Good horse books to read?

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Laced Reins

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I've decided my dissertation involves far too much of a boring read. So I purchased Clare Baldings book recently and my partner can't understand why I never laugh at his jokes yet have laughed at nearly every page in the book.

I love reading but the only other book I can repeatedly read is the Horse Whisperer. Doesn't seem to matter what the story is, as long as I know who I'm reading about has some connection to horses and the odd mention. Otherwise I feel like I'm reading about alienated people as they do not own horses I just simply can't relate ;p

So any good novels or autobiography suggestions will be greatly appreciated!
 
Any Dick Francis books (the older ones are more horsey than the more recent ones)...Love them and read them over and over again :)
 
Swallow the star is the only book I've ever read start to finish (not much of a reader) more of a child/teenage book but I loved it none the less! :D
 
I LOVED Mark Rashid's "Horses Never Lie". It's non-fiction and sort of a collection of anecdotes of horses he has known and trained with his natural horsemanship-type methods. He has a theory about being the 'passive leader' that is fascinating. He has written several others too, I'm sure they are all good but haven't got round to them yet :P

Also I'm reading 'If wishes were horses' at the moment, it's really poetically written and some lovely tales of her frustrated horsey childhood.
 
'I am the Great Horse' by Kathleen Roberts is good - written from the viewpoint of Alexander The Great's Horse Bucephalas.
When you say dissertation is it for a school exam?? I did my Higher English one on John Steinbecks's 'The Red Pony' and got an A for it. It's quite a short book but gives loads to write about.
A few Jilly Cooper books have Horses - Riders, Polo and Jump spring to mind -all good.
All the others I've read are more childrens books. The best series was Jinny and Shantih I thought, by Patricia Leitch. I'd happily read them all again now. Nothing wrong with reading young fiction -I love Harry Potter and am currently loving The Hunger Games.
I assume you have read Black Beauty?? That's a must.
 
Thanks ever so much, now truly spoilt for choice.

suzysparkle, no not a school dissertation. Doing equine science in my third year on bit evasion so just reading journals which make me want to bang my head on a wall. It's so nice to read a book for a change when I don't feel like doing any work :p
 
Riders by Jilly Cooper is a good read

Books by Joyce Stranger are some of my favourites, The January Queen and Stranger than Fiction are two especially good ones
 
I love the jockeys and trainers autobiographies and biographies. Very insightful.
Just reread Charlie Brook's one. Very interesting as it's not just the riding/training side of it but also the political side of things.
 
From 'Canterbury to Santiago de compostela on the hoof' is an excellent story about two sisters on a sabbatical who take their appaloosa horses on a trek from Kent through France to Spain. Very funny observations, and fascinating to read - I want to do that route now!
 
Driving Force by Carol Madeline Smith. "The story of Bear, the chestnut Welsh cob whose life she saved and who in turn gave her the determination to walk, ride and drive again after a riding accident. "

Its quite old but its inspiring and I've read it several times.
 
The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes was quite good, although if you know about horses you might see the flaws in the storyline!

When Sophie Met Darcy Day, true story about horses helping disadvantaged and difficult children and young people.
 
How about
'Memoires of a foxhunting man' S Sassoon, also his other books
'My horse Warrior' by Mottistone
Lionel Edwards wrote and illustrated lots of horsey books,which give real feel of how long and hard horses worked 100yrs ago
Other equestrian artists eg Cecil Aldin,Munnings also write about horses in their lives
We tend to collect/cant resist riding books from the 1st half of 20th century, found anywhere from car booty s to amazon.
'
 
I can't believe nobody has mentioned the Jill Books by Ruby Ferguson - they are amazing!!

Okay they were probably originally aimed at children (I bought them when I was about 11) but they are so good that I re-read them every now and then when I feel like a treat.

Also as someone else mentioned - the Jinny series by Patricial Leitch, but the Jill books were always my fave.

Must admit I've never really read any more grown up horsey books!
 
The best (and most surprising) horsey read I've had recently is Monty Roberts' autobiography (The man who Listens to Horses). His life-story is stranger than fiction and surprisingly well written, too! I think it would make a good film!

All the Jilly Coopers are good, too (Polo, Riders etc) ;)
 
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