Great Equestrian Reads

Ok, confession time, I am a total bookworm. Or at least I am now that I have wrestled my way out from under the mountain of text books and journal articles that were common place during the days of my undergraduate degree. Since I was a young child I have relished in the experience of being transported to another world just by simply picking up a book.

Confession number two is probably unsurprising, but I never quite grew out of the ‘pony mad’ stage, so of course I love nothing more than to bury myself in a good equine read. Sadly well written equestrian novels are few and far between, particularly if you have already read your way through the classics by the likes of Pullein-Thompson sisters.

Since I have done the leg work, I thought I would share a few of my favourite reads with you. Where many other equine novels fall short, these novels excel, they place the horses and the riding front and centre of the plots. They are also far from your average, 12 yo child with a big dream, stumbles across an outrageously talented and conveniently cheap horse, who just also happens to be wild and untrainable, for anyone except that 12yo child that is. And best of all these titles are available on Amazon for Kindle, which means no waiting!

1. The Dressage Chronicles by Karen McGoldrick

The Dressage Chronicles accounts the journey of young and optimistic Lizzy who quits a sensible desk job in order to pursue her passion whilst working for her idol Margot Fanning. This series is exceptional in the way that the writer describes the daily struggles of working with horses, the accidents and mistakes and the occasional triumphs.

 

2. The Eventing Trilogy by Caroline Akrill

In the Eventing Trilogy we meet Elaine, who stumbles into the world of eventing through a combination of luck and hard work. The novels follow her journey from working for the eccentric and broke Fane sisters to training in one of the countries elite eventing programs. Originally written in the early 1980’s, these books allow you to slip in the world of eventing and hunting in England, with just a suspicion of romance.

 

3. Ride Every Stride by Amy Maltman

What is perhaps most unexpected about this novel is the way the story begins. Jed is a young man at the lowest point of his life when he secures a job as a groom at an elite barn in Canada. While his hard dedication and determination ultimately see him become head trainer, don’t be mistaken, this is no Cinderella story.

 

4. The Eventing Series by Natalie Keller Reinert

Jules Thornton loves her horses and the sport of eventing. She has raw unharnessed talent, but her bad luck and financial woes might just be her undoing. As a character who can’t help but get in her own way and you’ll be rooting for Jules to succeed every step of the way.