Dante [eBook - NC Kids Digital Library] : Horses of the Maury River Stables

Handsome but headstrong, a retired racehorse finds a second chance in this affecting, fast-paced novel told straight from the horse's mouth. When Dante's Inferno is born early, on a February night, there are already great expectations for him. He may be the grandson of the greatest racehorse in modern times, but Dante's start proves a rough one, both in life and on the track. When Dante fails as a racehorse, he ends up at a Thoroughbred rescue facility run by rehabilitating prisoners before being adopted as a project horse at the Maury River Stables. It's not easy for Dante to make friends—horse or human—but slowly horses Daisy and Napoleon let him into the fold, and a student named Ashley begins to work with him to learn dressage and jumping in hopes that he'll find redemption as an eventing horse. Can Dante put his fears aside and succeed on the cross-country course? Narrated from Dante's point of view, this is a story that animal lovers will cherish.

"the Sentimental Horse Story Is Revived To Magnificent Effect In This Moving Novel. . . . Winds To A Stirring Finish." — The Horn Book

on The Night That Chancey Is Born, A "fire Star" Gallops Across The Sky, A Signal That A Great Horse Has Entered The World. But It Will Take Many Years Of Slights And Hardships Before The Orphaned Albino Will Believe That The Prophecy Is Truly Meant For Him. First He Must Find A Home At The Maury River Stables And A Girl Named Claire Who Needs Him As Much As He Needs Her. Then, When His Aching Joints And Impending Blindness Bring An End To Their Training Together, He Must Start A New Chapter As A Therapeutic Horse, Healing People With Wounds Both Visible And Unseen. In The Manner Of A Latter-day Black Beauty, Chancey’s Observant Voice Narrates This Absorbing Story, Filled With Fascinating Details Of Life At The Stable And Keen Insight Into Equine Instinct, Human Emotion, And The Ineffable Bond That Connects Them Both.

children's Literature

meet Chancey, A Twenty-something Albino Appaloosa. We Are First Introduced To Him As He Reflects On His Life Wondering If His Mothers' Prayers And Wishes Would Ever Come To Fruition. You See, Great Expectations Were Thrust On Chancey—born To Stunning Parents, With The Hopes Of Becoming A Champion With His Parent's Striking Colorations. Instead, He Was Born Void Of Pigment, And Merely Tolerated By The Herd Only Because Of His Mother's Greatness. Chancey's Life Is One Of Uncertainty Now That His Riding Stable And The Other Horses Have To Be Sold. Chancey Was The Only One Left, Not Because Of Emotional Attachment, But Because No One Wanted Him. Not Wanting Him To Be Left In The Hands Of Strangers, Chancey's Owner Begs Another Stable To Take Him, Until She Could Make Other Arrangements. What Seems Like The End Of The Line For Chancey Is Really A Blessing In Disguise, And His Gift Of A Second Chance. The Book Is Full Of Second Chances, And Not Just For Chancey. Next To Get Another Chance Is Claire, Whose Parents Just Got Divorced And Has Developed A Stutter In Her Speech. Realizing His Potential As A Therapy Horse, Mrs. Maiden Wisely Places Her New Charge In A Class For Therapeutic Students. Chancey Accepts And Tolerates Each One, Though Claire Will Always Hold A Special Place In His Heart. Trevor Also Is Given A Second Chance. Stricken With Cancer And Feeling Overwhelmed By The Disease, Trevor Wants Nothing To Do With A Horse, Or A Structured Lifestyle. During One Self Depreciating Moment Claire Lashes Out At Him, And Tells Trevor That Chancey Also Has Cancer. This Exchange Makes All The Difference For Trevor, Who Decides He Will Fight And Hopes To Win A Championship With Chancey One Day. A Sight Set Too High, You May Wonder, But The Bonding Among All The Characters Is Described And Played Out So Well You Would Consider Such A Thought Foolish. Claire Can Come Across As Bossy And Spoiled At Times But Girls (let's Face It—no Boy Would Be Caught Reading This Work Unless It Involved A Great Reward, Or They Lost A Bet!) Who Read This Will Allow Her To Be So For A Brief While! Told In ?first-horse' Narrative, Amateau Brings The World Of Horse Stables And Competitions To A Level Everyone Can Comprehend—yet Will Resonate Favorably With Those Already Schooled In All Things Equine. A Nice Escape, With Hardly A Dull Moment. Reviewer: Elizabeth Young

Told through a horses eyes, here is the entrancing tale of an Appaloosa who finds a chance to renew his trust, and of the humans he helps to restore. On the night that Chancey is born, a "fire star" gallops across the sky, a signal that a great horse has entered the world. But it will take many years of slights and hardships before the orphaned albino will believe that the prophecy is truly meant for him. First he must find a home at the Maury River Stables and a girl named Claire who needs him as much as he needs her. Then, when his aching joints and impending blindness bring an end to their training together, he must start a new chapter as a therapeutic horse, healing people with wounds both visible and unseen. In the manner of a latter-day Black Beauty, Chanceys observant voice narrates this absorbing story, filled with fascinating details of life at the stable and keen insight into equine instinct, human emotion, and the ineffable bond that connects them both. A sequel to Chancey of the Maury River , this heart-tugging story focuses on Macadoo the gentle giant of the Maury River Stables. When Macadoo is just a colt, he challenges his father a huge Belgian stallion in order to protect his dam. From that moment on, Mac knows that his purpose in life is to help others. From surviving a kill auction to learning how to be a vaulting horse to giving therapeutic riding lessons, Mac is always patient and never loses hope in his mission to serve others and he finds the courage to "walk on" through even the most difficult circumstances. Told with insight and compassion from Macadoos point of view, this is a story that all horse lovers will cherish. "When Dante's Inferno is born early on a February night, there are already great expectations for him. He may be the grandson of the greatest racehorse in modern times, but Dante's start proves a rough one, both in life and on the track. When Dante fails as a racehorse, he ends up at a Thoroughbred rescue facility run by rehabilitating prisoners before being adopted as a project horse at the Maury River Stables." -- (Source of summary not specified) When Macadoo is a colt, he challenges his father, a huge Belgian stallion, in order to protect his mother and the rest of the herd. From that moment on, Mac knows that his purpose in life is to help and serve others however he can. Though Macadoo endures much adversity, he finds the courage to 'walk on' through even the most difficult circumstances. Told from Macadoo's point of view and featuring beloved characters from Chancey of the Maury River. Realizing that his purpose in life is to help others, Macadoo, a colt whose sire is a huge Belgian stallion, survives a kill auction and trains as a vault jumper before happily pursuing work as a therapeutic riding horse After being abandoned, Chancey, an albino Appaloosa horse, finds a new home with Claire, who needs him as much as he needs her, but as his eyesight deteriorates, he and Claire start anew as a therapeutic team