High Courage

by 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

Hardcover

First published August 1, 1941

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!