If Wishes Were Horses

by Jean Slaughter Doty

Thirteen-year-old Stephany Reed has grown up on Thunder Rock Farm, where for many years her family has bred and raised Thoroughbred racehorses. And in the last few months, since her father's death, she and her older sister, Camilla, have kept the farm going on their own.

Caring for the broodmares and stallions and newborn foals is hard work but satisfying, and the two girls even begin to hope that they will be able to pay off the debts that threaten Thunder Rock's future. Then, suddenly, disaster strikes, endangering the very lives of the horses they love...

Genres: Horses, Animals, Childrens

125 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Jean Slaughter Doty was born in New York. She was married to the cartoonist Roy Doty, and lived in Connecticut with her husband, children and numerous horses, dogs and Siamese cats. Her equine experience was wide: she hunted in England and Ireland, and was well known for breeding Welsh ponies at Rockrimmon farm, as well as Keeshond dogs. She was a show judge at numerous shows, including the National Horse Show at Madison Square Gardens. Almost all of her books are stories about horses for middle readers or young adults.

Reviews

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this book in my 20s. This was a very difficult book for me then, incredibly grim and sad -- so I have no idea how a kid would take to it.

Some of the events are similar to the life of Penny Tweedy, the owner of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat. There's also the oft-told tale of a horse freaking out in an airplane and is then shot by the captain to keep the plane from crashing. There's also a barn fire. There's also insanity, death and bankruptcy.

Do you think Jean Slaughter Doty was a mite depressed when she wrote this? I mean, seriously -- was she drunk? You would think somebody in the major publishing house would have said, "Step away from the typewriter, Jean. Get some help or at least some amphetamines."

That being said, this story has stuck with me for over 20 years while most other happier horse stories have been obliterated by time from my memory. I don't know if that says more about my memory than about Jean Slaughter Doty's writing, but there you go.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite since middle if not elementary school, this book formed the foundations of my fascination with stories where a very young adult has to take care of their younger sibling(s) and keep the household running after they're orphaned. When your household is a Thoroughbred breeding farm, of course, it's both extra-difficult and a lot more interesting.

There's a lot of sad, watching them try to overcome the disasters left behind by a father who darn near ran the place into the ground while out of his mind with grief. There are a ton of wonderful horse scenes, especially with the semi-miraculous twin fillies pictured on the cover. The main character has my name, albeit spelled in the bewildering way my soccer coach always used to write it (Stephany). And while I can't say it's a happily-ever-after ending, it ends on a far more optimistic note than it could have.

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this one up cheap at the library sale (20 books...$2.00 total). I was very fond of Doty's books Summer Pony and Winter Pony that I read earlier this year (2009) in honor of Children's Book Week, but this one wasn't that great. It lacked the charm and magic and childhood innocence of her other books.

[Julie Havener · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great horse lovers book for young people and adults alike. Clean, well paced, a little love story…can’t wait to read more.