Kirkus Reviews 

BIG GUY

A SCHOOL HORSE STORY

by Celia Ryker ; illustrated by Kathy Connell ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 18, 2024

This remarkable story of friendship is a perfect showcase for exquisite animals.

A former show horse adjusts to his new, less pampered life in Ryker’s middle-grade novel.

Full Time, who prefers his nickname Big Guy, is a colossal, ribbon-winning thoroughbred colt. It’s not easy for him to stay humble with Nancy, his person, constantly praising him for his good looks and his skills (“You’re the biggest, prettiest horse I have ever seen”). But aging is inevitable, as are the various aches that come with it. When he’s no longer at the top of his game, Big Guy moves to the adjacent school-horse barn, where humans learn how to ride horses. In a much tinier stall, he meets his school-horse stablemates, including warmhearted Shorty and pessimistic Kaiser. When he was a show horse, Big Guy spent time in a fenced paddock alone; now, he’s regularly surrounded by other horses who sport a diverting mix of personalities that he soon grows fond of. For the first time since he was a pony, Big Guy feels like he’s part of a herd. Ryker’s breezy, good-natured story has its share of humor. The horses fall into misadventures: Kaiser takes pleasure in kicking the barn wall to knock hanging saddles to the floor, and part-Clydesdale Slippy is, proudly, an escape artist. They’re full of curious tales, as one is an ex-racehorse and others have worked at rodeos. But there are serious moments as well; horses become injured or sick, and they fear being sent to the zoo, where the unspeakable allegedly happens. Readers unfamiliar with equestrianism and horse care will pick up loads of details, including relevant terminology and specifics about what horses go through (being a show horse can be lonely, as owners intentionally keep them away from other horses). Connell’s simple black-and-white sketches capture some of the best moments, as when Slippy makes his way to a snack regardless of the novice rider trying to lead him elsewhere.

This remarkable story of friendship is a perfect showcase for exquisite animals.

+++++

“Celia Ryker’s Big Guy – A School Horse Story tells a horse’s story in his own words. Big Guy is a thoroughbred who moves as he ages from the coddled life of a show horse to become part of a herd of well-tended school horses for young riders. Ryker trained hunter jumpers and taught riding students for more than thirty years. The adventures, injuries, and idiosyncrasies that Big Guy narrates come from horses Ryker has known including former racehorses and circus horses. She shares their stories with compassion. We meet Shorty, the chatty horse who welcomes newcomers to the barn, and Kaiser, the grumpy gelding who kicks at stall walls. We meet their owners. We witness what good care looks like. I read the book in one sitting – as a horse-crazy senior who always slows down as I pass a pasture of horses grazing.”

– Tricia Knoll, poet of Let’s Hear It for the Horses