Judy Waite

Award-winning and quite prolific British author who has written over 30 books for children of all ages from first readers to teens. She says of herself that "I've always been bonkers about animals - particularly dogs and horses" so it is hardly surprising that a large number of her books feature animal characters. As a child, she also loved reading and writing her own stories.

Went to art school, then spent time teaching art to children in America. However she went back to her first loves of writing and animals and eventually became a published author. Nowadays, as well as writing, she also teaches creative writing and runs writing workshops for children. Her horse-related books consist of a well written and interesting pony series which has a 'horse-whispering' theme and a stand-alone story about donkeys.

More on the author and her books on her website (although unfortunately the Horse Healer series is not mentioned) and on the Wordpool website

Horse-healer series:
UK series with a boy central character for a change. Gypsy boy Nicky has a way with horses, inherited from his horse-whispering ancestors. The natural horsemanship element was inspired by horse guru Monty Roberts who is acknowledged in one of the books.

PONYMAD SERIES  RATING: 4 HORSESHOES

1) ECLIPSE
(SCHOLASTIC PB 1999)
SUMMARY: Gypsy boy Nicky falls in love with the beautiful horse Eclipse and feels a deep bond with him, but his secret night time rides can only get him into trouble. But he also knows that Eclipse needs him too...

2) PUZZLE
(SCHOLASTIC PB 1999)
SUMMARY: Everyone thinks Puzzle is a no-hoper...except for Nicky that is, who soon discovers the horse has a special talent.

3) SAPPHIRE
(SCHOLASTIC PB 1999)
SUMMARY: Nicky helps Fern look after Sapphire, an ill-treated horse. But Fern is part of the group of New Age Travellers and Nicky has been warned to stay away from them. Yet how can he obey when Sapphire needs his help?

4) STARLIGHT
(SCHOLASTIC PB 2000)
SUMMARY: Film star horse Starlight is beautiful and Nicky forms a close attachment to her. But he knows that when the film crew move on, he will have to say goodbye to his dream horse.

Collectors Info:
All the series titles are easy to find in the UK. There are also a few copies available in the USA. A lot harder to find elsewhere however.

Other Horse & Pony Books:

A PRINCE AMONG DONKEYS
(RIGBY LITERACY 2000)
Also an Australian edition.
Rare
SUMMARY: Younger readers short novel. A young boy tries to rescue a sick-looking donkey from rich land-owners, but are things all they appear to be?

Collectors Info:
A Prince Among Donkeys is now a hard book to find in the UK or USA. The Australian edition may possibly be easier to find for Aussie collectors.