“Crazy Good” about Dan Patch is another good one.
https://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Good-Story-Famous-America/dp/0743291786?ie=UTF8&Version=1&entries=0
The Lady by Anne McCaffery. Life on an Irish stud farm. Super book.
The ones I was going to recommend have been mentioned. I love Jane Smiley’s Horse Heaven; it’s by far my favorite of her books. Don’t give up on it. It has zillions of characters, including several equine and one unforgettable canine. To people familiar with animals, her non-human characters are totally credible. The people will straighten themselves out as you read. This is one of those books that bears rereading.
The Mary O’Hara books are generally regarded as kids’ books, but they aren’t. The family dynamics and issues are definitely complex and real.
Loved Seabiscuit. After I read it, I gave away my paperback and bought the coffee table version with the additional photos–well worth it.
I enjoyed Dick Francis; for “lighter” fare, they are fun, and the horse references are spot-on accurate. My favorites are Straight (absolutely #1 to me), Longshot, Break-in, Bolt (these last two should be read in order), and the three Sid Halley books (Odds Against, Whip Hand, and Come to Grief). There lots of other good ones, too.
PoohLP, were you thinking of Mary Stanton’s “The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West”? good series!
Will James is fun to read. Written in the 20s.
Smokey the Cowhorse
Scorpion, a Good Bad Horse
Horses I’ve Known- short stories about horses
[QUOTE=Ruth0552;8713632]
If you liked Seabiscuit then you will love The Eighty Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts. Fabulous Fabulous book. Like, get it, now. [/QUOTE]
Ugh, I thought Eighty Dollar Champion was awful. Just awful. I was so disappointed. I hated the author’s writing style.
However, for those who loved it, the author has a new book:
The Perfect Horse: The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis
I had a chance to review it pre-publication, but passed because I so disliked The Eighty Dollar Champion. I’ll wait and get it from the library, that way I don’t have to finish it, or can skim.
1 Like
Ugh, I thought Eighty Dollar Champion was awful. Just awful. I was so disappointed. I hated the author’s writing style.
It took me awhile to get into it, but I ended up really loving that book!
You might try Meredith Anne Pierce’s Firebringer trilogy. It’s about unicorns, but I loved the books as I was growing up. The characters are pretty individual and interesting. I think they are “The Birth of the Firebringer”, “Dark Moon” and “Son of the Summer Stars”. It brings a few fantasy themes to unicorns, like the exiled prince, outcast witch, prophesied leader, etc. Actually I might have to go find those books again…
The Eighty Dollar Champion is currently on sale for Amazon Kindle for $1.99 here. You can get a free reader app if you don’t have a Kindle.
[QUOTE=NoSuchPerson;8714181]
Ugh, I thought Eighty Dollar Champion was awful. Just awful. I was so disappointed. I hated the author’s writing style.
However, for those who loved it, the author has a new book:
The Perfect Horse: The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis
I had a chance to review it pre-publication, but passed because I so disliked The Eighty Dollar Champion. I’ll wait and get it from the library, that way I don’t have to finish it, or can skim.[/QUOTE]
Agree with you about the Eighty Dollar Champion. Had really anticipated liking it because I had the original Snowman book by Rutherford Montgomery as a child (gave it away to a horse camp - still kicking myself over that). Disliked it so much that I was moved to write a review on Amazon. Writing was lacking, content was lacking, and the content that was there was repetitive.
ETA: if you like Jane Smiley or have ever dealt with a toxic BO/trainer, Barn Blind is quite an engrossing read.
PM me your email address if you want the e-book ‘A different arena’. It is in word.
Thirding the Steve Cline mysteries.
Just started reading “Boleto”.
If you like fantasy, I really enjoyed Caitlin Brennan’s trilogy-- the first one is The Mountain’s Call.
Rita Mae Brown and Dick Francis, both know horses. With both authors horses are just part of the story, not the central theme. Kind of like how horses are part of my life, not everything but because I have them there are certain life decisions I make.
