Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it.

No book on the basics of horse care and riding can cover all the basics, but this one has a good try. I like that emphasis is placed on safety both on the ground and mounted. People of all ages and skills can get hurt by being around or falling off large animals, and almost every photo of a rider shows them with a hard hat (the exception is a Western hat).
The author should probably explain at the outset that she is in Australia - agistment is livery just about everywhere else. She also has a variety of small horse called a Galloway, 14.2 - 15.2hh, this is a heritage term where she lives but won't be familiar elsewhere. In other countries a pony is up to and including 14.2hh or 148cm and horses are 14.2 1/2hh or over 148cm. Stating that a pony is under 14.2 will cause confusion.
I like that riders are instructed how to groom and tack the horse, also to know the basic points of the horse and hoof.
Horse care - no real mention of horse nuts, maybe they are not common in Australia but horse nuts of varying protein and oil levels and molassed mixed feed are main feeds here. No mention of how much water a horse needs each day, when to not give it - if the horse is heated or has just eaten - and why; can cause colic. I would have said more about colic. No mention of bedding and mucking out.
Among the lovely horse breeds and colours, we twice get told the Appaloosa is leopard marked with a white coat and dark spots. This is only one possible coat marking, others include dark with a white blanket rump which has spots, dark with white snowflakes, etc.
Dressage - two arenas are shown, the basic letters and the large arena with added letters, for positions around the arena. Was there a need for the big one in a book where riders are being told how to mount? It seems advanced and offputting.
Some important advice is given on buying a first pony or horse. Among this is 'no vices' but we're not told what that means, so I would have given a paragraph of explanation.
We get a lot of tips on riding at some gaits, but not jumping, which will disappoint learners who want to jump.
The author clearly knows a lot (and tells us several times she knows a lot) but doesn't quite complete any section, to my mind. But this is her book and she can write it any way she wants. She's included lots of nice colour photos and several of her own horses. The young reader can have a fun time with this book and learn some good principles, but it certainly won't be the only book they should read.

I read an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.

I have a later-in-life passion for horses. I have never ridden a horse but hope to volunteer with horses who do equine therapy when I retire. I wanted to read this book so I could learn about the basics of interacting with horses and as it says - horse riding success. While there is definitely some interesting and new information for me, I don't feel like I have a good enough grounding yet on what it will take to be successful. I actually have a bit more trepidation now given all the things to consider. The good thing, is the book does outline a sequence to learning to ride. However, this book is not a stand-alone resource to be successful at horse riding.

Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

Informative

Good basic information to help those just starting out with horses. The videos are a good addition to the book.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

(For context, I have been riding and owning horses since I was 8, so I feel like I have enough experience to actually speak on the matter)
This book is a bit of a mixed bag. Based on the fact that the target audience is kids, this is actually written in a clear and easy to understand way, so that is good.
But. It gives very basic overview and never explains a topic more indepth than one paragraph, which is a pity because some things could use more explaining
ALSO
there are some mistakes. The tables used do not always show what they are supposed to, Some information given is plain inaccurate. Or in the checklist/sheets at the end, the time at which it advises learning about specific topic is way off and ALL of it falls into beginner category, not advanced or intermediate.
Would I recommend this book? Probably not. There are better resources available even for free