Book picks similar to
Show Barn Blues by Natalie Keller Reinert
horses
horse-books
ya
equestrian-fiction
Jane Savoie's Dressage 101: The Ultimate Source of Dressage Basics in a Language You Can Understand
Jane Savoie - 2011
Beginning with the three golden rules of dressage training--clarity, consistency, and kindness--Jane Savoie walks you through her four stages of dressage education.Stage One is an introductory course in the basics, and Stage Two covers the nuts and bolts of training, including transitions, school figures, and movements.By the time you finish Stage Two, you'll have a happy, responsive horse that understands going forward and being straight; accepts contact so you can communicate with him through the reins; moves in a regular rhythm and a steady tempo in all three gaits; and can do transitions, circles, and turns, back up, lengthen his stride, and go sideways.In Stage Three, Jane translates the secrets surrounding the half-halt, enabling you to put your horse on the bit, and adding a whole new dimension to your training. You'll even be ready for some fancy stuff in Stage Four.Don't worry, everything in this book is well within the capacity of most horses. We're simply talking about the work required in the United States Equestrian Federation's (USEF) dressage tests up to Third Level, which concludes with collected, medium, and extended gaits; advanced lateral movements; and flying changes.
Cut and Run
Amy Elizabeth - 2013
So when her unscrupulous boyfriend turns up without a pulse, she knows she needs to get out of Southie. Fast. She seeks refuge in the last place anyone would think to look for her – the picturesque town of Jackson, Wyoming. The locals in this small community live by a different set of standards, as Rebecca discovers when she finds work on a horse ranch. For once, she’s surrounded by people she can take at face value, with one exception – her snarky new boss, Alec Westin, who appears hell-bent on making her employment term as short as possible. With his self-righteous attitude, she’d gladly grant him his wish, if she wasn’t so desperate for the job – and if he wasn’t so easy on the eyes. But after a chance encounter with his crippled father, Rebecca learns the truth behind Alec’s callous façade. Suddenly he is no longer a tyrant, but a diligent man risking his entire livelihood to provide for his family. Moved by Alec's fortitude and his father's warmth, Rebecca finds herself increasingly drawn into their personal affairs – and to Alec. Just when she thinks her murky past is behind her, a series of sinister threats confirms her greatest fear – she’s being hunted. It’s only a matter of time before her stalker finds her. And when he does, she’ll discover just how much her friends are willing to risk – and sacrifice – to protect her.
Good Enough: A Shay James Mystery
Brenda McCreight - 2010
Her sense of belonging is threatened when the stableowner is hurt by a mysterious attacker and in the aftermath decides to sells his horses if the criminal isn't found. Shay and her two best friends determine to find the criminal - at the cost of their own safety.
Kate and Holly: The Beginning
Maggie Dana - 2014
In exchange for her riding lessons, she works at Sandpiper Stables where the other girls look down their noses at her as she mucks stalls, cleans tack, and grooms their European warmbloods. For comfort, Kate turns to Black Magic, the barn’s best horse. His favorite treat is watermelon rinds, which he slobbers all over her. But Kate doesn't care. She loves Magic’s attention and pampers him. Together, they're already making a name for themselves at three-day events, and Kate’s riding instructor predicts they will go far . . . until a tragic accident changes everything. * * * Holly Chapman hides her sadness and loneliness behind a cheerful smile. She grooms as much of her horse, Magician, as she can reach from her wheelchair and watches another girl ride him—winning the blue ribbons that Holly used to win. Determined to keep up with the other kids, even if she can’t walk, Holly takes risks. She gets her wheelchair stuck in the mud, stranded on stairs, and wedged into corners. Sometimes she falls out of it. Her mother advertises for a summer companion, but Holly doesn’t want a watchdog. She wants a best friend.
Appaloosa Summer
Tudor Robins - 2014
Until the beautiful, talented horse she trained herself, drops dead underneath her in the show ring. Jared Strickland has been living with loss ever since his father died in a tragic farming accident. Meg escapes from her grief by changing everything about her life; moving away from home to spend her summer living on an island in the St. Lawrence River, scrubbing toilets and waiting on guests at a B&B. Once there, she meets Jared; doing his best to keep anything else in his life from changing. When Jared offers Meg a scruffy appaloosa mare out of a friend’s back field, it’s the beginning of a journey that will change both of them by summer’s end.
