Horse fiction

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CClark

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May 23, 2020
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I wasn't sure where to post this, but I hope I'm in the right place. I'm super excited to find this forum and for it to be active. I've been looking for some fiction based around horses. I love the Thoroughbred books, saddle club the heartland books (and show), and all the other great horse novels, but they're all aimed for 11-17 year olds.

I'm wondering if I've somehow have missed all the great horse fiction for adults.

I looked into Dick Francis books and while they are adults, I wonder if they haven't aged well.

Most of my googling has found books that have horses around the edge of the storyline.

I hope to at least find some to see what the writers have done and start writing a series of horse novels aimed for adults (Of course, nothing r rated.) More like heartland but maybe without the crazy drama that's been added to that show.
Is horse fiction for adults not publishable? Is my hope of writing one crazy?


P.S. Ideas for horse fiction are more than welcome. (I've got the characters and the basic plot but I need some horse-related conflict!)

Thank you!
 
There isn't a lot of horsey fiction aimed at adults, it's true: many people like to re-read their childhood favourites instead.

A favourite theme of writers of adult horse fiction seems to be the sacrifices people make for the sake of their horses, so their books are often rather grim. See (for example, Caroline Akrill's Flying changes (she also wrote the Eventing Trilogy, which could be classed as adult fiction, and is lighter-hearted); or Nancy Feldman's Collective Marks. Jane Smiley has written several books for adults in which horses are central.

Simon Barnes' Miss Chance is a lighter read and goes well with his memoir of taking up riding - the subject I like best in a horse book, but not what you asked for, I know.
 
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Like @Calder I can't think of many fun adult horse books.

Although children's books I think The Black Stallion & some of it's follow ups are still good reads if you can get them, and while I haven't read them for ages I expect The Silver Brumby series would too though they also might be hard to get hold of.

I think that the older books although aimed at children were of such a different era they still stand up to being read by adults.
 
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John Francome has written some. I don't think the Dick Francis books have aged badly (and there are some written quite recently anyway)
 
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This thread's useful to me - I can never seem to find adult horsey books (That sounds dodgy, doesn't it!) Not fiction, but my all time favourite , which I've mentioned before, is Monica Dickens "Talking of horses" - out of print now - I found a copy in the library books for sale, grabbed it, and hugged it to my bosom. There's incidents in it that every horsey person has experienced, and it still makes me chuckle.
 
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Jilly Cooper encyclopedic recently on National Hunt Racing - Jump and (on flat racing maybe) Mount
 
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carthorse said:
@Huggy I'd forgotten Id got that, I may have to dig it out if it isn't at my parents' still.
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The incident that resonated with me from her book, was 2 girls at a show. The exact thing happened at a show I was at - one losing with very bad grace, and the other one thrilled to have even got round, despite half the fences knocked down.
 
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