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Horse Stories
A perfect Christmas gift—a beautifully jacketed Everyman's Library Pocket Classics hardcover anthology of two centuries of short fiction about our most majestic companion animal. With full-cloth binding and a silk ribbon marker.
Annie Proulx and Bret Harte transport us to the ranches of the Old West and Rudyard Kipling to the polo fields of India. Arthur Conan Doyle makes a famous Thoroughbred disappear, and Raymond Carver gives us a vision of runaway horses in the mist. Jane Smiley, Margaret Atwood, Isaac Babel, and Ted Hughes explore the human passions horses can unleash. From the rollicking racetrack humor of Damon Runyon to the poignant lyricism of John Steinbeck's "The Red Pony" to the wild recklessness of adolescence in William Saroyan's "The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse" and Lydia Peelle's "Sweethearts of the Rodeo," these stories testify to our varied and timeless fascination with the noble animal.
Annie Proulx and Bret Harte transport us to the ranches of the Old West and Rudyard Kipling to the polo fields of India. Arthur Conan Doyle makes a famous Thoroughbred disappear, and Raymond Carver gives us a vision of runaway horses in the mist. Jane Smiley, Margaret Atwood, Isaac Babel, and Ted Hughes explore the human passions horses can unleash. From the rollicking racetrack humor of Damon Runyon to the poignant lyricism of John Steinbeck's "The Red Pony" to the wild recklessness of adolescence in William Saroyan's "The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse" and Lydia Peelle's "Sweethearts of the Rodeo," these stories testify to our varied and timeless fascination with the noble animal.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 31, 2026
This is, without a doubt, the worst horse anthology I've ever read -- and I've read a lot of them. Most of the stories have little to nothing to do with horses. Editors -- if you've got a commission for a book of horse stories, make sure they're a book filled with HORSE STORIES, not people stories.
At least there wasn't a long, self-indulgent introduction with this one. In fact, there wasn't any introduction at all. No illustrations, either.
Most of the horses or ponies in these stories die.
Selections:
* "The Splendid Outcast" by Beryl Markham. I think this has appeared in other horse story anthologies under a different title. It's a decent story about a killer Thoroughbred going under the hammer.
* "Justa Quarter Crack" by Jane Smiley. From Horse Heaven. We are introduced to Justa Bob in Smiley's acclaimed novel about horse racing.
* "Chu Chu" by Bret Harte. This is supposedly a funny story about a beautiful and uncontrollable filly, but it's dull and borderline offensive. Chu Chu apparently represents women in general.
* "The Doctor's Horse" by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. Horrible story about a horse's spirit broken by his abuser. I have no idea why this shit keeps appearing in horse anthologies. Heads up, editors-- horse lovers DO NOT want to read about abuse.
* "The Maltese Cat" by Rudyard Kipling. Although the best story ever written about polo, this appears in a hundred other anthologies. Perhaps the copyright ran out.
* "The Brogue" by Saki. Story of the upper crust with a difficult horse thrown in. Perhaps it was funny back when people had no idea how cruel a sport foxhunting is.
* "A Genuine Mexican Plug" by Mark Twain. From Roughing It. A mercifully short piece on how not to buy a horse.
* "The Blood Bay" by Anne Proulx. Although a well written little Western, it's more of a long joke than a short story about a horse.
* "The Story of a Horse" by Isaac Babel. Horses have almost nothing to do with this nearly incomprehensible Russian story.
* "Old Em's Kentucky Home" by Damon Runyan. This is one of the more horse-centric of Runyan's comic stories, but still includes belittling of "coloreds" and dead horse jokes. Also, twitches don't hurt horses, unless you leave them on for more than an hour.
* "Silver Blaze" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This is another story that is considered a classic, but has definitely outworn its welcome with me. The racing information given is mostly wrong. The mystery, though, was pretty good.
* "The Rocking-horse Winner" by D. H. Lawrence. The long version. You probably had to see the movie in English Lit. The story is about the best thing ever written about the hold gambling has over someone.
* "We'll Have Fun" by John O'Hara. You won't have fun reading this crap.
* "The Gift" by John Steinbeck. From The Red Pony. You probably had to sit through this movie, too. Downer of downers.
* "The Sumner of the Beautiful White Horse" by William Saroyan. From My Name is Aram. This much more cheerful story can be found in a hundred other anthologies, too.
* "Sweethearts of the Rodeo" by Lydia Peelle. From Reasons For and Advantages of Breathing. Don't even bother. It's all about horse abuse, mostly through neglect. Dogs tear apart a dead pony, for fuck's sake.
* "What Shock Heard" by Pam Houston. From Cowboys Are My Weakness. Who the hell would keep their horse in a boarding stable when the employee rapes you? Oh, and before that, Our Protagonist's husband shoots himself. What the fuck does this gave to do with horses?
* "White Horse" by Margaret Atwood. Don't even bother with this gobbletygook, either.
* "The Rain Horse" by Ted Hughes. From Difficulties of a Bridegroom. Deeply disturbing and ultimately unsatisfying story of a man attacked by a black horse. Apparently, it's an allegory about ... something.
