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The Big Book Of Favorite Horse Stories: Twenty-five Outstanding Stories
The black stallion and the red mare / Gladys Francis Lewis --
The first race (from High courage) / C.W. Anderson --
My friend Flicka : the original short story / Mary O'Hara --
Beast of God / Cecilia Dabrowska --
Night Star / Stephen Holt --
The summer of the beautiful white horse / William Saroyan --
Two-bits of traffic C / Irving Crump --
The Royal Greens / Russell Gordon Carter --
Coaly-Bay, the outlaw horse / Ernest Thompson Seton --
Before Misty (from Misty of Chincoteague) / Marguerite Henry --
The gift (from The red pony) / John Steinbeck --
The seeing eye / Will James --
Trapped (from Vicki and the black horse) / Sam Savitt --
First day finish (from The friendly persuasion) / Jessamyn West --
The black horse / Jim Kjelgaard --
Metzengerstein / Edgar Allan Poe --
Easy does it! / Robert L. McGrath --
The winning of Dark Boy / Josephine Noyes Felts --
The horse of the sword / Manuel Buaken --
The adventures of Black Beauty (from Black Beauty) / Anna Sewell --
Indian fighter / Stephen Holt --
An imperial performance (from Florian, the emperor's stallion) / Felix Salten --
Flame / Willis Lindquist --
Waif of the jungle (from The river horse) / Nina Ames Frey --
Cristiano / W.H. Hudson
The first race (from High courage) / C.W. Anderson --
My friend Flicka : the original short story / Mary O'Hara --
Beast of God / Cecilia Dabrowska --
Night Star / Stephen Holt --
The summer of the beautiful white horse / William Saroyan --
Two-bits of traffic C / Irving Crump --
The Royal Greens / Russell Gordon Carter --
Coaly-Bay, the outlaw horse / Ernest Thompson Seton --
Before Misty (from Misty of Chincoteague) / Marguerite Henry --
The gift (from The red pony) / John Steinbeck --
The seeing eye / Will James --
Trapped (from Vicki and the black horse) / Sam Savitt --
First day finish (from The friendly persuasion) / Jessamyn West --
The black horse / Jim Kjelgaard --
Metzengerstein / Edgar Allan Poe --
Easy does it! / Robert L. McGrath --
The winning of Dark Boy / Josephine Noyes Felts --
The horse of the sword / Manuel Buaken --
The adventures of Black Beauty (from Black Beauty) / Anna Sewell --
Indian fighter / Stephen Holt --
An imperial performance (from Florian, the emperor's stallion) / Felix Salten --
Flame / Willis Lindquist --
Waif of the jungle (from The river horse) / Nina Ames Frey --
Cristiano / W.H. Hudson
336 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1978
3 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 27, 2022
The Big Book of Favorite Horses is today's Shabby Sunday share.
We found our copy of The Big Book of Favorite Horse Stories at a used book sale. We already had The Big Book of Favorite Dog Stories in our collection, and this book is very similar in format. Our copy is in good condition for its age. It’s possible that it once had a dust jacket, which we don't have, but the cover is beautiful and fine without it.
This hardcover edition was published in 1985 by The Platt & Munk Company, with an original publication twenty years earlier. This printing is 336-pages in length with clear and easy-to-read text. I imagine that this was likely marketed as a children’s book. Each story gets a single, black and white illustration by Sam Savitt. There are twenty-five stories included–some much longer than others. There are some stories here that are merely excerpts from full-length books.
I’ve always loved horses, and my kids are fascinated by them too. They’re intelligent and affectionate creatures–that are, quite frankly–good for the soul. Some of my favorite books are stories about horses including Black Beauty, The Little White Horse, and The Black Stallion. What I appreciate about this collection is that it contains classic stories such as these but also a few not-so-familiar stories. It’s a diverse collection of people and horses from all different settings. The stories are from many different countries as well.
One of our favorites is The Black Horse, a story by one of our favorite authors, Jim Kjelgaard. He often wrote stories about dogs and horses and nature in general. We are currently reading Big Red, and I’m drawn to this author’s writing once again as I was in childhood. The Black Horse is a story about a crippled man on a ranch who saves a rogue black horse from drowning. In turn, he wins the horse’s devotion, his very own cabin, and fifty acres of land.
“It was the biggest and most magnificent horse Jed had ever seen. He knew horses. Product of wastrel mother and father, victim of paralysis in his childhood, he had spent all of his life doing chores for Raglan and other stockmen in the hills. He had never earned more than ten dollars a month, but he had dreams and ambitions. If he could get only ten acres of land for himself, he would somehow or other procure a mare and make a living raising horses. That, for Jed, would be all he wanted of happiness."
Another favorite is The Royal Greens by Russell Gordon Carter. This story takes place in 1777. A young boy named David, and his horse, Hobgoblin, conquer the Tories to the village, assembling the militia. In the end, David gets to keep his horse even though it was in danger of being sold.
