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Afraid to Ride
Fearful of riding a horse after a fall which broke her leg, Judy's interest in horses is renewed by Mr Jeffers who has her help him rehabilitate a mishandled horse. Judy's work with the horse brings them both glory when they win the Challenge Hunt Cup at the country club.
95 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
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About the author
C.W. Anderson
75 books69 followersLibrarian 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 27, 2011
C.W. Anderson's books might look like picture books, but they can be enjoyed by older readers. I liked how his books are more about working with horses, although most of his main characters are unusually gifted riders. The illustrations are really beautiful.
October 15, 2020
Onvan : Afraid to Ride - Nevisande : C.W. Anderson - ISBN : 0027014401 - ISBN13 : 9780027014402 - Dar 89 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 1957
August 29, 2019
I'll be honest I had planned on giving this book away once I finished it. It wasn't a book I chose for myself, well over a decade ago I went through an incredibly bad time in my life losing many friends and family and many of my belongings being stolen. My youngest sister was about 12 years my junior and truly just the sweetest girl I have still ever met in my entire life, I dare anyone to find me a better person. Anyway, knowing how much I loved books and that I collected them she wanted to make me feel better so, despite loving books herself, decided to give me a stack of her own books that she loved the most.
Now, while I appreciated the gesture, a man in his early twenties does not have the same reading tastes as a 12-year-old girl. So I had never read any of these sweetly gifted books until this year. The first one I read was Midnight, Champion Bucking Horse And I enjoyed that one more than I expected to and decided to keep it not only in memory of my sister's sweet gesture but because it was genuinely an enjoyable book. Well, I'm really going to have to check my reading prejudices as the same goes for this short but sweet book about so much more than a girl who is afraid to ride.
This book is truly about recovery, physical and emotional as right in the first chapter our young protagonist Judy is thrust into a nerve-wracking position atop a nervous horse, resulting in a nasty little accident. She swears off riding for the rest of her life and means to make good on her word. In steps kindly Mr. Jeffers, a rich man who had loved to watch a natural like Judy ride, he's also a horse fanatic. He convinces her that though she doesn't want to ride that doesn't mean she has to cut horses out of her life altogether.
He gets her out to a horse focused event where we meet our other main character, Lady, a formerly beautiful and talented jumping horse who has a cruel and demanding owner that has ruined her completely. That's when the real story starts, a story of healing and of growing, I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this tiny little middle school novel. There are few characters who are actually three-dimensional and very little 'action' or true drama but somehow I became deeply invested in the healing of this horse and this young girl. The illustrations, while dated, are very well done.
Now, while I appreciated the gesture, a man in his early twenties does not have the same reading tastes as a 12-year-old girl. So I had never read any of these sweetly gifted books until this year. The first one I read was Midnight, Champion Bucking Horse And I enjoyed that one more than I expected to and decided to keep it not only in memory of my sister's sweet gesture but because it was genuinely an enjoyable book. Well, I'm really going to have to check my reading prejudices as the same goes for this short but sweet book about so much more than a girl who is afraid to ride.
This book is truly about recovery, physical and emotional as right in the first chapter our young protagonist Judy is thrust into a nerve-wracking position atop a nervous horse, resulting in a nasty little accident. She swears off riding for the rest of her life and means to make good on her word. In steps kindly Mr. Jeffers, a rich man who had loved to watch a natural like Judy ride, he's also a horse fanatic. He convinces her that though she doesn't want to ride that doesn't mean she has to cut horses out of her life altogether.
He gets her out to a horse focused event where we meet our other main character, Lady, a formerly beautiful and talented jumping horse who has a cruel and demanding owner that has ruined her completely. That's when the real story starts, a story of healing and of growing, I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this tiny little middle school novel. There are few characters who are actually three-dimensional and very little 'action' or true drama but somehow I became deeply invested in the healing of this horse and this young girl. The illustrations, while dated, are very well done.
July 4, 2017
When I was younger I went through a horse-phase and this was one book that I had come across. Even as I am older this book has stuck in my mind and its message is just as inspiring as it was when I was younger and maybe even more so since I can understand the whole context of the story.
This is a vintage book and so I know that not many would be attracted by its story due to its "outdated" characters. Otherwise the story is simple to follow, easy to read and even easier to enjoy while touching many hearts of older readers who can understand that sometimes fear conquers us but it doesn't always win while dreams as they say may come true even when faced with unforeseen problems.
And I would say this is a must-reader for any horse-lovers who need just a beautiful story to submerse themselves in with some beautiful pictures to spice up the story.
This is a vintage book and so I know that not many would be attracted by its story due to its "outdated" characters. Otherwise the story is simple to follow, easy to read and even easier to enjoy while touching many hearts of older readers who can understand that sometimes fear conquers us but it doesn't always win while dreams as they say may come true even when faced with unforeseen problems.
And I would say this is a must-reader for any horse-lovers who need just a beautiful story to submerse themselves in with some beautiful pictures to spice up the story.
