Actually good horse books?

[TequilaMockingbird]

Not sure if this is what you’re looking for but these are horse books that I actually enjoyed reading:

Beyond the Home Stretch by Lynn Reardon - Her experiences starting LOPE, an OTTB adoption program
My Horses, My Teachers by Alois Podhajsky - Well know for dressage but there’s nothing technical in it, just his experiences from a child through becoming head of the SRS. One of my favorite non-fiction books
The Horse Doctor is In by Brent Kelley - Reads almost like a veterinary guide except he gives real life stories from his experiences as a vet in Kentucky. So instead of just saying “here are the symptoms for pigeon fever” he also gives you an interesting case of pigeon fever he’s seen over the years.
Ruffian: Burning from the Start - Really good book but I couldn’t finish it.
The Faraway Horses by Buck Brannaman - lots of stories of troubled horses he’s seen over the years and how he developed his training philosophy

You could also look into the James Herriot books (All Creatures Great and Small). They’re not about horses exclusively but they come up pretty often in his stories.

I haven’t read the Seabiscuit book but I saw the 2 hour documentary on PBS’ American Experience based on the book that came out at least a year before the movie. It made my non-horsey husband tear up at the end. They have actual footage, pictures and interviews, including with the book’s author. The movie was pretty good but it pales in comparison to the real deal.

[HannahsMom7]

[QUOTE=Draftmare;8712519]
For everybody else the Scorpio Races was amazing and was clearly written by somebody either familiar with horses or somebody that took the time to do their research. I was so hoping for a sequel, but the writer has made it clear that’s not going to happen.[/QUOTE]

awwww that is too bad as I loved that book myself and I found it because it was mentioned here.

what about Tami Hoag’s Dark Horse? she is a mystery writer and a dressage rider.

Dark Horse is a story about the horse show scene in Florida.

[clint]

If you loved The Scorpio Races, try Robin McKinley’s books The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown. They aren’t horse books per se, but Robin clearly knows horses and they are very honored in her books, which are also terrific fantasy. Read The Blue Sword ?first.

[Larksmom]

The Irish R. M. by Sommerville[?] and Ross.
GREAT stories about a sort of bumbling British constable, arriving in Ireland, and the people he deals with.
Lots and lots of horses, so much fun.

[IdahoRider]

I am getting some really good ideas for books to add to my TBR pile. Keep them coming!

I wish Jane Smiley would write another like Horse Heaven. I really, really enjoyed it.
Sheilah

[rubles]

“The Year of the Horse” and “The Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit” both come to mind.

[Caol_Ila]

I second “Riders.” It’s just like real life.

[dappled]

Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards. Kind of a heartbreaker, but I’ve read it multiple times and every time, I don’t want to put it down! Even though I know the ending… it’s still so good.

[LookmaNohands]

There is a fantasy series–a trilogy, I think the first one is called “Sword Dancer.” Either the second or third book begins with the main character getting bucked off his horse. It was obviously written by someone who had been there!

Read them years ago. Not bad, at least the horse stuff was pretty accurate!

[jonquil]

I also loved The Irish RM and Jane Smiley’s Barn Blind.

[Jo]

[QUOTE=Caol Ila;8713139]
I second “Riders.” It’s just like real life.[/QUOTE]

I finally read this last month. It was EXTREMELY difficult for me to get “into” and took forever to finish… I was disappointed after so much hype.

(I did, however, buy the sequel used from Amazon. All us gals at the barn pass around books so it will get a couple of readings.)

The suggestion of KM Peyton jogged my memory - two of my favorites are Fly by Night and the Team, both are YA but… I still love them!

[dressagetraks]

Don’t forget My Friend Flicka/Thunderhead/Green Grass of Wyoming. These are stories that I enjoyed as a child, but as an adult, I can see SO many more layers and appreciate things much more. Little moments that would have gone clear over my 6-year-old self, like the mother in a half-depressed, storm-clouds-on-horizon mood listening to Rachmaninoff and thinking, “So men can feel this way, too.” Especially in the latter two, they are far more than kid’s books.

[Draftmare]

[QUOTE=HannahsMom7;8712944]
awwww that is too bad as I loved that book myself and I found it because it was mentioned here.

what about Tami Hoag’s Dark Horse? she is a mystery writer and a dressage rider.

Dark Horse is a story about the horse show scene in Florida.[/QUOTE]

I know, I was so hoping for another as it kind of left off at a bit of a cliffhanger I felt. However the author made it pretty clear in a few interviews I read that she was looking to move on to other things, and didn’t plan to return to that storyline.

I will look into Dark Horse.

