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Believing In Horses Out West
Sadie Navarro rescued a mare from an auction accomplishing what she thought was the most important mission of her young life.
Now, that mare is headed to a ranch in Montana and a home Sadie knows nothing about.
She wants to make sure the horse is in good hands, but Montana is far away and a different world from Maryland.
Will fourteen-year-old Sadie need to stand up to rugged cowboys to protect her special rescue horse?
Now, that mare is headed to a ranch in Montana and a home Sadie knows nothing about.
She wants to make sure the horse is in good hands, but Montana is far away and a different world from Maryland.
Will fourteen-year-old Sadie need to stand up to rugged cowboys to protect her special rescue horse?
260 pages, Paperback
Published October 8, 2021
10 people want to read
About the author
Valerie Ormond
8 books112 followersValerie Ormond spent the majority of her adult life as a Naval intelligence officer. She now combines her life experiences, love of horses, and interest in writing in her second career.
Valerie’s latest novel "Believing In Horses Out West" released in October 2021. "New York Times" Bestselling Author of "Sgt. Reckless: America's War Horse," Robin Hutton, described the book as "A thrilling coming-of-age story filled with love, lessons, and finding one’s purpose in life...” The book has earned six awards including winners in the National Federation of Press Women's contest, Military Writers Society of America book awards, International Impact Book Awards, and more.
Valerie's first two books, "Believing In Horses" and "Believing In Horses, Too," tell stories of a strong-willed young girl overcoming challenges based on her love of horses. Both books won gold medals and first place awards in eight national and international book competitions.
Valerie is the Chief Executive Officer of her own business, Veteran Writing Services, LLC, providing professional writing, editing, and consulting services for companies and organizations. She recently established Veterans Publishing as part of the business. Valerie's fiction and non-fiction stories and poetry appear in books, magazines, newspapers, and blogs worldwide.
She lives in Maryland with her husband Jaime Navarro, also a Navy veteran and horseman, and their two dogs and two horses.
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February 3, 2022MWSA Review
Believing in Horses Out West is an excellent follow-on to award-winning Valerie Ormond's Believing in Horses (2012) and Believing in Horses, Too (2014). The story continues with Sadie, who turns fourteen in this story, seeking and finding her true purpose in life. In this book, the author enlarges the storyline to include animal cruelty and human trafficking. She also continues with the coming-of-age experiences of a teenage girl in today's complex society, with emphasis in this book on interaction with boys.
Both overcoming fears and the transition to teenage years are central themes in Believing in Horses Out West, and it should appeal to readers beyond the YA set. Sadie faces her fears, never gives in, asks for help when needed, wins by working hard and not by luck, accepts kindness, and is rewarded for her efforts.
Ormond is clearly a passionate horse person and a gifted author who draws the reader into the story with characters that show numerous equestrian techniques. She writes well, and readers of all ages will have no problems enjoying the book. I particularly appreciate the use of chapter titles as a way to provide a clue to the next phase of the plot. I also loved the resolution that is complemented by tying up all the loose ends to make a most satisfactory outcome.
The book is sprinkled with additional gifts of wisdom passed on from one generation to the next – primarily from the grandmother character. Among those are: faced with what appears to be insurmountable obstacles you can find solutions, rely on your instincts, you have to believe you can do it to succeed, everyone needs a helping hand at some time, constantly beating yourself up over mistakes does no one any good, you need situational awareness, not all parents do a good job, being on your own is exhilarating but can be fraught with danger, there are temptations in life, jealousy and envy are normal but need to be monitored, sometimes not everyone needs to know what happened, being with a horse is a partnership, teenage girls have difficulty understanding themselves and it is normal, boys have difficulty understanding girls, boys have a sensitive side but are reluctant to display it, older brothers can be a pain in the neck but they (like dad) always have your back, every life has a purpose, and the most important is crime does not pay.
I highly recommended the book for those who enjoy children's horse books, coming of age fiction, teen and young adult equestrian fiction, teen and young adult family, and equestrian sports.
Review by Jim Tritten (January 2022)
Believing in Horses Out West is an excellent follow-on to award-winning Valerie Ormond's Believing in Horses (2012) and Believing in Horses, Too (2014). The story continues with Sadie, who turns fourteen in this story, seeking and finding her true purpose in life. In this book, the author enlarges the storyline to include animal cruelty and human trafficking. She also continues with the coming-of-age experiences of a teenage girl in today's complex society, with emphasis in this book on interaction with boys.
Both overcoming fears and the transition to teenage years are central themes in Believing in Horses Out West, and it should appeal to readers beyond the YA set. Sadie faces her fears, never gives in, asks for help when needed, wins by working hard and not by luck, accepts kindness, and is rewarded for her efforts.
Ormond is clearly a passionate horse person and a gifted author who draws the reader into the story with characters that show numerous equestrian techniques. She writes well, and readers of all ages will have no problems enjoying the book. I particularly appreciate the use of chapter titles as a way to provide a clue to the next phase of the plot. I also loved the resolution that is complemented by tying up all the loose ends to make a most satisfactory outcome.
The book is sprinkled with additional gifts of wisdom passed on from one generation to the next – primarily from the grandmother character. Among those are: faced with what appears to be insurmountable obstacles you can find solutions, rely on your instincts, you have to believe you can do it to succeed, everyone needs a helping hand at some time, constantly beating yourself up over mistakes does no one any good, you need situational awareness, not all parents do a good job, being on your own is exhilarating but can be fraught with danger, there are temptations in life, jealousy and envy are normal but need to be monitored, sometimes not everyone needs to know what happened, being with a horse is a partnership, teenage girls have difficulty understanding themselves and it is normal, boys have difficulty understanding girls, boys have a sensitive side but are reluctant to display it, older brothers can be a pain in the neck but they (like dad) always have your back, every life has a purpose, and the most important is crime does not pay.
I highly recommended the book for those who enjoy children's horse books, coming of age fiction, teen and young adult equestrian fiction, teen and young adult family, and equestrian sports.
Review by Jim Tritten (January 2022)
December 3, 2021
Sadie Navarro helps at her barn with horse rescues. Her most recent rescue, Sunny, is sold to a ranch in Montana. She is worried about Sunny, because she had nothing to do with the sale and she wants to make sure the new home is treating her well. Mentioning her fears to her parents, they decide to make a family vacation out of it, heading off to the dude ranch Sunny is at. When Sadie gets there she is sucked right into the life of a ranch hand.
This book had many good points as well as some challenges that detracted from the overall story. There was a lot of telling instead of showing and the author did a lot of explaining things within the dialogue, which led to things feeling rushed and the characters being a little flat. I wished the scenes had been stretched out and the characters fleshed out a bit more. There were moments where I longed for paragraphs of detail and description that would suck me into the scenes, especially during the rodeo chapter. The bull riding was mentioned in two sentences and was quickly wrapped up with the sentence, "The rodeo ended, and plenty had happened in two hours." I wished we had seen more of the rodeo described in detail. It definitely wasn't an action filled, high tension story, but really set the scene for the life of a ranch hand.
The story had several small conflicts and a few minor "mysteries" to solve about the characters, but overall did not seem to have one overarching conflict. It was more the day to day on-goings at the dude ranch and all the things happening to Sadie while she was there. It read more like a diary of events, where different chapters had Sadie experiencing new things. It was a very informational deep dive into the world of horses and cowboys and ranches, but also felt a little shallow when it came to the depth of the plot. That may just be me being picky as an adult reader and a younger reader will not mind that at all. Some of the plot twists also seemed a little unrealistic to an adult reader, but young readers won't pick up on that at all.
Because I was coming at this as an adult reader, I tried not to allow some of my personal preferences detract from how I felt younger readers would enjoy this book. I think horse crazy kids will absolutely love this book. As a horse owner myself, the book was incredible accurate and everything was very realistic when it came to the horse end of things. It is the perfect upper middle grade book, a little on the higher level side due to the length and also some of the vocabulary being a little more higher level as well.
This book had many good points as well as some challenges that detracted from the overall story. There was a lot of telling instead of showing and the author did a lot of explaining things within the dialogue, which led to things feeling rushed and the characters being a little flat. I wished the scenes had been stretched out and the characters fleshed out a bit more. There were moments where I longed for paragraphs of detail and description that would suck me into the scenes, especially during the rodeo chapter. The bull riding was mentioned in two sentences and was quickly wrapped up with the sentence, "The rodeo ended, and plenty had happened in two hours." I wished we had seen more of the rodeo described in detail. It definitely wasn't an action filled, high tension story, but really set the scene for the life of a ranch hand.
The story had several small conflicts and a few minor "mysteries" to solve about the characters, but overall did not seem to have one overarching conflict. It was more the day to day on-goings at the dude ranch and all the things happening to Sadie while she was there. It read more like a diary of events, where different chapters had Sadie experiencing new things. It was a very informational deep dive into the world of horses and cowboys and ranches, but also felt a little shallow when it came to the depth of the plot. That may just be me being picky as an adult reader and a younger reader will not mind that at all. Some of the plot twists also seemed a little unrealistic to an adult reader, but young readers won't pick up on that at all.
Because I was coming at this as an adult reader, I tried not to allow some of my personal preferences detract from how I felt younger readers would enjoy this book. I think horse crazy kids will absolutely love this book. As a horse owner myself, the book was incredible accurate and everything was very realistic when it came to the horse end of things. It is the perfect upper middle grade book, a little on the higher level side due to the length and also some of the vocabulary being a little more higher level as well.
July 2, 2022
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Believing In Horses Out West
Author: Valerie Ormond
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 4/5
Of the 15 readers:
14 would read another book by this author.
15 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
14 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 5 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
14 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
14 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
“This is a sort of coming of age story with a lot of cowboy stuff in it too. The story in this book is a long way from England, and that´s what I liked the most.” Boy, aged 12
“The girl in this book is very caring for animals. I love animals too – and a go riding a lot – so I could relate to her and how she felt. This is a fun story, exciting in parts. The author is good at developing characters and putting in lots of suspense.” Girl, aged 13
“I loved that she was so devoted to the horse. I think that´s a good lesson for children. I thought the title was not very exciting and could be better.” Girl, aged 12
“I had to look up Montana on the atlas in the classroom. I did find it so now I know where she is going in the story. If you like cowboy films, you will like this. Although there´s not any killing in it. It´s a good adventure story. I think girls might like it the most as the hero is a girl and girls seem to love going horse riding. Good book.” Boy, aged 12
To Sum It Up:
‘A thrilling, coming-of-age, adventure story. A FINALIST and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: Believing In Horses Out West
Author: Valerie Ormond
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 4/5
Of the 15 readers:
14 would read another book by this author.
15 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
14 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 5 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
14 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
14 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
“This is a sort of coming of age story with a lot of cowboy stuff in it too. The story in this book is a long way from England, and that´s what I liked the most.” Boy, aged 12
“The girl in this book is very caring for animals. I love animals too – and a go riding a lot – so I could relate to her and how she felt. This is a fun story, exciting in parts. The author is good at developing characters and putting in lots of suspense.” Girl, aged 13
“I loved that she was so devoted to the horse. I think that´s a good lesson for children. I thought the title was not very exciting and could be better.” Girl, aged 12
“I had to look up Montana on the atlas in the classroom. I did find it so now I know where she is going in the story. If you like cowboy films, you will like this. Although there´s not any killing in it. It´s a good adventure story. I think girls might like it the most as the hero is a girl and girls seem to love going horse riding. Good book.” Boy, aged 12
To Sum It Up:
‘A thrilling, coming-of-age, adventure story. A FINALIST and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
December 13, 2021
Believing in Horses Out West is a story about a surprisingly strong and resilient young girl of 14, Sadie Navarro. She has done some amazing things in her short life by saving horses and relocating them to new homes.
Sadie travels to Montana to the ranch to check on the most recent horse she saved, Sunny. She wants to make sure that Sunny is safe and happy in his new home. What she finds there in this horse ranch is varied. She traveled with her mother, father, brother and grandmother under the auspices of having a good time riding and taking part in different activities led by the ranch hands.
She meets the main ranch hand, Luke, who doesn’t like her right away. She feels uncomfortable in his presence and doesn’t know why. Some interesting things happen and Sadie is thrust into the midst of some dangerous activities.
The author has created an interesting story about horses with a mystery blending into the tale. This is a book that all horse lovers will want to read. Even though I am not at all an equestrian I thoroughly enjoyed the story.
Sadie travels to Montana to the ranch to check on the most recent horse she saved, Sunny. She wants to make sure that Sunny is safe and happy in his new home. What she finds there in this horse ranch is varied. She traveled with her mother, father, brother and grandmother under the auspices of having a good time riding and taking part in different activities led by the ranch hands.
She meets the main ranch hand, Luke, who doesn’t like her right away. She feels uncomfortable in his presence and doesn’t know why. Some interesting things happen and Sadie is thrust into the midst of some dangerous activities.
The author has created an interesting story about horses with a mystery blending into the tale. This is a book that all horse lovers will want to read. Even though I am not at all an equestrian I thoroughly enjoyed the story.
December 13, 2021
This book is page-turner! Believing in Horses Out West by Valerie Ormond has all the components of a blockbuster Hollywood motion picture. Valerie has woven a captivating story of compassionate animal rescue, equine education and the Western way of life with special family times, young love, and heart-pounding suspense; which in the end, leads the main character, Sadie, to discover her true purpose in life. Young people and adults alike will love reading this Western thriller.
July 24, 2024
Believing in Horses Out West is an excellent follow-on to award-winning Valerie Ormond's Believing in Horses (2012) and Believing in Horses, Too (2014). The story continues with Sadie, who turns fourteen in this story, seeking and finding her true purpose in life. In this book, the author enlarges the storyline to include animal cruelty and human trafficking. She also continues with the coming-of-age experiences of a teenage girl in today's complex society, with emphasis in this book on interaction with boys.
Both overcoming fears and the transition to teenage years are central themes in Believing in Horses Out West, and it should appeal to readers beyond the YA set. Sadie faces her fears, never gives in, asks for help when needed, wins by working hard and not by luck, accepts kindness, and is rewarded for her efforts.
Ormond is clearly a passionate horse person and a gifted author who draws the reader into the story with characters that show numerous equestrian techniques. She writes well, and readers of all ages will have no problems enjoying the book. I particularly appreciate the use of chapter titles as a way to provide a clue to the next phase of the plot. I also loved the resolution that is complemented by tying up all the loose ends to make a most satisfactory outcome.
The book is sprinkled with additional gifts of wisdom passed on from one generation to the next – primarily from the grandmother character. Among those are: faced with what appears to be insurmountable obstacles you can find solutions, rely on your instincts, you have to believe you can do it to succeed, everyone needs a helping hand at some time, constantly beating yourself up over mistakes does no one any good, you need situational awareness, not all parents do a good job, being on your own is exhilarating but can be fraught with danger, there are temptations in life, jealousy and envy are normal but need to be monitored, sometimes not everyone needs to know what happened, being with a horse is a partnership, teenage girls have difficulty understanding themselves and it is normal, boys have difficulty understanding girls, boys have a sensitive side but are reluctant to display it, older brothers can be a pain in the neck but they (like dad) always have your back, every life has a purpose, and the most important is crime does not pay.
I highly recommended the book for those who enjoy children's horse books, coming of age fiction, teen and young adult equestrian fiction, teen and young adult family, and equestrian sports.
Both overcoming fears and the transition to teenage years are central themes in Believing in Horses Out West, and it should appeal to readers beyond the YA set. Sadie faces her fears, never gives in, asks for help when needed, wins by working hard and not by luck, accepts kindness, and is rewarded for her efforts.
Ormond is clearly a passionate horse person and a gifted author who draws the reader into the story with characters that show numerous equestrian techniques. She writes well, and readers of all ages will have no problems enjoying the book. I particularly appreciate the use of chapter titles as a way to provide a clue to the next phase of the plot. I also loved the resolution that is complemented by tying up all the loose ends to make a most satisfactory outcome.
The book is sprinkled with additional gifts of wisdom passed on from one generation to the next – primarily from the grandmother character. Among those are: faced with what appears to be insurmountable obstacles you can find solutions, rely on your instincts, you have to believe you can do it to succeed, everyone needs a helping hand at some time, constantly beating yourself up over mistakes does no one any good, you need situational awareness, not all parents do a good job, being on your own is exhilarating but can be fraught with danger, there are temptations in life, jealousy and envy are normal but need to be monitored, sometimes not everyone needs to know what happened, being with a horse is a partnership, teenage girls have difficulty understanding themselves and it is normal, boys have difficulty understanding girls, boys have a sensitive side but are reluctant to display it, older brothers can be a pain in the neck but they (like dad) always have your back, every life has a purpose, and the most important is crime does not pay.
I highly recommended the book for those who enjoy children's horse books, coming of age fiction, teen and young adult equestrian fiction, teen and young adult family, and equestrian sports.
December 6, 2022
This is such a wonderful and fun story about a girl named Sadie who embarks on a cross-country journey to check up on one of her previously-owned horses that has been sent to a ranch in Montana. Once Sadie arrives with her family, she soon realizes this ranch isn't all it appears to be, and there may be something more going on behind the scenes...
This book recently won the 2022 Gold Medal Award in the Military Writer's Society of America's (MWSA) annual book contest, and I can understand why. Valerie Ormond puts together a brilliant novel for people of all ages. It's a great book for young readers, but I highly recommend it to everyone!
This book recently won the 2022 Gold Medal Award in the Military Writer's Society of America's (MWSA) annual book contest, and I can understand why. Valerie Ormond puts together a brilliant novel for people of all ages. It's a great book for young readers, but I highly recommend it to everyone!