June 20, 2025
An outstanding horse story hides inside this slender volume. There are a few time skips where I was craving more pages to make it feel fully fleshed out, but by and large this reminded me exactly why I love old horse books so much and why I have such a collection of them.
I fell in love with Fair Lady, especially Judy bonding with Lady entirely from the ground and walking her like a dog along forest trails. I loved Mr. Jeffers' wise counsel in pairing them together to bring both back into condition & confidence. And I love that the book doesn't simply end with Judy overcoming her fear, but going on to bonus achievements that are, if stretching the limits of credibility, just right for a children's story to give it that extra special flair. I WISH I'd had this one as a kid.
(And it goes without saying that the illustrations are superb.)
I fell in love with Fair Lady, especially Judy bonding with Lady entirely from the ground and walking her like a dog along forest trails. I loved Mr. Jeffers' wise counsel in pairing them together to bring both back into condition & confidence. And I love that the book doesn't simply end with Judy overcoming her fear, but going on to bonus achievements that are, if stretching the limits of credibility, just right for a children's story to give it that extra special flair. I WISH I'd had this one as a kid.
(And it goes without saying that the illustrations are superb.)
June 10, 2024
For more advanced readers than the Billy and Blaze series, this book tells the story of the parallel rehabilitation of a traumatized rider and an abused horse. Judy and her mare, Lady, overcome adversity and triumph in the end aided by some sound observations from their mentor, Mr. Jeffers. Somewhat dated, of course, but still a good introduction to the hunter discipline for aspiring horse girls.
September 2, 2019
This is a solid book about horses, humane treatment of animals, and true horsemanship. It manages to be all of these things without being preachy. It is also accurate even today. The illustrations done by the author are absolutely gorgeous. I’ve read this book many times and expect I will read it many more times.
March 30, 2018
I'm going to have to say this is the best book Anderson write in my opinion, and I've read many. But anyway, this is the plot summary: Judy fall off a horse, she meets another horse and then they win some cross country club competition (boy, that's a mouthful!) together. The end.
October 26, 2020
A quick afternoon's read of a book I remembered well from my childhood. C.W. Anderson's illustrations make these books. His writing is a bit old-fashioned and stilted, with horses and riders who are perfect teams. But I always loved them and still do.
December 24, 2020
One of my all time favorites!! I loved horse stories as a child and I have kept this ragged copy since then. A feel good comfort read!
November 26, 2023
A bit simplistic, as most of Anderson's stories are, but still a delight, with beautiful illustrations and a satisfying conclusion.
June 23, 2024
One of my favorite childhood reads.
June 23, 2024
One of my favorite childhood reads
October 23, 2017
One of those books I read to rags as a kid and still love.
A girl and a horse are both in need of therapy with no riding after bad experiences on the course.
I loved the characters in this book, they were true horsemen and women. The trainer especially was charming; he was the epitome of Irish daredevil horsewhisperer. I wish they could come to life!!
A girl and a horse are both in need of therapy with no riding after bad experiences on the course.
I loved the characters in this book, they were true horsemen and women. The trainer especially was charming; he was the epitome of Irish daredevil horsewhisperer. I wish they could come to life!!
January 5, 2016
Judy, who once lived for horses, has been ruined by a terrible riding accident. She's lost her nerve and sees no way to regain it. Her riding instructor, Mr. Jeffers, takes it upon himself to help. Matching Judy up with Fair Lady, a horse who has also lost her way through poor treatment and a bad owner, he leaves them to the peace and quiet of long walks in the forest and hours of grazing in empty fields. As Fair Lady begins to return to her former glory, Judy allows herself to look to the future as well.
Anderson pulls us into the world of horses gently, surrounding us with the beauty of it while admitting there are ugly parts as well. As we walk the road to recovery with Judy and Lady, we remember how to slow down and smell the clover. That said, the pacing here is very lively, and the story never drags.
Anderson pulls us into the world of horses gently, surrounding us with the beauty of it while admitting there are ugly parts as well. As we walk the road to recovery with Judy and Lady, we remember how to slow down and smell the clover. That said, the pacing here is very lively, and the story never drags.
October 2, 2015
Cute little story about facing fears -- for both horse and rider. The illustrations are Anderson's usual lovely images -- but his chestnut mare looks remarkably like Secretariat. This was published many years before Secretariat was foaled.
April 14, 2008
This was the only American pony book other than the Marguerite Henry books that I had access to for a long time, but absolutely loved it.
February 6, 2009
a great "if-the-horse-bucks-you-off-get-right-back-on" story for the young.
January 7, 2012
This was my very favorite horse book when I was a horsy kid. Loved it, and loved C.W. Anderson's beautiful drawings.
November 14, 2011
This book is a fun, short read, but does not have much of a plot.
February 28, 2012
Judy was afraid to ride after there was a big accident with a horse.then finaly she got used to riding.Auryn 8yo
September 9, 2012
I think I've read this book at least three times. I think the story is very sweet, and who can resist any horse book with wonderfully drawn illustrations?
December 24, 2014
Wonderful little story with beautiful illustrations!
January 28, 2015
Grade: C+
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews