horses

I recently finished my second read of Elizabeth Letts heartwarming tale of Cold War-era daring do, The Eighty Dollar Champion: The Horse That Inspired a Nation. Much like Seabiscuit inspired the nation during The Great Depression, Snowman captured the hearts and minds of the public during a time when the they urgently needed a working-class hero.

Laura Hillenbrand’s fabulous work, Seabiscuit: America’s Legendary Racehorse, is on Libby. (click here)

Copies of the ebook are also available via Internet Archive’s National Emergency Library. (click here)

Dutch immigrant Harry deLeyer was only a boy when the Germans invaded Holland in 1940, but he quickly learned about bravery and courage in the face of danger.  His father became a member of the local Resistance and Harry participated as soon as he could. After the war, Harry and his young bride immigrated to the United States with all of their possessions in a small wooden crate and $160 dollars in his pocket.  After a few years of brutal work on a tobacco farm Harry was finally able to get back to his first love, working with horses. 

He lucked into becoming a riding instructor at a prestigious girls’ boarding school on Long Island, the Knox School, and was responsible for procuring good, but cheap, horses for the girls’ lessons.  On a snowy evening in 1956, an underfed, matted with mud and manure, openly wounded large, gray horse was saved from the slaughterhouse for a mere $80. Harry had no idea he’d just made the purchase that would ultimately catapulted him into show jumping fame and sports history.  In 2014, MGM acquired the screen rights to the book.  Fingers crossed, it eventually gets made!

The ebook and eaudio are on Libby. (click here)

The ebook is also available via Internet Archive’s National Emergency Library. (click here)

A documentary, Harry and Snowman, was made in 2016 and is available on Hoopla. (click here)

Ms. Letts’ research on Harry’s experiences during the war eventually led to a second horse-related title that I enjoyed equally as much, The Perfect Horse: The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis.

This ebook is on Libby. (click here)

There is also a young reader’s edition ebook on Libby. (click here)

If that subtitle sounds familiar to you then, like me, you no doubt watched the Disney film, Miracle of the White Stallions, about the Lippizan stallions of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.  Check your preferred streaming subscription for availability, but the entire film is currently on Youtube. (click here)

Other inspiring horses in history:

Sgt. Reckless: America’s War Horse by Robin Hutton

A captivating account of how a would-be Korean racehorse became one of the greatest Marine Corps wartime heroes. Sergeant Reckless was her name, and she was the horse renowned for carrying wounded soldiers off the battlefield and making solo trips across combat zones to deliver supplies.

The ebook and eaudio are on Libby. (click here)

The eaudio is available on Hoopla. (click here)

There is a great, short documentary (The Horse Show with Rick Lamb, 18 min) about Sgt. Reckless on Youtube. (click here)

FOR THE KIDS:

Celebrated children’s author Marguerite Henry has enchanted young readers for decades.

A couple of her books are eaudio on Hoopla. (click here)

Catherine Hapka adapted her book, Misty of Chincoteague, into a riding series, Ponies of Chincoteague. These ebooks are on Libby. (click here)

A film adaptation of her book, King of the Wind, is available on Hoopla. (click here)

More of her books are available on Internet Archive’s National Emergency Library. (click here)

Walter Farley, beloved author of the Black Stallion books, still captures the imagination of horse-crazy kids everywhere.

His books are available on Internet Archive’s National Emergency Library. (click here)

FOR THE GROWNUPS:

If you like fantasy fiction, Mary Herbert’s magic-filled tale of adventure, Dark Horse, is available on Internet Archive’s National Emergency Library. (click here)

Another great fantasy outing, complete with magic, a brave stallion, and a villainous dragon is Robin McKinley’s The Hero and the Crown. The ebook and eaudio are on Libby. (click here)

If you have PBS Passport (also check your preferred streaming subscription for additional availability), there are several amazing documentaries.

Equus: Story of the Horse (episode 1: Origins/episode 2: Chasing the Wind)

First Horse Warriors

Indian Relay