“The suddenness of his charge took the Tories unawares. He saw green-clad figures hurriedly drawing apart in front of him. The wind sang in his ears. The woods rang with the clatter of hoofs and the shouts of men as Hobgoblin thundered downward–her haunches straining, her mane flying, sparks leaping outward from beneath her pounding feet."
Who can forget The Gift by John Steinbeck? It’s one of the four sub-stories in The Red Pony. This short story is about Jody, a ten-year-old boy who’s just received the most beautiful gift from his father: A Red Pony.
“A red pony colt was looking at him out of the stall. Its tense ears were forward and a light of disobedience was in its eyes. Its coat was rough and thick as an Airedale’s fur and its mane was long and tangled. Jody’s throat collapsed in on itself and cut his breath short.”
Something else I appreciate is the short section after each story that shares more information about the author. How the authors were inspired to write the stories is included. Others explain how they grew up and their connection to horses. Also, the beginning of each story offers a tidbit that gives the reader an idea of what each story is about beforehand.
If you enjoy stories about horses or have kids that do, I highly recommend this book for your collection. Stories like these are short enough for young readers who might not have the attention span for longer books. They might actually inspire you to learn more about these authors and to seek out full-length books as well.
We found our copy of The Big Book of Favorite Horse Stories at a used book sale. We already had The Big Book of Favorite Dog Stories in our collection, and this book is very similar in format. Our copy is in good condition for its age. It’s possible that it once had a dust jacket, which we don't have, but the cover is beautiful and fine without it.
This hardcover edition was published in 1985 by The Platt & Munk Company, with an original publication twenty years earlier. This printing is 336-pages in length with clear and easy-to-read text. I imagine that this was likely marketed as a children’s book. Each story gets a single, black and white illustration by Sam Savitt. There are twenty-five stories included–some much longer than others. There are some stories here that are merely excerpts from full-length books.
I’ve always loved horses, and my kids are fascinated by them too. They’re intelligent and affectionate creatures–that are, quite frankly–good for the soul. Some of my favorite books are stories about horses including Black Beauty, The Little White Horse, and The Black Stallion. What I appreciate about this collection is that it contains classic stories such as these but also a few not-so-familiar stories. It’s a diverse collection of people and horses from all different settings. The stories are from many different countries as well.
One of our favorites is The Black Horse, a story by one of our favorite authors, Jim Kjelgaard. He often wrote stories about dogs and horses and nature in general. We are currently reading Big Red, and I’m drawn to this author’s writing once again as I was in childhood. The Black Horse is a story about a crippled man on a ranch who saves a rogue black horse from drowning. In turn, he wins the horse’s devotion, his very own cabin, and fifty acres of land.
“It was the biggest and most magnificent horse Jed had ever seen. He knew horses. Product of wastrel mother and father, victim of paralysis in his childhood, he had spent all of his life doing chores for Raglan and other stockmen in the hills. He had never earned more than ten dollars a month, but he had dreams and ambitions. If he could get only ten acres of land for himself, he would somehow or other procure a mare and make a living raising horses. That, for Jed, would be all he wanted of happiness."
Another favorite is The Royal Greens by Russell Gordon Carter. This story takes place in 1777. A young boy named David, and his horse, Hobgoblin, conquer the Tories to the village, assembling the militia. In the end, David gets to keep his horse even though it was in danger of being sold.
“The suddenness of his charge took the Tories unawares. He saw green-clad figures hurriedly drawing apart in front of him. The wind sang in his ears. The woods rang with the clatter of hoofs and the shouts of men as Hobgoblin thundered downward–her haunches straining, her mane flying, sparks leaping outward from beneath her pounding feet."
Who can forget The Gift by John Steinbeck? It’s one of the four sub-stories in The Red Pony. This short story is about Jody, a ten-year-old boy who’s just received the most beautiful gift from his father: A Red Pony.
“A red pony colt was looking at him out of the stall. Its tense ears were forward and a light of disobedience was in its eyes. Its coat was rough and thick as an Airedale’s fur and its mane was long and tangled. Jody’s throat collapsed in on itself and cut his breath short.”
Something else I appreciate is the short section after each story that shares more information about the author. How the authors were inspired to write the stories is included. Others explain how they grew up and their connection to horses. Also, the beginning of each story offers a tidbit that gives the reader an idea of what each story is about beforehand.
If you enjoy stories about horses or have kids that do, I highly recommend this book for your collection. Stories like these are short enough for young readers who might not have the attention span for longer books. They might actually inspire you to learn more about these authors and to seek out full-length books as well.
