# Adult Horse books



## GoldSahara

Hey everybody, I was curious if anybody has read any good horse books that are written more for adults, not adolescent girls. While I certainly loved the those books as I was growing up, I would like a more challenging read now. I don't mean "adult" wink wink, I just mean adult as in a harder read and thicker plot. 

I have read Riding Lessons, Flying Changes, and Horseplay. I liked them and would like to read more like them, but something more challenging than that would be great. 

Curious to read what you all come up with!


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## Poco1220

Not exactly horse but I love the Outfoxed series by Rita Mae Brown.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Sunny

Subbing, as I would love a good read.

I started out reading All the Pretty Horses, but just couldn't get into it. It is a classic, though.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Poco1220

Oh! Another one is "Hotblood" it's a book about the disappearance of the Brach heiress and the dirty side of the horse world. All true, much is heartbreaking, but an awesome read.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Spotted Image

I need some too. I read a romance horse book, called 8 Seconds ( will look the title up tomorrow), it was a good read. I know many people who had liked it.


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## JessieleeZ

subbing


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## Hoofprints in the Sand

Black Beauty (the actual classic!) was a wonderful book, told completely from the viewpoint of the horse himself  And if you have a smartphone, the Amazon Kindle has it as a free download!


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## GoldSahara

Awesome! Some great suggestions. Keep 'em coming


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## ShutUpJoe

Did you read Water For Elephants? By the same author who wrote the three books you mentioned. GOOD book! Try **** Francis. He wrote some good ones... but they only involved horses as a by product of his story line. I'd also recommend Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover's Soul. And there is a book in the Children's/Teen's section called The Blood Red Horse, it's a trilogy. I loved (!) those books and don't really believe that the writer solely targeted the younger folks for them. I could never find the last one in that series... : (


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## GoldSahara

Water for Elephants was really good. I love Sara Gruehn. She certainly has a love for animals, all kinds. I tried reading **** Francis but couldn't get into it. Just not my style. I do like thrillers, but they have to have a strong relationship backstory. I'll have to look up The Blood Red Horse. Thanks


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## ShutUpJoe

You could probably also find the ones about the famous race horses... I always found them interesting. Like Cigar, Secretariat or Seabiscuit. But I'm not sure if those are the titles.


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## Shasta1981

Not sure if you are only interested in fiction, but Riding With Reagan was a really good book. Very interesting to read about how the secret service had to tweak many of their protocols and best practices to accomodate Reagan's riding. He loved horses.


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## Poco1220

Dammit you guys! Now that I mentioned Hotblood I have to go back and read it again - such an interesting book, except the "no real ending" part. lol.


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## clairedorotik

GoldSahara said:


> Hey everybody, I was curious if anybody has read any good horse books that are written more for adults, not adolescent girls. While I certainly loved the those books as I was growing up, I would like a more challenging read now. I don't mean "adult" wink wink, I just mean adult as in a harder read and thicker plot.
> 
> I have read Riding Lessons, Flying Changes, and Horseplay. I liked them and would like to read more like them, but something more challenging than that would be great.
> 
> Curious to read what you all come up with!


ON THE BACK OF A HORSE: Harnessing the Healing Power of the Human-Equine Bond, or NO SECRET SO CLOSE, both by Claire Dorotik, are great


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## Kit Ehrman

Hi GoldSahara!
If you think you'd be interested in a suspenseful (adult) mystery series set in the horse world, check out Mystery Author Kit Ehrman - Home. The titles are available on Amazon.com in hardcover, paperback, and as e-books. The e-books are $2.99. The paperbacks (and hardcovers) can be purchased used, too, probably inexpensively. They also might be at your local library.

Cheers!


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## mgarzon

I'm glad to be reading some of these too! Have you read the Jilly Cooper books? I know they're more society scandal types set in the horse world, but on the plus side, they're long and there are 3 of them (Riders, Polo and the latest, Jump). The Perfect Distance is a YA book but I read it as and adult and found it interesting, especially if you're into Hunter/jumpers. And my own book, though considered to be for late teens (14+), is getting quite a few reviews from adult women. It's called Blaze of Glory; I'm including the Amazon link below in case you're interested.
Amazon.com: Blaze of Glory (9781602648104): m. garzon: Books


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## Calmwaters

I loved Water for the Elephants another good one is Beautiful Jim.


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## Jamzimm101987

Surprised nobody mentioned The Horse Whisperer...I have read that probably 100 times


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## Calmwaters

Oh yeah I loved that one to!


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## Sunny

How could I forget that?!

I absolutely loved The Horse Whisperer.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## LisaG719

I'm reading Horse Heaven by Jane Smiley and it's pretty good.  She weaves a beautiful story line.


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## mgarzon

There's a website called ponydom.com that lists horse books. It's pretty useful because it ranks them in terms of amount and accuracy of horse content:
Cognitivity


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## JennyV

Have you read War Horse or the Snowman story? I think it's called "The $80 Champion." I just got War Horse, but I've heard from other riders that the Snowman story isn't that great, it doesn't sound like the writer is very horsey maybe? Plus it spends a lot of time on history. But I'd still like to read it because he's a horse who was pretty famous back then. So if anyone's read it, let me know if it was good!


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## TeddybearLove

Try read Susan Richards books, I am reading her book Saddled right now and it's about an alcoholic women going through a divorce were she is being abused and how she recovers from her acholism with her horse. It would be a great book for an adult. She has another good book also about rescuing a horse and going through another divorce.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## maura

I loved Horse Heaven by Jane Smiley, probably the best portrayal of what TB racing is really like I've every read. 

Wild Ride by Anne Auerbach is non-fiction, but a terrific read none the less. 

Amazon.com: Wild Ride: The Rise and Tragic Fall of Calumet Farm Inc., America's Premier Racing Dynasty (9780805042429): Ann Hagedorn Auerbach: Books


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## MHFoundation Quarters

I'm a big fan of **** Francis. I've read almost every one minus a few older ones that I haven't found or picked up over the years. Most are racing based, but good suspense books based on the scandals and not so pleasant side of the horse world. My personal favorite is "Whip Hand". 

Paperback Editions (US) - **** Francis


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## JennyV

About what I said earlier, I actually started reading War Horse and realized it's a kid's book, so forget I mentioned it! Somehow I was never able to get into the **** Francis ones, maybe I should try again now that I'm older.


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## trailhorserider

How about Traveller, by Richard Adams. (He wrote Watership Down, among others). 

Traveller is Robert E. Lee's horse during the civil war, and the story is told through the horse's eyes. It's a great book. I haven't read it for years because I lost my copy. :-( I might have to find another one!

Amazon.com: Traveller (9780440204930): Richard Adams: Books


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## JennyV

*Cool!*



trailhorserider said:


> How about Traveller, by Richard Adams. (He wrote Watership Down, among others).
> 
> Traveller is Robert E. Lee's horse during the civil war, and the story is told through the horse's eyes. It's a great book. I haven't read it for years because I lost my copy. :-( I might have to find another one!
> 
> Amazon.com: Traveller (9780440204930): Richard Adams: Books


I'm not usually a big fan of older books but this one sounds interesting, I'd like to hear about what things look like through the horse's eyes. I did love Black Beauty and it was like that. And I'm not sure, has anyone mentioned Blaze of Glory yet? It's mostly a romance, but between riders, and it's my new fave!


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## Corporal

I found THIS book on vacation many years ago.
Horse Tradin' by Ben K. Green
The best story in it IMHO is called, "The Easter Lily."


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## Courtney

TeddybearLove said:


> Try read Susan Richards books, I am reading her book Saddled right now and it's about an alcoholic women going through a divorce were she is being abused and how she recovers from her acholism with her horse. It would be a great book for an adult. She has another good book also about rescuing a horse and going through another divorce.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Yes! Chosen By A Horse is much better than Saddled, in my opinion. I cried when I read it, and I don't often cry.


