The best books on remarkable horses

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been obsessed with horses since I was 6 years old and spent much of my childhood riding bareback through the California countryside. After graduating from New York University with a degree in journalism, I went on to become a magazine editor. My love for horses never wained, and when I became editor of Horse Illustrated magazine, my passion and my profession combined. I have since authored seven books about horses, and currently live with two Spanish Mustangs named Rio and Milagro.


I wrote...

Horses for Dummies

By Audrey Pavia,

Book cover of Horses for Dummies

What is my book about?

If you're crazy about horses, this hands-on guide is all you need to giddy up and go. Featuring updates on breeds, boarding, nutrition, equipment, training, and riding, as well as new information on various equine conditions, this resource shows you how to keep your horse happy - and take your riding skills to the next level. Discover how to: select the right horse for you, feed, groom, and handle your horse, recognize common horse ailments, and have fun in the saddle.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation

Audrey Pavia Why did I love this book?

This is an incredible and true rags-to-riches story about a horse who was on his way to a New York slaughterhouse when a Dutch immigrant named Harry de Leyer saw something special in him. Paying $80 for the gray plowhorse, de Leyer named him Snowman and taught him to jump. The rest is Show Jumping history.

By Elizabeth Letts,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Eighty-Dollar Champion as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The dramatic and inspiring story of a man and his horse, an unlikely duo whose rise to stardom in the sport of show jumping captivated the nation  

Harry de Leyer first saw the horse he would name Snowman on a truck bound for the slaughterhouse. The recent Dutch immigrant recognized the spark in the eye of the beaten-up nag and bought him for eighty dollars. On Harry’s modest farm on Long Island, he ultimately taught Snowman how to fly. Here is the dramatic and inspiring rise to stardom of an unlikely duo. One show…


Book cover of Black Beauty

Audrey Pavia Why did I love this book?

Anna Sewell’s classic novel about a London carriage horse was written in the late 1800s, and became instrumental in the creation of the first animal cruelty laws. The story is told in the first “person,” by Beauty, who gives us a glimpse of what it’s like to be a horse in a human world.

By Anna Sewell, Kristen Guest (editor),

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked Black Beauty as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Continuously in print and translated into multiple languages since it was first published, Anna Sewell's Black Beauty is a classic work of children's literature and an important text in the fields of Victorian studies and animal studies. Writing to ""induce kindness, sympathy and an understanding treatment"", Sewell realistically documents the working conditions of Black Beauty, who moves down the social scale from a rural carriage horse to a delivery horse in London. Sewell makes visible and tangible the experience of animals who were often treated as if they were machines. Though she died shortly after it was published, Sewell's book…


Book cover of Seabiscuit: An American Legend

Audrey Pavia Why did I love this book?

Americans were struggling during the Depression, and they needed a hero. In stepped a small, knock-kneed Thoroughbred named Seabiscuit. Though he didn’t look like much, he had the heart of a champion. A classic story of the underdog who supersedes all expectations, Seabiscuit is a must-read.

By Laura Hillenbrand,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked Seabiscuit as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of the runaway phenomenon Unbroken comes a universal underdog story about the horse who came out of nowhere to become a legend.

Seabiscuit was one of the most electrifying and popular attractions in sports history and the single biggest newsmaker in the world in 1938, receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. But his success was a surprise to the racing establishment, which had written off the crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail. Three men changed Seabiscuit’s fortunes:

Charles Howard was a onetime bicycle repairman who introduced the automobile to…


Book cover of The Black Stallion

Audrey Pavia Why did I love this book?

Most people know the movie The Black Stallion, but it all started with the book. A tale of a young boy and an Arabian stallion stranded together on an island after being shipwrecked, this is the story of the love that grows between these two lost and frightened souls. It was originally written for children, but this book is appreciated just as much by adults.

By Walter Farley,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked The Black Stallion as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

First published in 1941, Walter Farley's best-selling novel for young readers is the triumphant tale of a boy and a wild horse. From Alec Ramsay and the Black's first meeting on an ill-fated ship to their adventures on a desert island and their eventual rescue, this beloved story will hold the rapt attention of readers new and old.

This book has been selected as a Common Core State Standards Text Exemplar (Grades 4-5, Stories) in Appendix B.


Book cover of Distant Skies: An American Journey on Horseback

Audrey Pavia Why did I love this book?

Travel memoirs can be fun to read, but this one is riveting. Melissa Chapman and her horse Rainy traveled nearly 3,000 miles across America when the writer was in her early twenties. Before cell phones and GPS devices, “Missy” and Rainy trekked through backwoods and on state routes, rarely knowing where they would spend the night. Without faltering, Rainy helps Missy see America in ways most of us never do.

By Melissa A. Priblo Chapman,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Distant Skies as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Part American road trip, part coming-of-age adventure, and part uncommon love story—a remarkable memoir that explores the evolution of the human-animal relationship, along with the raw beauty of a life lived outdoors.

Melissa Chapman was 23 years old and part of a happy, loving family. She had a decent job, a boyfriend she cared about, and friends she enjoyed. Yet she said goodbye to all of it. Carrying a puppy named Gypsy, she climbed aboard a horse and rode away from everything, heading west.

With no cell phone, no GPS, no support team or truck following with supplies, Chapman quickly…


You might also like...

Book cover of This Animal Body

Meredith Walters

New book alert!

What is my book about?

Neuroscience PhD student Frankie Conner has finally gotten her life together—she’s determined to discover the cause of her depression and find a cure for herself and everyone like her. But the first day of her program, she meets a group of talking animals who have an urgent message they refuse to share. And while the animals may not have Frankie’s exalted human brain, they know things she doesn’t, like what happened before she was adopted.

To prove she’s sane, Frankie investigates her forgotten past and conducts clandestine experiments. But just when she uncovers the truth, she has to make an impossible choice: betray the animals she’s fallen in love with—or give up her last chance at success and everything she thought she knew.

By Meredith Walters,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked This Animal Body as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Frankie Conner, first-year graduate student at UC Berkeley, is finally getting her life together. After multiple failures and several false starts, she's found her calling: become a neuroscientist, discover the cause of her depression and anxiety, and hopefully find a cure for herself and everyone like her.

But her first day of the program, Frankie meets a mysterious group of talking animals who claim to have an urgent message for her. The problem is, they're not willing to share it. Not yet. Not until she's ready.

While Frankie's new friends may not have her highly evolved, state-of-the-art, exalted human brain,…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in horses, survival, and horse racing?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about horses, survival, and horse racing.

Horses Explore 117 books about horses
Survival Explore 191 books about survival
Horse Racing Explore 43 books about horse racing