HORSE BOOKS-What did you read as a child?

[appychick59]

[QUOTE=Mayaty02;3648840]
I practically devoured the entire Black Stallion series (and still have them complete with my little horse drawings all over them!). as I got a little older, I got heavily into Dick Francis mysteries…[/QUOTE]

I absolutely adore Dick Francis, I’ve been reading him since I was a teenager ( bad before electricity) When I was younger of course the obligatory M. Henry King of the Wind was my absolute favorite. I may be a total dork :lol: but I got on that all pedigrees website and traced my little 'ol appy mare (through her TB blood) all the way back to Sham. Another great use of company time.

[MissintheSouth]

Saddle Club, Thoroughbred, Black Stallion series.

Also as a smaller kid I loved “A Very Young Rider.” I wore that book out!

[ccoronios]

The Horseman’s Encyclopedia (Margaret Cabell Self?); Marguerite Henry; Walter Farley; An Album of Horses (?) - had a story about an old gray horse who’d worked the pole/millstone and was retired - almost died before one day when he happened to hear the noon whistle while standing near a tree - and proceeded to live quite a bit longer, going around and around that tree.

My Friend Flicka; anything I could get my hands on.

[Limerick]

Jean Slaughter Doty…

I loved The Monday Horses and The Crumb by Jean Slaughter Doty. I also enjoyed Summer Pony, Winter Pony and Can I Get There By Candlelight. I’ve actually found them on Alibris and my nine year old has read the last three and seemed to like them. I even wrote a letter to Jean and she wrote back. Sam Savitt illustated a few of her books. His books were very enjoyable too and accurate in their stories.

I checked out A Very Young Rider from the library over and over too.

Ponydom.com has a very comprehensive list of equine stories.

[schmoe1]

Very foggy memory of a book with a horse named Mutton Bones or Mutton Chops, but no other concrete details.

[SarahandSam]

“Fly-by-Night” was my favourite horse book as a kid because it was so realistic–muddy and difficult pony rather than the magical “National Velvet” or “Black Stallion” kind of perfect experience. (Not that I didn’t like those books too!) All the Marguerite Henry, Walter Farley, CW Anderson and Jean Slaughter Doty books. I loved CW Anderson’s illustrations especially–they’re what I strive toward when I’m doing sketches of horses. Sam Savitt too. Also a bunch of books whose authors I can’t remember… “Dark Sunshine,” “Smoky the Cow Horse,” “A Horse for XYZ,” “Night Cry,” and that one with the rose-grey Arabian cutting horse. I believe we established the title and author on that one with a separate thread before, but I can’t remember it now and the book is selling for a small fortune on Amazon–wish I still had my copy. (:

I also loved the Saddle Club when it first started and I read a couple of the Thoroughbred series, but I outgrew those fairly early into the series. Though I have been looking everywhere for Saddle Club books now to revisit them. Basically I loved anything in the young adult section of the library that had the little “horse book” sticker on it. d;

[copper1]

I LOVED “Somebody’s Pony” one of my very favorites! I remember reading almost all the books mentioned here and especailly loved the ones illustrated by Sam Savitt and Paul Brown! I just bought a couple of Ebay just to have memories: CW Andersons “Afraid to Ride” , “The Summer Pony” are a couple-would love to find more!

[Dinah-do]

I just found “Merrylegs - the Rocking Pony” by Paul Brown. In one of the drawings there is a picture on the wall of a horse that I swear is by Sam Savitt. Love Paul Brown drawings. My all time favourite book is “The Five Circles” - the Olympic story of Cilroy.

[system]

My favorite book was this old one of my mom’s called Riding Course Summer. I still have it in my bookshelf, even though the pages are crumbling and the cover is ripped off. It’s by Pat Leitch, and it’s about a bunch of kids in England who teach themselves to ride. I loved it because the little girl in it does not end up with her own pony and all her riding dreams still come true. At the time, I felt as if I would never get my own horse, so this situation seemed more hopeful.

[whaat]

I loved Saddle Club and the Throroughbred series. I LOVED Saddle Club and would read the book in one sitting. I have the whole series packed away for any children I might have one day.

[Janeway]

Black Stallion

Read all the Walter Farley books, even though they got worse as the series went on. The Black Stallion and Man O’ War are probably my favourites.

So glad to see someone reference “Old Bones” - I loved that book as a child! I still have it in a box somewhere along with the Misty books.

One of my other favourites is a British book about an orphaned girl riding jumpers and making it to the Horse of the Year show at White City - does that ring a bell with anyone? I can’t remember the name, but I read it over and over. Its probably from the 1960’s or so as I remember it being old when I read it in the '80’s.

Of course the other major horsey book I read as a teen was “Riders” by Jilly Cooper Now that one stuck with me for a long time… it was a real eye opener for many reasons when I read it at 14!!! :winkgrin:

[eqrider1234]

OMG i was ADDICTED to the thoroughbred series, i think i read like… up to 56?? i know they went up to 150 or something ridiculous

Heartland was also a nice series

never read the saddle club, but used to watch it on TV and drive my parents and older siblings crazy

another book called LuckLady was one of my favorites!!

[woodhillsmanhattan]

another vote for the Thoroughbred series, those were AWESOME. Also enjoyed pony pals, saddle club, and loved “The Everything Horse Book” which wasn’t actually a fictional horse book but was very kid friendly horsie educational book. Also Misty of Chincoteague was an awesome one, and Mr Friend Flicka

[loni1949]

Most of what’s been mentioned and i still have a large box of The Saddle Club and Pine Hallow in my parents attic.

Recently when I need a light travel read I picked up Riding Lessons and Flying Chagnes by Sarah Gruen and Horse Heaven by Jane Smiley.

[Silk]

The Horsemasters
Hobby Horse Hill
Jumping Jack
Fly By Night
Vicki and the Black Horse
Vicki and the Brown Mare
summer Pony
Winter Pony
harlequin Hullabaloo

[ww3467]

Not necessarily a children’s book, but when I was a young teenager someone gave me a copy of British showjumper Pat Smythe’s autobiography “Jump for Joy”. I don’t think I’ve seen it mentioned before on any of these book threads. Does anyone else remember it? I used to read it over and over - it had a lot of great photos in it also. I still have a copy. It looks like she wrote several other books also, but I’ve never read any of them.

I was also a big C.W. Anderson fan. “Afraid to Ride” was a favorite, as well as the “Billy and Blaze” books when I was younger.

[FlashGordon]

I loved the Thoroughbred series!! And Saddle Club of course.

My favorites though were the CW Anderson books. What gorgeous illustrations. In fact I should start tracking those down and collecting them for little FG…

[Linny]

I had a series about a young girl who owned a racehorse. I don’t recall the name of the author but I think that the horse was named Sun Bonnet.

I had a story about a police horse named Trusty.

Ofc ourse I read Farley’s “Man O’ War” and everything by Margurite Henry and CW Anderson.

[Figment]

What was the beautiful hardcover book with each breed in it? The pics were I think copies of paintings. I remember the lipizzan pic of one with a Spanish guy on it doing airs above the ground. Was that The Album of the Horse? Gorgeous book. Wish I still had it.

[HappyTalk]

My absolute fav was Pidgy’s Surprise by Jeanne Mellin. Wonderful illustrations. Another favorite was Bold Venture by DVS Jackson. I was very lucky to find both my copies on e-Bay.