Who doesn’t like reading about horses? And with so much material to go off of, the lists of horse books are endless. For today, I’ll feature 25 awesome horse books (and book series) that you can read this summer (and if you’re wondering why the Misty series isn’t included, it’s because I will be doing an article on books about Chincoteague ponies next month).
1# Stealing Thunder by Mary Casanova
A rare gem of a book a bit lost in time, Stealing Thunder features a girl named Libby, struggling to cope after her riding mentor leaves and she is no longer allowed to visit her favorite horse Thunder. One of my favorite reads, it’s clean and lighthearted while also dealing with the difficult topic of animal abuse.
2# A Whisper of Horses by Zillah Bethell
A young girl trapped within a futuristic society goes on a journey to find the last horses on earth. An excellent spin away from your usual horse tales!
3# Rescue by Jessie Haas
By far, this is one of the best books I’ve come across, dealing with animal welfare issues in a sensitive and tactful way. In the story, a girl named Jodi growing up on a sheep farm meets an animal rights activist named Chess, who brings up questions Jodi’s never considered, like whether sheep like being milked or horses are happy in captivity. This is a brilliant book, and it is one of my favorites!
4# A Pony Express Christmas by Sigmund Brouwer
A sweet and exciting historical fiction book set in 1860 about a clueless rancher and his young son stuck on the trail in a storm, a Pony Express rider with no time to stop, a worried wife in a dilapidated cabin, and two outlaws set on stealing the bank notes the rider is carrying.
5# Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
This classic has been in print since the 1870s, and is constantly a voice for abused horses. Several films and movies have been made about the British horse known as Black Beauty, and there will continue to be fans for years of this timeless book.
6# The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
A boy stranded on a desert island… a wild Arabian stallion that no one can tame… and a retired jockey? What could be better for a horse story? The book written by a highschooler is now an award-winning movie and television series. After the first 24 books, Walter’s son Steven continued the series after his father’s passing.
7# King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry
The story of the Godolphin Arabian, one of the three founding sires of the Thoroughbred breed. An amazing story set in Arabian about an orphan foal, a mute stable boy, and their journey across Europe.
8# Mustang: Wild Spirit of the West by Marguerite Henry
The story of Wild Horse Annie, and how the 1971 Mustang Protection Act was passed. You feel like Velma herself is telling the story!
9# Justin Morgan had a Horse by Marguerite Henry
The true story about the first Morgan stallion, Figure (featured as little Bub) and how one runty colt made a huge difference in America’s early horse industry.
10# The Saddle Club Series by Bonnie Bryant
The adventures of three friends, Stevie, Carole, and Lisa, and their horses at a riding stable called Pine Hollow.
11# The Thoroughbred Series by Joanna Campbell
The tales of a family raising Thoroughbreds in Kentucky, featuring everything from racing to the Olympics.
12# The Phantom Stallion Series by Terri Farley
A girl named Sam is sent back to the ranch after a life-threatening fall took away her horse and sent her to California. What she doesn’t know is that her horse is still alive— and there is a man who will stop at nothing to capture him.
13# Horse Diaries Series
A collection of historical fiction books as told by appropriate breeds of the time. Several authors worked on the books.
14# National Velvet by Enid Bagnold
An intensely horse crazy girl named Velvet wins a problem horse in a raffle, and plans to train him for a prestigious steeplechase.
15# The Guardian Herd Series by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
A black pegasus colt destined to become the most powerful being in Anok must survive to his first birthday, facing opposition from all around.
16# Wild Horse Island Series by Terri Farley
A spin off of the Phantom Stallion featuring Darby, a city girl who’s sent to live with her grandfather on his horse ranch in Hawaii, where she discovers that she has a gift with horses.
17# Riders of the Realm Series by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
The continuation of The Guardian Herd featuring Echofrost as she leads her new herd to a whole new land—and meets with a whole new set of challenges.
18# Katie and the Mustang Series by Kathleen Duey
A historical fiction series featuring Katie, an orphan girl staying with a strict couple, a wild bay mustang stallion, and her quest to go west to find her uncle and escape her life.
19# The Horseshoe Trilogy Series by Lucy Daniels
When her family’s riding school shuts down, Josie has to find new homes for her three horses, Faith, Hope, and Charity. But what happens when she can’t find the perfect homes?
20# Minna’s Quest by K.M. Peyton
A girl living in a Roman fort finds a sickly colt and nurses him back to health into a fine stallion, naming him Silva. But when pirates threaten her home, Minna must ride Silva on a dangerous route to get help, one that they might not return from.
21# The Golden Filly Series by Lauraine Snelling
All Trisha has ever wanted was to be a jockey for her family’s Oregon racehorse farm. But when her father comes down with cancer, will Trisha have the courage to ride her horse Spitfire to victory in the prestigious Triple Crown?
22# The Circle C Series by Susan Marlow
Circle C follows the adventures of Andi Carter, a Californian ranch girl growing up in Fresno in the 1880s, from thieves to cattle drives, San Francisco earthquakes to long lost sisters!
23# Winnie the Horse Gentler Series by Dandi Daley Mackall
A series starring a girl who has a “magical gift” of taming horses while holding onto God through hard times. A bit of a rip-off from Heartland with Christianity? Yes, it is, although it’s still a fairly good book series. The books are best for the younger age range of 8-10.
24# War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
A story of a farm horse taken from his master during World War One, and his struggle to find his way home.
25# The Heartland Series by Lauren Brooke
The inspiration for the longest running television show in Canada, Heartland is quite a bit different than the movie screen. A young girl named Amy loses her mother in a car accident while rescuing an abused horse. Interestingly, in this series, Amy and Ty have no real romantic relationship, and Amy becomes a vet in the end.
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How many of these books have you read? Which ones do you want to read? Were there any I should have included?
I hope you enjoyed this post!
A horse book called Project Solomon is a really good book as well! Have you ever read/heard of it?
Cool list! I need to see if our library has some of these! thanks for posting, Allie!
What book is your favorite in the Horse Dairies? 😀
Wow! I have literally read only TWO of those books! The Black Stallion and Black Beauty. I REALLY need to take a look at the rest of those!
I would recommend Rescue and A Whisper of Horses– by far they are the best standalones!!! The Phantom Stallion and Guardian Herd are my favorite series
I’ve read a lot of those books! Those are great recommendations! The Chestnut Hill series is really good, and is also by Lauren Brooke.