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Phantom Stallion #9
Gift Horse
For the Phantom, there is only one girl. For Sam, there is only ont horse. When Samantha rescues a beautiful draft horse from an auction, she's sure he'll be perfect to groom for resale. He's big and strong –– but so big, Sam can barely saddle him. He's great at jumping –– over pasture fences. Will he be helpful at a ranch, or too much to handle? Then disaster strikes River Bend, and it's Sam who needs help. And just in time to save the day, Tinkerbell's true talents are revealed.
240 pages, Paperback
First published March 11, 2009
4 people are currently reading
571 people want to read
About the author
Terri Farley
128 books417 followersTerri Farley is the best-selling author of books about the contemporary and historic West. Her PHANTOM STALLION series has sold over 2 million books world-wide and it relaunches with new art & content in March 2023.
Terri's most recent non-fiction book Wild at Heart: Mustangs and the Young People Fighting to
Save Them (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) is a Junior Library Guild selection; winner of the
Sterling North Heritage award for Excellence in Children's Literature.
Terri's only contemporary fantasy is SEVEN TEARS INTO THE SEA.
Terri is an advocate for the West's wild horses and for young people helping to make their voices heard.
https://www.facebook.com/PhantomStall...
https://twitter.com/Terri_Farley
https://www.instagram.com/terrifarley/
Terri's most recent non-fiction book Wild at Heart: Mustangs and the Young People Fighting to
Save Them (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) is a Junior Library Guild selection; winner of the
Sterling North Heritage award for Excellence in Children's Literature.
Terri's only contemporary fantasy is SEVEN TEARS INTO THE SEA.
Terri is an advocate for the West's wild horses and for young people helping to make their voices heard.
https://www.facebook.com/PhantomStall...
https://twitter.com/Terri_Farley
https://www.instagram.com/terrifarley/
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 9, 2025
Since I reread it I thought it only fair to give it a new review. I think it's safe to say this is one of my favorite books from this series! It's funny, exciting, and has an amazing and complex plot.
Sam is struggling between defending the wild horses she loves and agreeing her father, who thinks they are pests. At the same time she's trying to come up with a plan for a community service project for school, but is struggling to think of things that fit what she needs and that she's also passionate about. and on top of that, ALL the animals on the ranch are acting strange... and not just about the new horse she's brought home in a stressful rescue attempt...
I highly recommend this book!
Sam is struggling between defending the wild horses she loves and agreeing her father, who thinks they are pests. At the same time she's trying to come up with a plan for a community service project for school, but is struggling to think of things that fit what she needs and that she's also passionate about. and on top of that, ALL the animals on the ranch are acting strange... and not just about the new horse she's brought home in a stressful rescue attempt...
I highly recommend this book!
September 14, 2024
3.5 stars
Awww Tinkerbell! This horse really steals the show in this book 💜
Awww Tinkerbell! This horse really steals the show in this book 💜
July 16, 2023
This is one of the Phantom Stallion books that I have a pretty strong memory of. Sam helps rescue and rehome a big draft horse who was being treated badly by his previous owners and was about to get sold for horse meat. I liked how the big horse (which got named Tinkerbell, LOL) was a gentle giant, and it was extra sweet that Sam's kitten befriended the horse and liked to go sleep on his back. I also liked seeing Sam deal with her community project. She's very confident with horses, but much less so with public speaking. But she overcame her fear and came up with a project that fulfilled the assignment and helped the wild horses she loves. The surprise drama at the end of the book (no spoilers) was something I didn't remember, but it was exciting and I'm glad it turned out okay.
Content Advisory:
Everything was still perfectly appropriate for the target age range of these books.
No profanity. Jake calls Sam "brat" sometimes as usual, but it's just their relationship that is often like big brother/little sister, not meanness.
Nothing sexual. Some mild joking about a girl having a crush on a guy and worries that people might think someone is crushing on someone else.
Rachel (sp? I listened on audio) is prideful as usual, but doesn't outright bully Sam this time.
As usual, a horse is in danger. There's some talk of horses being sold for meat, but there are no details. A horse is injured on top of his head because some mean men forced him into a trailer that's too small for him. Sam sees blood on the horse's head.
In a moment of anger, Sam's dad says he understands why some ranchers protect their cow herd's food with a rifle. (Implying he'd shoot mustangs to keep them away from his cows.) Sam knows he wouldn't actually shoot a horse and his wife promptly reminds him that shooting wild mustangs would result in jail time. He takes a walk and calms down.
A barn partially collapses, trapping horses inside, but they are all rescued.
Content Advisory:
Everything was still perfectly appropriate for the target age range of these books.
No profanity. Jake calls Sam "brat" sometimes as usual, but it's just their relationship that is often like big brother/little sister, not meanness.
Nothing sexual. Some mild joking about a girl having a crush on a guy and worries that people might think someone is crushing on someone else.
Rachel (sp? I listened on audio) is prideful as usual, but doesn't outright bully Sam this time.
As usual, a horse is in danger. There's some talk of horses being sold for meat, but there are no details. A horse is injured on top of his head because some mean men forced him into a trailer that's too small for him. Sam sees blood on the horse's head.
