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Reviews By Susan Dudasik:
Newsflash! This Book has been picked up for use in a boxed model & book set to be distributed by Breyer in 2007! Furthermore, Ms. Feld will be on hand at Breyerfest 2007 to sign autographs and promote the event. Congrats to Ellen Feld and her horse, "Blackjack!" Start looking for the boxed sets in your favorite stores mid-year.
Book Review:
MORGAN HORSE ADVENTURES PROVIDE WINTER EXCITEMENT
Publisher: WILLOW BEND PUBLISHING
Reviewer: Susan DudasikIs the dreary winter weather preventing you from spending time with your favorite horse? Is it too nasty to be outside? Well, equine author Ellen F. Feld�s series of Morgan horse books provides a perfect excuse to snuggle up next to the fireplace and join 16 year-old Heather Richardson as she enters the world of Morgan Horse breeding farms and horse shows.
In the first book, Blackjack: Dreaming of a Morgan Horse, Heather befriends Chauncy, the owner of a small Morgan breeding farm. Together they convince her parents to let her work at the farm in exchange for riding privileges. As her riding skills improve, Chauncy enlists her help in training "Gallant Image," an exquisite three year-old black Morgan stallion that she calls �Blackjack,� after a horse which keeps reappearing in her dreams. Because of a prior incident, the stallion is terrified of cantering on the right lead. So, Heather must help the stallion overcome his fear before they can compete in the up-coming three-year old futurity championship. As the story progresses, a bond develops between Heather and Blackjack. When disaster strikes, Chaunce�s family is forced to sell the horses. Heather is devastated when she learns Blackjack�s new owners have sent him to a sleazy, mean trainer. Feld takes the reader through a whirlwind of emotions as Heather manages to save her beloved horse.
The series continues with Frosty: The Adventures of a Morgan Horse. While attending a local horse auction, Heather�s heart is captured by "Frosty," a frightened young, gray Morgan mare. Taking a chance, she bids on and buys the horse. Later she discovers that Frosty was once a show horse but had been abused by the same disreputable trainer that had almost ruined her stallion, Blackjack. When Heather tries to ride Frosty in the ring, the mare is terrified and after several attempts, Heather realizes her dreams of ever restoring Frosty to a confidant show horse are dashed. But, she still has Blackjack.
Heather begins working Blackjack for an up-coming horse show and teaching Frosty how to be a trail horse. Things go well until after the show when Heather notices Blackjack doing something strange. It lasts a few seconds then the horse seems normal. A few days later, Blackjack does it again. Over the next few weeks, Blackjack�s strange behavior occurs more often. The vet�s called but he doesn�t know what�s wrong. Tests are taken and Heather is told not to ride Blackjack. Feld draws on her personal experience of when one of her won horses had a similar problem to capture the intensity of the emotions, worries and fears Heather experiences as she anxiously awaits Blackjack�s test results.
Meanwhile, Chauncy�s daughter, Laura, encourages Heather to rider Frosty and join her and her friends on an overnight trail rider through the woodlands of Vermont. Here�s where the story really changes course. Instead of the typical horse-story type adventures, Feld comes up with a very different type of adventure for Heather and Frosty which provides the reader with an exciting and educational view of the challenging and potentially dangerous sport of trail riding.
Will Heather and Frosty survive their trail riding adventure? Will the vet discover the cause of Blackjack�s mysterious problem? Be prepared, for discovering how Feld answers these questions will keep you glued to this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and, after staying up half the night to finish it, would recommend it to horse lovers of all ages.
Though the Morgan horse series is basically for children and young adults, Feld doesn�t sugar-coat things as she provides a realistic view of the horse world, from the training setbacks and successes to showring politics and unethical practices. Things don�t always work out as expected. Her accurate and detailed descriptions of basic horsemanship and stable management make the Morgan horse series books not only fun adventure stories, but educational as well.
Recently, Frosty: The Adventures of A Morgan Horse, was selected as a winner of the �Children�s Choices for 2004.� Books that were nominated for this award were sent to selection sites in Tennessee, Ohio, Georgia, Texas and Montana. Approximately 10,000 children visited the sites, read the books and voted for their favorites.