@clint;8712946

If you loved The Scorpio Races, try Robin McKinley’s books The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown. They aren’t horse books per se, but Robin clearly knows horses and they are very honored in her books, which are also terrific fantasy. Read The Blue Sword ?first.

Ooo, I will have to do that. I really did love that book. I could hardly set it down.

[QUOTE=IdahoRider;8713082]I am getting some really good ideas for books to add to my TBR pile. Keep them coming!

I wish Jane Smiley would write another like Horse Heaven. I really, really enjoyed it.
Sheilah[/QUOTE]

My list is getting longer and longer too, I am not really sure where I will start!

@dressagetraks;8713313

Don’t forget My Friend Flicka/Thunderhead/Green Grass of Wyoming. These are stories that I enjoyed as a child, but as an adult, I can see SO many more layers and appreciate things much more. Little moments that would have gone clear over my 6-year-old self, like the mother in a half-depressed, storm-clouds-on-horizon mood listening to Rachmaninoff and thinking, “So men can feel this way, too.” Especially in the latter two, they are far more than kid’s books.

I’ve read most of the classics. My Friend Flicka and all the other books, all the Walter Farley books, Seabiscuit, The Horse Whisperer, and of course all of the Margaret Henry books. I had somebody mention the same thing about Watership Down, which I read in middle school, and now I kind of want to revisit it.

[MMacallister]

Horseplay by Judy Renee Singer is one of my favorite horse books every “Sometimes its just good psychology to carry a whip”

It gets a little odd at the end but if you like fantasy you might like the end. Well worth the read

[OTTBs]

[QUOTE=MMacallister;8713415]
Horseplay by Judy Renee Singer is one of my favorite horse books every “Sometimes its just good psychology to carry a whip”
[/QUOTE] Loved all the puns in this book!

[QUOTE=dappled;8713190]Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards. Kind of a heartbreaker, but I’ve read it multiple times and every time, I don’t want to put it down! Even though I know the ending… it’s still so good.[/QUOTE] Also good. I bought this book at KY Horse Park.

[WannabeDQ]

I really enjoyed the Dressage Chronicles.

[Ruth0552]

I enjoy Rita Mae Brown and Jilly Cooper.

If you liked Seabiscuit then you will love The Eighty Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts. Fabulous Fabulous book. Like, get it, now. I heard it was on kindle for 1.99 yesterday if you like those new-fangled electronic reader thingies.

[AnastasiaBeaverhousen]

Working Trot
Brat Ferrar Josephine Tey
Ring of Fear Anne McCaffrey
The Heavenly Horse from the Outer Most West
Piper at the Gate Mary Staunton
Dun Lady’s Jess
Cobblers Dream Monica Dickens
Alibi Man Tami Hoag
Chesnut Mare Beware & 2 others by Jodie Jaffe
Carolyn Banks series of mysteries about dressage.
On Ice

[pony_grandma]

[QUOTE=minnieog;8712908]
Agree with the first person to answer, Seabiscuit is amazing. The writer Laura Hillenbrand is AMAZING. If you don’t want to be involved in racing you will after reading it :lol:[/QUOTE]

Also the book named after the horse, Funny Cide, I thoroughly enjoyed the story of the group of owners that showed up at the Derby in a yellow school bus.

[PoohLP]

A couple I have liked.

The Dressage Chronicles (There is also a sequel)
The Adventures of the $700 Pony
Natalie Keller Reinert’s are pretty good too. She has several series available via very affordable e-book on amazon). One series about race horses (haven’t read that), another about Event riders (2 books - Ambition, Pride), another about a show jumping barn (Show Barn Blues) and a few regency romances as well, which aren’t half bad. All the current day books are set in Florida, which is fun for me as a native.

Loved the Scorpio Races! That was a beautifully written book. I actually picked it up on a school summer reading table and was pleasantly surprised.

Since you like Fantasy, I’d also suggest Ann Bishop. The Dark Jewels books don;t specifically feature horses, but they do have some unicorns, as well as other sentient animals, and they are extremely well written. I actually finished reading the whole series and immediately reread it because I wasn’t ready for it to be over. I hardly ever do that. Her Marked in Flesh series (not as good as Dark Jewels, but still pretty good) has some pretty cool “ponies” in it, as well as lots of other “animals.” and her Pillars of the World Series also has some pretty cool horses too.

Once upon a time, long long ago, I read a fantasy series about a herd of horses that I quite enjoyed. It was like Watership Downs, only with horses. Unfortunately, I have no idea what it was called, but I remember enjoying it as a horse crazed teenager.