In a moment of anger, Sam's dad says he understands why some ranchers protect their cow herd's food with a rifle. (Implying he'd shoot mustangs to keep them away from his cows.) Sam knows he wouldn't actually shoot a horse and his wife promptly reminds him that shooting wild mustangs would result in jail time. He takes a walk and calms down.
A barn partially collapses, trapping horses inside, but they are all rescued.
May 1, 2016
This was the best book in the series so far. I could have done with some more explanations of some casually thrown out statements, but perhaps those are teasers for later in the series. Unlike most of the previous books in this series, this one was unpredictable.
It was at turns sober (horses being sold to a butcher) and silly (more high jinks with Jake) but did not dwell too long in either Soberland or Sillyville. I was wondering when Farley was going write about a draft-type Mustang, since there are so many out there (or used to be out there.)
I do quibble with the cover. Tinkerbell is described as a dark bay and not a black. Gotta be careful of those cover artists too lazy to read the book or at least just the description of the character he/she/it is painting. This is a dark bay (also called brown) mustang gelding:
See the difference?
I may keep on reading this series after all. It makes a nice break from the heavier stuff I usually read.
It was at turns sober (horses being sold to a butcher) and silly (more high jinks with Jake) but did not dwell too long in either Soberland or Sillyville. I was wondering when Farley was going write about a draft-type Mustang, since there are so many out there (or used to be out there.)
I do quibble with the cover. Tinkerbell is described as a dark bay and not a black. Gotta be careful of those cover artists too lazy to read the book or at least just the description of the character he/she/it is painting. This is a dark bay (also called brown) mustang gelding:
See the difference?
I may keep on reading this series after all. It makes a nice break from the heavier stuff I usually read.
December 22, 2012
I have always loved this volume, especially because of Tinkerbell! He is so cute. Although the fact that horses get sold for meat horrifies me.
I loved Sam's idea of Have a Heart, and I truly hope there is a project like that out there.
As I am going back and reading these, I realise that these books probably had a lot to do with the way I turned out.
Animals are the most important things to me, as they are to Sam.
Maybe one day I can get myself out to Nevada and see some wild horses!
I loved Sam's idea of Have a Heart, and I truly hope there is a project like that out there.
As I am going back and reading these, I realise that these books probably had a lot to do with the way I turned out.
Animals are the most important things to me, as they are to Sam.
Maybe one day I can get myself out to Nevada and see some wild horses!
January 10, 2009
This book is great!! It tells you about the life of a girl named Sam, and her trying to get a horse named Tinkerbell. People who love horses, a little laughter, drama, and a girls dreams shuold read this booh!!
September 21, 2020
My rating system
5- Gush/Absolutely Loved
4- Low Love/High Like
3- Like
2- Meh
1- Dislike/Hate
If it is a .5 star I round up
5 Stars
This was one of my favorite series from my childhood, although I only read books 1-6,8-10 due to the fact that the local libraries didn't have them and the book stores didn't have them in stock whenever I went to them. So I am re-reading the books that I have read and reading for the first time the books I missed out on.
When Samantha rescues a beautiful draft horse from an auction, she's sure he'll be perfect to groom for resale. He's big and strong but so big, Sam can barely saddle him. He's great at jumping over pasture fences. Will he be helpful at a ranch, or too much to handle?
Then disaster strikes River Bend, and it's Sam who needs help. And just in time to save the day, Tinkerbell's true talents are revealed.
5- Gush/Absolutely Loved
4- Low Love/High Like
3- Like
2- Meh
1- Dislike/Hate
If it is a .5 star I round up
5 Stars
This was one of my favorite series from my childhood, although I only read books 1-6,8-10 due to the fact that the local libraries didn't have them and the book stores didn't have them in stock whenever I went to them. So I am re-reading the books that I have read and reading for the first time the books I missed out on.
When Samantha rescues a beautiful draft horse from an auction, she's sure he'll be perfect to groom for resale. He's big and strong but so big, Sam can barely saddle him. He's great at jumping over pasture fences. Will he be helpful at a ranch, or too much to handle?
Then disaster strikes River Bend, and it's Sam who needs help. And just in time to save the day, Tinkerbell's true talents are revealed.
May 6, 2018
An average teen series.
October 7, 2021
I think I just met my favourite horse of the whole series!
July 28, 2024
Taut plot on this one; everything wraps up really neatly. And I love how the huge draft horse Tinkerbell ends up being friends with tiny kitten Cougar!
November 19, 2025
I'd say this is one of the better books so far in the series, the plot with Tinkerbell is very exciting.
Tinkerbell himself is such a charming horse, and the action near the end was very engaging!
Tinkerbell himself is such a charming horse, and the action near the end was very engaging!
February 14, 2026
Draft horses are so cool!
This book is just as amazing as the others in the series.
This book is just as amazing as the others in the series.
Read
June 16, 2008Good to pass time. Can be interesting/exciting-but def. for horse freaks!
February 9, 2009
Awesome book. this book made my favorite horse breed a SHIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 1, 2009
Awesome!
June 4, 2009
It was pretty good. I thought it had lots of excitement to it. Like you didn't know what was going to happen next.
September 7, 2010
One of the best horse stories that I have read.
November 30, 2014
A great series for the young horse-lover! I read the whole series as a kid and each book keeps you interested and racing for the next!
September 25, 2010
See the first book in the series for a full review.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews