Shelley Peterson

Although thirteen-year-old Alberta refuses to speak, she "communicates" just fine with the problem horses that arrive at her aunt's farm, until her mother shows up with a new boyfriend and Alberta's world gets turned upside down once again. Original.

Sundancer

When a neighborhood woman is brutally attacked, Bird, who is spending vacation with her aunt at Saddle Creek Farm, becomes involved in the investigation.

Mystery at Saddle Creek

Marybeth Drake

As Abby Malone prepares for a big competition as the rider for a champion showjumper named Dancer, she discovers strange happenings at an old converted barn where the community plans to stage a play.

Stagestruck

Nefarious and inhumane activities shake the horse show world, and lives of horses are thrown into peril. Because of Alberta "Bird" Simms' ability to communicate with animals, an undercover RCMP officer recruits the fourteen-year-old - and her extraordinary horse Sundance - to help bring the perpetrators to justice. But while Bird struggles to rescue horses in the dead of night, there are mysteries close to her heart that need investigating. As her family is on the verge of falling to pieces, she uncoverssecrets from her past that reveal who she really is and why she possesses her remarkable gift.

Dark Days at Saddle Creek

His name is Sundancer, and from the moment he arrives at Saddle Creek Farm, thirteen-year-old Bird is fascinated. He's suspicious and guarded, touchy and cruel. He doesn't take kindly to new people or situations, and Bird's Aunt Hanna is dangerously close to labelling him unrideable. Bird's willing to admit that Sundancer might be trouble, but that's just fine. After all, Bird's a bit of trouble herself. How else would you describe a girl who hasn't spoken since she was six? A girl whose mother leaves her to be raised by an aunt halfway across the country? Or a girl who hears things no one else can hear - like the thoughts of the animals she befriends? Bird makes people nervous. Animals, though, are another story. Usually, she can get through to them in no time flat. But Sundancer's different. He's a challenge - a wounded horse with a story he's not ready to share. Will Bird be able to reach him before it's too late? And will this strange and difficult horse be able to help Bird when her mother pays an unexpected visit?

In her quest to find her lost mother and to save the horse she loves, Evie discovers inner courage and develops the confidence she needs to meet her goals.

Jockey Girl

Romance and the supernatural mingle with uncontrolled dark ambition, and Abby — with the help of her extraordinary horse, Dancer — must put a stop to it before her entire community is destroyed. Champion showjumper Dancer needs a new rider for the upcoming Grand Invitational, and Abby Malone is delighted to be chosen. It’s a dream come true, and she can hardly wait to get started. However, it turns out that Abby and Dancer may have some unexpected — and dangerous — hurdles to jump. The community is staging a play in the old converted barn, and as strange events begin to occur, Abby soon discovers something about the theatre is not quite right. Is she imagining things? Or is someone out to get her?

The Saddle Creek Series

Herrscher der Wildnis

Martin Baresch

König der Pferde / aus dem Engl. von Martin Baresch. ...

Schattentänzer-Trilogie

Tochter der Stürme

Death, deception, discrimination, and cruelty to horses confront Bird as she uncovers the secrets of her past. When nefarious and inhumane acts shake the horse show world, the lives of horses are thrown into peril. Bird’s ability to communicate with animals leads her to work with an undercover RCMP officer. Together, they — and Bird's extraordinary horse, Sundancer — must bring the perpetrators to justice. But while Bird struggles to rescue horses in the night, there are mysteries closer to her heart that still need investigating. As her family is on the verge of falling to pieces, secrets from the past surface, revealing shocking truths about who she really is and why she possesses her remarkable gift.

Bird returns to Saddle Creek and her beloved horse Sunny for Christmas. Bird always dreads Christmas. For as long as she could remember, her mother Eva goes into a tailspin of selfishness and drama as the holiday approaches. This one will be no different, as Bird is once again dumped at Saddle Creek Farm with her Aunt Hannah while Eva parties. At midnight on Christmas Eve, in the midst of an ice storm, Cody (the loyal coyote) alerts Bird that elderly Laura Pierson is in danger down the road. Bird mounts her champion show jumper Sundancer, and with Cody they head out to save her. The family’s plans change because of the storm, but everyone finally gathers for Christmas dinner. Then, while the after-dinner bonfire burns, a Christmas miracle unfolds, but at great cost to a loved one. In Christmas at Saddle Creek, Bird beholds the magic of the universe and the circle of life, and learns the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas at Saddle Creek

A spine-tingling adventure with as many twists and turns as a steeplechase course. “The Jagged Circle is full of suspense and a perfect book for horse lovers.” — Amber Marshall, equestrian and star of CBC's Heartland It’s spring break and Evangeline Gibb is bored, stuck at her Gran Mary’s farm mucking stalls while her friends are away on vacation. She decides to spend the time training her horse, Kazzam, to ride cross-country to compete in the March Madness Steeplechase. But everything changes when Evie takes Kazzam for a gallop through the woods and makes a grisly discovery. In a hoof-pounding race against time, Evie and her heroic horse team up to solve a mystery that involves, murder and deception, her troubled stepsister, a circle of runaway teen girls, and long-hidden truths about her family.

