Horse Book Recommendations

My mother believes I am a strong reader and student due to my love of horses. Let me explain. When I was about 10 and didn’t have a horse, I did the next best thing to being with them: I learned about them through horse books.

I spent hours at the local library in both the kids’ section and the adult section looking for horse books. From Marguerite Henry titles to non-fiction books on riding and horse care, I devoured them all. Vivid memories of a mountain of hardback horse books at the checkout counter make me smile today. I hoped the librarians wouldn’t restrict the number of books I checked out–I felt greedy with my pile of knowledge.

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Flash forward to now and I still love libraries and books. I’ve even written three of my own! My first book Horses Adored and Men Endu red took me over a decade and many heartbreaks to bring to life. My second title Strands of Hope: How to Grieve the Loss of a Horse grew out of a popular blog post in which I shared the process I went through when I lost my heart horse in 2010. And Unbridled Creativity is a fun book for horse lovers who enjoy writing! I merged my classroom experience as an English teacher and my passion for horses together to create prompts fun for the equestrian.

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One of the coolest parts about being an equestrian author is the community of horse book authors. The comradery is strong, and I’ve made real life friends with several of them. In this blog post I am sharing some recommendations from equestrian authors I think you should know. We write in different genres and have different horsey backgrounds, but my guess is you will find some new great horse book recommendations for yourself and your friends here.

Children’s Horse Books & YA

A to Z with Cowgirl Camryn by Abriana Johnson

Cowgirl Camryn takes readers through an “agri-equestrian” alphabet from agriculture to zipper and every letter in between. These fun and vibrant illustrations are perfect for children who love horses, are learning their ABC’s, and learning to read on their own while learning NEW words.

The Adventures of Bella & Emily Devon Revisited Week One by Michelle Holland

Bella and Emily are returning to Devon for three glorious weeks, assisting Aunty Pam at her rescue centre. There will be ponies who need rescuing, beach rides and even a visit to a haunted castle and that is just the first week!

Cowgirl Lessons by Rae Rankin

Cowgirl Lessons is a charming story celebrating the bond between children and horses. Told from the point of view of a young girl getting ready for her weekly horseback riding lesson, interacting with her parents, and getting to the barn for that special time with her horse, Cowgirl Lessons is perfect for your favorite bookworm or cowgirl!

Lucy’s Chance (Red Rock Ranch, Book 1) by Brittney Joy

Sixteen year old Lucy Rose is spending her first summer away from home and she has two things on her mind: an abandoned, violent horse and a blue-eyed cowboy. Only neither is hers.

Fiction & Romance

Beyond Eight Seconds by Carly Kade

You met wannabe cowgirl Devon Brooke and her horse Faith in In the Reins, you learned about horse trainer McKennon Kelly’s mysterious past in Cowboy Away, and you fell in love with their horse show dreams in Show Pen Promise. Now, in the newest book in the In the Reins series, it’s bull rider JD McCall’s turn to tell his story in Beyond Eight Seconds!

Christmas at Catoctin Creek (Catoctin Creek: Book 4) by Natalie Keller Reinert

As the holidays approach the small town of Catoctin Creek, equine sanctuary owner Rosemary is faced with an entire herd of horses in need of homes. While her friends rally to help her expand her farm, a stranger arrives in town to solve a missing person’s case, and captivates the town’s recently returned prodigal son.

Good Things Come by Linda Shantz

Good Things Come is Book One in a popular new series, set in the world of Canadian horse racing! An intense young woman, a troubled young man and a quirky Thoroughbred filly chase a dream of winning the Queen’s Plate.

Memoir, Non-Fiction & Collections

Confessions of a Timid Rider by Heather Wallace

Heather Wallace is a returning adult equestrian and mama writing about her own journey to be bold in the horse world and beyond.

A Perfect Christmas & Other Horse Stories by Hilary Walker

This collection of short stories begins with a midnight cart drive through the snow on Christmas Eve. Other horse tales follow, based on Hilary’s personal experiences with her son’s naughty Welsh Mountain pony and a huge catalog of embarrassing incidents with her own equines.

Stable Style: Barn Inspiration for all Equestrians by Raquel Lynn.

Inside you’ll find a cool collection of petite and sizable barns along with a sprinkle of tack rooms. The goal of this book is to inspire you with appealing stables, celebrating the equestrian lifestyle.

Stories from the Barn Aisle by Sarah Hickner

Stories from the Barn Aisle is a memoir featuring real life tales of humor and grace from a horse obsessed girl. Sarah has a wonderful podcast called Live Ride Learn. Listen to this episode as we discuss my latest book Marguerite Misty and Me, about the real Misty of Chincoteague.

Unbridled Creativity: 101 Writing Exercises for the Horse Lover by Susan Friedland (that’s me!)

If you are a rider and writer, you’ll love this journal of writing prompts. With a variety of horse-themed subjects ranging from photo prompts, persuasive topics, fiction starters and more, hone your creativity in this workbook.

Thanks for reading this roundup, and I hope you find some new horse books to cherish this holiday season.

Question: What horse books do you want to recommend? Leave your top picks in the comments section.

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