Horses and Heartbeats

Horses and Heartbeats

by Polly Thompson

When a family move lands fourteen-year-old Bailey Mason in Connecticut’s horse country, she reminds her father of his promise to buy her a horse, and mounts a campaign to make it so. This suspense filled tale follows Bailey's adventures through a wonderful horse show; a visit to an exclusive horse farm; and a disturbingly realistic auction. Inexperience has Bailey hardly prepared to handle the horse they bring home, “The one just perfect for me,” she says.

Reading and advice-seeking, along with the determination to climb back on whenever she falls off, build Bailey’s skills, even to being a nurse when her horse gets sick. Bailey perseveres through the upsets; the horse is on the mend and she is riding again, when a disaster threatens to bring her exciting progress to a halt. Now her new friend Theodore North, who has been taking riding lessons, steps in to help with the chores. As Bailey’s and Theo’s devotion to the horse grows, so does their affection for each other. A fund of hands-on experience runs through the story of these young people and their friends as they make ready for a gymkhana giving rise to more upsets.

"A captivating picture of the horse scene, Horses and Heartbeats shows the pluses and minuses of horse ownership. The engaging characters, the subtle yet effective introduction of horse management skills, had my fourteen-year-old daughter not wanting to put it down."

Maryland horseman Robert Taylor—3-Day Eventer, Educator, Pony Club International Games Coach, MFH Goshen Hounds.

"The journey of heart warming experiences in Polly Thompson's Horses and Heartbeats takes in the many aspects involved in one’s love of horses, the pursuit of ownership despite difficulties along the way. The path is not always straight but it does reward those who really want something and are willing to work for it. Consider this easy, most interesting read a ‘must’ for any horse lover on your list, and they won't be disappointed!" International 3-Day Eventer Gretchen Butts—Administrator of Maryland's Waredaca Pony Club Riding Center; past US Eventing Association board member and Educational Consultant, current national & international judge and technical delegate, USEA Governors Cup recipient.

"I loved this book. I've always liked horses but only ridden a few times--western, not hunt seat, which this story is about. All the info about horse-keeping and equitating opened up a whole new world. 15-yr-old Theo takes riding lessons at a hunter/jumper stable, 14-yr-old Bailey wheedles her father into buying her a horse, even though neither she nor anyone in her family ever took care of a horse, much less knows how to ride. I couldn't wait to see what happened next as Bailey struggled to get in sync with Dakota Clover, one super-spirited mare. Reading this book put me in the mind-set of being on a horse, learning along with Theo during his lessons, and then struggling with Bailey to work through her mistakes. If she only knew... which she does, after her broken arm brings Theo over to help with chores. Bailey learns things about riding she'd never imagined from watching him exercise Dakota Clover. She shows him a few things she's learned about stable management, too. Natch, a romance blooms. I liked how they learned to respect each others' and the horse's individualities. I suppose it's better to take riding lessons before you get a horse, but I'd get one right now if I could."

Ponydreamer, Greenwich, CT.

"A great one for the kids, and this old barn-bum enjoyed it, too. Ever as entertaining as educational, the story sets out comparisons between the advantages of taking lessons on horses cared for by experienced grooms to keeping a horse in your own back yard and learning by trial and error. The gymkhana at the end is terrific, and our Bailey knows enough to do the right thing."

Downtoearth, Butterfield, MN.

"Horses and Heartbeats clearly is the work of a horse-loving author who projects her love of horses into her teenage characters. I'm not a horse lover, but I became engaged in the process and struggles of the friends who work with Dakota Clover, readying the horse for a competition in which they all participate. The friends' work is far more about the journey, however, than about the competition itself. They find a common bond in the horse and develop their own friendships, as well as love for the four-legged companion. Neither sappy nor predictable, Horses and Heartbeats offers enjoyable reading and an uplifting, realistic story appealing both to young adults and older adults like myself. The book is a pleasing, real-life alternative to much mainstream fiction, offering a fantasy that really can and does come true."

A. J. Sobczak, Santa Barbara, CA


About the author:

Welcome, fellow horse-lovers . . .

I yearned for a horse and, when asked what I'd like for Christmas or my birthday, would always say, "A Horse, please!" Not till I was married with two children did I at last have one of my own, a four-year-old dark bay Thoroughbred mare. Introducing Teacher's Pet to the joys of trail riding, jumping, and dressage was an exciting challenge. We lived in Rye, New York then, and Pet was stabled in Greenwich, Connecticut. I enrolled in horsemastership courses, and soon found myself coaching riders in dressage, jumping, and hunt seat equitation.

My husband Peter bought a farm in Southwest Minnesota, and at last I had a barn and the opportunity to raise horses. Out of Thoroughbred mares bred to Thoroughbreds and Holsteiners, I produced, raised and trained nine sporthorses of good temperament and size and way of going. I relish my years spent with horses. Horses and Heartbeats is a story I would have enjoyed reading during my years of yearning. Polly Thompson

polly2794@frontier.com





Horses and Heartbeats