JB Andrew: Mustang Magic

True Horse Stories

by Judy Andrekson, David Parkins (Illustrator)

He was born, wild and free, in the vast mountainous scrublands of Nevada. Until he was a year old, no human hand touched him, though he knew something of the danger people represented to the herd. But one fateful day, the herd was chased by a huge black creature in the sky, and the yearling was separated from his mother. In blind panic he ran, but he could not outdistance the terrifying, whirling thing above him, or the humans on horseback that surrounded him.

Before long, JB Andrew would come to the attention of many. He was big, leggy, and awkward, but he had a long, graceful stride and was chosen for an inmate prison program where he would be trained and made ready for adoption. JB, short for Jail Bird, had a special quality that forced people to take notice. Before his retirement years later, he would win hearts and trophies in the elite competitive dressage ring by becoming the first and only wild mustang to attain success in the sport. He paved the way for people to dream, believe, and succeed and in doing so, JB became one of the greatest ambassadors for wild mustangs the breed has ever known.

Third in the True Horse Stories series, JB Mustang Magic is as warm as it is inspiring.

Genres: Horses, Animals, Nonfiction

88 pages, Paperback

First published February 12, 2008

About the author

Tundra author Judy Andrekson grew up in Nova Scotia with a pen in one hand and a lead rope in the other. At the age of twenty, she moved to Alberta, where she could pursue her great love of horses, and there she found her dream job managing a thoroughbred racing/breeding farm. By her thirties, Judy had also begun to write seriously. Now she combines both of her passions in her new series for young readers, True Horse Stories. Judy also works as an educational assistant. She, her husband, John, and their daughter, Kate, live in Sherwood Park, Alberta, along with a constantly changing assortment of animals.

Reviews

[Canadian Children's Book Centre]

Fosta: Marathon MasterThe Racehorse

A wild mustang, born in the isolated Winnemucca area of Nevada, becomes one-of-a-kind in the dressage ring. Judy Andrekson’s third book in the True Horse Stories series, JB Andrew: Mustang Magic, describes how JB Andrew is captured from the wild and comes to be loved by two women. Bought for $125, this spirited wild horse gains success in the challenging and highly difficult showmanship sport of dressage, winning many trophies and ribbons, and becoming the first successful wild mustang to achieve such honours. Andrekson illustrates the life of a successful show horse while delicately weaving in the story of how a wild horse slowly learned to live with and even love the humans around him. Fosta: Marathon Master, the newest book in the True Horse Stories, introduces Kintamani Fosta. Although Fosta faces challenges from the moment of his birth, having three different mothers within the first days of his life, this sturdy horse rises to the challenges ahead of him. He did not grow big enough and, although bred for endurance, he did not even have the chance to test his inherited abilities before he was sold several times. Luckily, however, his many owners would see potential in this gentle and well mannered stallion and Fosta would eventually enter and re-enter the Shahzada endurance race in Australia. Not only will this undersized horse finish the gruelling five-day race multiple times, but he would repeatedly come in the top ten. Andrekson once again captivates her readers in her latest books in the True Horse Stories series. She writes simple but well-researched biographies of horses that appeal to advanced early-readers and older children because her writing style is a suitable introduction to reading nonfiction. Andrekson remains true to her horses’ lives by interviewing owners and researching the horses’ lives and races, while also illustrating the lives of the people surrounding the horses. Her readers worry about the horses, share their pain and accomplishments, feel proud of them, and generally fall in love with them. Readers who are hungry for more horse information after reading Andrekson’s books should turn to Nikki Tate’s Behind the Scenes: The Racehorse. Tate’s beautifully illustrated hardcover provides general information about some of the fastest horses in the world and their racing environment. The book covers a wide variety of topics from the history of horse racing, the care and keeping of a race horse, to the crazy lives of jockeys. The numerous colour photos on every page make Behind the Scenes: The Racehorse special, as do the interesting fact boxes in every chapter, which range from historical facts about horse racing to information about what it is like to own a race horse. The detailed photos show close-ups of horse equipment, Race Day programs, betting tickets, and much more. Behind the Scenes: The Racehorse goes beyond the race track, describing both the illegal side of horse racing and what happens to retired race horses. Nikki Tate’s book is a must have for any horse fan.

Reviewed by Ming Taubman in Canadian Children's Book News
Fall 2008 VOL.31 NO.4

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more of a 2.5 than a three star book, so I rounded up. Although I'm at least 40 years older than the target audience, I wasn't too keen on the writing style. It was like a really long Horse Illustrated article as opposed to a book. This was the first book I read in Andrekson's True Horse Story series, and it most likely will be my last.

I spotted problems with the book that bothered me. Another problem is that, despite being touted as a True Horse Story, this is actually a work of fiction. The Library of Congress in Publishing Data lists this as Juvenile literature.

JB Andrew doesn't have a complex story, but the people around him do. His first private owner is part Native American and, since this was the late 1980s, decided to own not only a Mustang (and yet chose a Mustang that looked more like the paleface's drafters than anything Indians would ride), but two wolves. These wolves are mentioned in a total of two sentences in the book.

Problem: Wolves have been illegal to own in Colorado since ... pretty much since the state was founded. You really want to admit to a children's book author that you were doing something illegal?

Most likely, the "wolves" were actually wolf-dog hybrids, which have been legal in Colorado for decades. Wolf-dogs are not wolves. There's a difference. The right names matter. Just look at the whole fake direwolf "de-extinction" hoax.

Another problem was about the Breyer model released of JB Andrew in 1996 and retired in 1998. The model was based on an already existing mold -- the Friesian (or First Friesian), released in 1992. This book gives the impression that the model was entirely brand, spankin' new. The text also said that it was rare that Breyer ever did models of horses that were still alive. Wrong. By 1996, doing models of "living legends" was common. They'd been doing it regularly for nearly 10 years.

It's those little things that I know are wrong which make me wonder what else was wrong in the book.

Sadly, about a year after this was published, Andy would be diagnosed with a brain tumor. He was eventually euthanized in 2011. He spent the rest of his life with his second private owner, who resisted letting the first owner buy Andy back, even though she'd apparently stopped owning wolves and taken to owning Percheron draft horses.

Photos would've been much better than the clunky black and white pen drawings of David Parkins. Why he gave a newborn Andy a bald face, I've no idea. Chances are, he didn't have any idea, either.

[The Mad Mad Madeline · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I was reading this I was saying to myself "Why is this so easy to read...and short!?!?!"

And then I realized this was a children's book...

So I'm an idiot for not understanding that hahaha granted that it is a children's book, I will say that it seemed to me the author didn't have a ton of horse experience.

That is all...

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book about a horse, his accomplishments, and the people who loved him.