A Horse of Her Own

by Annie Wedekind

Fourteen-year-old Jane Ryan has always dreamed of having a horse of her own—but so long as she gets to ride her favorite school horse, Beau, at Sunny Acres farm, she’s content. And this is the summer she means to try out for the advanced riding class.
But just as camp begins, Jane receives heartbreaking news about Beau. She loses, not just her favorite horse, but also her chance to ride in the end-of-summer competition. When her trainer asks for her help with an out-of-control chestnut warmblood, Lancelot, a newcomer to the barn, she has no choice but to say yes.
There’s another new addition to the Ben Reyes, the grandson of the barn's manager. As Jane struggles to go on without Beau, and to make Lancelot the great horse she believes him to be, her feelings for Ben, her relationships with the privileged group of girls she rides with, and her painful, joyous road to self-discovery all lead to a heart-pounding conclusion that is truly a new beginning. Only Jane’s faith in Lancelot, and her own rediscovered skill and strength, can see her through the hard journey toward a horse of her own.

Genres: Horses, Animals, Middle Grade, Contemporary, Young Adult, Childrens, Fiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published May 27, 2008

About the author

Annie Wedekind grew up riding horses in Louisville, Kentucky. Since then, she’s been in the saddle in every place she’s lived, from Rhode Island to New Orleans, South Africa to New York. Her first novel, A Horse of Her Own, was praised by Kirkus as “possibly the most honest horse book since National Velvet . . . A champion.” She is also the author of The Breyer Horse Collection books, including Wild Blue, Little Prince, Samirah’s Ride, and Mercury’s Flight. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/anniew...

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been wanting to read this for a while - I had it on my library wish list for a while, then I was finally able to buy it for the library, and FINALLY I was able to read it. There aren't many horse books geared for young adults - most are middle grade.

13-year-old Jane wants a horse more than anything. She loves Beau, the school horse she rides in lessons, but she feels the other girls in her class look down on her because she doesn't own a horse. Still, she's thrilled to get into the Advanced I class with the best students, even though she's afraid it might be because of snotty Emily, whose new horse Lancelot is more than a little crazy. Then, halfway through summer riding camp, Jane finds out that Beau was bought and she can't ride him anymore.

Luckily, Jane has more than a few problems to distract from the pain of losing Beau. There's Lancelot, who Jane's instructor wants her ride now that Emily quit camp; there's the big eventing show at the end of camp; and there's Ben, a new stablehand who makes Jane blush.

This book reminded me a little of the Heartland series, and I liked that there was a lot of riding done as well as more complex characterization than most horse books.

[Tiana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn't care for this book. It was your typical horse book about the girl who doesn't fit in at the expensive riding school or at regular school, and she gets picked on because she doesn't have her own horse. I would definitely recommend not reading this book.

[Parkeryouth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read for horse lovers.

[Hollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Horse Of Her Own
Annie Wedekind

Jane is very fortunate. Her family isn’t that wealthy but she manages to ride at Sunny Acres by helping around the farm and cleaning and helping other horses. Imagine how it feels to have your life change in just two seconds. This is what happened to Jane. Jane rode a horse named Beau and treated him like her own. I rode a horse when I was only taking lessons on her and I also treated her like my own.
While I was reading, I felt as though I was re-living that moment but I also felt like in I was there in the story. I was immediately attached to this book because I love animals especially horses.
I recommend this realistic fiction to anyone who loves horses or likes an exciting, adventurous book. I give this book a 9/10 rating because I enjoyed it so much. I think anybody could be attached to the book like I was and would be able to understand how Jane felt.


- Hollie Pierce

[Stephanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I just echo Kate Spofford's review? Like she said, it's rare to find a YA (as opposed to middle grade) novel featuring a girl and a horse. It's even rarer to find one where the horse and her relationship with it is the central focus, rather than it just being an expensive toy/side diversion for a rich girl. And regardless of the age range, I usually have to go back about 50 years to find horse books of this quality. Such a gem.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was probably the worst book I've read so far. Almost everything the protagonist did and said annoyed me. The author tried to incorporate humor but this book was not funny. It was also very repetitive for example, the main character blushes after almost everything. I get she is supposed to be shy but it is way too overboard with that concept.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is nothing in the world that fourteen year old Jane loves more than horses. Especially Beau, the horse she rides over at the local barn, Sunny Acres. While she loves Beau to death she still wishes that she had a horse to call her own. Even though Beau is not her own, Jane is excited to learn that she will get to ride him at riding camp this summer. What’s even more exciting is that she gets to spend six weeks with her best friend Robin. The down side is she will have to endure that group of rich girls whose favorite thing is to tease her. Just after camp begins though Jane receives devastating news. Beau has been sold. Jane’s heart breaks as she realizes her trusted companion is gone and so are her chances of participating in the end of summer show. All hope is not lost though. When Jane’s trainer offers her the chance to help train a new horse Lancelot, who is a little rough around the edges but has great potential, Jane is a little leery, but eventually she realizes that she can’t say no. With the help of the new stable boy Ben, Robin, and her trainer Susan, Jane embarks on a journey of hope and self-discovery that will change the way she sees everything.

A Horse of Her Own was a great book. I really enjoyed the compassion embedded in the pages and felt so connected with Jane. While I am not a horse-savvy person I felt that it was very easy to follow the story. I loved how Jane was able to discover herself in such an original tale. The other characters were also well developed. While Jane is definitely the center of the story I liked how the author put the spotlight on some of the other characters too. It gave a refreshing variety to the story and made me enjoy the book that much more. For fans of horse stories this is definitely a book for you, but even those who aren’t still pick up the book -it is definitely worth your while. It is a beautifully written novel about truly discovering yourself and learning to get back up when you’re pushed down.

[Cambria Speed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!!Of course I did because I LOVE horses (and riding them.) Okay back to the book.The characters in this book are Jane Ryan, Jane's Mom and Dad, Jose,(pronounced Ho-say) Ben, Emily, Jessica, Shannon, Robin, Susan, and Maria.In the beginning Jane is the only one at Sunny Acres camp that doesn't have her own horse!So she pretends to own this horse named Beau (pronounced boo) intill a tragedy happens and someone buys him for real!!Then her camp instructor tells her she can ride a crazy-out of mind chestnut warm blood named Lancelot. Intill she trusts him it is a painful way to get her own horse! Find out if Jane gets to own Lancelot or if she survives by reading A Horse of Her Own, now!!!!!!!!!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and interesting. The one thing that took off stars was that it seemed like it focused a bit too much on the main character’s romantic relationship only to be completely forgotten at the end of the book. Other than that though it was very good.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a much better written girl-and-a-horse story than the dreck that's usually published. The first chapter is a bit long, but then it gets rolling. It's nice to know that out of all of the characters presented here, the only one that was true to life was the school horse Beau (pronounced Boo.)

This is a story about a girl from the least rich family going to an exclusive summer riding camp in Kentucky Bluegrass country. All of the riders and their families are white. The help are Mexican Americans. The campers sing "My Old Kentucky Home" to their parents, so obviously there couldn't have been any non-white campers.

Our Protagonist Jane is in the summer of eighth grade ... AND SHE GETS TO CHOOSE WHICH HIGH SCHOOL SHE GOES TO. I had to put the book away for a couple of days to digest that. In what alternative universe do kids GET TO CHOOSE WHERE THEY GO TO SCHOOL? When the fuck did that happen? DOES that happen in the real world?

And Jane's sister and her parents love her so damn much and want her to be happy.

Huh. Wonder what that's like.

I've been suffering with a multiple tooth infection for over a week (my dentist is on vacation) and this book did help distract me from the pain. It's written by someone who obviously loves horses, so the descriptions are spot on. She knows about dressage and eventing. She knows about injuries from riding. She knows her horse breeds and colors, too, unlike many other writers.

She also has a kid mouth off to her riding instructor. This is exactly what happens in real horseback riding lessons. The instructor-as-God attitude in books like the Saddle Club series just doesn't happen in real life.

I would've liked this book better if there were fewer characters, Jane having no human friends, and no perfect older sister. I couldn't fucking stand the sister.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because I was very similar to Jane growing up. We lived in the city and it was about a 25 minute drive to the farm where I rode. I went to riding camp at 13, paid for with money earned delivering newspapers. I started taking lessons at 14, also with my own money, and then began working at the barn in exchange for lessons. I felt a little behind compared to the girls who had been able to take lessons since they were 6, 7, 8 years old. Many of the other girls, though never mean to me, had their own horses and didn't quite seem to understand that not everyone could afford that luxury. Like Jane, there was a school horse I rode for many years who was sold suddenly and eventually moved off the farm to be boarded elsewhere, without me even getting a chance to say goodbye. After 2+ years of not knowing where he was, I was reunited with him through another girl who used to ride at the farm and still visit him from time to time when I am in town. Some of the secondary characters in the story seem rather flat and stereotypical, which is why I didn't give this book more stars, but overall it is an enjoyable read.

[Skyler Blackwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Horse of Her Own by Annie Wedekind was a book that I, as a horse lover, immensely enjoyed. Jane is a horse-loving, hard-working girl who would do anything to get a horse of her own. So when the horse at the barn that she loves is sold, she is left with no horse and a broken heart, until spirited, strong Lancelot arrives at the barn, and Jane is asked to help train him. I liked this book a lot because unlike a few horse books I have read, it actually focused a lot on the horses and horse riding. However, the story line also features the main character getting picked on by the rich popular girls at an expensive riding school, so I thought that that was a little stereotypical for a horse book. All in all, though, this was a great book that I really enjoyed and recommend for horsey people and non-horse lovers alike!

[Olivia Binstead · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a horse “kid” this book strikes a cord with me. I was the kid who’s parents gave everything they had to keep my on a horse and competing. They could afford the nice horse but I had the best horses in their own right. Jane works hard and her efforts are paid back 10 fold in the end. With a horse that was horribly treated at some point in his life, she proves that love and trust can get you far.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. Gosh. This is my favorite horse story. It feels as if horse books have become unoriginal, the same theme over and over. But finally, someone has comes along to mix it up. Definitely worth the time. I love the character development and the action, so beautiful. Worth every penny! (And tear)

[Haylee B · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book for horse lovers, and is about a girl who desperately wants a horse. She goes to summer camp at her riding stable as she has for many years, and along the way she finds a new friend, and discovers she has room in her heart for another horse despite her love for beau.

[Abagail St. Onge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has an amazing plot and really catches the heart of any horse lovers or realistic fiction lovers, I really felt like I could connect with this character and this book is just amazing! I definitely recommend it!

[Holly Lyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as an equestrian tween and memories are rushing back reading it again for the first time in many years. Horses are magic and Jane is such a fun heroine. If Goodreads had a top 4 like Letterboxd, this gem would be in mine!

[Mary Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

More of a horse story than a camp story, even though it is set at a summer camp.

[711Isabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really likes this book it was a real horse book unlike some of the cheesy horse bookas out there. If you liked national velvet you will like this.

[Rebecca Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was a little predictable but good

[Zoe Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with excitement and sadness and also passion.😢😁😂😅

O love this book it made me laugh, cry, and cringe. This book is the best i could read. 😅😄😂😢😢

[Jenna Kieser]

I was a very good book.

[Millie Cyr]

This was the best book I have ever read

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

my mom bought me this book when i was 12 and it was so good 😭 i still reread it sometimes

[Rowan 🐴 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. A great book for any horse lover, especially a jumper or eventer!!

[Peyton Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my absolute favorite book in the world!! Thanks so much for publishing this!!!

[Mary Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is a good read for teenagers

[Liz . · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book so many times in middle school, and it holds up as an adult

[Jasmine Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked how this story was based on challenges and heart breaks. For example Beau may have been sold but Lancelot had helped her get over Beau and challenge her to do bigger and better things to get to where she had wanted to be in life, which was to have her own horse and to be the most advanced in her training group. I recommend this book for the ones who actually like to read and the ones who are a big fan of horses, or even like reading about challenges.

[jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love it!! I actually read it twice and I forgot how good it is!!