Buy a Horse Book Day

Updated for 2024. Every May there is a Buy a Horse Book Day. Here’s how it started: The folks at Trafalgar Square Books, a leading publisher of horse books, thought it would be fun to borrow the concept of the larger publishing world’s Buy a Book Day. They want to encourage people to read about horses for pleasure and education. 

Buy a Horse Book Day is meant to celebrate all horse books and horse book authors. Its goal is generating excitement, encouraging people to buy a horse book on May 10. Horse book readers are encouraged to post selfies and pics of their favorite horse books, and celebrate equestrian literature in other ways, using the hashtag #buyahorsebookday.

Marguerite Henry is the one who inspired me and countless other writers (published or not) to pen their stories. I was so fascinated by this woman whose geography mirrored mine, albeit separated by decades, that I researched to bring her life story to her fans. If you haven’t read my Marguerite Henry biography titled Marguerite, Misty and Me yet, I hope you will. So far readers are enjoying learning about a beloved author of horse books and adventuring with me as I set out to meet the people who knew her, explore the locations promotion in her personal timeline and the culmination of the adventure was going to Chincoteague Island for Pony Penning Day.

Click here to shop Marguerite, Misty and Me. Thank you for your support. 

Here’s a recent 5-star review of Marguerite, Misty and Me from Kaylee G. (I asked Kaylee if I could share. Thanks, Kaylee!)

“As a young girl, Marguerite Henry was my favorite author. Her books made my horse crazy day dreams come to life as she transported me to a different land and time. This book took me back to the life of Marguerite; a woman who was such a large part of my childhood but whom I honestly didn’t know much about. She lived almost her entire life before I was even born. Susan Friedland’s writing made me feel as though I was sitting with an old friend and getting reacquainted with another. She had me hooked from the first page to the last and I absolutely devoured the book in less than 24 hours. I would say that this is a must read for any horse lover whether they are familiar with the work of Marguerite Henry or not (and if you aren’t, you should be)! What a special woman who offered such creativity and kindness to the world. It is so nice when our idols turn out to be even better than expected.”

Horse Books I Have Adored (& Reviewed)

If you’ve been around the blog for a while, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of horse books–mostly non-fiction, except for this fiction book in a Jane Austen vein which had me star-eyed!

It all started when I was little, dreaming of horses and I somehow met Marguerite and Misty of Chincoteague! I found out they lived less than 10 miles from my home (before I was born–womp, womp). Recently I discovered these five behind-the-scenes facts regarding my favorite childhood author.

Because I’m a history nerd and think real-life stories are more exciting than fiction, I’ve geeked out over a number of horse books since I started this blog (in the olden days). For example, Elizabeth Letts’ books The Perfect Horse and The Ride of Her Life swept me away to a daring rescue mission to save Lippizans in World War II. Annie from The Ride of Her Life took me on a rigorous cross-country ride from Maine to California in the 1950s.

Sarah Maslin Nir’s Horse Crazy gave me all the feels, and Denny Emerson’s Know Better to Do Better published by Trafalgar Square Books gave me timeless wisdom from a legendary multi-discipline equestrian. Tik Maynard’s In the Middle of the Horsemen (also by Trafalgar Square Books) allowed me to travel and glean insights from horsemen and horsewomen at the top of their sport.

You might also enjoy my review of Distant Skies by Melissa Priblo Champman, another Trafalgar Square title.

For more horse book recommendations, snag my Top 10 Must-Read Horse Books.

Another horse book which inspires me is Stable Style: Barn Inspiration for All Equestrians. If you like perusing Architectural Digest or sites like Houzz, this book is the horsey equivalent. And, it was brought to life by my real life friend Raquel Lynn of Horses and Heels!

Buy a Horse Book Day: What I Bought

In 2022 I visited the Trafalgar Square site and clicked “buy” on a as a gift for someone else. For myself I snagged Reflections on Riding and Jumping by William Steinkraus (which comes highly recommended by my trainer).

Thanks for reading and, now it’s your turn! What horse books do you cherish? Leave a comment for us. Celebrated Buy A Horse Book Day by grabbing one of my titles. Shop Marguerite, Misty and Me, Horses Adored and Men Endured, Strands of Hope and Unbridled Creativity here.

Tally ho!

What are your favorite horse and rider books?

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