A part of the Treasured Horses Collection, Spirit of the West tells the story of 10 year old Wind Dancer (Jessie). Jessie is an Indian and has been raised in a tipi with her tribe.  She has grown to love and work with the Appaloosa breed.

Things change greatly when her father is offered a job on a large ranch to work with the horses there.  Jessie is excited but apprehensive about the move. As she settles into life on the ranch, she realises how different her Indian roots are from the ‘civilised’ white people she is surrounded by.

Eager to fit in, the young girl finds it easier to ignore her roots and try to live like the others – wearing boots instead of moccasins, sleeping under a roof and between four walls rather than on the floor. Jessie’s riding skill came on account of the roots she is trying to hide.  Yet it may just be the thing that gains her acknowledgement with her classmates.

She is only able to do this however if she goes against her father’s wishes. Spirit of the West is the tale of one girl’s pride and determination to fit in, in spite of how she’s been raised. The story has a great moral, beautiful illustrations and ends nicely. Spirit of the West is also an interesting historical read that teaches young readers about the Appaloosa breed and doing what is right.

Author: Jahnna M. Malcolm
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6039.Jahnna_N_Malcolm
Fiction – children
In My Library? It is indeed!
Want it? Get it now at Amazon.

“To see the wind’s power, the rain’s cleansing and the sun’s radiant life, one need only to look at the horse.” – Author Unknown

I haven’t read this series by Kim Ablon Witney yet, but I really enjoyed The Pefect Distance so was keen to check this one out when I found it free on Kindle!

A short read, Before the Circuit introduces the reader to Hannah and Chris, two horse riders from very different backgrounds with different ambitions in life. Hannah lives with her mother and receives financial support from a wealthy but somewhat estranged father. This helps to cover her riding lessons on a horse that she consistently rides, but has no idea how to look after – there are grooms for that.

In spite of this, Hannah is a hard worker and gets good grades in school, having been accepted into a good university. In the break between school and university, she is dismayed to find that her entrepreneur father has organised for her to go on a 7 week show circuit with her handful of a gelding.

Not only is she to ride him, she is to look after him – muck out his stall, feed and water him, tack him up – things she has never done before. It’s going to be an interesting ‘break’!

Chris Kern has worked his way up in the horse world. He has talents and looks – something that attracts him to most females in the industry. In spite of this, Chris has to work hard for his results.  He also needs to keep the owner of the horses he rides in a satisfied state. He is all too aware that if he loses Harris’ support, he won’t have talented horses to ride.

Before the Circuit

This book is a great introduction to the life of two individuals who feature in Summer Circuit; as an added bonus readers are treated to the first three chapters of Summer Circuit.

This prequel was an interesting read, I just found at times the language a little too coarse. Otherwise a great introduction to the two main characters of this series by Kim.

Author – Kim Ablon Whitney
http://www.kimablonwhitney.com/
Fiction – young adult
In my library? – as an eBook, yes!
Want it? Get it now at Amazon.

“Half the failures in life result from pulling in one’s horse when it is leaping.” Author Unknown