High Courage

by C.W. Anderson

When a horse is proud and willful, hard to handle, some people call him mean, but others prefer to say he has "high courage". Thus it was with Bobcat... Holley, a wise groom, bought him for Patsy, who had set her heart on training "a big horse." He had a sense of humor, and he loved to nip Holley when he wasn't on guard. If he liked a fence and it offered enough challenge, he would sail over it, but if they put him at it too often he grew bored and refused it. Patsy shamelessly bribed him with carrots, and this worked very well. In this way Bobcat became a grand, powerful, fast horse. Holley still would not concede him the extreme mark of favor and say he was "somebody." That, he said, he saved for a horse that had something special, in"the way he does things." The day came, however, when Bobcat met Holley's high standards and won the title.

Genres: Fiction, Animals

125 pages, Unknown Binding

First published August 1, 1941

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

C.W. Anderson - aka Clarence William Anderson
From Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence...

Clarence William Anderson (1891–1971) was an author and illustrator of children's books. Known professionally as C.W. Anderson, Anderson had an interest in horses and drawing.

Anderson started his career by illustrating for other authors, but eventually began developing texts to accompany his realistic and lively black and white drawings. He is best known for his "Billy and Blaze" book series.

The adventures of Billy and Blaze would revolve around proper care of the horse, while teaching a lesson. Anderson would go to great lengths to give accurate information. He would even go on to write Heads Up, Heels Down as a training tool for young horse lovers. All of the stories Anderson wrote would be based on true stories or people that Anderson knew, only the plots were fiction.

By the end of Anderson's life, he had written and illustrated over thirty-five horse books, and also had created covers for the Saturday Evening Post.

Reviews

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

C. W. Anderson used to have a Thoroughbred named Bobcat, but I've got a feeling he wasn't much like the Bobcat in this book. This is the first book of two about Bobcat.

This was a more unusual book for Anderson, since most of the text is dialogue instead of descriptions of action. The first half of the book consists mostly of stories told by the Black horseman and former racehorse groom, Holley.

Just what relationship Holley has with Patsy's family isn't made clear. This is a book of its time, so it will seem just a mite strange. Patsy, Our Heroine, is usually shown in a dress ... even as a child in a stable, grooming her pony. What ultimately happens to the pony is also left unclear.

This is a fast read, aimed at 13 year olds (I think). It is unpredictable at times. There is a real portrait of sportsmanship shown here. The main characters also do what's best for Bobcat, which is something sadly lacking from most racehorse owners and trainers.

The illustrations were all in black and white, varying in quality from sketches to detailed portraits.

[Kim Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of C.W. Anderson's books as a kid, but I never read this one. I'm glad I discovered it as an adult. His descriptions of horses and people are spot on!

[Shawnee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go, Bobcat, Go!