Horse Books to Cozy Up with Now

Horse books are my jam (yours too?), and once the holidays hit, some of us will have a bit of time perfect for hunkering down with a good book. (Looking at you, Week Between Christmas and New Year’s Day.) Since I’m a reader, rider and writer, I thought I’d share a few books I’ve finished in recent weeks. I hope you enjoy these horse books to cozy up with now.

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1. Beyond Expectations by Sydney Collier and Heather Wallace (Trafalgar Square)

Heather Wallace, aka The Timid Rider, has been a friend for several years thanks to the association American Horse Publications where we met in real life. Heather began as a blogger, then wrote memoirs from the point of view of a returning adult rider and has added clean/sweet romance to her repetoire. I daresay Beyond Expectations, the inspirational story of Paralympic dressage rider Sydney Collier, is the crowning glory of Heather’s body of work thus far.

Heather shared with me how she collaborated with Sydney to bring the intrepid equestrian’s horse and health history to life. The two would meet via Zoom; Sydney would share segments of her equestrian journey and Heather would listen and then write.

If you’re unfamiliar with Sydney, the much-too-simplified version of her life with horses is that she was a happy budding event rider, then she had a stroke followed by other health complications due to a rare diagnosis. Repeat hospital stays, appointments with specialists and experimental treatments became her new norm. Horses were the motivating factor (and still are) in life. Through tenacity and creative lifestyle choices, instead of allowing her health setbacks to sideline her riding, Sydney has gone “all in” to Paradressage. The pinnacle of her success was representing Team USA at the Paralympics in Rio.

Psssttt! You can CLICK HERE to snag Heather’s free ebook Back Door Horse.

I met Sydney at USDF’s Festival of Champions at Lamplight Equestrian Center in August where I had her sign my copy of Beyond Expectations. She is one of those people you meet and feel like you are already friends. We chatted for a while and I got to meet her brother and her adorable dog Logan. When I later picked up Beyond Expectations to read it, Sydney’s voice was so strong throughout the book—I could hear her narrating her life. Kudos to Heather for capturing the vibrancy and unique tone of Sydney.

Sydney has a wonderful sense of humor and even though she has endured hardship and loss, while reading, you will feel her tenacity and she’ll make you smile. (Keep an eye out for the mouse house section—I had even more admiration for Sydney for going all out to pursue her riding dreams even when she had to sacrifice the comforts of her mouse-free home).

CLICK HERE to SHOP Beyond Expectations

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2. The Star Horse by Sarah Maslin Nir (Cameron Kids)

If you like horse adventure stories with heart and humor, dive into The Star Horse, the third installment of the Once Upon a Horse Series by New York Times reporter and passionate horse lover Sarah Maslin Nir. The leading horse in this upper elementary/middle grade book (which I still enjoyed despite my advanced age lol!) is Billy, an adorable Norwegian Fjord horse. Lori, Billy’s owner, accompanies him to the Metropolitan Opera where he graces the stage in a key role during Aida.

Unbeknowst to Lori, there’s a child star from Los Angeles in the New York audience. When Marlowe (the young actor) sees Billy perform, he determines he MUST have him to star in his next movie. A deal is made between Marlowe’s people and Lori’s mom. Billy is sold for a large, undisclosed sum which will allow Lori’s mom to save her small Long Island horse farm.

I don’t want to spoil the fun for you, so I’m not going to elaborate on the complete storyline. I will just say that Lori transforms from shy to brave as she set out to find her heart horse who gets lost in the desert while filming a Western.

Sarah masterfully weaves horse facts throughout the story so this book could be a good starting point for a young aspiring rider with little horse background knowledge.

CLICK HERE to SHOP The Star Horse

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3. Book of Queens by Pardis Mahdavi (Hachette Books)

Book of Queens is a nonfiction tale spanning decades and continents shining a light on unforgettable horsewomen of the Middle East. I listened to this book on Audible, and the narrators whisked me away to 1920s Iran, 1950s Virginia Horse Country and 21st Century Afghanistan.

Prior to reading this book, I knew nothing about the Caspian Horse—a small horse from Northern Iran believed to be the ancestor of the Arabian horse—and the community of people committed to its preservation. I also knew nothing about the cave-dwelling female horse warriors who live in Afghanistan and who have battled various terrorist groups. They ride over gnarly terrain and don’t even need to use the reins when brandishing weapons. Their knowledge of the region’s physical features and partnership with their mounts make them intimidating foes.

The author’s grandmother was an iconic force both in smuggling abused women to the cave haven and keeping the Caspian horse bloodline records. The amount of research Pardis conducted was staggering. And the book reads like an epic novel—it’s beautiful. Even the sad parts.

CLICK HERE to SHOP Book of Queens

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4. Marguerite, Misty and Me (for Young Readers) by Susan Friedland (Saddle Seeks Horse Press)

Would you like to meet your personal hero? I never had a chance to get to know Marguerite Henry, my favorite childhood author. Yet after re-reading Misty of Chincoteague as an adult, I felt compelled to learn more about the woman whose stories brought so much horsey joy into my life. It took two years and thousands of miles traveled to uncover the backstory of Marguerite, an icon of children’s literature.

While researching Marguerite’s life story and writing, it struck me her best practices were the exact concepts and strategies I set out to teach my middle school students every year. Developing a curious mindset and creating meaty questions, talking to older adults to learn about their lives and analyzing primary source documents were just a few secrets to Marguerite’s winning stories. I hope you’ll read Marguerite, Misty and Me to find out the rest (and learn how to best view the wild Chincoteague Pony swim).

CLICK HERE to SHOP Marguerite, Misty and Me for Young Readers on Amazon

CLICK HERE to SHOP Marguerite, Misty and Me director from my author site

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GET FREE HORSE EBOOKS from now until December 31, 2024.

Seven other horse book authors and I have teamed up to provide horse books to cozy up with in this promotion called “Christmas at the Barn.” Authors like Natalie Keller Reinert, Heather Wallace, Sarah Hickner, Linda Shantz and I are delighted to gift you with fun new horse books for your reading pleasure.

CLICK this link to claim your free horse ebooks now.

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