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I decided to read Lost Horse by Glenn Balch. My copy is so beat up it is even missing a page! It's a pity I was unable to get a better copy. However, the story itself is quite interesting, and is full of background information that is doubtless covered in other books about Tack Ranch.

I'll have to see how the story develops to give a hard-core opinion, since I'm not far into it, but so far it is giving a great deal of background information on the characters of The Midnight Colt (Ben, Dixie, Vince, Steve, Gaucho, and Andy Blair). So now I'm planning on re-reading my other Glenn Balch books sometime soon.

Hi nymith and everyone else

I've just started reading "Living With HorsePower! Personally Empowering Life Lessons Learned from the Horse" by Rebekah
Ferran Witter.

After reading the Tao of Equus , I was inspired to pick up a couple more books on the horse/human connection. Not quite sure what to call it--spirituality doesn't seem right; neither does psychology, but I've always known the bond was there.

Anyway, as Bill Steinkraus says on the back of this book "A fascinating cross-section of insights, observations and 'life-lessons' gleaned from a virtual 'Who's Who of today's best known horsemen and women.'

It's interesting but not very deep. Each horseman explains their view about a subject in a few paragraphs. I guess I was hoping for a bit more depth so I could decide which of these horseman/authors I would like to read more. I'm not sure I'll get a good sense of that, but the book does have a wonderful bibliography and a 'Suggested further reading/viewing' list.'

BTW I got this book through Bookins--another book swap site I like.

nymith--I see you haven't written any book reviews, either. How about a challenge on this thread that we encourage anyone who posts what they are reading to then post a review on the site when they are done? Sort of a 'I'll do it if you'll do it' thing.......

That does sound like a challenge. Somehow, I've never had the initiative to actually write a proper review. I could always try though.

I finished Lost Horse, and found another of his books at Ebay. I found out a great deal about many of the characters in The Midnight Colt. It was extremely enjoyable, although I already knew the ending, having read the book that appears to take place directly afterwards.

Glenn Balch has written about eight other books set at Tack Ranch, a book about a collie called White Ruff, a book about a wild stallion (Buck, Wild), and some others including Tiger Roan, The Wild Mare and Indian Paint. He is perhaps my favorite author of horse stories, and over time I hope to expand my collection of his works. It is a shame most of his books are out of print.

The horse story I am currently reading is not nearly as good as Lost Horse, simply because it is so unrealistic. I had read it once when I was young, and aquired it for nostalgia purposes. Thunder: the Mighty Stallion of the Hills by Mike Jahn.

The wild black stallion of the title is hopelessly unrealistic. He and the main character "talk" to eack other. At one point he comes flying to the rescue in a cloud of dust, and after the crisis is over she goes up to him and asks him how he's been, and he nods his head to indicate that he has been just fine! He also herds chicks into incubators, fights off bald eagles and mountain lions, gathers evidence from crime scenes, and gets down on his knees to let people know that he wants them to ride him.

And for some reason, though he is a pitch black stallion, he is described as having white hooves...

Well, I just took my own challenge and posted my first review on the book Living With HorsePower!Personally Empowering Life Lessons Learned from the Horse by Rebekah Ferran Witter.

I see she has a book on the Quarter Horse, Rugged Lark--he was so awesome! Guess I'll put that one on my wishlist of books.

nymith, I'm sure your reviews would be wonderful. I enjoy reading your descriptions of the books. If you write some reviews at the other site, I think it would be OK to just add them on here, too. After all they are your words!

Yes, I hate unreal details, too. The ones you mention sound worse than usual! Sometimes you've got to wonder if the author has ever seen a real horse......

Right now I'm reading Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards. A pen friend of mine recommended it and I'm about 3/4 of the way through it.

Welcome to the group, FionaCat. I hope you enjoy the book you are currently reading. I love a good true story about an animal like Lad: a Dog and Frosty: a Raccoon to Remember...

Streamsong: I just posted my own first review on the book Lost Horse. It's probably a bit blocky, as I'm not used to writing reviews, but it is a start.

Yay for both of us nymith on our first reviews! I just read yours! Good job! LT is amazing. I just turned 51 last week and you're a teenager and yet our common interest in horse books brought us both to this new step of book reviewing at the same time. May there be many more in both our futures!

The LT ratings and reviews on Chosen By a Horse all look really positive. Are you enjoying it, FionaCat?

Yes, I finished it yesterday evening. It was really good -- sad at the end though, because of course the horse dies. It was a very beautiful book, though. The author's love for this horse who came into her life so unexpectedly certainly rang true.

Thanx FionaCat--it sounds like it would fit right into the psychology/bond/horse therapy thing I've been reading.

But....I am such a woos (sp?)....I hate books where the (dog, cat, horse, giraffe) die at the end. I did add it to my wishlists at a couple swap sites though.

I know what you mean. I usually cry more when an animal dies in a book than a human. When I read The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton by Jane Smiley I was more upset when Lidie's horse was killed than when her husband was!

BTW, Smiley writes some great horse characters. There is the horse in Lidie Newton and of course all the horses in Horse Heaven. And her nonfiction A Year at the Races (I can't get the touchstone to work) is one of my favorites.

I recently finished reading Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen. I've posted a review; it was good but the writing was kind of uneven. A big plus was that the horse details were accurate!

Before I list the book on Bookins, is anyone interested in it?

Hi Cat & all:

That's a nice offer to pass on the book--I enjoyed your review of it! Personally, I'll have to pass as my TBR pile has now turned into a towering mountain with a mind of it's own. I'll have to buy one of those library ladders just to get to the top of the pile!

I had read one of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books and enjoyed it very much. When I mentioned it to my son, he loaned his entire collection to me--there must be 40 books in that stack alone; he said they were taking up too much room in his apartment--but he wants them back when I am done. And my daughter just loaned me her copy of Children of Hurin Ah with kids like these, I'll always have a tower of books looming over my bed!

I listened to an audio verision of Horse Heaven a few years ago. I'll definitely be interested in reading more of her books.

I got my order in from bookcloseouts.com I'm currently listening to the unabridged audio of Horse of A Different Color by James D Squires. So far its fascinating and reminds me of a nonfiction version of Borden Deal's Bluegrass in that he was an outsider to racing with a very few mares, a dream and an outstanding knowledge of pedigrees and nicks. Eventually, he bred Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos.

Also in the order was a copy of John Dunning's Bookwoman's Last Fling. I had no idea this one involved horses in any way--I'll have to see how horsey it actually is. The murdered woman's husband is a horse breeder. I ordered it because I love Dunning's bibliomysteries--I'll see how he does with hooves added into the mix.

The Discworld books are great. Terry Pratchett is one of my favorite authors.

I have The Children of Hurin in my to be read pile, also. I kept dithering whether to buy it or not and ended up getting it on Bookins.

I haven't read any of John Dunning's books but I had heard that Bookwoman's Last Fling involved horses. I'll put those on my list of "books I want to read one of these days." After my current book pile goes down a bit!

Edited to add a touchstone.

Terry Pratchett is also one of my favorite authors, though I've only read his young adult books.

If I put all the books I haven't read in a pile, it would go through the ceiling. In the hopes of reading more books more quickly I have developed the habit of reading two at once, one picked randomly and the other chosen by me. So I'm afraid I must also pass up the book.

I think I've read most of Terry Pratchett's books. There are a few of the newer YA ones that I haven't read yet, though.

My to-be-read pile is as bad as both of yours but somehow I can't help myself from acquiring new books -- help, I am a bookaholic! :) The pile won't be going down fast any time soon, because I'm back at work now so there's a lot less time to read.

I finished the Bookwoman's Last Fling and enjoyed it. Didn't have the whodunit figured out, quick, light read. Not really about horses--more like the race tracks were an interesting background to tell his tale. It was a bit of a stretch for me to believe that the main character, the undauntable bibliodetective Cliff Janeway, having never touched a horse would do so well around horses while acting undercover at a race track...heck it's a stretch for me to figure that a guy like that would spend a couple weeks in any way, shape or form working grunt jobs around a track.

But it was done decently, with no glaring horse errors that I noticed (not that I know anything about the racing end of the horse business, you understand).

I'll probably do a review a bit later.

As soon as I finish the Thomas Hardy novel I am currently reading I shall endeavour to read a short book by Glen Rounds caled The Blind Colt. Since the back summary is a quote from the book it is difficult to say what it is about exactly. I picked it up last summer in a used bookstore while vacationing, and I hope it will be good.

I'm reading The Midnight Colt by Glenn Balch right now. I got it off Amazon.com for .01 plus shipping :) It's a recent paperback edition, although the copyright date for the book is 1952. I've never read any of his books and since this one is about a racehorse, it seemed like a good place to start.

I own that novel. It was the first Tack Ranch story I read, and I sincerely hope you enjoy it, Fiona. I thought it was wonderful, and it made me start collecting his books. In fact now that I think about it I wouldn't mind re-reading it...

I finished The Midnight Colt last night. I really enjoyed it. There is something comforting and innocent about older horse stories; they remind me of childhood and it's nice to read a story where the horse is the focus instead of just a backdrop to the "real" story. I will definitely look for more Tack Ranch books.