January 7, 2016
This is my favorite collection of short stories - and horse stories. Eloquently written stories flow in a narrative that walks us through the stories of horses of all shapes and sizes, owned and loved by any manner of people. Some stories have happy endings and others do not, but they are all designed to tug at our heartstrings and remind us of why we love this majestic animal called The Horse.
This collection includes writings from well-known authors such as Sam Savitt, C.W. Anderson, Mary O'Hara, Stephen Holt, and Marguerite Henry, and even contains snippets from the timeless story Black Beauty, sadly the only work ever created by the masterful Anna Sewell. Each story is carefully selected so that it fits the collection without feeling repetitious to the volume. At the end of each included work is a short biography on the author and the origin of the story itself.
These are truly favorite horse stories - of mine, and hopefully of yours. From the budding friendship we are treated to in My Friend Flicka to the courage of young riders we experience in The First Race and The Winning of Dark Boy to the heartbreak we feel as we read The Gift, each story is skillfully crafted to make the most out of a short span of time and words. Some of these were written as short stories and appear in their entirety, others are selected from larger novels, but each feels very complete as presented in this book. Even without the context of a larger story, the excerpts stand alone here, and that is the beauty of The Big Book of Favorite Horse Stories. You never feel gypped; though you could read much more, you do not feel short-changed.
This collection includes writings from well-known authors such as Sam Savitt, C.W. Anderson, Mary O'Hara, Stephen Holt, and Marguerite Henry, and even contains snippets from the timeless story Black Beauty, sadly the only work ever created by the masterful Anna Sewell. Each story is carefully selected so that it fits the collection without feeling repetitious to the volume. At the end of each included work is a short biography on the author and the origin of the story itself.
These are truly favorite horse stories - of mine, and hopefully of yours. From the budding friendship we are treated to in My Friend Flicka to the courage of young riders we experience in The First Race and The Winning of Dark Boy to the heartbreak we feel as we read The Gift, each story is skillfully crafted to make the most out of a short span of time and words. Some of these were written as short stories and appear in their entirety, others are selected from larger novels, but each feels very complete as presented in this book. Even without the context of a larger story, the excerpts stand alone here, and that is the beauty of The Big Book of Favorite Horse Stories. You never feel gypped; though you could read much more, you do not feel short-changed.
November 4, 2025
i just love horses & horses stories.
May 3, 2020
Fantastic collection of beautiful, well-written stories by top-notch writers. I appreciate that these stories come from horse cultures around the world, including Canada, New Zealand, Guatemala, Argentina, USA, and Austria. (Actually, one of these stories isn’t about a horse at all, but a tapir!) In addition, these stories are about a variety of disciplines, from the rough and tumble Wild West with its wild horses and ranches to the ultimate discipline and showmanship of the Lipizzaners and the Spanish Riding School.
December 9, 2018
My sister knows how much I love horses, so when she found this big book of short stories, she grabbed it up for me.
All of these stories are pretty old, and most of them are excerpts so they sometimes have some pretty strange endings. Quite a few are about kids and horses. My Friend Flicka pulls at the heart and The Summer Of The Beautiful White Horse makes you laugh. There is every emotion out there.
I think Seeing Eye is my favorite and not just because of the miracle at the end. It's a sweet story about a blind ranch owner and the horses that take care of him.
It has excerpts from Black Beauty which I refuse to read, so I didn't read the excerpts either.
This book has stories from C.W. Anderson, Marguerite Henry, John Steinbeck, Edgar Allan Poe and 20 others. It's quite a collection and totally worth checking out.
All of these stories are pretty old, and most of them are excerpts so they sometimes have some pretty strange endings. Quite a few are about kids and horses. My Friend Flicka pulls at the heart and The Summer Of The Beautiful White Horse makes you laugh. There is every emotion out there.
I think Seeing Eye is my favorite and not just because of the miracle at the end. It's a sweet story about a blind ranch owner and the horses that take care of him.
It has excerpts from Black Beauty which I refuse to read, so I didn't read the excerpts either.
This book has stories from C.W. Anderson, Marguerite Henry, John Steinbeck, Edgar Allan Poe and 20 others. It's quite a collection and totally worth checking out.
November 14, 2021
Nice collection of horse stories. I'd read several of them elsewhere. Got this to read the short story "The Black Horse" by Jim Kjelgaard.
May 3, 2014
I enjoyed this book. If you love reading about horses, you'll like this.
A few of the stories had sad endings, so be aware of that.
My personal favorite was "Seeing Eye" about horses for a blind man.
A few of the stories had sad endings, so be aware of that.
My personal favorite was "Seeing Eye" about horses for a blind man.
September 14, 2008
it was a good book. it could have had more stories in it.
April 23, 2015
Some of the stories inside a very well written, heartfelt, and good, especially if you are into horses.
Read
May 11, 2023A good mix of more realistic and romanticized stories, however some of them are pretty dated and the writing style made them a bit difficult to get through.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews