Recently my eight-year-old brought home The Silver Pony by Holly Webb. The lovely cover caught my attention. And of course, being a horse book, I thought I’d best try and read it for review before she had to return it the following week!

The Silver Pony follows the tale of young Daisy. She lives where the New Forest ponies roam free, but are owned by locals. Daisy discovers a beautiful white pony – although she admits her horsey friend would insist the pony was ‘grey’!

At a time where Daisy is missing her best friend terribly – she is unwell in hospital – Daisy finds her only sense of comfort and happiness comes from this wild pony. But in time, Daisy learns that the pony has an owner. And boy is she not happy about who that owner is!

The Silver Pony by Holly Webb

Daisy is at first intimidated by the ponies that graze close to home. But as she continues to see the ‘silver’ pony, she gives her a name and finds comfort in her presence.

And at a time when she’s not able to see her best friend due to her being in hospital, Daisy likes to think that the two of them are drawn together by this pony. It is something they can talk about over the phone and Daisy can share photos of the silver pony with her closest friend, too.

The Silver Pony is a delightful read that no doubt will engage young readers. The illustrations throughout the story are lovely and it teaches a bit about the New Forest ponies throughout the novel. Recommended reading for middle grade horse fans.

Author: Holly Webb
Fiction – children’s
In My Library? No, this one was borrowed from the library.

Recently I had the opportunity to read another new horse book for review. Finding Gideon by Sarah Hickner is due to be released April 28th. This novel has a mixture of my favourite things – horses (with a focus on Thoroughbreds), a young woman chasing her dream as well as the Christian faith.

Finding Gideon follows the story of young adult, Sarah as she pursues a long time dream of riding racehorses. Since she was a child, the dream had been evident. This is beautifully portrayed in the epigraph of the story, where it is quoted

In the early 80s, God created a girl. He knit her together, and in her DNA he included a little horse hair.”

I can so very much relate to this statement! My fascination with horses has always been there.

I don’t have parents, siblings or even extended family who are, or were horsey. And yet, my fascination with this amazing animal has always been. To me, it is a God-given passion. Much like stated in this book.

Finding Gideon by Sarah Hickner

The reader is taken on an incredible journey as they travel alongside Sarah. Her excitement, passion, determination and ups and downs are outlined for the reader. The thrill of riding a racehorse on the track; that first chance to jump out of the starting gates and first breezing a racehorse are all detailed.

Alongside Sarah in this story, is a devoted dog Sandi, a beautiful flashy chestnut named Gideon and also a young man who unexpectedly shows up and becomes a main character. Whilst Sarah pursues racing thoroughbreds, she revels in the time she is able to spend in the saddle astride Gideon, a Quarter Horse cross barrel horse.

One morning exercise ride suddenly turns Sarah’s world upside down. As she questions whether she will be able to pursue the dream she’s so sure God has placed on her heart, other parts of Sarah’s life start to crumble around her. Surely God gave her the dream, so what is going on?

Finding Gideon is a wonderful story of determination and faith. Horses feature heavily and the characters you read about are interesting and real. Sarah’s own struggles with insecurity, fear and even jealously are well explained as she battles to pursue a dream she can’t give up on.

This memoir was a really, really interesting read and it also had a great focus on the thoroughbred racing industry. Highly recommended. As it’s newly released, why not secure yourself a copy?

Author: Sarah Hickner
Non-fiction – memoir
In My Library? As an eBook it is

I recently borrowed the first book in the series Bonnie & Sam from our local library. In this book titled The Shadow Brumby, the reader learns all about Bonnie and Sam’s obsession with horses.

The two girls know all the horses in their town – their history, their likes and their colour and conformation. Although each horse is different, they have something in common – the love of these two girls. It appears that Bonnie and Sam spend all of their free time with the various horses in their town.

Whether a pony, a top dressage horse or a laid back giant named Whale, they ride them all and offer treats and scratches on many occasions.

The one horse that they can’t convince to like them however, is Drover. She is a grey mare that Sam’s dad rides for work. Sam’s father is a policeman. He was given Drover as a gift as the previous owner couldn’t deal with her fear of trains – it didn’t allow him to do his job effectively.

The Shadow Brumby (Bonnie & Sam)

Sam was disappointed to find that the mare didn’t warm to herself or Bonnie. This was an ongoing issue until one morning where the girls are surprised to find that they are greeted warmly by the grey mare.

In time they come to a surprising conclusion. With the help of Aunty Birdy, the girls invest a lot of time and effort into training this new horse. The result is a brumby that is started under saddle and able to be ridden. But the question remains: will she be suitable for a police officer to ride through town on his usual business?

This was an interesting read with a nice focus on different types of horses and even the process of getting a horse used to a rider. The only thing I was really surprised to read, was of two young girls having the knowledge and skills to trim the hooves of a wild brumby – that appeared a bit of a stretch! But, the girls’ ages weren’t identified although it was obvious they did as much with horses as they possibly could, so perhaps it isn’t impossible.

The Shadow Brumby was an interesting read with a delightful ending.

Author: Alison Lester
Fiction – children’s
In My Library? No, this one was borrowed from my local library.