Riding Lessons

Anxiety rules Annemarie Zimmer's days—the fear that her relationship with the man she loves is growing stagnant; the fear that equestrian daughter Eva's dreams of Olympic glory will carry her far away from her mother . . . and into harm's way. For five months, Annemarie has struggled to make peace with her past. But if she cannot let go, the personal battles she has won and the heights she has achieved will have all been for naught.

It is a time of change at Maple Brook horse farm, when loves must be confronted head-on and fears must be saddled and broken. But it is an unanticipated tragedy that will most drastically alter the fragile world of one remarkable family—even as it flings open gates that have long confined them, enabling them all to finally ride headlong and free.

Tommi, Kate, and Zara are well established in the world of elite horse showing. But being a pro in your sport doesn't mean you're a pro in your social life.

Tommi, the billionaire heiress, is training a young horse to prove to her father that she can make horses a real career. But when her new beau, Alex, convinces her to skip a horse show in order to party in the Hamptons, the results could be disastrous. Meanwhile, Zara, the celebutante wild child is finally taking her riding seriously. Until the new "nanny" her dad hires while he's touring in Europe threatens to upstage Zara's party girl status. And then there's Kate. She doesn't have money to burn like the other girls, but she does have Fitz, the barn's resident hot guy. But Kate's perfectionist tendencies threaten to get in the way of her relationship and her riding when her friends suspect she has an eating disorder.

The parties are hot, the riding is intensely competitive, and the social drama spills from the parties right into the show ring.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
 
Harry de Leyer first saw the horse he would name Snowman on a truck bound for the slaughterhouse. The recent Dutch immigrant recognized the spark in the eye of the beaten-up nag and bought him for eighty dollars. On Harry’s modest farm on Long Island, he ultimately taught Snowman how to fly. Here is the dramatic and inspiring rise to stardom of an unlikely duo. One show at a time, against extraordinary odds and some of the most expensive thoroughbreds alive, the pair climbed to the very top of the sport of show jumping. Their story captured the heart of Cold War–era America—a story of unstoppable hope, inconceivable dreams, and the chance to have it all. They were the longest of all longshots—and their win was the stuff of legend.