Horse stories - Theme list for chapter books and longer picture-books

[Beverly, former Miscellaneous Club host]

For those who might be interested, I wanted to mention another horse book, not in our list above, that is very good:
Horse Song: The Naadam of Mongolia
Ted and Betsy Lewin, the author/illustrators actually went to Mongolia and witnessed a famous horse race there, capturing the people and the action in their beautiful watercolor paintings. This is a little bit longer picture book, more suitable for elementary age children than for pre-school children.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

This should be added to the Master List thread (the one that used to be called Nominations). I add books to those threads every so often, because they're good resources for anyone looking for more picture-books on the theme.

Edit - thanks for creating this thread, too, as of course this book is suitable for older children, not just for picture-book readers.

Everyone, please add your very favorite books about horses for older children here!

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

As it happens, I just read a well-written adventure about a boy who loves horses. It's by Meindert DeJong, who has won a Newbery award, and it's called A Horse Came Running. A dramatic story of how a boy survives a tornado and tries to help neighbors, and horses, recover from the storm while his parents are in the hospital.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Most of the books on my list will not be chapter books, but full-length children's books about horses.

The Island Horse, I have not yet read this, but it looks lovely and evocative, a story of a young girl befriending one of the wild ponies on Sable Island (her father is a lighthouse attendant there).

The Margaret Trilogy (includes A Place for Margaret, Margaret In The Middle and Margaret On Her Way), about a young girl in early 29th century Ontario who is sent to the country to live with relatives to cure her tuberculosis (part of the trilogy is her relationship with her uncle's big Shire horse and how this relationship makes Maragaret realise that she wants to become a veterinarian). A lovely set of books, well worth searching out (I have to still reread it and review it).

Jeannie and the Gentle Giants is another Canadian offering, one I am just reading. It is short and sweet, and while I love how Jeannie (who is placed into foster care when her mother becomes mentally ill) adjusts to her new surroundings and becomes best friends with her neighbour's horses, I think the story could have been a bit longer, as the emotions of abandonment, Jeannie feeling guilty about her mother's illness and the like are approached but (at least for me) handled a bit too superficially. However, the parts about the horses are wonderful and it shows that the author is knowledgeable with regard to horses and horse care.

This is another book I enjoyed but will have to reread in order to review. It is by Susan Juby and is definitely a book for older teenagers, in my humble opinion, Another Kind of Cowboy. I enjoyed the different points of view, and man was I laughing at some of the antics the girl engages in on her dressage horse (my favourite was when the author basically took one of the standard dressage tests and made it into a parody, but one really close to life for anyone who has ever tried to show or ride a dressage test and not be prepared for it, or have a horse which just won't listen). However, there are aspects of the book I found a bit troubling. And no, I have no issue with the fact that the male protagonist (who changes from western riding to dressage, English riding) realises that he is homosexual, it is actually the fact that almost everyone that Susan Juby describes in the English riding scene is at least rumored to be homosexual. I guess it's a bit of a personal quibble, my family rides dressage and while in Germany, males riding dressage is not a huge deal, many engage in it and it is not automatically assumed that they must be homosexual, which is unfortunately still rather the case at times in North America (and I guess I just don't like the fact that Susan Juby is perpetuating that stereotype). I also found some of the sex scenes, especially the ones in the park a bit risque, but for the most part, I enjoyed the book, but it is not a book for children (more for older teenagers).

I tried reading The Winter Pony, a novel "narrated" by some of the horses used in the ill-fated Scott expedition, but I found the book too depressing so I stopped reading. I found parts of Black Beauty similarly depressing, but with Black Beauty's story, there is a happy ending for Beauty, and it is also of historical significance because Anna Sewell's book actually caused there to be lasting changes to the way horses (especially cart horses) were cared for and dealt with, but with The Winter Pony, you know right from the beginning that there will be no salvation for these horses, that they will all perish in the antarctic and for what, for the glory of reaching the South Pole first.

Some of my favourite horse stories are those of Marguerite Henry. I've certainly not read all of them, but of the ones I have read, my favourites are Misty of Chincoteague, Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteague, Stormy, Misty's Foal and King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian. I really did not like the fourth Misty book, Misty's Twilight (it was certainly not up to Marguerite Henry's usual style and the human characters made me angry, as they seem to be rather blase with regard to their horse). I also as a child really liked White Stallion of Lipizza, I liked the fact that the rescue of these magnificent horses was deemed important enough to write about by an American author.

I also read the first of the black stallion books as a child, but while I enjoyed the first book, I never really got into the series all that much.

Another book I really want to read is Smoky the Cow Horse. From the description, it seems to be somewhat of an American (Western) Black Beauty type of tale.

That's all for today; I will add some German language books soon; none of these have, unfortunately, been translated into English as far as I can tell.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

"Farmer Boy" by Laura Ingalls Wilder has some wonderful sections about horses. It is an especially nice option for boys who love horses.

[Beverly, former Miscellaneous Club host]

I agree with Gundula on the Marguerite Henry books; I read every one I could get my hands on when I was a kid.
One that I just recently read: Leroy Ninker Saddles Up is a very short chapter book for about 3rd-4th grades students, and maybe second grade students who are very good readers. Very humorous as well.

I also read all the Black Stallion and Island Stallion books I could find (by Walter Farley.)

[Beverly, former Miscellaneous Club host]

There is also a more recent paperback series that I have not read myself, but would be of interest to girls about grades 5 and older:
Canterwood Crest series by Jessica Burkhart, beginning with Take the Reins.

[Sarah]

The Jill series, Jackie and Misty series, Jinny and Shantih series, the Saddle club. Loved all those when I was about 7 or 8.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

I haven't read any yet, but the work of Primrose Cumming looks charming.