One thing I especially liked was that the racing details were very accurate. Some of the info was dated (like the lack of a starting gate and the amounts of money involved) but for the time period, the author certainly knew his stuff. I also liked that Dixie wasn't just a passive character; of course Ben is the main character, but Dixie helped work the racehorses on the farm in Arizona and was never treated as "just" a girl. For 1952 that was pretty progressive, I think.

I just finished reading Sara Gruen's Flying Changes, the sequel to Riding Lessons. I have posted a review.

The one thing that I love about Gruen's books is that the horses are real horses, and she understands the relationship between humans and horses, what makes us love them and why we love to ride.

The main horse character in this book is a Nokota gelding named Smokey Joe. I recently bought a small book about horse breeds in America, which included a description of the Nokota breed. Then I picked up Flying Changes, which features a Nokota. So I did a little research online to find out more about this amazing breed at www.nokotahorse.org (The Nokota Horse Conservancy).

Has anyone ever seen a Nokota or know anything about them?

I am currently reading Black Stallions Sulky Colt by Walter Farley

That is one of my favorites in the Black Stallion series. I learned a lot about harness racing from that book and also the first one The Black Stallion's Blood Bay Colt and Born to Trot by Marguerite Henry.

I am currently reading The Black Stallion's Ghost and it is one of my most favorite in the series. I am alos reading A horse called Raven of the young Black Stallion series.

I've just finished Virginia Gentleman: A True Story by Mary Barnes; it's now my all time favorite book. Now I'm reading The Man Who Listens to Horses by Monty Roberts.

Hi, all, I recently finished, and reviewed, Black Horses for the King and I recommend it. Anne McCaffrey is well known for her dragons books and is a good writer. This book is about a young man who participates in bring horses from Europe to Britain, and in inventing horse shoes, during the time just before King Arthur and his round table antics. It is a YA book and a quick read but McCaffrey did her research and her horse details seem quite accurate. I am sure you'll enjoy reading it.

kennedy1 I'm glad you're enjoying the Black Stallion books--they were my favorites and I still have all of them boxed (not yet listed in my library). Funny thing--my kids were never 'into' them or as horse-mad as I was.

Welcome HorseRider; With a recommendation that good, that's one I'll definitely have to read.

I'll keep an eye out for maggie's McCaffrey book, too. The combination of King Arthur and horses sounds wonderful and I like McCaffrey's writing.

I just finished one I picked up in a GW store called Trail of the Spanish Bit. The author, Don Coldsmith found an antique Spanish bit in a barrel of odds and ends in junk store and it fired his imagination to write this book, the first of a long series. This first one at least is about a Conquistador and his horse getting injured & separated from his group and being adopted into a horse-less tribe of Native Americans. An enjoyable, quick read--but more about the people and how it changed their way of life than the horses.

I just finished a fantasy novel about winged horses Airs Beneath the Moon by Toby Bishop which was pretty good. From the way it ended, I'm thinking it is the first book in a series -- I'll have to see if there is a sequel. The story was the typical girl-who-doesn't-fit-in has a special bond with her horse but with an intriguing semi-political subplot. It takes place in the Duchy of Oc, the only place that breeds the rare winged horses which bond for life with one woman, the Horsemistresses who serve the Duke. Usually the girls who bond with the horses are specially chosen from the upper ranks of society, but a farm girl named Larkyn finds a pregnant mare who gives birth to a winged colt, which bonds with her. She and colt go to the city for training and discover they are entangled in the new Duke's secret plan ...

Sounds good, FionaCat -- unfortunately, I wasn't able to locate a copy locally, but I have an ILL request in, and I'm looking forward to reading it. I just finished a re-read of Forward motion : world-class riders and the horses who carry them by Holly Menino which I really enjoyed the first time around. It's a survey of the lives of three professional riders in different disciplines: dressage, combined training/three day eventing, and show jumping. In spite of being about 10 years old now, it stands up pretty well.

I ordered a used copy of the sequel, Airs and Graces, through Amazon.com. I have heard of Forward Motion -- I'll keep an eye out for a copy. Have you read In Service to the Horse, which is about the lives of professional grooms. I knew that racehorse grooms have a hard life but show grooms might actually have it harder.

In Service to the Horse is on my TBR list -- I've flipped through it at Barnes & Noble, but didn't have the extra cash at the time. It looked good, though, and it's always a plus to have a positive recommendation. Thanks!

Hi everyone! I am glad to see that there's a horse-related book group! My current read is A Jockey's Life: the Biography of Lester Piggott by Dick Francis, one of my fave authors! Great read so far!

Welcome DFED! I think I read that book (A Jockey's Life) a long time ago. If not, I probably should have :)

Jerry Bailey (Against the odds: riding for my life) and Gary Stevens (The Perfect Ride) both have good biographies out, if you are interested in jockeys.

Hi DFED & welcome from me too!

I've got that one in my tbr pile; I picked it up at a library sale. Glad to hear it's a good one!

I am going to start My Guy Barbaro by Edgar Prado when I get home from work. I can't believe it's been 2 years since he won the Derby ....

Finished the Barbaro book today. It's really good; even non-racing fans will be able to enjoy the story of Edgar Prado and the horse he came to love. Barbaro was an amazing horse; everything I read about him makes it clearer and clearer that he was a special individual, intelligent and brave and an inspiration to us all.

I'm working on Airs beneath the moon, which I have to return to the library soon, so I'd probably better finish it tonight(!) and Some Horses: essays which is a re-read for me. I have a bunch of stuff that I have to get read for work, but after that if I'm still in the mood for a centaur-fix - which I have been lately - I'm going to pick up Nick O'Donohoe's The Magic and the Healing again.

Wow--I just added the Barbaro book and Some Horses to my bookmooch wishlist. Thanks for the suggestions.

I won a stunningly beautiful book of Appaloosa photos called Native Treasures by Rita Nicholson as a doorprize at a meeting I was at this weekend. I got to talk a bit to Rita--she was very personable and is planning a sequel to this book.

And..my mare foaled a nose to toes leopard stud colt last week. His spots are a very, very light red; I'm told that he may be a palomino--very possible since mom is a dark buckskin. He's by my stallion. Only one foal this year, so that was my entire foal crop.

Congrats, streamsong, he sounds gorgeous!

Congratulations, streamsong! Do you have any photos? :)

Have to recommend a book: Clabbered Dirt, Sweet Grass by Gary Paulsen, which I just finished -- found it looking for something else in the stacks yesterday, and I couldn't resist taking it home with me and staying up too late to finish it.

The book's more focused on farming than around horses, but Paulson writes a fair amount about the huge drafts depended upon to power the farm machinery around the turn of the century. The foreword, in which he encounters an old farmer with a (sorry) dead horse which needs to be disposed of almost turned me off, but ultimately I was glad I kept reading as the farmer's feelings about why he's made his decision become clear and the story of his life unfolds.

I just finished The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig and if you like his writing I think you will like this fictional memoir of early Montana and kids who rode their horses to their one room school house. Not a horse book, but clearly an ode to the old horse driven way of life.

I added Doig to my list of favorite authors after reading The Whistling Season. I had heard him do a reading from it when it first came out but it took a while for a used copy to come looking for me. :-)

Yup--not really about horses, but they figure prominently into the story and he writes about them in a realistic, not sentimental way. Backwards horse racing! If I was still a kid, I would try that!

I think we have that book at work. I'll have to add it to my summer reading list ...

Am currently listening to Native Dancer by John Eisenberg on the way to and from work. I am impressed that it covers the state of racing during that time perios and the lives of the people who took care of him, and not just the life/race record of Native Dancer! Anyone else read this book?

Anyone else a horse-mystery fan? I know Dick Francis has to be on a few favorite author lists.... If you are, and you're in the mood for something horsey that's US-based here are a couple of authors I've been reading recently.

I just ran across (and finished the first 5 as fast as I could get my hands on them) Laura Crum. Her main character is Gail McCarthy, an equine vet out in California. The first in the series is Cutter (Gail McCarthy Mysteries) - and as a first book it's not bad. Give her the benefit of the doubt and try the first few (they're quick reads). A couple books in the series really takes off. Murder, mayhem, & mystery, along with lots of QH action & realistic horse emergencies.

The other author is Tami Hoag. I have to admit, I wouldn't have picked her as a horse person. But I just discovered she's written at least 2 horse industry myteries. Dark Horse written a few years back, and The Alibi Man, both feature Elena Estes, ex-narcotics cop and dressage/jumping enthusiast. Turns out Hoag is a dressage afficianado herself. Who'da thunk it!

I've read some of the Gail McCarthy series but I can't remember which (at least the first two, I think). It's been a while so I could probably start over :)

I have not read Tami Hoag; I'll have to give her a try -- after I whittle down my to-be-read pile a little .....

i was reading sundancer by shelley peterson it is a about a young gurl who chose to go mute because her mother didnt like her and the young girls name is bird and she can talk to animals. a wild stallion is brought to her home one day and she trys to talk t him and he completely ignores her but they soon become friends and she speaks her first word since she was six and that is sun dancer she named the horse. it is very heart warming and i love it.