Horsestory Volume II: Longhorns to Lady Wonder
“If horses could type—what a book they could write!”
Since they can’t (type), I decided to write the book for them.
Although our past is intertwined with horses, the stories of those strong and loyal helpers have mostly been forgotten. The Horsestory series highlights the diverse roles horses played over the years, and, when available, relates the stories of specific animals.
The series is very visual with many historical photos. It's an enjoyable read on its own for those who love horses or history.
Volume II covers the time period from the days of the cattle drives out west to the early 1920s.
Test your Horsestory IQ. Did you know?
- A president was once arrested for speeding in his horse-drawn carriage.
- A blind horse helped build the Transcontinental Railroad.
- Horses helped save hundreds of lives by carrying warnings of a dam collapse in 1874.
- Fifteen of the first twenty-eight winning jockeys in the Kentucky Derby were black.
- A Thoroughbred mare’s photos were used in one of the earliest versions of a motion picture.
- Twenty mule teams, usually consisting of eighteen mules, hauled 20,000,000 tons of borax.
- Horses moved an entire village of fifty-five houses a half mile to its new location in 1897.
- Most of the Rough Riders walked.
- Horses played a vital role in the lifeboat system that saved people from shipwrecks.
- Horses were instrumental in developing the antitoxin for diphtheria.
- Seven and eleven-year-old brothers rode alone from New York to California in 62 days.
- A “psychic” mare helped searchers locate two missing boys in 1952 and 1955.
In Horsestory Volume II: Longhorns to Lady Wonder, you’ll not only find the stories listed above but many more—sixty-two chapters of incredible ways horses collaborated with humans to achieve amazing things.
I'm still working on the study guide, but here are the first 20 chapters.
I may use 2 or 3 different files as this is already 90 pages.
This is a free download, but it's designed to be used with the print book, so it won't be terribly useful without that. This PDF is purely optional. If you'd rather just read the book without it, you won't need this file.
Feel free to copy the pages for use within your own family. I include my suggestions for usage at the beginning. Each chapter contains:
- Questions for writing or discussion
- Online resources containing links to relevant articles, photos, and videos (Use your own discretion/supervision here. The links in the pdf are clickable, but I can't guarantee that the content hasn't changed since I viewed it. I suggest a parent preview and select appropriate resources.)
- A devotional lesson related to the chapter topic
- Related information when available
- Print resources when available
- The Appendix contains:
- Suggestions for supplemental history texts if desired
- Historical fiction lists
- Video sites
- Sources for public domain images
- An overview timeline (in list format) from the explorers to modern times
- A chronological list of U.S. presidents including their years in office, vice president, and if their term ended early
- Presidential thumbnail images
- Western-themed writing pages
- A variety of outline horses to color to match the horses in the book.
Paperback, 8.5x11, 306 pages with b&w illustrations
ISBN: 978-1733391252
Age range: 12 to adult (there isn't anything objectionable in the content, this is just an estimate based on reading ability and interest level)
Purchase Page
