The Saddle Club (books) facts for kids
The Saddle Club is a popular series of books for young readers. These books were published by Bantam Books from 1988 to 2001. The idea for the series came from a publishing company. Many of the books were written by different authors.
The series also led to other book collections. These include The Saddle Club Super Editions, The Saddle Club Inside Stories, Pony Tails, and Pine Hollow. The books were also made into a TV show called The Saddle Club. In the 1990s, there was even a fan club for the books!
The stories follow the adventures of three best friends: Carole Hanson, Stevie Lake, and Lisa Atwood. They live in a made-up town called Willow Creek, Virginia. They all love to ride horses at Pine Hollow Stables. In the very first book, Horse Crazy, the girls become friends while helping Stevie with a school project. This is how their special club, The Saddle Club, began!
When the series starts, Carole and Stevie are twelve years old and in seventh grade. Lisa is thirteen and in eighth grade. Even though the books cover several years, the characters don't get older until the "Pine Hollow" series.
Contents
About the Books
The Saddle Club books are told from a third-person point of view. This means a narrator tells the story, not one of the characters. In the first books, the story often shared the thoughts and feelings of Carole, Stevie, Lisa, and their friends. Later books told the story from a wider view.
Book Titles
- For a full list of all the books, see List of Saddle Club books.
Meet the Main Characters
Carole Hanson: The Horse Expert
- First appearance: Book #1, Horse Crazy
- Age: 12
- Family: Her dad, Mitch Hanson, is a Colonel in the United States Marine Corps. Her mom, Jeanne Hanson, passed away when Carole was 11. Carole also has a black cat named Snowball.
- Horse: Starlight, who was first called Pretty Boy. He is a bay half-Thoroughbred gelding. Carole gets him as a Christmas gift in book #13, Starlight Christmas. She is the best and most serious rider of the three friends. She started riding when she was only four years old!
- Personality: Carole is very organized when it comes to horses. But she can be a bit messy with other things. She sometimes acts like she knows everything, but this can be helpful.
Stevie Lake: The Fun-Loving Rider
- First appearance: Book #1, Horse Crazy
- Age: 12
- Family: Her parents are both lawyers. She has an older brother, Chad, and a twin brother, Alex. She also has a younger brother, Michael. Her cat is named Madonna.
- Horse: Belle, a dark bay Arabian cross Saddlebred mare. Stevie gets Belle in "Horse Trade" and officially owns her in "Gift Horse".
- Personality: Stevie started riding when she was eight. She is the most playful and least organized of the friends. She loves to play practical jokes. One of her best skills is dressage, which is a very precise type of riding. Stevie is the only girl in her family. She often has funny arguments with her brothers. She is also the only one with a steady boyfriend, Phil.
Lisa Atwood: The Organized New Rider
- First appearance: Book #1, Horse Crazy
- Age: 13
- Family: Her dad is Richard. Her mom is Eleanor. She has an older brother, Peter, who is often away at college. She has a Lhasa apso dog named Dolly. Later, her parents separate. Her dad marries Evelyn, and they have a half-sister named Lily.
- Horse: Lisa never owns her own horse in the main series. Her parents thought about buying her one once. But Lisa felt she wasn't ready. She told Carole about the horse, and Carole ended up buying him and naming him Starlight.
- Personality: Lisa is the oldest friend but the newest rider. She started riding because her mom thought it was good for young ladies to know about horses. Lisa is very organized and gets great grades. She always tries to be perfect. She is shorter than Carole and Stevie.
Maximilian "Max" Regnery III: The Stable Owner
- First appearance: Book #1, Horse Crazy
- Family: His grandfather, Maxmilian, started Pine Hollow Stables. His mother is Elizabeth, known as "Mrs. Reg." He marries Deborah Hale, a newspaper reporter. They have two daughters, Maxine "Maxi" and Jeanne "Minnie."
- Horses: Max owns about 25 horses at Pine Hollow Stables. This number grows over time.
- Personality: Max owns Pine Hollow and teaches riding classes. He believes that students should not only ride but also care for their horses. He also expects them to do well in school and help around the stable. If a student's grades drop, Max won't let them ride until their grades improve. He is a respected teacher and a skilled rider himself.
Elizabeth "Mrs. Reg" Regnery: The Stable Manager
- First appearance: Book #1, Horse Crazy
- Family: Her son is Max. Her daughter-in-law is Deborah Hale. Her granddaughters are Maxine "Maxi" and Jeanne "Minnie."
- Horse: Mrs. Reg rides often. She often rides a white Arabian gelding named Barq.
- Personality: Mrs. Reg manages the stable. She schedules classes and plans special events. She doesn't like to see people doing nothing. She often gives them jobs if they aren't busy. She is also known for telling interesting stories that seem to connect to what The Saddle Club is going through.
Veronica diAngelo: The Rival
- First appearance: Book #1, Horse Crazy
- Family: Her dad is a banker and the richest man in Willow Creek. Her mom is a well-known social figure. She has several dogs, including two black labradors and a poodle named Robespierre.
- Horses: Princess, a pony she had when she was 11. Cobalt, a black Thoroughbred stallion. Garnet, a chestnut Arabian mare. Go For Blue "Danny," a well-trained dapple grey Thoroughbred gelding.
- Personality: Veronica is a very spoiled girl. She is often The Saddle Club's enemy, especially Stevie's. Veronica always wears the newest clothes and doesn't like The Saddle Club's simpler style. Sometimes, the books suggest she acts badly because her parents are too busy for her. She might want to be part of The Saddle Club but keeps people away.
Other Important Characters
- Dr. Judy Barker - A horse doctor who treats most of the horses at Pine Hollow.
- John Brightstar - A wrangler's son who is often a romantic interest for Lisa.
- Kate Devine - A former champion rider and friend of The Saddle Club. Her parents own a dude ranch.
- Christine Lonetree - A kind Native American girl who becomes an honorary member of The Saddle Club.
- Phil Marsten - Stevie's boyfriend. He lives in a different county and also rides horses.
- Red O'Malley - The main stablehand at Pine Hollow. He is polite and often helps out.
- Skye Ransom - A teenage actor whom The Saddle Club teaches to ride. He often asks for their help when filming movies.
- Emily Williams - A young rider with cerebral palsy. The Saddle Club becomes friends with Emily and her horse, P.C. She is also an honorary member of the Saddle Club.
Awards for the Series
In 2003, The Saddle Club series won a BILBY Award. This award celebrates books chosen by children in Queensland, Australia.
Other Books and the TV Show
More Books
Because The Saddle Club books were so popular, two other types of books and two new series were created.
The Saddle Club Super Edition books are longer stories about Carole, Lisa, and Stevie. They are sometimes written in a different way. For example, Super Edition #1, A Summer Without Horses, tells the story from each girl's point of view.
The Inside Story books are written like diaries or journals. In these books, one of the girls (Stevie, Lisa, or Carole) writes about events from the regular Saddle Club books. These books are even longer than the Super Editions.
The Pony Tails books are a spin-off series for younger readers, usually ages 7–10. They focus on May Grover, Corey Takamura, and Jasmine James. These girls also ride at Pine Hollow and start their own club called the Pony Tails.
The Pine Hollow books are a spin-off series for older teens and young adults. These books follow the same characters four years later. Many characters from The Saddle Club books appear again in the Pine Hollow series. Two new important characters, Scott and Callie Forester, are also introduced.
The TV Series
In 2001, The Saddle Club books were made into a TV series. The show was filmed in Australia. There are some differences between the characters and stories in the books and the TV show. The show ran for three seasons. It has been shown on TV channels in Australia, the United States, Canada, and the UK. You can also find episodes on DVD.
