Making the Grade, by Bernadette Kelly

Now she has a horse, all Annie has to do is learn how to ride.

Moving from the city was hard. Leaving all her friends behind, the only good thing about Ridgeview was that their new house had enough room for Annie to have a pony. Annie loves Bobby, but she is beginning to realise that riding isn’t as easy as it looks. Everyone else seems to understand the language of riding. Everyone else seems to know how to ride. As Annie spends more time at the stables she realises that not everyone is as confident as they seem. Perhaps they are still learning too. When the call goes out for grading, Annie rashly puts her name on the list.

This second instalment in the Riding High series explores the challenges in learning to ride. Annie is game for anything, but the more she learns, the more she realises she doesn’t know. Through a mix of practice and some bravado Annie improves her riding skills and finds herself a job to offset the costs of riding. Bernadette Kelly has interspersed the story with plenty of technical details which illustrate what it takes to care for a horse. Recommended for middle to upper-primary aged readers, especially horse-lovers.

Making the Grade, by Bernadette Kelly
black dog books 2006
ISBN: 1921167033