Horse Novels - What's your favorite?

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

[QUOTE=Highflyer;7906834]
There was a sequel to Horseplay about elephants, too http://www.amazon.com/Judy-Reene-Singer/e/B001IOH2V2/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1418501190&sr=8-1-fkmr2[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=IdahoRider;7906866]LOL! Totally the same author:
http://www.amazon.com/Inconvenient-Elephant-Judy-Reene-Singer-ebook/dp/B003SE76BQ/ref=asap_B001IOH2V2?ie=UTF8

and

http://www.amazon.com/Still-Life-Elephant-Reene-Singer/dp/B0041T4O7G/ref=asap_B001IOH2V2?ie=UTF8

Judy Reene Singer is on a much higher level than Gruen. I would never confuse the two. I take my reading too seriously to do that!
Sheilah[/QUOTE]

What are the odds? :lol:

Actually, now that y’all mention it, I remember reading the Singer elephant book. I’m going to be hiding my own Easter eggs before long.

[IdahoRider]

@pAin't_Misbehavin';7907476

What are the odds? :lol:

Actually, now that y’all mention it, I remember reading the Singer elephant book. I’m going to be hiding my own Easter eggs before long.

I can’t tell you how many times I have purchased a book or checked one out from the library, been so excited to read it because it seemed like a great story, and gotten about ten pages in before realizing I had already read it.

And, in your defense, the Singer elephant books weren’t as good as “Horse Play”. I think that every time I see the last one while scrolling through my Kindle’s library.
Sheilah

[littleum]

There seems to be a dearth of decent horse fiction. I shall go write us some to enjoy! (HAHAHA)

A book I read as a kid that has stayed with me is “Not On A White Horse”. It was supposed to be young adult, but my memories of it are that it was pretty dark.

It’s this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Not-White-Horse-Nancy-Springer/dp/0394829654/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418578263&sr=8-1&keywords="not+on+a+white+horse"

(But that’s not the cover I recall)

[poltroon]

Judy Reene Singer is a COTHer, so yet another reason I highly encourage purchase of her wonderful “Horseplay.”

[Old_Grey_Mare]

Black Beauty–not a sentimental kid’s book, but the “Uncle Tom’s Cabin of the Horse.” And if you can find it, The Annotated Black Beauty by Ellen Wells is a treasure!

Horse Heaven & all others by Jane Smiley. I like her new series for young adults. Barn Blind is fascinating but very dark.

National Velvet (get the one with the Paul Brown illustrations!)

My Friend Flicka, ThunderHead & Green Grass of Wyoming, also Wyoming Summer by Mary O’Hara.

The Monday Horses, The Crumb, Can I Get There by Candlelight, & all others by Jean Slaughter Doty.

Pamela and the Blue Mare and The Blue Mare at the Olympic Trials–classics!

The Show Gypsies by Leigh Brown (hard to find but worth it!)

Catch Rides by Sara McAuley (the old l970s book, not the new one by somebody else)

All the great old Marguerite Henry books: King of the Wind, Born to Trot, Black Gold, etc.

The Sister Jane foxhunting series, Riding Shotgun & High Hearts by Rita Mae Brown

Anything by Dick Francis, especially his autobiography, Sport of Queens.

If you like Dick Francis & steeplechasing, look up John Francome (Blood Sport, Free Fall, many others) and Jenny Pitman (The Edge, Double Deal, more).

Smoky the Cow Horse and others by Will James (his illustrations jump right off the page!)

Beyond Rope and Fence by David Grew

The Cart Before the Corpse & others by Carolyn McSparren

Penny’s Worth (old young-adult fiction, but I loved it back then & still do)

Hobby Horse Hill, High Hurdles & similar–all illustrated by Paul Brown

The Silver Horn & others by Gordon Grand

Gallops I & Gallops II by David Grey, illustrated by Paul Brown

The Irish R.M by by Somerville & Ross

David Harum by Hiram Westcott (written about a character in my home town; my great grandfather traded horses with him!)

So many books, so little time!

[costco_muffins]

[QUOTE=Epona142;7907418]
It counts up until Shelters of Stone, because there is certainly no book after that one worth reading. LOL. :D[/QUOTE]

Totally agree!

[Jeito]

Speaking of COTH-ers, has anyone mentioned Jody Jaffe? I loved every one of her Natalie Gold mysteries and wish she had written more.

[IdahoRider]

@Jeito;7908155

Speaking of COTH-ers, has anyone mentioned Jody Jaffe? I loved every one of her Natalie Gold mysteries and wish she had written more.

Oh! True words!!! I wish she would write more books!
Sheilah

[chillydc]

Check out M. Garzon’s Blaze of Glory books! She posts on here sometimes, there are 3 books so they will keep you busy for a bit. The 3rd one is my favorite of the series.

