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Saddle Club #3
Horse Sense
Stevie Lake, Carole Hanson, and Lisa Atwood are the best of friends and charter members of the Saddle Club, bonded together by their love of horses. But now the Saddle Club is in trouble! Stevie has been picked by Max, the owner of Pine Hollow Stables, to plan some games for its upcoming horse show. And Carole is busy helping the vet care for Delilah, the mare who is soon to give birth to a foal sired by Cobalt, Carole's beloved stallion. Neither of them seem to have any time for Lisa, who's been drawing up an elaborate constitution for the club, including rules for meeting attendance. Lisa is getting tired of being the only one at club meetings! Unless the threesome decide to stick together, there won't be any Saddle Club and no fun at Pine Hollow Stables. And isn't that what the Saddle Club is all about?
135 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
18 people are currently reading
323 people want to read
About the author
Bonnie Bryant
387 books200 followersAmerican author of children's books. She is best known for creating the intermediate horse book series The Saddle Club, which was published from October 1988 until April 2001. The Saddle Club chronicled the adventures of thirteen-year-old Lisa Atwood and twelve-year-olds Stephanie "Stevie" Lake and Carole Hanson. The series was static in time; the girls never aged in 101 books, 7 special editions, and 3 Inside Stories.
Bonnie Bryant also wrote two spin-off series: Pony Tails, aimed at beginning readers, and Pine Hollow, aimed at teenage readers. The 16 Pony Tails books followed the lives of eight-year-olds May Grover, Corey Takamura, and Jasmine James. Pine Hollow featured Carole, Lisa, Stevie, and their new friends in a series set four years after The Saddle Club. Unlike The Saddle Club, Pine Hollow conformed to a realistic timeline. The 17 books took place over the span of less than a year. Later a television show called The Saddle Club, based on the books, was filmed in Australia.
Bonnie Bryant wrote at least 38 The Saddle Club books and 2 Pine Hollow books herself; after that they were taken over by a team of ghostwriters, a common practice in long-running children's book series. Ghostwriters for the Saddle Club and Pine Hollow books included Caitlin Macy (sometimes credited as Caitlin C. Macy), Catherine Hapka, Sallie Bissell, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Helen Geraghty, Tina deVaron, Cat Johnston, Minna Jung, and Sheila Prescott-Vessey.
Bonnie Bryant is also the author of many novelizations of movies, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Karate Kid, and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, written under her married name, B.B. Hiller. She also collaborated in the ghostwriting of The Baby-sitters Club Super Special #14: BSC in the USA, published under the name of its creator, Ann M. Martin.
Bonnie Bryant was born and raised in New York City. She met her husband, Neil W. Hiller, in college, where they both worked on the campus newspaper. They had two sons, Emmons Hiller and Andrew Hiller. Neil Hiller died in 1989. Many of Bonnie's books are dedicated to him.
***from wikipedia.org
Bonnie Bryant also wrote two spin-off series: Pony Tails, aimed at beginning readers, and Pine Hollow, aimed at teenage readers. The 16 Pony Tails books followed the lives of eight-year-olds May Grover, Corey Takamura, and Jasmine James. Pine Hollow featured Carole, Lisa, Stevie, and their new friends in a series set four years after The Saddle Club. Unlike The Saddle Club, Pine Hollow conformed to a realistic timeline. The 17 books took place over the span of less than a year. Later a television show called The Saddle Club, based on the books, was filmed in Australia.
Bonnie Bryant wrote at least 38 The Saddle Club books and 2 Pine Hollow books herself; after that they were taken over by a team of ghostwriters, a common practice in long-running children's book series. Ghostwriters for the Saddle Club and Pine Hollow books included Caitlin Macy (sometimes credited as Caitlin C. Macy), Catherine Hapka, Sallie Bissell, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Helen Geraghty, Tina deVaron, Cat Johnston, Minna Jung, and Sheila Prescott-Vessey.
Bonnie Bryant is also the author of many novelizations of movies, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Karate Kid, and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, written under her married name, B.B. Hiller. She also collaborated in the ghostwriting of The Baby-sitters Club Super Special #14: BSC in the USA, published under the name of its creator, Ann M. Martin.
Bonnie Bryant was born and raised in New York City. She met her husband, Neil W. Hiller, in college, where they both worked on the campus newspaper. They had two sons, Emmons Hiller and Andrew Hiller. Neil Hiller died in 1989. Many of Bonnie's books are dedicated to him.
***from wikipedia.org
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
November 17, 2019
Sometimes you just need to put down all the big heavy memoirs and binge a bunch of 80s/90s/early-2000s horse girl books. I regret nothing.
October 4, 2018
Another re-read of a childhood favorite. Just as sweet as I remembered.
December 4, 2012
A spectacular tale about friendship and horses, which will delight all pony-mad children & teenagers as you long to join ‘the saddle club’!!
As a teenager who was (and still remains to this day) a horse and pony mad girl & equestrian enthusiast, The Saddle Club books were my most treasured and prized possession for they gave me hours of endless pleasure whilst promoting the joys of reading. I would plaster my walls with hundreds of horse and pony posters and shots of the ‘saddle club’ members, from the hit television drama series that still remains as ever extremely popular. Out of all the horse books I devoured as a child and teenager and then on into adulthood, I would have to say that the saddle club still remains one of my favorites & a series that is so extensive you will be kept busy collecting and reading them all. Character-driven with such memorable adventures (i.e. when the three girls first meet Veronica, or when they have to save Pine Hollow financially from a company ect.) These tales do live with you forever as the captivating and absorbing narrative is spot on, combining a mixture of horsing around with teenage trials & tribulations and the fun times as a kid; these stories will keep you entertained for hours and glued to the page.
Horse Sense follows the three members of The Saddle Club (Stevie, Carol and Lisa) whose individuality and quirkiness makes you instantly connect with them and able to empathize and relate to them, as they encounter innumerable situations within life. As a new member of the club Lisa feels left out as Carol and Stevie are so busy with important matters of their own, that they do not realize that their best friend is feeling neglected. This story instantly struck a cord for I recalled similar experiences during my own school years; a time in which you are so busy with homework, horses and family that those surrounding you can be somewhat aloof. I love the character of Lisa and so it was a real treat to be able to look at her from a more personal perspective and understand more about her & her family and life in general, whilst not detracting from the main central focus which is of course her friends group at the stables. I would say that ‘Horse sense’ is in a way detailed and insightful character studies, letting the readers take a more vivid look at one of the three girls and so I would highly recommend that you read this in the series. The part that touched me most was the horse head safety pins that are ‘badges’ for the group, and which I thought was delightful & charming and which showed Lisa’s caring side.
Bonnie Bryant is a fantastic writer whose characters are just so memorable and distinctive, from the show-off, spoilt Veronica DiAngelo to Stevie, Lisa and Carol who spend their days at Pine Hollow Stables with their favorite horses Patch (then Lisa had Prancer), Belle (Stevie’s horse) and Starlight (Carol’s horse). In 2001 a television drama series was created due to the popularity of the series that sadly ended in 2003, and then was renewed for a third season with new actors due to the previous ones being too old. The aim of the saddle club is so as to share their united love of horses and horse riding, which is mutual in all respects including their hatred for wealthy Veronica. Their rivalry between them and Veronica is apparent throughout the series during training for competitions and various horse shows, as the Saddle Club typically triumphs over their adversities, whilst sending a clear message to readers about the importance of friendship, teamwork & unity and selflessness. If you love horses and are up to around 15 or 16 max, then this series is a must-read with ‘Horse Sense’ as one of my favorites.
Do you want to join The Saddle Club?!
As a teenager who was (and still remains to this day) a horse and pony mad girl & equestrian enthusiast, The Saddle Club books were my most treasured and prized possession for they gave me hours of endless pleasure whilst promoting the joys of reading. I would plaster my walls with hundreds of horse and pony posters and shots of the ‘saddle club’ members, from the hit television drama series that still remains as ever extremely popular. Out of all the horse books I devoured as a child and teenager and then on into adulthood, I would have to say that the saddle club still remains one of my favorites & a series that is so extensive you will be kept busy collecting and reading them all. Character-driven with such memorable adventures (i.e. when the three girls first meet Veronica, or when they have to save Pine Hollow financially from a company ect.) These tales do live with you forever as the captivating and absorbing narrative is spot on, combining a mixture of horsing around with teenage trials & tribulations and the fun times as a kid; these stories will keep you entertained for hours and glued to the page.
Horse Sense follows the three members of The Saddle Club (Stevie, Carol and Lisa) whose individuality and quirkiness makes you instantly connect with them and able to empathize and relate to them, as they encounter innumerable situations within life. As a new member of the club Lisa feels left out as Carol and Stevie are so busy with important matters of their own, that they do not realize that their best friend is feeling neglected. This story instantly struck a cord for I recalled similar experiences during my own school years; a time in which you are so busy with homework, horses and family that those surrounding you can be somewhat aloof. I love the character of Lisa and so it was a real treat to be able to look at her from a more personal perspective and understand more about her & her family and life in general, whilst not detracting from the main central focus which is of course her friends group at the stables. I would say that ‘Horse sense’ is in a way detailed and insightful character studies, letting the readers take a more vivid look at one of the three girls and so I would highly recommend that you read this in the series. The part that touched me most was the horse head safety pins that are ‘badges’ for the group, and which I thought was delightful & charming and which showed Lisa’s caring side.
Bonnie Bryant is a fantastic writer whose characters are just so memorable and distinctive, from the show-off, spoilt Veronica DiAngelo to Stevie, Lisa and Carol who spend their days at Pine Hollow Stables with their favorite horses Patch (then Lisa had Prancer), Belle (Stevie’s horse) and Starlight (Carol’s horse). In 2001 a television drama series was created due to the popularity of the series that sadly ended in 2003, and then was renewed for a third season with new actors due to the previous ones being too old. The aim of the saddle club is so as to share their united love of horses and horse riding, which is mutual in all respects including their hatred for wealthy Veronica. Their rivalry between them and Veronica is apparent throughout the series during training for competitions and various horse shows, as the Saddle Club typically triumphs over their adversities, whilst sending a clear message to readers about the importance of friendship, teamwork & unity and selflessness. If you love horses and are up to around 15 or 16 max, then this series is a must-read with ‘Horse Sense’ as one of my favorites.
Do you want to join The Saddle Club?!
November 6, 2012
Reviewed by Andie Z. for TeensReadToo.com
HORSE SENSE is the third book in THE SADDLE CLUB series, and it seems that although Stevie, Carole, and Lisa all love being in the club, they're having trouble finding time for each other. Carole is monitoring the pregnancy of one of the mares at Pine Hollow, Stevie is in charge of coming up with gymkhana events, and Lisa decides to make official rules for the club, and possibly even add a new member.
Lisa meets Estelle and thinks she'd be a great addition to the club, but Stevie and Carole are too busy with their individual projects and they keep forgetting the meetings that Lisa has scheduled. Lisa invites Estelle into the club without consulting her friends, and they don't seem too happy. It finally takes the birth of a foal to bring the three girls back together and restore the Saddle Club.
I've been a fan of THE SADDLE CLUB series for a very long time, and while HORSE SENSE isn't one of my favorites, I'm sure it will still appeal to horse-loving girls everywhere.
HORSE SENSE is the third book in THE SADDLE CLUB series, and it seems that although Stevie, Carole, and Lisa all love being in the club, they're having trouble finding time for each other. Carole is monitoring the pregnancy of one of the mares at Pine Hollow, Stevie is in charge of coming up with gymkhana events, and Lisa decides to make official rules for the club, and possibly even add a new member.
Lisa meets Estelle and thinks she'd be a great addition to the club, but Stevie and Carole are too busy with their individual projects and they keep forgetting the meetings that Lisa has scheduled. Lisa invites Estelle into the club without consulting her friends, and they don't seem too happy. It finally takes the birth of a foal to bring the three girls back together and restore the Saddle Club.
I've been a fan of THE SADDLE CLUB series for a very long time, and while HORSE SENSE isn't one of my favorites, I'm sure it will still appeal to horse-loving girls everywhere.
September 29, 2024
This was one of the more fun books in the Saddle Club that also had a lot of horse action. Although back stories are given, you're best reading the first two books before this. The book centers more on Lisa, the newcomer to Pine Hollow. She's being pulled in many directions, like 13 year olds often are. She's starting to harbor rebellious thoughts against her micromanaging mother, yet wants to micromanage the Saddle Club.
Lisa makes friends with the new girl from France, Estelle. It turns out she's a pathological liar, but Lisa has no idea. It takes her two real friends to point it out.
I first read this book in the early 1990s. I'd read the first 25 or so Saddle Club books out of order, because that's the way I found them in a local used book store. No way was I ever paying full price for this silly series. I'd buy a book for a dollar, then return the book to swap for another. Many of the Saddle Club books are so similar that they blend together in my mind, but this one stood out for the Estelle storyline, and for the foaling of Samson, by the ill-fated Cobalt and out of Delilah.
One of Estelle's lies is that horses hate having their manes pulled. I've seen reviewers complain that horses do hate having you pull on their manes. Horses and ponies don't give a rat's ass if you pull out a mane hair. They do not have nerves there. Now, if you yank on a mane so hard that it knocks a horse off balance, then they mind. But pulling hairs out is okay.
Another lie was about Estelle's white horse in France. In 1988, when this was published, it was not known that there are horses who are genetically white, or dominant white. There are many colors that look like white, but aren't. One of my pet peeves is calling a horse white that genetically isn't. So, Estelle should have been treated with the contempt she deserved.
The main point was that there are liars out there that want to use you, kids. Trust no one. This was a very good lesson that I wish was in books I had to read as a kid. Since I was raised a Born Again Christian, I was always told not to question anyone, and to believe what anyone told me.
I could've had a happy life if I trusted no one and questioned everything.
Anyway, this was one of the better books in the series that I've read so far.
Lisa makes friends with the new girl from France, Estelle. It turns out she's a pathological liar, but Lisa has no idea. It takes her two real friends to point it out.
I first read this book in the early 1990s. I'd read the first 25 or so Saddle Club books out of order, because that's the way I found them in a local used book store. No way was I ever paying full price for this silly series. I'd buy a book for a dollar, then return the book to swap for another. Many of the Saddle Club books are so similar that they blend together in my mind, but this one stood out for the Estelle storyline, and for the foaling of Samson, by the ill-fated Cobalt and out of Delilah.
One of Estelle's lies is that horses hate having their manes pulled. I've seen reviewers complain that horses do hate having you pull on their manes. Horses and ponies don't give a rat's ass if you pull out a mane hair. They do not have nerves there. Now, if you yank on a mane so hard that it knocks a horse off balance, then they mind. But pulling hairs out is okay.
Another lie was about Estelle's white horse in France. In 1988, when this was published, it was not known that there are horses who are genetically white, or dominant white. There are many colors that look like white, but aren't. One of my pet peeves is calling a horse white that genetically isn't. So, Estelle should have been treated with the contempt she deserved.
The main point was that there are liars out there that want to use you, kids. Trust no one. This was a very good lesson that I wish was in books I had to read as a kid. Since I was raised a Born Again Christian, I was always told not to question anyone, and to believe what anyone told me.
I could've had a happy life if I trusted no one and questioned everything.
Anyway, this was one of the better books in the series that I've read so far.
March 22, 2022
I will start by saying this was not one of my favorite books in the series. However, it was a good enough book. In this book, Carole is busy waiting for the birth of a mare at Pine Hollow. Babies are always exciting, and the birth of the foal brings the girls closer together. Stevie is helping out with an event at the stable. Lisa feels neglected and gets her feelings hurt. (Lisa is not my favorite Saddle Club member by any stretch.) She tries to implement rules, like she is the boss. She gets mad when the girls who are busy with other things do not drop everything and make time for her dumb meetings. Lisa then decides to add a new member without consulting the other two girls. I am glad she changed her attitude eventually, but she was infuriating this book.
February 3, 2019
This was a really sweet quick read about girls getting too busy to remember to be good friends to each other and then coming together in an extremely unlikely situation where they need to triple-handedly deliver a foal, because there are no adults around? It’s the exact level of slightly absurd danger that I love to see in these silly books.
I distinctly remember being so impressed with these girls capability and responsibility when I read them as a kid. It’s a good feeling to revisit them.
I distinctly remember being so impressed with these girls capability and responsibility when I read them as a kid. It’s a good feeling to revisit them.
September 26, 2020
There's much happening at Pine Hollow. A new foal is about to be born, a foal belonging to the late beloved Cobalt and a new French girl Estelle has arrived on the scene. Estelle threatens to tear the Saddle Club apart. Lisa is trying to make the club more formal with pins and rules and officers like a horse version of the BSC I guess. But while Lisa likes Estelle the others see her for who she really is and want nothing to do with her or Lisa.
December 5, 2018
Three books in this series described as being about horses and a horse club, it really has been three different riffs on friendship, with the horses acting as a catalyst to bring them together, it could be the goat club or the pigeon club.
OK but how many different ways can you bang on about their friendship falling apart and coming back together again.
OK but how many different ways can you bang on about their friendship falling apart and coming back together again.
May 31, 2020
I think this was the first Saddle Club book I read and became an instant favourite as a kid mostly due to BABY HORSES.
I'm slightly concerned Lisa's constitution making and hyper-organising everything had a worrying effect on my subconscious as this is basically my job 25 years on.
I'm slightly concerned Lisa's constitution making and hyper-organising everything had a worrying effect on my subconscious as this is basically my job 25 years on.
September 28, 2020
I think my least favourite in the series as a kid. I read the others I had until their covers turned to dust but only read this a few times.
I just didn't identify with Lisa in this, even as a small child I thought she was being dramatic.
I just didn't identify with Lisa in this, even as a small child I thought she was being dramatic.
November 29, 2023
Another good blast from the past. I remember this one fairly well. Not much happens besides . The rest is part lesson on friendship, part build-up towards the fourth book (which was a belter as I recall!).
January 19, 2021
Horse Sense
Horse Sense is a sad, exciting, and happy book with good lessons mixed in too. I especially liked the new foal!
Horse Sense is a sad, exciting, and happy book with good lessons mixed in too. I especially liked the new foal!
October 12, 2021
This series is cute!
December 22, 2022
Enjoyable story for this installment - glad to have read it for nostalgia
Read
March 5, 2024The girls find out they get more accomplished when they work together, like the gymkhana, helping foal Delilah, and realizing the French girl was a phony and the club doesn’t need a lot of rules
August 28, 2021
This book has baby horses and some french in it! That's enough to get an extra star from me, heh.
April 12, 2018
4 out of 5 stars
The Saddle Club is tearing at the seems! Carole is very busy with Delilah and her pregnancy, she is determined to make sure Cobalt's foal will be perfectly healthy. Stevie is in charge of the gymkhana and has to plan a full day of events, no easy task for sure and Lisa is making a constitution and rules for the Saddle Club meetings. Lisa is getting real tired of being the only one at Saddle Club meetings, may she just has to find a new group of friends who will actually participate in the Saddle Club like she does! Will the Saddle Club as we know it remain? Will Delilah deliver a healthy foal? Will the gymkhana go off without a hitch? You are just going to have to read to find out!
I really enjoyed this book because of how real the friendships were. We can't be with our friends 100% of the time, we have to give and take with friendships and that is the lesson of the hour (or well book). Once again it expands our knowledge in horse terminology without being too over bearing and develops deeper characters growing from the last book. Any equestrian who reads this book will want their own foal and personal version of the Saddle Club with their friends.
The Saddle Club is tearing at the seems! Carole is very busy with Delilah and her pregnancy, she is determined to make sure Cobalt's foal will be perfectly healthy. Stevie is in charge of the gymkhana and has to plan a full day of events, no easy task for sure and Lisa is making a constitution and rules for the Saddle Club meetings. Lisa is getting real tired of being the only one at Saddle Club meetings, may she just has to find a new group of friends who will actually participate in the Saddle Club like she does! Will the Saddle Club as we know it remain? Will Delilah deliver a healthy foal? Will the gymkhana go off without a hitch? You are just going to have to read to find out!
I really enjoyed this book because of how real the friendships were. We can't be with our friends 100% of the time, we have to give and take with friendships and that is the lesson of the hour (or well book). Once again it expands our knowledge in horse terminology without being too over bearing and develops deeper characters growing from the last book. Any equestrian who reads this book will want their own foal and personal version of the Saddle Club with their friends.
September 12, 2017
Carole, Stevie and Lisa all get different projects: Carole is taking care of a pregnant Delilah, Stevie is preparing for a gymkhana, and Lisa is trying to make 'The Saddle Club' an official club. Somehow they all keep missing and talking past each other. This ends up hurting Lisa, who feels lonely, the most. She befriends new-student Estelle, a girl with some interesting stories to tell, a decision which the other two girls don't quite approve of.
In the end the girls come together, realize that they work better as a team then alone. This was one of my favourite 'Saddle Club' books, and I had a ton of fun reading it again. Estelle was such a funny character (one that I never quite understood) and watching Stevie prepare for the gymkhana with all her crazy ideas is just a joy.
Definitely worth reading, but maybe this is all my nostalgia talking :P
In the end the girls come together, realize that they work better as a team then alone. This was one of my favourite 'Saddle Club' books, and I had a ton of fun reading it again. Estelle was such a funny character (one that I never quite understood) and watching Stevie prepare for the gymkhana with all her crazy ideas is just a joy.
Definitely worth reading, but maybe this is all my nostalgia talking :P
September 28, 2019
The One Where the Girls Go Solo
This is a great edition in the series, with great portraits of the three main characters, Carole, Lisa and Stevie, who each dive into their own projects and forget that they're much stronger working together as a team - the Saddle Club. Mix in a cameo appearance with a clueless new French student, an infamous anecdote from Mrs. Reg, and the birth of a new foal, and you have all of the makings of a classic in the series. This book connects linearly with Book 2 () and with Book 4, in which the Saddle Club will compete in the gymkhana horse games planned in Book 2.
This is a great edition in the series, with great portraits of the three main characters, Carole, Lisa and Stevie, who each dive into their own projects and forget that they're much stronger working together as a team - the Saddle Club. Mix in a cameo appearance with a clueless new French student, an infamous anecdote from Mrs. Reg, and the birth of a new foal, and you have all of the makings of a classic in the series. This book connects linearly with Book 2 () and with Book 4, in which the Saddle Club will compete in the gymkhana horse games planned in Book 2.
March 3, 2015
One reason I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars because the author gives good reasons so you can really understand what is going on. And not just be stuck and not have a clue what is going on. She wants you to be hooked in. My next reason is, there is lots of action and the action makes you want to keep reading the book and see what happens. That is one of her ways to hook the reader in. Also some of the action is really funny and some times very serious. Lastly the characters have very much drama and do it on purpose to make you change your mind about what the characters are like.
February 2, 2017
I love that the girls are flawed and that lack of communication is addressed. I hate the addition of Estelle in this story. she is just a spoiled rich girl to replace veronica. they're is enough nuance and plot to this story that a villan was not required. the girls are focused on their own needs and wants and alienate each other in this book.
April 21, 2008
My favorite Saddle Club book. I read a lot of Pony Pals, Heartland, and Saddle Club books when I was little, but will not be able include them all on this sight. Now that I'm older I don't like them as much.
March 2, 2009
I read a ton of the Saddle Club books, but I'll just mark one.
November 21, 2009
good book
August 4, 2011
A good series for horse crazy young teens. I loved it when I was younger.
Read
November 12, 2011i think you can find information about the book
May 28, 2012
An interesting read. Good for horse lovers.
November 13, 2012
Hannah loves this reading series.
November 8, 2013
I love the saddle club and the books, I found this one fun But I dident find it as interesting to read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews