A spectacular tale about friendship and horses, which will delight all pony-mad children & teenagers as you long to join ‘the saddle club’!! As a teenager who was (and still remains to this day) a horse and pony mad girl & equestrian enthusiast, The Saddle Club books were my most treasured and prized possession for they gave me hours of endless pleasure whilst promoting the joys of reading. I would plaster my walls with hundreds of horse and pony posters and shots of the ‘saddle club’ members, from the hit television drama series that still remains as ever extremely popular. Out of all the horse books I devoured as a child and teenager and then on into adulthood, I would have to say that the saddle club still remains one of my favorites & a series that is so extensive you will be kept busy collecting and reading them all. Character-driven with such memorable adventures (i.e. when the three girls first meet Veronica, or when they have to save Pine Hollow financially from a company ect.) These tales do live with you forever as the captivating and absorbing narrative is spot on, combining a mixture of horsing around with teenage trials & tribulations and the fun times as a kid; these stories will keep you entertained for hours and glued to the page. Horse Sense follows the three members of The Saddle Club (Stevie, Carol and Lisa) whose individuality and quirkiness makes you instantly connect with them and able to empathize and relate to them, as they encounter innumerable situations within life. As a new member of the club Lisa feels left out as Carol and Stevie are so busy with important matters of their own, that they do not realize that their best friend is feeling neglected. This story instantly struck a cord for I recalled similar experiences during my own school years; a time in which you are so busy with homework, horses and family that those surrounding you can be somewhat aloof. I love the character of Lisa and so it was a real treat to be able to look at her from a more personal perspective and understand more about her & her family and life in general, whilst not detracting from the main central focus which is of course her friends group at the stables. I would say that ‘Horse sense’ is in a way detailed and insightful character studies, letting the readers take a more vivid look at one of the three girls and so I would highly recommend that you read this in the series. The part that touched me most was the horse head safety pins that are ‘badges’ for the group, and which I thought was delightful & charming and which showed Lisa’s caring side. Bonnie Bryant is a fantastic writer whose characters are just so memorable and distinctive, from the show-off, spoilt Veronica DiAngelo to Stevie, Lisa and Carol who spend their days at Pine Hollow Stables with their favorite horses Patch (then Lisa had Prancer), Belle (Stevie’s horse) and Starlight (Carol’s horse). In 2001 a television drama series was created due to the popularity of the series that sadly ended in 2003, and then was renewed for a third season with new actors due to the previous ones being too old. The aim of the saddle club is so as to share their united love of horses and horse riding, which is mutual in all respects including their hatred for wealthy Veronica. Their rivalry between them and Veronica is apparent throughout the series during training for competitions and various horse shows, as the Saddle Club typically triumphs over their adversities, whilst sending a clear message to readers about the importance of friendship, teamwork & unity and selflessness. If you love horses and are up to around 15 or 16 max, then this series is a must-read with ‘Horse Sense’ as one of my favorites. Do you want to join The Saddle Club?!
One reason I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars because the author gives good reasons so you can really understand what is going on. And not just be stuck and not have a clue what is going on. She wants you to be hooked in. My next reason is, there is lots of action and the action makes you want to keep reading the book and see what happens. That is one of her ways to hook the reader in. Also some of the action is really funny and some times very serious. Lastly the characters have very much drama and do it on purpose to make you change your mind about what the characters are like.