I also loved Ambition and the Dressage Chronicles.

[floppyammy]

I really liked Natalie Keller Reinert’s novels:
The Head Not the Heart
Other People’s Horses
Claiming Christmas

I also really enjoyed Judy Reene Singer’s Horseplay. Wish she’d write another one!

[whitney159]

“The Lady” by Anne McCaffrey is a horsey one set in Ireland in the 70’s that I read years ago and loved, though I always questioned the accuracy of the pony showing over very large fences.

[poltroon]

[QUOTE=whitney159;7909183]
“The Lady” by Anne McCaffrey is a horsey one set in Ireland in the 70’s that I read years ago and loved, though I always questioned the accuracy of the pony showing over very large fences.[/QUOTE]

You should see what pony jumpers look like in Europe…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE0c38ba8-4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiWeE_HhfcQ

Don’t forget that Stroller came out of the British pony jumper ranks before he went on to win the Olympic silver medal in 1968.

[Pat9]

Karin Myers - http://www.amazon.com/Karen-Myers/e/B009NWS4KO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1418669653&sr=8-1

horsey fantasy

Rita Mae Brown - http://www.amazon.com/Rita-Mae-Brown/e/B000APFFSW/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1418669757&sr=8-1

I favor her Sister Jane books, and the earlier Mrs. Murphy books. I don’t care as much for the newest ones in both series.

[Sandy_M]

Most horsey themed ones are SO Baaaaad.

However, I’ll go with any Dick/Felix Francis one.
Jane McIllvane McCleary’s “A Portion for Foxes”
Lyndon Stacey’s mysteries are pretty good, as are John Francome’s.
Rita Mae Brown’s Sneaky Pie series have little horsey scenes in most of them.

and of course, for pure summer/beach/trashy novels, Jilly Cooper’s Riders, as mentioned above.

[poltroon]

@poltroon;7906917

Kim Ablon Whitney writes nice and realistic horse fiction. A Perfect Distance has been out a while, and “Blue Ribbons” which is ebook only was very good too. She has a brand new release (as in it came out Monday) that I’ve purchased but not read yet, “Summer Circuit.”

I finished “Summer Circuit” and it was excellent.

[charismaryllis]

[QUOTE=IdahoRider;7908374]
Oh! True words!!! I wish she would write more books!
Sheilah[/QUOTE]

There was something titled “sins of the sire” that i saw mentioned here and there, but i don’t think it ever got published. perhaps she will chime in on this thread…

[FatCatFarm]

@Old Grey Mare;7908118

Horse Heaven & all others by Jane Smiley. I like her new series for young adults. Barn Blind is fascinating but very dark.

National Velvet (get the one with the Paul Brown illustrations!)

My Friend Flicka, ThunderHead & Green Grass of Wyoming, also Wyoming Summer by Mary O’Hara.

Catch Rides by Sara McAuley (the old l970s book, not the new one by somebody else)

All the great old Marguerite Henry books: King of the Wind, Born to Trot, Black Gold, etc.

Great post, to this I’ll add:

Blue Grass by Borden Deal. It’s dated now - done in the 70’s, but was a good read.
Other People’s Horses by Natalie Reinert
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
A Woman of the Horse Clans by Robert Adams
A Horse Called Dragon by Lynne Hall
The Valley of Horses by Jean Auell
The Horse Goddess, Morgan Llewelyn

Nonfiction:
Ruffian
Secretariat
Sea Biscuit
Eighty Dollar Champion
Drum Running Fool by Donna Alverson

[Chaila]

I’ll add a bit of nonfiction: If Wishes were Horses by Susanna Forrest. She sometimes writes articles for the NY Times. Great writing and completely horsey from cover to cover. It’s like spending the weekend with your horsey best friend from the fifth grade.

[tm1]

Still love The Show Gypsies after all these years. And of course anything by Dick Francis.

I was unexpectedly impressed and moved by The Scorpio Races.

Some new favorites that haven’t been mentioned:

Half Broke Horses, by Jeanette Walls

Boleto, by Alyson Hagy

[Mtn_trails]

I absolutely hated “Riders.” The main heroine, Helen I think, was such a moron I wanted to slap her. And seriously, if there are riders beating the snot out of their horses at the show grounds and everyone knew about it, don’t you think they’d be banned? Such a stupid book. I ended up giving it away to someone on here.

Also, “Flying Changes” What a joke that one is. Here’s this girl with some experience, goes to ride for some event rider and as soon as she gets there, her boss tells her she’s entered in the Prelim division at the next HT which is in 2 weeks. Right. Inane story.

Don’t mind me, I’m just cynical. I do love the Dick Francis books though.