Review Detail

Windy Creek Stables: Presley and the Impossible Dream

Middle Grade Fiction 227

For Want of a Horse

February 04, 2025 (Updated: June 06, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

Presley Elder has always wanted to ride horses, and has read every nonfiction horse book she can get her hands on. Her mother has acquiesced to having many other animals since Presley's stepdad, Dr. Sharaf is a vet, but is too terrified of horses to let Presley ride them. When Presley gets the opportunity to go to the Windy Hill Stables in Virginia to help her stepdad and Dr. Peters evaluate a horse that one of the riders wants to buy, she's thrilled. She's also surprised to find that it is Harper and her sister Marnie whose family is looking to buy an Andalusian named Isolde. She always thought that Harper was a snooty, rich girl like her best friend Amy, but Harper is very involved in all pursuits equine and has read all the fictional horse titles. The two are both surprised, but quickly bond over their shared love. The owner of the stables, Traci, has recently had a very bad accident, and has her broken arm in a sling, which has lead to the stables being a bit unkempt. Presley sees this as an opportunity, and after getting permission from her mother as well as Harper's two mothers, arranges to go to the stables to watch Harper's lessons. She proposes to Traci that she help clean up as a way to help pay for lessons. Traci calls Presley's mom, who relents, but also lets Presley know why she is so afraid; her best friend broke her neck falling from a horse when she was seventeen, but wouldn't have wanted a girl who was so passionate about horses to be denied a chance to ride. Presley learns a lot about taking care of horses; it's one thing to read about it, and quite another to clean up horse manure. When she finally gets a chance to have a lesson, she does all the necessary work to get to know the horse, Rigo. When she takes her lesson, however, someone claps, which freaks Rigo, and Presley is thrown. She's okay, but she and her mother are both shaken. It turns out that Amy was the one who clapped, and she is dealt with severely. Presley knows she needs to get back on the horse, even though she is nervous, and that she always needs to be aware of her situation because accidents can always happen. Even her mother is okay, and Presley is excited about her new friendship with Harper as well as her ability to actually ride a horse.

Good Points

Presley's experience with horses is probably very much like my students; they read about horses and fall in love with them before they even see many in person! It was so interesting to see Presley put together her book knowledge with want she sees in person. There are plenty of details that my readers will love; the real challenges of cleaning equipment and mucking out stalls, but also the thrill of sitting on a horse. There's a little bit of requisite drama with Amy, but it was good to see that Harper and Presley got along without fighting. There are some details that would not have made it into horse books "from the last century" (like Bryant's 1988 Saddle Club series or Betancourt's 1994 Pony Pals); Presley has box braids, and Traci lets her know that she might need different helmets to safely accommodate her different hairstyles. I try to buy a new horse book or two every year to keep up with the steady but not overwhelming number of readers I have, and this will be one that will go nicely with Hicks' Ride On, Farley's Phantom Stallion, and Burkhardt's Saddle Hill Academy.

This focuses on English style riding. It would be nice to have an occasional book about Western style.

I'm curious to see the next book in the series. Will it, like Hapka's Ponies of Chincoteague, focus on a different character for each book? No information is available at this time, but this is a horse series to watch.