Gads…I would seriously go to the library and find, read and devour ANY book that had ANYTHING to do with horses, fiction or otherwise. This was long before Saddle Club though…but I do remember reading CW Anderson, Anna Sewell, all of Walter Farley’s books, Sam Savvitt. I remember a book called " The White Stallions of Lipizza" which told the story of the Lipizzanner Stallions (obviously)…Oh lord, I think I could go on forever. I remember another book, I think it was called “Dark Horse”, had to have come out in the mid '80’s, but it was one of my faves. I wasn’t able to own a horse when I was a kid, so I read all that I could and lived for the rare moments when I could actually get near one. sniff Now, I count my blessings every day that I not only have one, but two amazing horses! What a dream!
I had (almost) every Saddle Club book, and I had every Pine Hollow too, although there weren’t that many in the series… maybe like 10 or 12? I can’t remember. I had a few Thoroughbred books, but I never really liked them. I also had a couple Heartlands and Sandy Lane Stables. Or course I read Misty of Chincoteague and Black Beauty. Shadow Horse by Alison Hart and Willow King by Chris Platt were big ones for me too. I know there were many many other that I can’t think of right now!!
Not a kids book, but a good horse book is Riders by Jilly Cooper. I read it last winter and loved it! I guess it is based on a famous big-time showjumper, like Michael Whitaker, but I could never find out for sure! I guess Riders was a TV movie (or series?) in the UK too.
I read all the Jill books over and over as a kid - as well as the Jinny and Shantih series. I also read a lot of the Pullein-Thompson sisters books. I loved the book Tic Tac but can’t for the life of me remember what it was about! Also enjoyed the Chincoteague books.
OMG I read the Jill books. Need to get them now for a revisit and get lost in the past evening!!!
Thought they were great, she messed up here and there but was always pretty down to earth and fessed up to not being perfect. There was no in your face moral stuff but you kind of wanted to be the person she was in good and bad and handle yourself the way she handled herself.
Black Gold
still makes me cry to this day. The last few pages will really get you. It is such an inspirational story about a racehorse.
Melody, Mutton Bone and Sam by Lavina R. Davis. GREAT book! She also wrote Hobby Horse Hill, another of my favorites.
What else? Hrmmm…
‘A Very Young Rider’ is a favorite
Any of the Dorothy Lyons Books (Silver Birch, Midnight Moon, Golden Sovereign, Dark Sunshine, Bright Wampum, Harlequin Hullabaloo(title was later changed to Bluegrass Champion), etc…I am only missing one in my collection)
The Dragon Series by Lynn Hall
The Bonnie books (A Horse Called Bonnie)
Spurs for Susanna and Spring Comes Riding
All Jean Slaughter Doty books
For Love of a Horse and the sequels (Jinny and Shantih)
The Maguerite Henry Books
I basically read any fiction about horses I could get my hands on.
I recently read A Horse Like Mr. Ragman…so good.
On the day the local 6th graders took a tour of the high school, I was excited beyond words since the hs library was HUGE! By this time I had devoured every horse book in the local library so this was a gold mine! Didn’t take long the next year for me to go through all the obvious horse books then I had to do “creative” searching to find more since many titles didn’t have a horsey term in them. We were forced to do a book report on a biography which didn’t excite me as I was thumbing through the stacks until I found “Jump For Joy”! Then I learned that horse people did have bios! Also discovered “A Girl and 5 Brave Horses” the story of Sonia Carver and the diving horses-“Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken”.
I don’t think the more modern horse stories are as good as back in the day-those ones seemed more real and possible!
Does anyone remember one about a girl that goes to spend her summer with her country cousins and their horses. Her parents buy her a real fancyhunter but she ends up loving one of the cousin’s more backyard type guy, I think hsi name may have been FRosty or something. We all need to spend more time on Ebay to find all these titles!
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I loved the book Tic Tac but can’t for the life of me remember what it was about! Also enjoyed the Chincoteague books.[/QUOTE]
Tic Tac was my favorite. It was about a girl who didn’t have the $ to buy a horse, took the bus to the barn and was a working student for the barn owner, he was a Col. and a strict? She began showing, and jumping- the horse had an injury, there were girls with tons of $ and nice horses- the usual- and a great story because in the end she somehow got the horse.