The Jagged Circle

Her first novel, Dancer, continues to be a Canadian bestseller and now Shelley Peterson brings you her eagerly-awaited second novel, Abby Malone. Abby is a young teenager striving to make things work out right. Animals -- a coyote, twin baby raccoons, a speedy bay mare named Moonlight Sonata -- are things she can handle, but the human world is a more confusing and dangerous place. Abby Malone sits at her desk in a sweltering classroom in June and daydreams about the beautiful mare across the road. Before we know it, she's out the window, `borrowing' the mare and rounding up the neighbour's escaped cows, adding another black mark to her record of bad behaviour at school. Things are not easy at home: an alcoholic mother and an incarcerated father add to her ever-present fear of eviction, yet Abby doggedly tries to make the best of every situation. `All my problems are with humans, ' she tells her raccoons. But not all humans are bad; Pete and Laura Pierson, the elderly farm couple who live beside the school, give her assistance, encouragement and support while Abby tackles a mystery, falls in love, and competes in a perilous steeplechase. This is a fast-paced story that takes the reader on an unforgettable journey of heartache and personal triumph.

Abby Malone

Read all five novels in the Saddle Creek Series! Stagestruck — Book 1 Abby is overjoyed when she is paired with champion showjumper Dancer. But strange events at an old converted barn start putting unexpected, and dangerous, obstacles in her path. With the help of a brave coyote named Cody and her extraordinary horse, Abby must find the truth: is someone is out to get her? Sundancer — Book 2 When Sundancer comes to Saddle Creek Farm, Bird’s aunt calls the horse “unrideable.” But he is a wounded horse with a story he’s not ready to share, and Bird feels like they have that much in common. Will she be able to reach him before it’s too late? Mystery at Saddle Creek — Book 3 During an extended stay with Bird’s Aunt Hannah at Saddle Creek, a local woman is attacked on a side road and left for dead. A vigilante group emerges and Bird finds herself caught up in the mystery. As Bird struggles to get to the bottom of everything, she learns more than she bargained for about her community, her past, and human nature. Dark Days at Saddle Creek — Book 4 The horse show world is thrown into panic by a spree of cruel acts, and horses are placed in peril. Bird?s unique abilities lead her to team up with an undercover officer to catch the perpetrators. But while she races to unravel the mystery, hints about her own past are surfacing, leaving Bird feeling more lost than ever. Christmas at Saddle Creek — Book 5 Bird once again travels to Saddle Creek, this time for the Christmas season. Bird, Cody, and Sunny help an eldery neighbour on Christmas Eve, and a long-held secret makes its way to light during Christmas dinner. It is not until after dinner, however, that a Christmas miracle happens, but with a price.

Christmas at Saddle Creek / Dark Days at Saddle Creek / and 3 more

The Saddle Creek Series 5-Book Bundle

Schattentänzer-Trilogie : Bd. 2: Tochter der Stürme

Hilary James (`Mousie') is sixteen when she wins The Fuller Trophy jumping with her horse Dancer at the Royal Winter Fair. Her triumph is rewarded with an invitation to perform in England for Queen Elizabeth, but she has also attracted the unwanted attention of the evil Samuel Owens who plots to acquire Dancer for his niece, Sara. Thwarted in his initial attempt to purchase the horse, Owens has his hired man, Chad Smith, try to steal it. Mousie has a dream in which a beautiful blond horsewoman warns her of impending danger. She wakes to discover Chad Smith, syringe in hand, in Dancer's stall. Chad Smith is killed in the ensuing scuffle and his employer comes under suspicion. Dancer is flown to Highgrove, the country home of Prince Charles, and Mousie arrives with her mother Christine at `Clusters' -- an English manor, once the home of Arabella, the second wife of the Duke of Dewbury, now both long dead. Mousie finds an antique lady's hunting whip which she feels certain must have belonged to Arabella, and later discovers a portrait of her riding side-saddle. It is the same woman who appeared in Mousie's dreams.

Shelley Peterson

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