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## mgarzon

*Thank you!*



JennyV said:


> has anyone mentioned Blaze of Glory yet? It's mostly a romance, but between riders, and it's my new fave!


Thanks, JennyV! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed my book


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## TwistedChick

The Hearts of horses by Molly Gloss was one of the best horse novels I have read recently. I have a whole list of horse-related books for grownups I have collected over the years - I will have to put it together for the forum. 

mgarzon your book sounds good! :thumbsup:


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## MHFoundation Quarters

Just finished "Dark Horse" by Tami Hoag. Excellent book! 

Dark Horse by Tami Hoag - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists


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## mgarzon

*thanks!*



TwistedChick said:


> mgarzon your book sounds good! :thumbsup:


Thanks TwistedChick! I'm lucky that it's been getting some very kind reviews - I'm kinda surprised that so many non-horse-people seem to be reading it. Maybe we'll get some converts


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## Roperchick

Riding Lessons and Flying Changes are pretty good books. They are more centered on the main woman than actual horse stuff but yeah their good. If you like Money Roberts, his biography is Amazing and he has great stories about the horses he has trained. There's also a series about the Arabian community in Arizona from back when it was booming but for the life of me I cant remember the titles or the author


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## mgarzon

If anyone's interested, you can enter to win a signed copy of Blaze of Glory here:
Baby Giveaways Galore: #Book #Giveaway --- Blaze of Glory

For more info on the book, you can check it out on Amazon (there's a 'Look Inside' feature, I love that!):
Amazon.com: Blaze of Glory (9781602648104): m. garzon: Books


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## beforetomorrow

If you want any non-fiction, the award winning book about Seabiscuit by Lauren Hllenbrand is amazing.


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## JennyV

omg Mgarzon i can't believe you're on this forum!!!! i LOVED your book (and i'm making all my friends read it now!)!! and i was just checking out your facebook page about how it might be a movie?? that would be SUH-WEET! are you insanely excited?


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## Calmwaters

Mgarzon are your books avaliable download to a nook? I love my nook it goes every where with me.


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## Kano32

The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes is really good. It is kinda aimed at teens but still really good. Rachel Treasure is an aussie writer who's books are AMAZING!!!!!!!!! They aren't focused soley on horses, but that fact is outweighed by how well those books are written...IMHO anyways.


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## mgarzon

*Yes to Nook!*



Calmwaters said:


> Mgarzon are your books avaliable download to a nook? I love my nook it goes every where with me.


Hi Calmwaters - absolutely, it's available in all the major ebook formats. Here's the Nook link:
BARNES & NOBLE | Blaze of Glory by m, garzon | NOOK Book (eBook), Paperback

I hope you like it, if you get it! I don't have an ereader yet myself, I'm using the dinosaur method of reading on my laptop, lol.


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## mgarzon

*Trying not to think about it...*



JennyV said:


> omg Mgarzon i can't believe you're on this forum!!!! i LOVED your book (and i'm making all my friends read it now!)!! and i was just checking out your facebook page about how it might be a movie?? that would be SUH-WEET! are you insanely excited?


Hey JennyV, thanks for spreading the word about _Blaze_! I hope your friends are still talking to you :wink: 

As for the movie, I'm trying not to think about it, because it's so surreal it becomes hard for me to function. But then I catch myself thinking things like, "What would I wear to the premiere..." So, yeah, not having much luck with that .


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## Piperpony

I have been reading a bunch of good horse books lately. Here's my list
Why we ride
Angel Horses by Allen & Linda Anderson
Broken, A Love Story by Lisa Jones
Horses with a Mission by Allen & Linda Anderson
The Eighty-Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts
Choosen, by a horse
Chicken Soup for the horse lovers soul books 1 & 2
A cup of comfort for horse lovers


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## Spyder

If anyone wants a horse mystery there is this one and it is quite good.

Death by Dressage.


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## Calmwaters

Yippie I am so glad I can get it on my nook! I will get it asap to read it as well as others here I want to read.


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## mgarzon

Calmwaters said:


> Yippie I am so glad I can get it on my nook! I will get it asap to read it as well as others here I want to read.


I hope you enjoy it!! I'm working on the sequel right now; it's supposed to be out by next spring but I don't know if I'll be done. I'm very long-winded, apparently


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## Calmwaters

I have downloaded it and am finishing up a book I am reading now it is next on my list. ; )


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## TwistedChick

OK, I've been working on this list for a couple of weeks. Lost the list once and finally found it again! :lol:
In no particular order:

A Portion for Foxes
The Lady
Hose People
The Race
Riders, Polo and Jump, all 3 by Jilly Cooper

Barn Blind
Show Gypsies
Bluegrass
The Hearts of Horses

Chosen Forever
Green Grass of Wyoming

The Heartland Series (grownups enjoy these too! Buy Volume I and Volume II, its cheaper that way to get the first 6 books.)

Seabiscuit
Hotspur
Fox in the Cupboard

Beautiful Jim Key (a horse so intelligent it is spooky)
The Man Who Listens to Horses
Flambards

On my wish list:
Blaze of Glory
Hidalgo
Horse Soliders
Green Luck

Discuss!


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## Amba1027

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this one yet: A Girl and Five Brave Horses. It's the true story that the movie Wild Hearts Can't be Broken is based on. I haven't read it yet; didn't even know it existed until my boyfriend got it for me for my birthday. I did read the first few pages and it's already a different story than the movie but I think it will be really good.


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## farmpony84

Jamzimm101987 said:


> Surprised nobody mentioned The Horse Whisperer...I have read that probably 100 times


HATED IT! I read it and the author is amazing and the book was excellent but the story was way too detailed for me if that makes sense. The accident scene was AWFUL. The movie wasn't even worth watching after reading the book, they didn't even come close because the author is so amazing in his detail.

He wrote several other books all of which I hated! There was one about fire jumpers and his description of a girls last moments as she burned to death in a fire were just horrific. I mean, the guy can WRITE. But I hated them! (I've read a bunch of them though because he is so amazing as a writer)


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## Sunny

I loved The Horse Whisperer, book and movie.

I actually just did a film review on the movie for my English class.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## farmpony84

Green Grass of Wyoming! Love that book. It's the third one in a very famous trilogy, you might have heard of the first one...My Friend Flicka and the second one... Thunderhead

Great books...


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## mgarzon

ok, I'm gonna do a bit of shameless self-promotion here  In case any of you are curious about Blaze of Glory, here's a recent review in Sidelines Magazine (a Palm Beach-based equestrian magazine):

A Gloriously Good Read. | On the Line


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## Chiilaa

I am surprised that another one hasn't been mentioned. Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West. Excellent read. The sequel is good too - Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Love love love them both, started reading them when I was a kid and still re-read every chance I get


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## Dark Horse

If you like drama and suspense, try author Tami Hoag. She's an equestrian and has a book out called Dark Horse, (hmmm, wonder where I got my screen name from:roll. It's a well written murder mystery that centers around the polo world in Wellington. I found her assesment of horse people and knowlege accurate and fun. A good read and there's a sequel.

I honestly hated the Horse Whisperer. The concept was good, but for me, it was all fluff. The accident scene was shocking, as it was supposed to be, but the whole thing just fell flat and left me feeling let down. That's just me, though.

There are a few others on my shelf that I have to go hunt up the titles for.


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## mgarzon

Dark Horse said:


> If you like drama and suspense, try author Tami Hoag. She's an equestrian and has a book out called Dark Horse, (hmmm, wonder where I got my screen name from:roll....
> I honestly hated the Horse Whisperer. The concept was good, but for me, it was all fluff. The accident scene was shocking, as it was supposed to be, but the whole thing just fell flat and left me feeling let down. That's just me, though.


