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.
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