Catch Rider by Jennifer H. Lyne : Equus Education

A couple of weeks ago I was asked if I would be willing to read and review a horse book that has just been released. Of course I said yes!

So Catch Rider is the second novel that I’ve been given to read on an eReader. It was made available to me via NetGalley and I had to download a (free) reader called Blue Fire. That was easy enough to do and then I was able to get reading!

Lyne writes this great story that follows the unfortunate life of Sidney, a 14 year old girl that loves her horses and loves to ride. Having ridden from a young age, Sid is an accomplished rider. It’s the one thing that she has to cling to in a town where teens finish school and gain work at the paper mill, or they drop out of school and start at the mill earlier.

The people in the town aren’t educated, don’t speak well and don’t aim high. Sid has a dream though – she’s going to be a catch rider. A catch rider is someone who can ride any horse thrown at them and perform well.

Whilst avoiding her mother’s abusive boyfriend, Sid clings to her uncle Wayne and through him gains a position as a stable hand at a posh riding barn. The kids here ride horses that are worth more than Sid could ever dream of earning in a lifetime. In spite of her low stature in society, she knows she can out ride any of them, she just needs to be given a chance.

Catch Rider has some mild language in it, but otherwise is a great read. The author portrays the horse industry realistically, whilst also helping the reader to learn about horse terms and the jumping scene.

This book so far is perhaps one of the most informative horse novels I’ve read and for that reason, it get’s high marks in my books! I love a read that’ll enlighten and entertain you, leaving you a more informed horse person once you’ve finished it.

The main character is someone with a hot temper and a lot of guts. Although appearing a bit brash at the start, it was easy to warm to her and to be rooting for the underdog as the story progressed. A great read.

Seeing as this is a new release, purchases are available in eBook and Hard copy:

Author: Jennifer H. Lyne
http://www.jenniferhlyne.com/
Fiction
In my library? As an eBook it is! I’ll have to look into a hard copy to add to my collection!
Want it? Get it now on Amazon.

“A good rider can hear his horse speak to him.
A great rider can hear his horse whisper.
But a bad rider won’t hear his horse even if it screams at him!”

Tags: horse story, equine book review, equine author, horse library, horse writing, Jennifer H. Lyne