life. This was more about a Gypsy girl than the pony.
* " Stable Call" by Cornelia L. Meigs. A 14 year old boy decides to join the troop of Custer. What could possibly go wrong?
* "Tale of Two Horses" by A. F. Tschiffley. Excerpt, possibly two chapters, from the book of the same name. Told first person by Tschiffley's horses as they make their monumental ride.
* "A Thoroughbred" by Glen Balch. An early chapter from Tiger Roan. Warning -- lotsa horse abuse here.
* "Betsy's Horse-Show Ribbon" by Lavinia R. Davis. Betsy has to ride an evil-tempered Hackney Pony in her first horse show.
* "Rodney" by Leonard H. Jason. Although a heartwarming story about a horse that survived WWI, there were only a handful of war horses that went home. Horses like Rodney would've been shot and eaten after the Armistace.
* "The Last Run" by Frances Margaret Fox. Excerpt from Uncle Sam's Animals. Bizarre ending about the retirement of three fire horses, and the last charge of an old cavalry horse.
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