[QUOTE=Field of Dreams Mini Horses;8713755]
The Lady by Anne McCaffery. Life on an Irish stud farm. Super book.[/QUOTE]
I have that book and it is excellent! She wrote a few short stories about horses also.
[QUOTE=Foxglove6;8712408]
Heralds of Valdemar is a good fantasy series that has horses in it. Curious about other responses.[/QUOTE]
Now you know those are not “really” horses. 
I bought that series because there was a horse on the cover.
The Green Rider series is good also. Only problem is the author writes reallllly slooooooowwwwwww and I may die of old age before we find out what happens to Kariagan.
Bill Shoemaker (the jockey) wrote a few books set in the racing world. Stalking Horse and Dark Horse.
A Girl and Five Brave Horses by Sonora Carver is a really good read. She rode the diving horses for years after she was totally blind. Disney made a movie about her, but totally ruined it. The book is excellent, and it has wonderful old photos of her and the horses in it. You can find it sometimes on Amazon.
[QUOTE=Aces N Eights;8713924]
Will James is fun to read. Written in the 20s.
Smokey the Cowhorse
Scorpion, a Good Bad Horse
Horses I’ve Known- short stories about horses[/QUOTE]
Oh yeah, I forgot about Smokey the Cowhorse. Read that one as a child as well.
[QUOTE=NoSuchPerson;8714181]Ugh, I thought Eighty Dollar Champion was awful. Just awful. I was so disappointed. I hated the author’s writing style.
However, for those who loved it, the author has a new book:
The Perfect Horse: The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis
I had a chance to review it pre-publication, but passed because I so disliked The Eighty Dollar Champion. I’ll wait and get it from the library, that way I don’t have to finish it, or can skim.[/QUOTE]
You are not the first person that I have heard that from. There was even a review from somebody who knew the horse that was super disappointed on Amazon. I actually have a copy of the book around here somewhere, but I can’t seem to find it.
[QUOTE=rascalpony;8714256]It took me awhile to get into it, but I ended up really loving that book!
You might try Meredith Anne Pierce’s Firebringer trilogy. It’s about unicorns, but I loved the books as I was growing up. The characters are pretty individual and interesting. I think they are “The Birth of the Firebringer”, “Dark Moon” and “Son of the Summer Stars”. It brings a few fantasy themes to unicorns, like the exiled prince, outcast witch, prophesied leader, etc. Actually I might have to go find those books again…[/QUOTE]
I will look into those. You don’t often find books about unicorns!
The Horse by Wendy Williams is a non-fiction book about the evolutionary history of equines, which sounds very dry, but it was actually really exciting and written more like a journalistic piece where you follow along on the author’s travels to different experts around the world to find out the secrets of equine history. Gives a lot of new insights into the equne mind as well!
[QUOTE=JeanM;8713811]
PoohLP, were you thinking of Mary Stanton’s “The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West”? good series![/QUOTE]
Definitely this and its sequel, “Piper at the Gates.” Still have them somewhere!
Also, two others I remember from - many - years ago: “The Gray Mare’s Foals” (can’t remember the author), and “The Grand Rogue” (again, author - ?). Both are out of print and have been for a long time.
‘Gray Mare’ is a collection of stories about one woman’s horses, written in the 1950s, I think.
‘Rogue’ is a really good YA novel about a girl named Megan who buys a young stallion at auction - yes, you think Black Beauty Syndrome, except that she actually knows what she’s doing, and she’s got help along the way to deal with him. A bit of angst over whether to break up with one boyfriend and start dating the cute loner, but a really good horse-centered story (mostly hunters) that gets it right. Again, I think 1950s. If anyone has a copy, I want this one!
I enjoyed Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen and the second one, Flying Changes.
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley is good, and it’s Prequel: The Hero and the Crown
Jean Auel’s, The Valley of Horses (Earth’s Children series)
Bluegrass by Borden Deal
There’s a great list over on Goodreads under Listopia of Best Horse Fiction: http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8367.Best_Horse_Fiction?page=1 Pretty much has everything referenced here.