* "Call Me If You Need Me" by Raymond Carver. From the book of the same name. Lousy way to end a lousy book. Horses only appear for about three pages in this yawner about a serial cheater.
At least there wasn't a long, self-indulgent introduction with this one. In fact, there wasn't any introduction at all. No illustrations, either.
Most of the horses or ponies in these stories die.
Selections:
* "The Splendid Outcast" by Beryl Markham. I think this has appeared in other horse story anthologies under a different title. It's a decent story about a killer Thoroughbred going under the hammer.
* "Justa Quarter Crack" by Jane Smiley. From Horse Heaven. We are introduced to Justa Bob in Smiley's acclaimed novel about horse racing.
* "Chu Chu" by Bret Harte. This is supposedly a funny story about a beautiful and uncontrollable filly, but it's dull and borderline offensive. Chu Chu apparently represents women in general.
* "The Doctor's Horse" by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. Horrible story about a horse's spirit broken by his abuser. I have no idea why this shit keeps appearing in horse anthologies. Heads up, editors-- horse lovers DO NOT want to read about abuse.
* "The Maltese Cat" by Rudyard Kipling. Although the best story ever written about polo, this appears in a hundred other anthologies. Perhaps the copyright ran out.
* "The Brogue" by Saki. Story of the upper crust with a difficult horse thrown in. Perhaps it was funny back when people had no idea how cruel a sport foxhunting is.
* "A Genuine Mexican Plug" by Mark Twain. From Roughing It. A mercifully short piece on how not to buy a horse.
* "The Blood Bay" by Anne Proulx. Although a well written little Western, it's more of a long joke than a short story about a horse.
* "The Story of a Horse" by Isaac Babel. Horses have almost nothing to do with this nearly incomprehensible Russian story.
* "Old Em's Kentucky Home" by Damon Runyan. This is one of the more horse-centric of Runyan's comic stories, but still includes belittling of "coloreds" and dead horse jokes. Also, twitches don't hurt horses, unless you leave them on for more than an hour.
* "Silver Blaze" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This is another story that is considered a classic, but has definitely outworn its welcome with me. The racing information given is mostly wrong. The mystery, though, was pretty good.
* "The Rocking-horse Winner" by D. H. Lawrence. The long version. You probably had to see the movie in English Lit. The story is about the best thing ever written about the hold gambling has over someone.
* "We'll Have Fun" by John O'Hara. You won't have fun reading this crap.
* "The Gift" by John Steinbeck. From The Red Pony. You probably had to sit through this movie, too. Downer of downers.
* "The Sumner of the Beautiful White Horse" by William Saroyan. From My Name is Aram. This much more cheerful story can be found in a hundred other anthologies, too.
* "Sweethearts of the Rodeo" by Lydia Peelle. From Reasons For and Advantages of Breathing. Don't even bother. It's all about horse abuse, mostly through neglect. Dogs tear apart a dead pony, for fuck's sake.
* "What Shock Heard" by Pam Houston. From Cowboys Are My Weakness. Who the hell would keep their horse in a boarding stable when the employee rapes you? Oh, and before that, Our Protagonist's husband shoots himself. What the fuck does this gave to do with horses?
* "White Horse" by Margaret Atwood. Don't even bother with this gobbletygook, either.
* "The Rain Horse" by Ted Hughes. From Difficulties of a Bridegroom. Deeply disturbing and ultimately unsatisfying story of a man attacked by a black horse. Apparently, it's an allegory about ... something.
* "Call Me If You Need Me" by Raymond Carver. From the book of the same name. Lousy way to end a lousy book. Horses only appear for about three pages in this yawner about a serial cheater.
April 3, 2013
In sum: wanted more horses (they're very marginal presences in most of the stories).
April 27, 2025
I read this book probably 10 years ago, and I get it out every year or so to read one story that is included. The short story is "Chu Chu" by Bret Harte. Now, I see some other reviews are disappointed there is not enough "horse" in these stories, but what I love about Chu Chu is the humor. So seldom do I read an author who has such a light touch with humor, but in this story Bret Harte totally hits the right note. From the first page of the story, he creates a wonderful, powerful description of a horse with a strong character who refuses to submit to any human. Is this a "realistic" picture of a horse? Maybe, maybe not. But certainly it makes for an entertaining story, and provides a textbook lesson in how to write humor.
September 22, 2018
A great selection of great stories, some hilarious, some pulling at one's heartstrings. I especially enjoyed Kipling's "The Maltese Cat", and was really moved by Steinbeck's "The Gift". Proulx's "The Blood Bay" had an unexpected twist which I liked.
October 31, 2012
A nice collection by big-name authors, but not horsey enough for real horse-lovers. See my review at New York Journal of Books: http://nyjournalofbooks.com/review/ho...
July 22, 2013
Good reading for those who enjoy horses and how they fit into our lives in various ways. The book is unique in that each chapter is written by different authors.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews