Crown Prince Challenged

The second book in the exciting Brookmeade Young Riders Series continues the adventures of Sarah Wagner and Crown Prince. Sarah dreams that she and her horse will someday reach the highest levels of equestrian competition. Her trainer, Jack O'Brien, helps Sarah teach Crown Prince the skills he'll need for them to compete alongside the best riders at Brookmeade Farm. Sarah and Crown Prince are considered rising stars, earning a coveted spot on the Brookmeade Farm team that will ride for the Wexford Hall Cup and inspiring envy and hostility in others. I really enjoyed the characters, the story line, and the writing, and more than anything else, the horsemanship that is woven into Crown Prince and Crown Prince Challenged. I found the characters (especially Sarah Wagner), the horses, and the problems they face, believable and interesting, and the setting (a good boarding and teaching barn) authentic in today's horse world, right down to the Jack Russell terriers. The reader will learn a lot about horses, good riding and horsemanship through these novels, but it's part of the story, not a ëlesson.' I enjoyed the first book so much that I went right on to the second, and now I'm hoping the author is working on the next one! I highly recommend these books.