I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of the Horse Whisperer either (maybe not a wise thing for me to admit, since a recent review described my book as a cross between Twilight and Horse Whisperer, lol). What bothered me about it is that the author spent a lot of time interviewing Monty Roberts, and in the end, completely ignored that consummate horseman's advice by including the scene where they throw the horse onto the ground. Monty wasn't happy about it, and it was enough to make me skip the movie.

Dark Horse sounds interesting - how did you find her writing style? It's got pretty mixed reviews on Amazon.


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## Dark Horse

mgarzon said:


> I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of the Horse Whisperer either (maybe not a wise thing for me to admit, since a recent review described my book as a cross between Twilight and Horse Whisperer, lol). What bothered me about it is that the author spent a lot of time interviewing Monty Roberts, and in the end, completely ignored that consummate horseman's advice by including the scene where they throw the horse onto the ground. Monty wasn't happy about it, and it was enough to make me skip the movie.
> 
> Dark Horse sounds interesting - how did you find her writing style? It's got pretty mixed reviews on Amazon.


I like her style alot. Everyone has different tastes so, for me, an author's writing style can't be cast in stone as it's opinion based. I don't find her to be outlandish or unbelievable in her books. This particular book, and the sequel, have alot of correct terminology as she rides upper level dressage in real life. The horses all sound "real" to me, non of that feel of somebody writing horses into the story line and they have no idea what ends eats and what end poops:lol:. Give it a try, maybe you'll like her, maybe not.

I didn't read the Horse Whisperer. The movie was enough..saw it once and that was enough for me. I'm not surprised that Monty Roberts didn't like it though most people know that Hollywood takes license to glam true life stories up a bit. 

Drop me a pm and let me know more about your book. I'm always looking for new authors. My sister has about seven..or is it eight or nine?? books published. Historical romance...not my style anymore. I've only read one or two of her books. The first was very good, fact based and something she was really personally invested in. The others, I just couldn't get into. I used to tease her and call them "soft core smutt books"..we'd get some good laughs. 

She's also an amazing painter. She does horse resins and her horses all come so alive..it's like you expect them to blink!


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## farmincarmen

*The Horsemen by Joseph Kessel*

Just want to recommend The Horsemen by Joseph Kessel. Takes place in Afghanistan & centers around the traditional sport of buzkazi, a kind of fighting horserace. Really excellent. About father-son relationships, rites of passage, longing, and horse-man bonds. Was made into a Hollywood film but I have not seen it.


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## caseymyhorserocks

Blind Beauty by K.M. Peyton. Its sad... And a little dark. But its a pretty good book. I looked on Amazon and found a few, heres a link to the search on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Super-Horse-Fiction-for-adults/lm/K1QJJBM50YSZ


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## Hidalgo13

subbing


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## mgarzon

Dark Horse said:


> If you like drama and suspense, try author Tami Hoag. She's an equestrian and has a book out called Dark Horse, (hmmm, wonder where I got my screen name from:roll. It's a well written murder mystery that centers around the polo world in Wellington. I found her assesment of horse people and knowlege accurate and fun. A good read and there's a sequel.


Hey Dark Horse, you were right about Dark Horse  I liked her writing style, too. How's the sequel? It's not 'horsey', is it?


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## Dark Horse

mgarzon said:


> Hey Dark Horse, you were right about Dark Horse  I liked her writing style, too. How's the sequel? It's not 'horsey', is it?


You're right, it's not nearly as "horsey" as the first one. The back drop is equine related but is more murder/mystery than the first. Have you found "Chosen By a Horse" yet? 

Not to be a thread stealer..has anyone seen the movie (or is there a book?) Buck Brenaman? I watched it last week when I had the day to myself and what a darned good movie!


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## mgarzon

@ Dark Horse: I haven't had the chance to look for 'Chosen by a Horse' yet; I'm working hard on the sequel to my own book for now, so I may not have time for reading for a while. With the first book getting popular there's more pressure to get the second one done!

I wanted to watch Buck Branaman (sp?) but it wasn't available here (Canada); I'm hoping I can get it on DVD soon. It sounds terrific 

ps saw your PM, just haven't had time to write!


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