A Horse of Her Own

by Selma Hudnut

After her parents' sudden death, loneliness makes Rosemary O’Connor seek out a neighboring farm where horses are being exercised. Here she feels closer to her father, who taught her all she knew about riding and horses. Soon the owner of the farm warmly welcomes Rosemary and introduces her to other young people in a local hunt club. This leads to a summer job at the hunt stables where Rosemary finds her horse, the kind of Irish hunter she has always longed for. Of course, Dublin Jack does belong to Mr. Medford, the wealthy, stable owner, and he is almost dead when Rosemary finds him. Can she -- should she -- help him to live in spite of the stable manager’s ugly threats? Although Rosemary’s main concern is for Dublin Jack, she works hard at her job, which includes teaching children to ride, cleaning tack, feeding and exercising other horses, and learning to control the hounds. One night, when she is more tired than usual, disaster strikes. Rosemary wakes up in the hospital, and here she learns of new plans for the stable, for herself, and for Dublin Jack. The color and excitement of horse shows, hunting, and riding with hounds in California (where no killing of a fox is involved) pervade this story of a plucky girl who believes in not letting go of her horse once she’s found him.

Genres: Horses, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gonna guess I was around 8 or 9 when I read this and the story has stuck around the dusty parts of my mind since. My 9 year old self thinks that is probably worth 5 stars. I was able to find a used copy and look forward to revisiting memories from long ago.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminded me of everything that I loved about reading when I was a kid. A fast-paced story with interesting characters and kids who are portrayed as strong, independent, capable beings. Fifty-five years after it was originally published, this book has a timeless quality and would delight any horse enthusiast!

[Wednesday · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was never fortunate enough to be around horses when I was a child, although I had 5 imaginary ones that I kept in our garden. I think if I had been more au fait with things equine, I would have enjoyed this book, (which came with a bulk purchase of 1960s-70's scholastic children's books), a whole lot more. There was lots of terminology that even as an adult was unfamiliar to me. This interrupted the reading flow, as I had to look words up etc to understand what they meant. I think if I had read this as a child, it would have been too much of a challenge and would have remained unfinished! However, for the active horse fan, this would be a great story that has aged well.

[Allison Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good old book!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rediscovered this in a box stored in my garage and remembered how much I loved it as a kid. Still a classic book for any young horse-crazy reader!

[Twyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite part was when rosemary saved Irish. the worst part was when there was a fire. the best character was Irish. the worst character was red.

[Allanah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a good book, but not really a book I would read again.