Read more
Meghan Callahan never wanted to learn to ride English. She had loved riding Western and helping on cattle drives when she lived in Colorado. But Dad's job has taken the family to Nevada, where her new instructor, Jeannie, insists she learn to ride one of those "wussy" (as the kids on the high school rodeo team call it) English saddles.
Riding English on her reining horse, Freckles, proves to be more physically challenging and emotionally rewarding than Meghan ever dreamed. To her surprise, her new skills deepen her bond with her horse, with Jeannie, and with her riding buddy Autumn Rose, a Navajo girl who helps Meghan regain her balance when chaotic emotions begin to overwhelm her.
During the summer before her freshman year, Meghan discovers the thrill of jumping, competes in horse shows, and learns the fundamentals of barrel racing. When Jeannie is hurt in an accident, Meghan's newfound self-confidence enables her to help Jeannie fulfill her obligations to clients as Meghan and Autumn Rose become assistant trainers, working with the clients' horses every day. Best summer job ever!
About the author
After earning her teaching degree at Penn State University, Susan Carpenter Noble tucked it in her hip pocket and took off for Colorado to become a horse trainer. Somehow, her mentors got the gangly six-footer to where she could actually get something done on a horse, and she won state championships in such diverse events as Reining, Western Riding, and Working Hunter. She also coached students to state championships in Dressage, Trail, and Barrel Racing, among others.
When she's not out in the arena teaching her Horse Kids, or hiking with her husband, or traveling to see her far-flung siblings and adult kids, she's usually typing away on the keyboard, telling the kinds of horse stories she would like to have read growing up.
Her debut novel, "Cowgirls Don't Quit," and the soon-to-be-released sequel, "The Free Horse," were inspired by two of her recent students. The rest of her students are currently on their best behavior for fear she will embarrass them in a similar manner.