Just a Groom (Hearts & Horse Trials, #1)
Laurie Twizel - 2017
But when fellow competitor Frederick Twemlow snatches away their top horse, everything they have ever worked for is on the brink of falling apart before their eyes. Frederick Twemlow is gorgeous, rich, popular and at the top of the eventing ranks. When he sets his sights on something, he doesn't stop until he gets it. So when he begins to make eyes at Elsa, they both know it's only a matter of time before Frederick gets what he wants. Desperate to despise him for tipping their yard into turmoil, and to prove her loyalty to Sophia; for how long can Elsa resist his charms?
The A Circuit
Georgina Bloomberg - 2011
It's a world with its own rules and superprivileged lifestyles. Teens travel the circuit all year, showing horses that cost as much as some homes.Tommi, Kate, and Zara are all elite competitors on the circuit, but they come from totally different backgrounds. Tommi is a billionaire heiress trying to prove she has real talent (not just deep bank accounts). Kate puts the working in working student-every win has been paid for with hours of cleaning stalls. She's used to the grueling schedule, but Fitz, the barn's resident hot guy, is about to become a major distraction. And then there's Zara. She's the wild child of a famous rockstar, but she's ready to take riding seriously. Can a party girl really change her ways?Readers who enjoy peeking into the elite world of Gossip Girl or The A-List will feel right at home in this new series with its friendships, drama, and privilege set against the backdrop of competitive horseback riding.
Beyond the Cabin
Jared Nathan Garret - 2014
Josh is trapped. Born and raised in the Fundamental Faith in God — a cult started by his mother — all Josh knows is abuse, neglect, and life in a house bursting with angry adults and lonely children. His only friend is his oldest brother, Malachi. He and Malachi have spent countless hours in the woods, building a rough cabin and planning to escape together. But when Malachi finally snaps and gets away, he leaves Josh behind. Betrayed, more isolated than ever, and finding solace only in his books, Josh starts planning his own escape. Then tragedy strikes and Josh spirals — with nothing to catch him — and a grim, abused future all he has left.That all changes when Josh finally talks to one of the other cult kids, Mary, and a friendship blooms from their shared love of books. As his relationship with Mary deepens into something that might save both of them, Josh's eyes are opened to the plight of the other children and he feels something new: fury. These children need his protection — even though Josh still yearns for freedom. But is escape an act of betrayal? And when the time comes for Josh to face his abuser, will the battle destroy any hope for peace and freedom?Beyond the Cabin is a tale of a young man seeking connection, love, and freedom while coming of age in a real-life, infamous Scientology splinter cult. Based on and inspired by the author's life in The Process Church of the Final Judgment.
Listen to My Heartbeat
Prajnaa
He did not speak. He just kept looking into my eyes without as much as a blink."And then...?" he said, in his arrogant voice. "You want to be my girlfriend next?"Merge yourself in the world of... Aryan, Trisha, Rohan, Danny and Aysha.An inescapable story of love and tears that gets your heartbeat racing.
Muted
L.H. Owens - 2019
Although unable to speak since the tragedy that took place on his eighth birthday, his words reach out to people across the globe. When he learns that more than a thousand Friesian stallions are being held by the U.S. pharmaceutical company, Pilatos Industries, he knows he has to do all he can to free them. The heir to Pilatos, the cool and efficient lawyer Karen Lawford, will do everything in her power to stop him. Karen's mother, a breeder of international show jumpers, notes that, "Those stallions represent an evil at the heart of Pilatos, and one wrongdoing is usually an indication of others." The extent of that evil becomes apparent as the release date of their new drug approaches. With Pilatos relying on the success of the revolutionary Stablex, there are no limits to what they will do to ensure Lane does not interfere with the Stablex stallions, which are needed to produce the drug. Lane tries to convince Karen that the stallions at Pilatos must be given their freedom, but his beliefs are losing the battle against the Pilatos creed of greed, and it is only when she learns the shocking truth of what lies at the centre of the laboratories that any change can take place… but is it too late for Lane? Sometimes, you only know how much you love someone once you lose them. The story takes you to The Spanish Riding School, the mountains of Austria and the wilds of America and Australia as Lane tries to reawaken Karen's love of horses and bring back the colour to her grey life. He believes she is the key to saving the stallions, but, since childhood, her father has taught her to put Pilatos ahead of all else, and that loyalty appears to be an insurmountable obstacle in his mission to free the stallions. A moving love story set against the greed of the corporate world. A story that explores what is important in life as the wisdom of Lane Dimity touches all those around him. You don't need to like horses to enjoy the book, but even the most experienced horse people will appreciate the knowledge shared by Lane. Quotes from readers: "I fell in love with Lane...where can I meet him? A great love story and I learned so much about horses." "I couldn't believe what Pilatos were doing, then I looked around where I work and I realised that is exactly what they would do. Chilling, enlightening and, thankfully, uplifting." "I read it for the horses and I wasn't disappointed. Lipizzaners, Friesians, Warmbloods, mustangs and others, presented knowledgably by a writer who knows horses. It left me with a lot to think about. I loved this book."
The God of Animals
Aryn Kyle - 2007
As the hottest summer in fifteen years unfolds and bills pile up, Alice is torn between dreams of escaping the loneliness of her duty-filled life and a longing to help her father mend their family and the ranch.To make ends meet, the Winstons board the pampered horses of rich neighbors, and for the first time Alice confronts the power and security that class and wealth provide. As her family and their well-being become intertwined with the lives of their clients, Alice is drawn into an adult world of secrets and hard truths, and soon discovers that people -- including herself -- can be cruel, can lie and cheat, and every once in a while, can do something heartbreaking and selfless. Ultimately, Alice and her family must weather a devastating betrayal and a shocking, violent series of events that will test their love and prove the power of forgiveness.A wise and astonishing novel about the different guises of love and the often steep tolls on the road to adulthood, The God of Animals is a haunting, unforgettable debut.
The Mare
Mary Gaitskill - 2015
Her host family is a couple in upstate New York: Ginger, a failed artist on the fringe of Alcoholics Anonymous, and Paul, an academic who wonders what it will mean to “make a difference” in such a contrived situation. The Mare illuminates the couple’s changing relationship with Velvet over the course of several years, as well as Velvet’s powerful encounter with the horses at the stable down the road, as Gaitskill weaves together Velvet’s vital inner-city community and the privileged country world of Ginger and Paul.
Dark Horses
Susan Mihalic - 2021
Both, for as long as she can remember, have been ruled by her father, who demands strict obedience in all areas of her life. The warped power dynamic of coach and rider extends far beyond the stables, and Roan's relationship with her father has long been inappropriate. She has been able to compartmentalize that dark aspect of her life, ruthlessly focusing on her ambitions as a rider heading for the Olympics, just as her father had done. However, her developing relationship with Will Howard, a boy her own age, broadens the scope of her vision. At the intersection of a commercial page-turner and urgent survivor story, Dark Horses takes the searing themes of abuse and resilience in Gabriel Tallent’s My Absolute Darling and applies the compelling exploration of female strength in Room by Emma Donoghue. In much the same way that V.C. Andrews’s Flowers in the Attic transfixed a generation of readers, Susan Mihalic’s debut is set to a steady beat that will keep you turning the pages.
Catch Rider
Jennifer H. Lyne - 2013
Working with her Uncle Wayne since childhood, she’s learned to evaluate horses, break and train them, care for them . . . and ride like a professional. Amid turmoil at home, she dreams of becoming a catch rider—a show rider who can ride anything with hooves. In this salty, suspenseful teen novel, an unexpected opportunity to ride a top-notch horse in an equitation show takes the small-town girl all the way to Madison Square Garden.
Stony Creek
Christine Gardner - 2013
She lives in Melbourne and enjoys the life of a single girl in 1970, with no intention of marrying any time soon, if at all. She has no desire to live the life she sees her mother has, with a house full of children. Things change suddenly after she loses her job and she finds herself faced with very different choices. She finds a new life in the outback, with a new kind of love and a new kind of pain.