It’s Reining Horse Books!: Best Books for Horse-Loving Kids

This book is perfect for kids who love both historical fiction and horses. A brilliant read that will linger with your young reader for long after they’ve finished reading, The War that Saved My Life is an award-winning novel about a girl who is taken in alongside her brother by Susan Smith during WWII when they leave London to go to a safer location. It’s there that she teaches herself to ride a pony as well as learning to trust Susan and more! A beautiful read full of love, building trust, and beating the odds, this book is a must-read for any horse loving kiddo!

An instant classic, Pony is the poignant tale of a young boy on a journey to find his beloved father on the 19th-century American frontier. Accompanied by a mysterious pony and a ghost only he can see, Silas faces his fears to embark on an epic quest fueled by the indomitable power of love. This richly imagined adventure story is undoubtedly worthy of a spot on every young reader’s bookshelf and was named one of the Best Books of 2021 by Barnes & Noble.

If your family’s horse enthusiast can’t get enough of either horses or books, start them off on Marguerite Henry’s wonderful novels about a variety of various horses with the expressive original illustrations by Wesley Dennis. Henry wrote dozens of action-packed, horse-themed novels, but you should get your child started with this classic from 1947 that tells the story of the wild horses that live on Assateague Island off the coast of Maryland and Virginia and recounts a legend about how horses came to populate the island. 

If your kid is a verified Horse Girl, then they’ll find themselves in this aptly named book! Horse Girl is all about a 7^th grader, Wills, navigating all the politics and complexities of a riding academy and the cliques that come with it (and of course, the Horse Boys she must interact with). With her rescue horse by her side and some hard work, Wills is determined to find her way in with all the other girls in the club. A must-read for any middle-schooler, but especially those who love horses, we can’t recommend this one enough! 

The first book of the fantastic Horse Diaries series, this book will start your horse loving reader off with a whole group of books that focus on telling the stories of different horses! Beginning with Elska, this book tells the story of an Icelandic filly who loves galivanting around the countryside in the summers and being taken good care of in the winters by Amma. When a neighbor notices Elska, her life is suddenly changed, and this book tells her story in Elska’s own words.  

For your younger readers who also happen to adore The Cat in the Hat, this installment of the Cat in the Hat’s learning Library, will introduce your reader to all the horsey things! With fun facts about 13 popular horse breeds, horse anatomy, the different types of riding, the history of the relationship between horses and humans, and so much more, this book is the fantastic first book for any horse loving child! 

This exciting novel for readers aged 8 to 12 tells the fascinating true story of the person born as Charlotte Parkhurst, who grew up in an orphanage in New England. Charlotte changed her name to Charley and lived as a man, becoming a skilled stagecoach driver in California during the 1849 Gold Rush. 

This is a great novel for young horse lovers aged nine and up, because after they finish reading it, they can see the acclaimed play and the 2011 Steven Spielberg movie based on it. Michael Morpurgo’s 1982 novel tells the story of Joey, a horse purchased by the British army for service during World War I. Albert, the boy who owned Joey before the army bought him, never stops trying to bring him safely home. Morpurgo’s vivid account of the Great War through the eyes of a horse will bring a new understanding of this terrible conflict to each generation that reads this moving novel. 

Spirit has been a staple in the world of horse loving kids for years now, but this chapter book series is still on the newer side and is introducing a new generation to the wonderful world of Spirit! With friends, learning new riding skills, and more, this story about a scavenger hunt and teamwork will take readers on an adventure and help them remember how important working together is! 

An adaptation meant for young readers, this spectacular title will appeal to readers who love learning about history in an interesting way. All about the purebred horses that Hitler kidnapped and hid at a Czechoslovakian breeding farm and the daring rescue a small American troop made to save them from falling into the hands of starving Russian troops, this story full of courage, history, and horses will share an aspect of WWII many young readers never hear about. 

For a pocket-sized fact book about horses, this compact book is the perfect one for anyone who wants to always have all kinds of horse facts at their fingertips. With over 125 individual breeds of horses, ponies, and their cousins featured; anatomy and behavior; as well as information about horses in mythology and literature, this pocket guide sure packs a punch with the sheer amount of content it has ready for horse lovers! 

The Pony Scouts series is perfect for your beginning reader who adores horses. With great illustrations and leveled reading, it’s the perfect book to read together or for your reader to start reading independently! This book is all about a sleepover, the opportunity to tend to the ponies day and night, and a forgotten latch mishap that results in the Pony Scouts having to go to the rescue! 

This Young Reader’s adaptation is a bonus option that we recommend picking up in ebook or audiobook! This book tells the story of the Compton Cowboys, a group of African American men and women who own one of the last ranches in what used to be a semirural area of Compton. Their legacy lives on today as they’ve worked hard to intertwine their heritage and those who came before them into who they are today as they’ve remade the Cowboys for a new generation. We can’t recommend this story enough!