Friday, Rambling, and Good Books

Ok folks, not my usual Friday post, but I haven't really had time to come up with anything. Send me your favorite tack makers, dealers, designers, etc. I need ideas!

I will be out of town next week, so no posts. Sorry, we don't have the interwebs at Gulf Wars. (And even if we did, I would NOT have time to post.)

Today I want to tell you about some of my favorite horse books. We have probably all read the Black Stallion series by Walter Farley. Who didn't grow up wanting that giant black Arabian stallion (part of me still does)? If you haven't read them, do. Even if you are an adult.

I also am a huge fan of Dorothy Lyons books. I collect antique books and have several of hers. I love Silver Birch, Midnight Moon, and Golden Sovereign. She is a wonderful, light hearted writer and her books are a fun read.

I also like a book called Frog, the Horse that Knew No Master by Sterner Meeks. Here is a summary complements of Amazon.com; Frog, an outlaw horse who can be ridden only by force, meets his match when Lieutenant Scott arrives at the army post of Empire, Canal Zone, and takes over his training. His eventual conquest by kindness and the resulting affection between the horse and his master make a tale that will touch the heart of every lover of horses. The story is full of action.

Another good one is The Sorrel Stallion by David Grew. It is the story of a colt growing up in the west, his trials and his homecoming.

On the fantasy horse book front, there are several I like. The Airs Beneath the Moon and the two sequels are good. Written by Toby Bishiop. I found this review on Amazon... Larkyn Hamley, a 14-year-old farm girl with a special affinity for animals, finds a lost, starving, pregnant mare and cares for her. The mare dies giving birth to a colt that, much to Lark's surprise, has wings. She lovingly cares for him, and he bonds with her. A bond with a winged horse is for life, and when Horsemistress Philippa Winter arrives for the colt, she realizes she must take Lark, too, to the Academy of the Air, which trains winged foals and their riders-to-be. There Lark faces snobbery and hostility on the part of young women of noble birth, and she runs afoul of the devious plans of the power-hungry, sadistic eldest son of the dying duke, owner and protector of the birth lines of the winged horses. Bishop enables us to visualize the horses in solo flight and complicated formations, scenes at the academy are utterly real, and the characters have dimension.

One that I have read recently is Protector of the Flight by Robin Owens. I thought it was decent, there is some Parelli-esque training stuff in there, but otherwise ok. It is acutally part of a series, but read well as a stand-alone. Here is a summary... Crippled, self-doubting ex-rodeo rider and horse trainer Calli Torcher is summoned from Colorado to Lladrana, a medieval French society on a magical parallel Earth, to assist in a dangerous fight against evil. There she meets two other Colorado women, Marian Dumont and Alexa Fitzwalter, known as Exotiques, who have risen to positions of power. After a spell heals Calli, she learns that she's needed to help train the flying horses—volarans—and the Chevaliers, their riders, who form the front lines against evil demons from the north. Calli must also choose a mate, so she bonds with the skilled warrior Marrec, with whom she fashions a life and family.

And of course, I would be remiss in leaving out the Mercedes Lackey Valdemar books. They contain numerous equine characters known as Companions. These magical beings are powerful, intelligent and fascinating. I absolutely love her books.

Check some of these out from your library and hopefully they will help tide you over until I get back in a week or so with more Tacky Tack!!