I loved anything illustrated by Paul Brown
A great book that he illustrated was “I’ll take Cappy”. I found that on Amazon too as well as the Jill books.
Another book that is fun, though more recent, is “Show Gypsies”…has anyone read that one??
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If you find them…please let me in on the fun. :yes: I’m still not too old for Stevie, Lisa and Carole.[/QUOTE]
Amazon.com I found all of them on there. And CHEAP (like .25 per) book! I’m 25 and not too old for Carole, Lisa and Stevie! 
I still have both of these. We were reading all the same books RugBug. :yes:
My favorites were the Pat Smythe books about the 3 Jays.
And, of course, Harlequin Hullabaloo. Ever time I got really mad at my trainer, I told him I was going to quit hunters and go get a spotted ASB, preferably 5-gaited. :winkgrin:
[QUOTE=Figment;3649555]
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.[/QUOTE]
This sounds like Album of Horses, by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Wesley Dennis. Your library may have a copy, and it is in print again as a softcover from Scholastic. Probably many used copies out there as well.
For anyone looking for titles, we built a long list at http://www.ponydom.com/books/index.html. There’s even a way to find only books that are related to hunter/jumpers. 
And here is the last big long thread for horse fiction in Off Course:
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=168031
The good news is that there seems to be a recent renaissance in horse books for younger kids. My daughter is devouring two new series, Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa, about a western pair, and Keeker and the Sneaky Pony, an english pair. And there are other series that seem to be going strong as well. I love the old ones, too, and I’m glad that Jean Slaughter Doty’s Summer Pony and Winter Pony are back in print. It’s fun to systematically read my way through my library’s catalog of Horses-fiction.
Great horse books for younger kids:
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=173137
That is Hobby Horse Hill by Lavinia R. Davis, I still have it.
I have her Jump for Joy as well as a later book about her horse Flanagan, I think the title is Flanagan My Friend.
For those who like Jean Slaughter Doty, I loved her non-fiction books Pony Care and Horsemanship for Beginners. Both are beautifully illustrated with great photos of kids on their ponies, I used to fantasize about being lucky enough to be one of those kids with their own pony to ride whenever they wanted to.
[QUOTE=Sleepy;3650401]
My favorites were the Pat Smythe books about the 3 Jays.
And, of course, Harlequin Hullabaloo. Ever time I got really mad at my trainer, I told him I was going to quit hunters and go get a spotted ASB, preferably 5-gaited. :winkgrin:[/QUOTE]
Thank goodness someone else has mentioned the Three Jays books, lol. I wish I had kept mine and occasionally check to see if I can find them on-line. Great stories on Pony Club activities etc. by one of the biggest names in the sport. At least I still have my copy of “Flanagan My Friend”
One of Paul Brown’s earliest jobs was drawing the sportswear ads for Brooks Bros. About 5 or 6 years ago I was walking by the store on Madison Avenue and they had several of PB’s originals in their storefront windows. :eek: I immediately went inside, as it turns out they were doing a display of his works, the store owns many of his originals and they were scattered throughout the store. I was in heaven walking around and admiring all these wonderful works of art. I spoke with a couple of employees who were working back in the day and they said many of the employees had small drawings that PB had done for them while working there. It was a wonderful experience.
There is a bio about Paul Brown that came out several years ago, it has copies and photos of many of his works, including some that are in color, they are called “aqua-tints” - very lovely and unusual as most of his work was pencil or charcoal, I’m not sure what the correct term is.
I second “A Very Young Rider” – plus “The Pony Book” (all about the world of the late Emerson Burr) and “Fit to Show” (how badly did I want to be Francesca Mazella and win BOTH the Medal and Maclay!!!)
Does anyone remember a book about a girl who hides a horse named Highboy in an abandoned stable next to her house? She works to buy his food and doesn’t tell her parents about him?
My very favorite was called “Challenger” I don’t know who wrote it but I reread it till the pages fell out! Anyone know the author?
Other favorites were:
Harlequin Hullabaloo
The entire Black Stallion Series and the other series…Blood Bay??
Any C.W. Anderson books
Any Marguerite Henry books
Flanagan, my Friend
Cammie’s Choice
Dark Horse
Smoky the Cow Horse
Cabin on Ghostly Pond by Margery (or Margaret?) Reynolds
Any books or posters by Sam Savitt
Then, when I got a little older, all the Dick Francis books!
