A girl who longs for her own horse is given the chance to care for a troubled, damaged horse, who needs her as much as she needs him. Fourteen-year-old Jane Ryan has always dreamed of having a horse of her own―but so long as she gets to ride her favorite school horse, Beau, at Sunny Acres farm, she's content. And this is the summer she means to try out for the advanced riding class. But just as camp begins, Jane receives heartbreaking news about Beau. She loses, not just her favorite horse, but also her chance to ride in the end-of-summer competition. When her trainer asks for her help with an out-of-control chestnut warmblood, Lancelot, a newcomer to the barn, she has no choice but to say yes. There's another new addition to the farm: Ben Reyes, the grandson of the barn's manager. As Jane struggles to go on without Beau, and to make Lancelot the great horse she believes him to be, her feelings for Ben, her relationships with the privileged group of girls she rides with, and her painful, joyous road to self-discovery all lead to a heart-pounding conclusion that is truly a new beginning. Only Jane's faith in Lancelot, and her own rediscovered skill and strength, can see her through the hard journey toward a horse of her own. "Sensitive, sophisticated and lyrically written, Wedekind's debut portrays the typical teen struggle for self-awareness in an anything-but-typical fashion. Possibly the most honest horse book since National Velvet, from an equestrian point-of-view, this offering's riding scenes combine accuracy with seat-of-the-pants excitement. A champion.” ―Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review “There aren't a lot of books around for horse-mad girls these days . . . . Where oh where are the horsey novels? Thank goodness for Annie Wedekind. She has written an utterly charming novel that should be placed into the hands of horse-loving girls immediately upon publication.” ―Kidliterate.com Annie Wedekind grew up riding horses in Louisville, Kentucky. Since then, she's been in the saddle in every place she's lived, from Providence to New Orleans, South Africa to Brooklyn. She is also the author of four books in the Breyer Horse Portrait Collection: Wild Blue: The Story of a Mustang Appaloosa, Little Prince: The Story of a Shetland Pony, Samirah's Ride: The Story of an Arabian Filly, and Mercury's Flight: The Story of a Lipizzaner Stallion. She lives in Brooklyn with her family. A Horse of Her Own By Annie Wedekind Square Fish Copyright © 2009 Annie Wedekind All right reserved. ISBN: 9780312581466 Horse of Her Own, A Chapter 1 The Beginning of Summer T here was no doubt that Alyssa Taylor was an excellent rider. Slim and poised, with a straight, relaxed back and lower legs like iron, she had a casual way of sitting on a horse like it belonged to her, as if she were favoring it with her seat and hands. This easy dominance was of a piece with the rest of her life--her tanned good looks and mature figure, her super-low-cut jeans with perfectly frayed cuffs, her expensive school, and her natural popularity.As she watched Alyssa canter her dainty Arab mare, Ariel, over a combination jump, Jane Ryan admitted to herself that, as she'd been for so many years, she was still jealous. It was impossible not to be, she thought, unlessyou were already in Alyssa's inner circle of friends who rode at Sunny Acres farm. Jane had ridden here since she was eight, but the following six years of summer camp and Saturday lessons had not brought her any closer to the chosen group. She had always been steady Jane, willing to stay late to walk the horses and muck out the stalls, just for the chance to spend more time at the stable, and, of course, to ride the school horses since she didn't board or lease a horse of her own.Luckily, one of these school horses was Beau (pronounced "boo"), and Jane thought he was the best horse in the world. She often allowed herself to pretend that he really was her own--a fantasy all too easily burst when Beau was given over to another girl to ride. But now, as she watched Alyssa and Ariel sail over the last jump, Jane patted Beau's strong brown neck and whispered to him, "As long as we're together, I'm happy as a clam, I promise." Beau flickered his ears, listening, and stamped his hoof, as if he agreed with her.It had been a fine lesson. Jane had worried that Beau would tire early in the humid late-May heat, but he was in a particularly good mood this morning, lengthening his fluid strides as she asked him to stretch out his trot, and arching his neck rather grandly as he went on the bit without a fuss. Some days he simply pretended not to understand what she meant when she gathered the reins and gently urged him to lower his head. Though his nature was gentle, his spirit was independent, and he was certainly no "push button," as the horses who would do anything theirriders asked were called. Jane liked the challenge and liked that Beau kept her on her toes. Still, she'd r