I have a 10 year old relative who loooves horses and stories about people on horseback (lucky luke for an example).
However, he gets teased that this is a girl thing, since there are lots of horse books with female protagonists but not a lot with boys.
I want to gift him an exciting story about a boy riding a horse (comic would be ok as well as long as it’s age appropriate).
It would be nice if the book wasn’t too old since he might have trouble with the language otherwise.
I do not want a queer book or something like “it’s okay to be gay!” since that’s actually part of the teasing, “lovingly” suggesting that he is gay or trans just because he likes horses : /
He feels uncomfortable with this because he feels like he is not “supposed to like” horses unless he has a queer identity.
Bonus points if the protagonist is non-white and it’s a western setting, but so far I’ve had little luck at all.
by Owlish_Howl
15 Comments
The horse and his boy. C S Lewis
I’ve got some books for you! Not sure about their quality but they seem good:
Riding Chance by Christine Kendall: I think black main character. About a boy who finds horses through being sentenced to a stable for juvenile detention alternative.
Pony by R J Palaccio: ghost!!! horse!!! By a great author. Sad but exciting book.
The Black Stallion is from 1941 but is a classic boy with a horse adventure.
Snowman: The True Story of a Champion by Catherine Hapka & Rutherford Montgomery is about a horse that becomes a jumping champion
– [The Compton Cowboys: Young Readers’ Edition: And the Fight to Save Their Horse Ranch](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/4fc27a1a-ab66-4b59-b998-8eeb1d340c57?redirect=true) by Walter Thompson-Hernandez
– [Pony](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/d528b6f3-8990-48f3-810c-e062d9dfdb24?redirect=true) by R.J. Palacio
– [The Perfect Horse](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/042e2ac5-977a-4e76-976d-eec6cc4e76b2) by Elizabeth Letts
– [Horse Boy](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/59dcea28-0333-477c-a824-c2fde8015c9e) by Tanya Landman
The Black Stallion, but the boy is white and not in a western setting, and then there is the Black Stallion Returns, both made into movies. However, the horse and the boy are underdogs and they have subject matter that is very relevant in our society still today.
In the Rangers Apprentice books by John Flanagan, the horses are talked about a lot, loved very much and they have personality.
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
“The Stallion and His Peculiar Boy,” by M.J. Evans
“Bronco Charlie and the Pony Express,” Marlene Targ Brill
“Colt,” by Nancy Springer
“The Storm,” by Marc Harshman
“No Small Thing,” by Natale Ghent
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(These last two might be too old, but I’m going to suggest them just in case.)
“King of the Wind,” by Marguerite Henry
“The Black Stallion series,” by Walter Farley
Also suggesting Snowman (Rutherford Montgomery) and The Perfect Horse ( that may be too advanced for a 10 year old). Marguerite Henry’s King of the Wind and White Stallion of Lipizza.
Several of Marguerite Henry’s books feature young male leads with various notable horses. My personal favorites growing up (I’m female) were Misty of Chincoteague and King of the Wind; the human lead in the latter is north African/Moroccan. For a western setting, there’s Brighty of the Grand Canyon, which is about a burro.
Henry wrote in the 1940s-1960s so the language is a bit archaic but her books were aimed at younger readers.
the Gabriel’s Horses series!
What you want is Black Stallion! Male protagonist who’s a great role model for young boys!
Smoky the Cow Horse by Will James. Introduce him to cowboy culture, where it’s normal and necessary to life for men to ride horses. Will James’ books have gorgeous illustrations.
My brother LOVED horses! This is an old book, but his favorite was Justin Morgan Had a Horse. And his favorite movie was The Man From Snowy River. I recently rewatched the movie and it’s a masterpiece! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with boys liking horses. Maybe you could also gift him riding lessons.
Has he read the My Friend Flicka trilogy? The main character is definitely a boy…. And the books are great. Also, I totally recommend westerns. I probably started reading Louis Lamour when I was a bit older than 10, but I was a total addict as a teen.
Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions, the Autobiography of a Horse by Anna Sewell.
It’s told from the perspective of the horse. He’s a male horse. Nothing girly about this book. And it’s exciting!