Like many horse enthusiasts, even when I’m not at the barn, I’m still looking for horsey ways to spend my time. The books I read are no exception! Whether you’re a horse person searching for your next favorite, or you’re looking for gift ideas for equestrians, here are some books that horse people will love.
Horse Books for Adults
Beautiful Jim Key: The Lost History of the World’s Smartest Horse
By Mim Eichler Rivas
This riveting book tells the enchanting true story of Beautiful Jim Key, a sickly colt who became known as the smartest horse in history. Jim was raised and educated by a remarkable man, Dr. William Key—a former slave, a Civil War veteran, and a prominent entrepreneur who revolutionized and popularized kinder treatment for animals on a national scale. Touching, surprising, and entirely impossible to put down, this book is a must-read!
By Geraldine Brooks
Following storylines set in two different eras, this thoroughly engrossing novel tells the tale of a lost painting, horse racing’s complicated roots in the slavery-era American South, and Lexington—an iconic racehorse considered to be one of the greatest thoroughbred sires of all time. In Horse, Geraldine Brooks has woven a compelling and thought-provoking narrative you won’t soon forget.
Horse Brain, Human Brain: The Neuroscience of Horsemanship
By Janet L. Jones, PhD
After listening to Dr. Jones discuss her book on two separate podcasts, I had to learn more. The information and research cited in this book is fascinating, and Jones, who is both an experienced equestrian and a neuroscientist, explains concepts in a conversational, humorous, and practical manner that is easy to digest. Even better, the information she shares about how a horse’s mind and senses work will both amaze you and influence your everyday horse interactions for the better.
Seabiscuit: An American Legend
By Laura Hillenbrand
Hillenbrand brought this unforgettable chapter of American horse racing history to the top of the New York Times bestseller list in 2010, and it’s still a fascinating read for new horse people or young adult riders who haven’t yet learned the details about the down-on-his-luck racehorse and the people who shared his road to greatness.
By Elizabeth Letts
When Harry deLayer bought a gray plow horse off a slaughter truck in 1956 for eighty dollars, it initiated one of the most famous horse and rider combinations in elite show jumping history. Two years later, the horse—Snowman—became champion at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden and was named horse of the year. This story of pure equine talent, heart, horsemanship, and a devoted lifelong friendship is one for the ages.
The Perfect Horse: The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis
By Elizabeth Letts
The Perfect Horse follows the perilous journeys of horses and horsemen associated with several European breeding operations as World War II erupts around them. Meanwhile, Hitler’s regime strives to hoard the best breeding stock and develop a “perfect” horse. Culminating in an unforgettable, hair-raising escape, the events in this book are worth reading about!
By Elizabeth Letts
This historical piece details a sixty-three-year-old woman’s one-of-a-kind journey on horseback across the nation in 1954. Nearly broke and accompanied only by her two horses and her little dog, Annie Wilkins embarks on a seemingly impossible trip ripe with peril but sustained by grit, perseverance, and human kindness.
By James Herriot
First published in 1972, these autobiographical tales from an English country vet are not strictly about horses. However, horse lovers won’t be able to get enough of this book’s charming and unvarnished country setting, its singular characters, and the author’s deft ability to genuinely depict many of the beauties and realities associated with farm life and animal care.
Horse Books for Kids & Teens
By Jane Smiley
The first installment in the popular Horses of Oak Valley Ranch series, The Georges and the Jewels will resonate with horse-loving teens navigating the horse world and difficult social dynamics at school. Smiley depicts the life and challenges of Abby Lovitt with subtlety and skill, and she writes with obvious knowledge and insight that will strike a chord with equestrians. This book is just one among many that horse lovers will adore from Jane Smiley.
By Michael Morpurgo
As a bestseller, a popular movie, and a successful stage drama, War Horse is well known but spellbinding. Follow farm horse Joey as he fights to stay alive on the perilous battlefields of World War I and return home to his boy, Albert.
Jessie Haas
While this isn’t a new title, it’s charm is evergreen, and taking the time to find a copy will be worth your while! Radish is a spunky and seasoned riding pony whose children keep outgrowing him. Determined not to lose his job again, Radish takes charge. Jessie Haas’s spot-on portrayal of indomitable pony pluckiness will resonate with pony lovers everywhere!
Bramble and Maggie: Horse Meets Girl
By Jessie Haas
The first story in a charming series of four, Bramble and Maggie is full of authentic horse personality in the character of Bramble, who decides he’s done being a lesson horse, scares off his potential buyers, and finds a new home with Maggie, who has been begging her parents for a horse. This story of friendship is reminiscent of children’s book staples like Mr. Putter and Tabby or Frog and Toad.
By Kathy Simmers
This beautifully illustrated, well-written, and realistic story about a girl and a misunderstood pony is sure to charm the horse and animal lovers in your family.
R.J. Palacio
With a mysterious pony as his guide, young Silas Bird—a boy with an unusual link to the supernatural—journeys to save his kidnapped father from counterfeiters. Along the way, Silas uncovers shadows from his own past and crosses paths with more than one ghost.
By Patricia Reilly Giff
Lidie is a gifted twelve-year-old horse girl from Brazil who moves to the United States after her mother dies to live with her father and brother at a training stables for racehorses. Lidie yearns to ride and must earn her father’s respect before he’ll take her gift with horses seriously, but she’s determined to prove her abilities and heal her family’s divides in the process.
By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Two neglected and abused children, Ada and Jamie, get a fresh start when they’re shipped out of London and away from their abusive mother during World War II. Their new caretaker, Susan Smith, isn’t thrilled with the situation, but she and the children soon form a bond, and Ada finds freedom and begins to heal as she learns to ride Susan’s pony. But as the war intensifies and their mother refuses to relinquish her hold over the children, Susan, Ada, and Jamie must fight to stay together and protect the fragile life they’ve built together.
By Faith Erin Hicks
This fresh and colorful graphic novel tells the story of Victoria, who has lost her taste for competing at horse shows and has fallen out with her best friend. As a result, she decides it’s better to avoid having friends at all. Victoria moves to a new barn, where she rediscovers her love of riding and learns valuable lessons about the importance of human connection.
By Rosanne Parry
An installment in Parry’s Voice of the Wilderness collection, A Horse Named Sky follows the life of a mustang stallion who is captured by the Pony Express. Parry is skilled at infusing her animal stories with fascinating and authentic details that make her books both entertaining and educational.
By Sarah Maslin Nir
Parallel worlds converge as Trendsetter, a warmblood gelding, and Sarah, a horse girl struggling at school an ocean away, work to become their best selves and ultimately find each other.
By Sarah Maslin Nir
A novel based on the inspiring true story of Cheryl White—the first Black female jockey—and her horse, Jetolara. Both must prove their strength as they make their mark in history and blaze trails no one ever has before.
Classic Horse Books for Everyone
These iconic books need no introduction, but if there’s one your horse lover hasn’t read yet, make sure to grab a copy soon!
- Misty of Chincoteague, by Marguerite Henry
- Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell
- National Velvet, by Enid Bagnold
- The Black Stallion, by Walter Farley
- My Friend Flicka, by Mary O’Hara
If you have a story about how horses or horse people have improved your life, please consider sharing!
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash.
