Let's be honest here. When you're a young girl, dealing with the ups and downs of middle school (and boys who think teasing is flirting), horses are a very welcome distraction. While boys might be slathering themselves with the "more is better" axe spray, horse smells are the most irresistible odors for coming-of-age girls. My love of horses began as a child as an automatic response to their majestic beauty. As a child of the sixties on Long Island, horses were inaccessible to the average middle-class American. I learned to ride in camp and occasionally was gifted with horseback riding lessons. But I dreamed of the day when I could have horses as part of my life.
The first book I read was A Pony for the Winter. I found a copy years later when I became a treasure-hunting bookseller. But there is no way I am releasing it from my collection. But that was one of the reasons I started my debsbookparadise.com site. That book meant everything to me when I was young. It helped me dream of a day when I could have a pony or a horse. And years later, I made the dream come true. But that is a story for another day. By 1986, when The Saddle Club launched, I was already an adult with an infant.I would have loved the Saddle Club books as a tween, so when I discovered the series in my travels, I scooped them up for my store
The funny thing about the series is the author, Bonnie Bryant, wasn't a horsie girl. She was a writer. I respect her willingness to research her subject, which is what I like to do when I write. One time, I read 30 books while preparing to write a book about a subject. Bonnie Bryant did the same kind of deep dive to understand the popularity of horses among young girls. She fell in love with horses through writing about them and the tween girls who love them.
Bonnie Bryant created a world where three best friends—Stevie, Carole, and Lisa—were free to gallop off into adventure without a single love triangle or axe cloud in sight.
The Saddle Club began in 1986 with Horse Crazy and then ran for 101 main titles. We have a pristine set of Volumes 1-14 available on our site: The Saddle Club Volumes 1-14 and a few additional titles:
The Saddle Club Volume 17: Horsenapped
The Saddle Club Volume 80 English Rider
The Saddle Club Volume 70 Horse Race
The Saddle Club Volume 67 The Summer Horse
We will continue to scour the world for more of these beautiful books so you can introduce them to a new generation of horse lovers. Or maybe you want to fill out your set. In a day when we want to encourage female empowerment, horses provide a way to build confidence and awareness. I learned to focus by spending time with my horse. If you want to learn to be present, have your food stepped on once or twice by a thousand-plus-pound animal.
The Saddle Club was (and still is) more than just a book series; it was an escape for girls seeking adventure and a world where friendships and dreams are stronger than crushes and bad hair days. Girls didn't just read about Stevie, Carole, and Lisa; they became them, taking the reins of their own lives (pun totally intended).
So, whether you want to relive your memories or have a horsey tween in the family, there's something magical waiting for you in these books. And if you haven't checked out The Saddle Club lately, what are you waiting for? They're ready to whisk you back to the barn, where the friendships are as strong as the hay bales, and the boys are far away.
By the way, The Saddle Club was made into a television series in 2001 and ran until 2009. It is available to the new generation on streaming platforms such as AppleTV and Amazon Prime. But buy your books here to support the indie bookseller's revolution.
Saddle Up at Deb's Book Paradise!
Ready to dive back into the world of The Saddle Club? We've got a stable full of titles waiting for you at Debsbookparadise.com. Browse around for other great hard-to-find books. We have all kinds of subjects and classic titles for you or those you love.