Since the first wild herd galloped over the horizon, since the first brave and trusting muzzle reached out to touch a human hand, people have told stories about extraordinary horses. Horses who wept. Horses who soared. Horses who, with their human companions, changed the world for the better. Great Books for Horse Lovers celebrates those horse stories: the books, movies, music, and adventures that grab your heart with all four hooves and never let go.
On this blog, you'll find reviews and news about classic and modern horse-themed books, movies, and music, and interviews with today's top authors and equestrian media experts. You'll be invited to join in real-life literary adventures, horse-themed contests, and author events. There is also a bookshelf and links to free, downloadable horse books for readers and resources for writers who want to write their own great horse stories!
About Vanessa Wright and Pegasus
Are you looking for a great book, movie, or album for the horse-crazy kid - or adult! - in your life? Something inspiring, something edge-of-your-saddle-seat dramatic, something that grabs your heart with all four hooves and never lets go? Let me help: I connect kids, teens, and adults with horse stories they'll love. As an award-winning teacher, author, and creator of the internationally touring library exhibit, The Literary Horse: When Legends Come to Life, I've introduced thousands of readers to the real and fictional horses champing behind the covers of those dusty classics and glittering new releases of books, movies, and music. Having earned a B.A. in Fundamentals: Issues and Texts from the University of Chicago, M.Ed. from Harvard, and certification in eventing and stable management from the American Riding Instructors Association, I've also helped horse-lovers saddle up and ride out on real-life equestrian literary adventures and write great horse stories of their own. Follow the blog, visit the exhibit, or email me directly, and I'll help you find and live your legend!And Pegasus? He's a 17 hand Thoroughbred-Lipizzan gelding - and my trusty co-author. Almost every night since the first night I brought him home, I've pulled up a chair beside his loafing shed, poured a bucket of peppermint tea for him and a mug of apple cider for me, and opened a book, turned on a song, or started a movie. And every night, he's leaned over my shoulder and whickered his emphatic opinions. The stories here must earn his stamp of approval - don't ask how many books, DVD cases, and MP3 players I've lost that way! - by celebrating the hero in each of our horses, and in each of us.
Why We Ride: Women Writers on the Horses in the Their Lives (Seal Press, 2010) : Edited by Verna Dreisbach with a foreword by Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Jane Smiley, Why We Ride chronicles the many ways in which horses accompany women on their life's journey. An eclectic group of 25 women tell stories of the horses who shaped their childhoods through their senior years. My essay, Great Grand-Mare, recounts how Pegasus and a very special Haflinger helped my 92-year-old grandmother return to riding.
Horses with a Mission: Extraordinary True Stories of Equine Service (New World Library, 2009) : The second book in Linda and Allen Anderson's Angel Horses collection, Horses with a Mission shares stories of horses who have made a difference. The Literary Horse photo, Guardian, accompanies my essay, Under the Wings of Pegasus, about Peg's adventures and antics as a foal-sitter. 
The Ultimate Horse Lover: The Best Experts' Guide for a Happy, Healthy Horse with Stories and Photos of Awe-Inspiring Equines (HCI Books, 2008) : Meet some of today's real-life super-horses and find out from Dr. Marty Becker and other equine experts how to give your super-horse the very best care from his or her foal to senior years. The Ultimate Horse Lover also features The Literary Horse photo, Sisters, on its facing title page, and Rope Trick, my short story about Pegasus's unique "dinner theater" magic, appears in the chapter A Common Language.