Feld�s third book, Rusty: The High-Flying Morgan Horse, is due in bookstores just in time for the holiday season. Any of the Morgan Horse series books would make a great gift for any horse enthusiast on your holiday list.
Other books:
- Frosty: The Adventures of a Morgan Horse - *2004
- Rusty: The High-Flying Morgan Horse
- Robin: The Loveable Morgan Horse
*National book awards --- International Reading Association and Children�s Book Council �Children�s Choices� selection.
Book Review: ROBIN ~ THE LOVEABLE MORGAN HORSE
Publisher: WILLOW BEND PUBLISHING
Reviewer: Susan Dudasik
�Fine, be a chicken,� scolded Tim, as he crossed his arms in defiance. �We don�t need you to ride with us anyway.� For novice rider Karen Greene, that was the beginning of the worst day of her life as she caved into the peer pressure from more experienced riders by trying to trail ride a horse that was too hard for her to handle. The ride was disastrous and left Karen afraid, even to ride her own dependable Morgan horse, Robin. Though she loved Robin very much, Karen soon dreaded going to the stable. Because her fears held her back from riding, the others snubbed her, making her feel like an outcast. Wisely, Karen�s father moves Robin and her stablemate Rerun, a Miniature Horse to Gallant Morgans, a small privately owned barn where Heather Richardson keeps her three Morgan horses.
Nervous that she wouldn�t be accepted there either, Karen soon realizes that Heather and the folks at Gallant Morgans are completely different from her �friends� at the old stable. With Heather�s patient and reassuring guidance and Robin�s gentle, dependable nature, Karen begins to regain her confidence. Soon she�s enjoying riding and meeting new challenges, but that nagging fear still lingers.
Growing up is tough and peer pressure can cause youngsters to make unwise choices. In Robin: The Loveable Morgan Horse, the fourth book in the Morgan Horse series, by Ellen F. Feld, the author creates a realistic view of what riders, particularly young novice riders, go through when faced with a traumatic experience. Especially when that experience could have been avoided if the rider had resisted peer pressure and followed her own conscience. Karen realizes that�s what caused her to make such unwise decisions and it haunts her throughout the book. Little things, like Robin stumbling on rough ground, bring back sudden terrifying memories and plays havoc with Karen�s imagination as to what �might� happen.
From chapter to chapter, the reader�s vividly treated to daily life at the stable, the excitement of a horse show, the joys of trail riding with friends as well as a harrowing adventure that leaves Karen and Robin working together to face a night alone in the woods after a freak snowstorm.
Though the Morgan horse series is basically for children and young adults, Feld provides a realistic view of the horse world. Her accurate and detailed descriptions of basic horsemanship and stable management makes the Morgan horse series books not only fun adventure stories, but educational as well. In Robin: The Loveable Morgan Horse, Feld deals with a subject that almost every rider, from beginner to Olympic champion, has had to deal with at one time or another: fear. She handles it in such a way that I would recommend this book to any rider, novice or experienced, young or old, who�s dealing with an equine-related fear. Through Karen�s eyes, Feld provides excellent insight on the kinds of thoughts and self-doubt a rider has after an accident and what it takes to over-come those doubts. This book is a must read for any youngster who loves horses as well as riding instructors and youth horse club leaders as it vividly explores how peer pressure and fear can affect a novice rider�s confidence and suggests supportive ways to encourage a fearful rider.
Feld�s Morgan Horse series has captured the hearts of readers both young and old as well as two national book awards. Her first book, Blackjack: Dreaming of a Morgan Horse was selected as a winner of the �Children�s Choices for 2005� by the International Reading Association and Children�s Book Council �Children�s Choices� selection. Her second book, Frosty: The Adventures of a Morgan Horse, won the �Children�s Choices for 2004.� Books nominated for this award were sent to selection sites in Tennessee, Ohio, Georgia, Texas and Montana to be reviewed by approximately 10,000 children who visited the sites, read the books and voted for their favorites. Feld�s third book is Rusty: The High-Flying Morgan Horse.
Like Feld�s other books, don�t be surprised if you end up reading Robin: The Loveable Morgan Horse in one sitting as it is a fun-filled, educational, horsey adventure with numerous twists, turns and an unexpected mystery. For more information on Feld�s books, please visit her website.
