Horses & Ponies Activity Book: Introduction to Horses & Horseback Riding is an equine education book for children written and illustrated by Susan DiFelice. DiFelice has cared for and ridden horses all her life, and now she’s helping her own children learn all about riding. She’s also created Allpony, an educational website and store for horse lovers. In this interactive book, children learn about horsemanship, safety and tack. They also learn how to distinguish the different breeds of horses and their characteristics, and how to differentiate between a pony and a horse. She shares the correct terminology for facial and leg markings, coat colors and the reasons why grooming is so important.

Horses & Ponies Activity Book: Introduction to Horses & Horseback Riding makes learning about horsemanship fun, and it does so in a highly effective and memorable way. DiFelice’s book is jam-packed with information, but it also includes puzzles, mazes, quizzes and word searches to ensure that readers retain what they’ve read and make that knowledge their own. I loved learning, finally, what the “hand” measurement actually was and how the different breeds of horses differed in temperament. I also found her discussions on equine terminology and grooming to be fascinating. While this book is geared toward younger riders, anyone who loves horses should give this fun and informative book a read. DiFelice has honed the essentials of horsemanship into an interactive book that works so very well. Horses & Ponies Activity Book: Introduction to Horses & Horseback Riding is most highly recommended.

Horses & Ponies Activity Book: Introduction to Horses & Horseback Riding by Susan DiFelice is a comprehensive all-purpose book that any horse lover will find invaluable. As well as the informative pages which explain about colour, size, type and breed of horse, and the difference between a horse and a pony, there are helpful activities that help the young rider, or the horse enthusiast, to learn about the bridle and saddle and their components and uses. Added to this is learning the correct way to groom, the types of grooming aids and how to use them, and ultimately everything that is needed in the care of a horse.

This is a perfect activity book combined with lots of helpful information about caring for a horse. The activities are exciting yet have a purpose as they help the reader to identify the different types of horses and ponies. There really is nothing left out of this activity book which could almost be described as a handbook which also has fun activities to carry out. Many years ago I kept horses and I have to say I learned quite a bit from this book. The illustrations are colourful and not too complicated, so they are easy to follow, and the information is set out in a concise yet clear manner. Thankfully the answers are included at the end of the book which is where I found out I didn’t know as much about horses as I thought I did. So it follows that although this activity book is really geared to young riders and horse lovers, it also contains useful information for the grown-ups too.

Horse & Ponies Activity Book, written and illustrated by Susan DiFelice, is a delightful work of non-fiction that introduces young readers and riders to the wonderful world of horses and horseback riding. Teaching young readers while entertaining them is no easy task yet DiFelice has managed to find the right balance in her book. The teaching portion of the book provides valuable and useful information to young riders like the importance of horseback riding safety by wearing the proper clothes and the rules of the riding barns that protect both horses and riders. She also extols the importance of grooming a horse and the different types of tools to groom them; the different types of tack as well as the differences between English and Western saddles. DiFelice also discusses the different breeds of horses, coat colors, leg markings and gaits as well as the different horse sports involving horses and riders. She even talks about the proper side from which to mount and dismount a horse.

Never losing sight of the fact that learning can be fun, DiFelice integrates the information with interactive activities like mazes, word searches, crosswords, coloring, object finds within a picture, and even an old-fashioned paper pony doll. All of these activities require different intellectual and motor skills which challenge young readers while entertaining them. And for those in doubt, the answers to all the questions and mazes are provided in the back of the book. The author’s background as an artist and digital designer have held her in good stead, as each page of the activity book is colorful and bursting with images, beckoning young fingers to trace, to point, and to seek the objects buried within each picture. Horse & Ponies Activity Book really is a wonderful book for young riders or for those who want to be one. Perhaps more importantly though, DiFelice’s no-nonsense approach makes it the perfect read for a young child who has an innate fear of horses and other animals, making them less frightening and more approachable.

If you have a youngster who is crazy for everything “horsey” and whose heart beats faster just thinking about the next pony ride, then the Horses & Ponies Activity Book: Introduction to Horses & Horseback Riding by Susan DiFelice is for you. Even children only mildly interested in horses will find plenty of fun things to engage them. The book is illustrated in full color. Topics include riding safety, grooming, types of tack, parts of bridles and saddles, parts of the horse, horse and pony terms, coat colors, face and leg markings, gaits, horse sports, horse and pony breeds, and even how to tie a quick release knot. DiFelice, a lifelong rider herself, wrote the book based on the horsemanship lessons she taught her own children.

The Horses & Ponies Activity Book is chock full of a variety of fun activities as well as a surprising amount of information. DiFelice incorporates word searches, puzzles, paper dolls, match games, a crossword puzzle, a word bank, word completion, mazes, a hidden pictures activity, a naming activity, a horse breeds quiz, and several art activities. She also provides an answer key. Although I’m reviewing a digital product so I can’t comment on the ease of children manipulating the cut-out horses and farm scenery, the illustrations are beautiful and detailed throughout. What most impressed me is the amount of information this activity book provides and the range of ages in young people it can appeal to. I was a horse crazy kid myself and this activity book would certainly have entertained and educated me.