SOLVED. Children's chapter book: disabled boy getting equine therapy has adventure. [s]

[Ergative]

I would have read this in the early 90s. Oddly, I'm pretty certain that the title of the book is actually 'Pony', because the boy himself is nicknamed 'Pony', but of course that search term doesn't get me very far.

He has some musculo-skeletal disorder, and is usually in a wheelchair (although he can walk with braces, but doesn't like it), and he gets taken for equine therapy. The pony he rides is very well trained to respond to body weight movement. I think that during his first ride he has trouble figuring it out and accidentally signals the pony to trot--which is uncomfortable and bouncy, and then canter, which is smoother.

Eventually he gets caught up in some accident or confusion and is on his own with the pony, and has to figure things out. The pony is very nice and they get along well. I don't remember the details of what that trouble is, and when I try to think of details (southwest smuggling plot?) other details that don't match the book crop up.

[Kris]

Ergative, does the boy own the horse? Or does he visit a special therapy, rehab program (on a ranch)?

Was the boy a skilled rider in the past?

What is the story's time period and location (country, region, well-known city, small town)?

[Kris]

A guess - Colt by Nancy Springer? There are different cover images. Here's the description on Librarything.com:

"A young boy with a crippling disease learns, through a horseback riding program, to overcome his own anxieties and to help others in dealing with their own problems."

https://www.worldcat.org/advancedsear... > Subject: horses people with disabilities | 1960-1997 ? | Juvenile | Fiction | Book | English

[Ergative]

Thank you so much, Kris! That looks very similar from the description, but I won't know until I read the scene where he first rides a horse. To answer your questions, in case this is not the book:

1. He visits a special stable

2. He has never ridden before (his disability is not the result of some accident; I think it's congenital)

3. The time period was reasonably contemporary for the early 90s: there were cars and phones and equine therapy programs. I don't remember the setting, but it probably wasn't a large city, because the boy goes riding reasonably regularly, and the commute to the stable was not an obstacle to that.

But thanks again for your sleuthing! (Why did I think the name was 'pony'?) I'll report back if this is the right book.

[Kris]

Here is Amazon's description of Colt by Nancy Springer -- the horse's name is Liverwurst:

"Winner of the Joan Fassler Memorial Book Award: The triumphant story of a boy who overcomes his disease with help from horses

If Colt Vittorio had a motto, it would be I Don’t Want To! Colt has spina bifida—a condition that makes the bones in his legs weak and confines him to a wheelchair. When Colt is introduced to horseback riding in a program for disabled kids, he is beyond nervous. He wants nothing to do with these terrifying animals. After all, there’s no chance he’ll ever be able to use his legs anyway. What’s the point?

Once he gets in the saddle astride a horse named Liverwurst, Colt’s whole world changes. With the horse’s powerful, muscular body beneath him, Colt no longer feels small and limited. After all, if he can control this huge, strong animal, he can do anything. And with Liverwurst’s help, Colt’s back and legs start getting stronger. But when his doctor warns that horseback riding is too dangerous and the risks are too great, will Colt’s riding lessons be history?"


Here's the Kirkus Review -- https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...

[Ergative]

Yes, that was absolutely it. I just found it and read it through Open Library. Thank you very much!

[Kris]

Great. You're most welcome. Glad you found your book, Ergative.