Book Review: Afraid to Ride by C.W. Anderson

Afraid to Ride. Written and illustrated by C. W. Anderson. Published by Macmillan in 1957.

In my opinion, one of the best equine artists' and illustrators of horse books is C. W. Anderson. Using just black and white charcoal drawings, Mr. Anderson shows the shine that gleams off the glossy coat of a healthy horse. He is also a master at showing the movement that a horses' body makes. In addition to equine art, Mr. Anderson wrote both fictional and non-fiction stories for juveniles up through the early 1970's when he passed away. The majority of his stories focus on what appears to have been his favorite breed of horse which was Thoroughbreds.

One of my all-time favorite C. W. Anderson books is Afraid to Ride. The story starts with Judy, a horse lover, at horse camp. Since it was horse camp, there was riding in the ring every day where horses were assigned to each camper. One day Judy was assigned to a horse that was stubborn and unruly. It was while riding with other riders that were not in control of their horses that Judy was injured in a terrible accident when her horse fell on her.

After the accident, Judy was afraid of horses and no longer wanted anything to do with them. She put away her riding clothes since she would no longer need them. At first her parents were pleased with her decision but then they noticed that Judy no longer seemed to be the same happy, content girl that she once was. "It was like a light had gone out of her."

On a chance meeting one day, Judy met Mr. Jeffers who ran the stable where she used to ride. He asked her to come visit him, just to talk. Judy told him about her accident and her fear of riding. Mr. Jeffers understood Judy's fear but suggested that she not give up horses completely. "Think of the thousands who go to horse shows and races who have never ridden. Let yourself enjoy seeing them without being a rider. With you I've always felt it's part of your life."

It was when Judy was with Mr. Jeffers at a horse show that Fair Lady entered her life. While they were watching the open hunters class, Judy "saw a thin nervous horse coming out on the course." Mr. Jeffers said to Judy, "Would you believe it if I told you that three years ago that mare was one of the sweetest I ever saw and could fly over anything you put her at? Look at her now! She's been over-jumped, over-trained, and roughly handled and her nerve is gone....She's gone to pieces and has no confidence in anyone...." After Lady refused to jump in the class and was disqualified, Mr. Jeffers ran over to the owner and bought her before the man could abuse her any further.

Mr. Jeffers plan for Lady was no riding, just calm and gentle care to restore her health and her confidence in people. Unfortunately, Mr. Jeffers didn't have the time to devote to Lady so he asked Judy if she would take on the job of bringing Lady back to her former glory. Judy accepted. So Mr. Jeffers had Lady shipped over to the small stable at Judy's house and both Judy and Lady began a new life.

Judy was always calm and patient with Lady. She led her out and around the countryside at the end of a lead rope while Lady grazed. As the months passed and Lady improved, the two grew to have a close bond of friendship. While out walking one day, Judy and Lady came across the hunt club's jumps and found an injured girl next to one. The closest source of help was across the course of jumps, so without thinking much about it, Judy tied the lead rope to the other side of the halter, led Lady over to a log, and mounted. The two went over the jumps with no problem as Lady "flew" over each jump eagerly and Judy's fears of riding melted away. Later, when Judy asked if Mr. Jeffers wanted Lady brought to his stable, she found out that her father and Mr. Jeffers had planned for Lady to be Judy's horse with the hope that Judy would lose her fear of riding as Lady regained her confidence. Fair Lady belonged to Judy and both were ready to ride together.

This book is a "feel-good" book. It's a heart-warming story and makes me feel good inside every time I read it. I just love it. I have been reading and re-reading this book since I was a teenager in high school, oh, about thirty years ago now. I keep a copy on a shelf next to my bed and when I need comfort or old friends, I read the book. My favorite books have always seemed like old friends to me and I like to visit them from time to time. So I must highly recommend this book to all horse lovers out there! Afraid to Ride would also be a great gift idea for the horse lovers in the family. After all, Christmas is coming up very soon! This book is out of print now but you can buy a used copy for a reasonable price on the internet from either ebay or any of the book search services out there, like Bookfinder.com.