*spoiler warning!*

Okay, so this book surprised me. I put off reading it for a long time, because I had a really strong feeling I'd read it before. Turns out I've definitely never read it before, and it was a lot better then I thought it'd be.

Maybe because of my above biases toward the book, when I first started reading I had this attitude like I knew exactly what was going to happen. As soon as they introducted the character of Rhian, I was sure I knew what her problem/story was. I was completely wrong. I was sure I knew how Mandy and James would get the girl to like horses again. I was wrong about that, too. Chamomile getting sick was tear-jerking, something I wasn't prepared for, and it took me by surprising that Rhian ended up caring for the horse and nursing her back to health.

And the end... It was brilliant! I can't remember the last time I smiled so wide and giggled so much while reading an Animal Ark book. Mandy telling Rhian that she couldn't ride Chamomile, basically saying she wasn't a good enough rider, she shouldn't take the risk, etc, was such a risky move, but it was exactly the thing that made Rhian go "I'll show you!". It was an awesome plan. ( )