My friend’s 10 year old daughter recently began riding lessons. Much to my dismay, I was sent a picture of the instructor leading her while wearing flip flops. The child is a reader and believes what she reads so I’m looking for good book recommendations for her age that will give correct information. Any suggestions??
P.S. I already gave her mom some information on why the flip flops are such a big no no, which she shared with her daughter.
At that age, I loved “School for Young Riders” by Jane Marshall Dillon. It’s written like a fictional horse story, but manages to cover a multitude of riding and horsemanship skills and knowledge. It’s very readable.
Yes, it’s an old book and out of print, but in a wave of nostalgia, I purchased a used copy a couple of years ago and, while some of the pictures may give you a chuckle, it’s still good solid horsemanship and riding skills and very relatable for a young, horse crazy girl.
I just checked Amazon and they have used copies from 3rd party sellers as low as $8.95 - a bargain, if you ask me.
Hm. Of course there are a plethora of “basic information” books about horses/tack/riding/etc geared toward young readers, some of them better than others…I still have several of these sorts of books from when I was young (I’m a bit of a pack-rat); I will look for them to check the titles & post again or edit in a short while.
But, a fantastic book which I read & re-read dozens of times as a child (& still sometimes periodically re-read as an adult – I really love the book) is “Talking of Horses” by Monica Dickens. It certainly is not exactly a “reference” book, or purely informational by any means – it is essentially a collection of short stories about the author’s (the grand-daughter of Charles Dickens IIRC) life w/ horses – and it is quite old at this point, & I’m not sure if it is still in print, but there is a lot of very pertinent information to be gleaned by reading through it, presented in a story format very easy for children in that age range to absorb & not end up bored by (IME anyway).
“Talking of Horses” was one of the books my mother (also an equestrian) gave me as a child, that I “had to read” before I could have my first pony of my own. It’s a really wonderful book. I first read it through when I was maybe around ~8 years old & had no trouble w/ it, it is geared toward young readers. I was a very…intense reader as a child, & read many books well above my “grade level,” but I do think the book I’m talking about would be fairly well suited for the average 10-y/o who is an enthusiastic reader.
Unfortunately, the only copy I can find is $44. It sounds amazing though and I will check the library.
Thank you!
Man! Wow, so crazy to think that these fairly “unimportant” books from decades ago are now going for so much money. :eek:
It really is a fantastic book though, especially for young equestrians, so I hope you might have some luck finding a copy at your library.
Some of the straight “reference” books I have in my closet are “A First Guide to Horse and Pony Care: What Every Young Rider Must Know About Feeding, Grooming & Handling” and “Horses, Horse Breeds & Horse Care: An Encyclopedia of Horses & Comprehensive Guide to Horse & Pony Care” …I know I have at least a couple more, somewhere…but I haven’t found them on a quick cursory search around. && Do bear in mind that, those books I just listed – the first was published 1991 & the second was first published 2000, so they may not be currently available either. :dead:
I imagine your local big book store – like Books-A-Million or something similar – would have some current basic reference books on horseback riding/horse care geared toward young riders or young hopeful riders. Of course though, it’s good to at least skim through & make sure everything is accurate & helpful before purchasing…'cause you never know, hah.
My daughter loved “Jumping for Kids”; I’m pretty sure it’s a series so there’s probably one for kids just starting out. Pony Club Manual is dry, but great. Also when she’s a bit older or if she’s a voracious reader, Denny Emerson’s How Good Riders Get Good is very accessible for all ages. Good luck! (Oh and Young Rider Magazine is wonderful at that age…I often give gift subscriptions via Amazon…)
Can’t go wrong with Pony Club handbooks.
I took this out of my local library a few years ago. Basic and nice photos to illustrate its points:
Not as structured, but I enjoyed this for fun. I also checked this out of my library but it’s available for a reasonable price on Amazon:
The fiction of Kate Lattey, Maggie Dana, and (if you can get your hands on out-of-print copies) Jean Slaughter Doty’s The Monday Horses and The Crumb are great, realistic, age-appropriate books that illustrate good and bad horsemanship.
I’m including these links mainly as nostalgia. I’m not really a re-rider, I was just a walk-trotter as a kid but these were two of my favorite nonfiction horse care books for fantasizing about someday owning a pony of my own and caring for it properly:
Light Horsekeeping
A Very Young Rider
Definitely School for Young Riders, it even has a quiz after every couple of chapters and there are always lots of copies available online even though its out of print I believe. Jean Slaughter Doty’s Pony Care and Riding for Beginners are also wonderful (George Morris’s niece and nephew are actually two of the kids in the photos), also out of print and while slightly dated, the facts about handling, care and riding are still correct.
Thank you all! I think a subscription to Young Rider is definitely in order as well as following up on some of the books suggested. I loved Saddle Club as a kid, but cringe now when I realize all the misinformation that was portrayed, lol. I really want something for her age group that emphasizes good horsemanship. My fiancé said I should just write it, and maybe that’s a thought since so many of these great books are so hard to come by now!
Definitely the USPC D Manual. Great foundation, covers safety thoroughly as well.
Not sure if they are still in print, but good ones are
Happy Horsemanship (aimed at kids, but I recommend it to adult beginners as well). More about riding than horse care
A Horse of Your Own (more of an adult book, but I devoured it at that age)
I second A Very Young Rider as it does talk horse care and safety and has so many lovely photographs. It should be available for $18 and it is by Jill Krementz.
What a shame that they are at a barn with poor horsemanship. Where are they located? Perhaps COTHers could help make suggestions about decent places for beginners in that area.
I just found A Very Young Rider at Barnes and Noble for less than $3!!
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/very-young-rider-jill-krementz/1000228209/2677402477808?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Marketplace+Shopping+Books_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP4449&k_clickid=3x4449
@Limerick2017 I’m so glad it is still in circulation! I was obsessed with that book as a little girl. I even wore my hair in braids and a turtleneck with a t-shirt over it, just like the girl in the book, after reading it. And no flip-flops in it.
Thank you! Buying it now!
They are at a barn in Salisbury, MD. I don’t want to post the name, but it’s a somewhat limited area for stables. They have a newborn baby and somewhat limited financial means, so traveling too far is not practical at this time. But if anyone knows of any very reputable barns in that area for a kid who needs a beginner lesson program, that would. be fantastic!
It was actually re-published a few years ago and they did a few pages on “where they are now.” Great book and gorgeous photos and so many little girls wanted to be Vivi!!
A great basic, for parents, grandparents, kids… is Horses for Dummies by Audrey Pavia. Nondenominational in tone, it is just a super ‘get started’ book.
i buy used copies on Amazon to have on hand for curious parents whose horse-mad girls drag them to our stable.
tge book is a great souvenir for a first visit to a training stable, a how-to manual and, ohbytheway, a guide to further involvement with horses.
A fictional series with tons of very accurate information about riding and horse management is the Show Jumping Dreams series by Claire Svendsen. It might only be available on Kindle however. https://www.goodreads.com/series/127074-show-jumping-dreams
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