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."