The Black Stallion

This was the first book I ever pulled from the big kids’ shelves at our library. I read it in the big chair in the den until Mother chased me outside with dire threats that I was ruining my eyes. 

Then I read among straw bales and a heap of yard cats until nightfall lured the cats away. Then I read in bed until Mother threatened further direness if I didn’t turn off my light. Then I read by moonlight until I fell asleep and woke again the next day to read more.

A shipwreck, an island, and a horse.… show more.

I don’t know how many times I stayed up late, unable to put down a book, but The Black Stallion was my first ‘stay-up-all-night’ read. Alec’s journey of survival and winning over the Black Stallion exploded in my mind. I drew, I wrote, I joined a swim club and started riding lessons.

I learned to never give up on my dreams, no matter how impossible they might seem. It also drew me into the world of natural horsemanship as well as to choose an interesting career: forestry. I wanted to live the adventure and did!  For me, this is where… show more.

This is one of those books that helped me fall in love with reading. It is the story of a young boy named Alec who becomes stranded on a deserted island with a wild black stallion. Over time, the two form a deep bond, and upon their rescue, Alec trains the stallion to become a racehorse. 

I think this was the first series I ever got hooked on. These are oldies but goodies. As a young horse lover, I believe I read all of them. This book helped to start my passion for reading and writing.

I grew up in Florida and we lived in an old house without central A/C.

I spent my boyhood summers in the air-conditioned public library. This is one of the all-time great coming-of-age stories. A kid and an animal who get each other. A formula that’s still exploited today and this is one of the cornerstones.

This was written in the era of Seabiscuit and War Admiral, so the fastest-horse-out-of-nowhere theme was relevant to the times. 

This is a classic tale of a wild horse that only one person can tame, a trope that resonates with every horse lover the world over, me included!

A shipwreck leaves horse-mad Alec stranded on a desert island with the Black, a wild Arabian stallion. The pair must learn to trust each other if they are to survive.

But this is as much a story about horse racing as it is a shipwreck tale, and when Alec and the Black return home to America the Black’s incredible speed sees him taking part in a match race against the two fastest… show more.

From 1941 comes this powerful story of a teenage boy, Alec Ramsay, and his horse. Alec and the wild horse are the sole survivors of a storm-driven shipwreck, marooned together on a desert island. There they must learn to trust each other if either is to survive the ordeal. They eventually develop a strong bond after many fits and starts. I galloped through this gripping adventure story that takes Alec and the Black on an episodic journey together. It also broadened my horizons, as exotic places for a boy from Brooklyn are featured. The book spawned more than a score… show more.

What horse lover hasn’t read this age-long classic? As a child reading this book first published in 1941, the storyline of a boy and a wild horse only increased my love for horses and my desire to own them when I grew up. From Alec Ramsay and the Black's first meeting on an ill-fated ship to their adventures on a desert island and their eventual rescue, this beloved story will hold the attention of any horse lovers, young or old. 

Most people know the movie The Black Stallion, but it all started with the book. A tale of a young boy and an Arabian stallion stranded together on an island after being shipwrecked, this is the story of the love that grows between these two lost and frightened souls. It was originally written for children, but this book is appreciated just as much by adults.