October 14, 2021
Believing In Horses Out West takes horse crazy Sadie Navarro on an adventure to a Montana ranch to check on a horse she rescued. I love that the third book dives into the Western world of horses as Sadie learns about ranch life and makes new friends. Her adventures are full of finding one's purpose and highlight the special bond between humans and horses. It's so easy to recommend this lovely story to horse lovers of all ages because it's filled with fun, friendship, horses, and mystery in Montana.
October 26, 2025
This book is about a young fourteen year old girl who finds her purpose is to help horses in need. This is a sweet story that horse-loving teens will enjoy. Sadie has rescued several horses from the kill buyers and found homes for most of them. However, one is sent from Maryland, where she lives, to a ranch in Montana. Sadie can't ignore the niggling feeling that she needs to make sure Sunny is alright. This leads to her family taking a much needed vacation to the dude ranch that owns Sunny and the fun and adventures begin!
July 24, 2024
Believing in Horses Out West is an excellent follow-on to award-winning Valerie Ormond's Believing in Horses (2012) and Believing in Horses, Too (2014). The story continues with Sadie, who turns fourteen in this story, seeking and finding her true purpose in life. In this book, the author enlarges the storyline to include animal cruelty and human trafficking. She also continues with the coming-of-age experiences of a teenage girl in today's complex society, with emphasis in this book on interaction with boys.
Both overcoming fears and the transition to teenage years are central themes in Believing in Horses Out West, and it should appeal to readers beyond the YA set. Sadie faces her fears, never gives in, asks for help when needed, wins by working hard and not by luck, accepts kindness, and is rewarded for her efforts.
Ormond is clearly a passionate horse person and a gifted author who draws the reader into the story with characters that show numerous equestrian techniques. She writes well, and readers of all ages will have no problems enjoying the book. I particularly appreciate the use of chapter titles as a way to provide a clue to the next phase of the plot. I also loved the resolution that is complemented by tying up all the loose ends to make a most satisfactory outcome.
The book is sprinkled with additional gifts of wisdom passed on from one generation to the next – primarily from the grandmother character. Among those are: faced with what appears to be insurmountable obstacles you can find solutions, rely on your instincts, you have to believe you can do it to succeed, everyone needs a helping hand at some time, constantly beating yourself up over mistakes does no one any good, you need situational awareness, not all parents do a good job, being on your own is exhilarating but can be fraught with danger, there are temptations in life, jealousy and envy are normal but need to be monitored, sometimes not everyone needs to know what happened, being with a horse is a partnership, teenage girls have difficulty understanding themselves and it is normal, boys have difficulty understanding girls, boys have a sensitive side but are reluctant to display it, older brothers can be a pain in the neck but they (like dad) always have your back, every life has a purpose, and the most important is crime does not pay.
I highly recommended the book for those who enjoy children's horse books, coming of age fiction, teen and young adult equestrian fiction, teen and young adult family, and equestrian sports.
Both overcoming fears and the transition to teenage years are central themes in Believing in Horses Out West, and it should appeal to readers beyond the YA set. Sadie faces her fears, never gives in, asks for help when needed, wins by working hard and not by luck, accepts kindness, and is rewarded for her efforts.
Ormond is clearly a passionate horse person and a gifted author who draws the reader into the story with characters that show numerous equestrian techniques. She writes well, and readers of all ages will have no problems enjoying the book. I particularly appreciate the use of chapter titles as a way to provide a clue to the next phase of the plot. I also loved the resolution that is complemented by tying up all the loose ends to make a most satisfactory outcome.
The book is sprinkled with additional gifts of wisdom passed on from one generation to the next – primarily from the grandmother character. Among those are: faced with what appears to be insurmountable obstacles you can find solutions, rely on your instincts, you have to believe you can do it to succeed, everyone needs a helping hand at some time, constantly beating yourself up over mistakes does no one any good, you need situational awareness, not all parents do a good job, being on your own is exhilarating but can be fraught with danger, there are temptations in life, jealousy and envy are normal but need to be monitored, sometimes not everyone needs to know what happened, being with a horse is a partnership, teenage girls have difficulty understanding themselves and it is normal, boys have difficulty understanding girls, boys have a sensitive side but are reluctant to display it, older brothers can be a pain in the neck but they (like dad) always have your back, every life has a purpose, and the most important is crime does not pay.
I highly recommended the book for those who enjoy children's horse books, coming of age fiction, teen and young adult equestrian fiction, teen and young adult family, and equestrian sports.
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