Dandi Daley Mackall

Highly prolific American author who has written over 400 books for children and adults, from picture books to young adults to non-fiction, in a wide variety of genres. She loved writing from an early age, having won a writing contest at the tender age of 10 years old. She has also loved horses all her life and has written a number of  children's series about them, plus one part pony, part general animal series and a stand alone pony story. She is a Christian author, so do expect some Christian themes in her pony stories.

Ms. Mackall has also worked as a columnist, editor, radio talk-show host and as well as writing books, runs workshops to help others write.

She lives in rural Ohio with her family, horses, dogs, cats and other assorted animals!

More information about her and her books can be found on the author's own website.

Winnie the Horse Gentler Series:
Christian-slanted pony series with a horse-whispering theme. The main character, Winnie also makes an appearance in the author's Starlight Rescue series (see below).

1) WILD THING
(TYNEDALE PB [USA] 2002)
SUMMARY: Winnie has inherited her horse-whispering skills from her mother who died two years perviously. Since then, he father has moved her and sister Lizzy five times. But now Winnie has found a reason to stay. She has fallen in love with a horse and wants to make him her own.

2) EAGER STAR
(TYNEDALE PB [USA] 2002)
SUMMARY: Winnie wants to be a famous horse gentler. She already has one client, and a second has just signed on. But the new client has given her only a week to train a horse for an important race and the rider will be Grant Baines - the most popular boy in school. If she succeeds Winnie can at last become part of the in crowd at her new school. But how can she train the horse and Grant to work together in one week? 

3) BOLD BEAUTY
(TYNEDALE PB [USA] 2002)
SUMMARY:  Winnie's confidence begins to crumble as she faces the toughest challenge of her horse-gentling career and her first failure. She slips into a web of deceit and distress until she discovers the true source of genuine confidence.

4) MIDNIGHT MYSTERY
(TYNEDALE PB [USA] 2002)
SUMMARY: Winnie must solve a mystery and save a circus horse...

5) UNHAPPY APPY
(TYNEDALE PB [USA] 2003)
SUMMARY: Winnie feels lonely, everyone seems to have a friend except her, even her dad has a new lady friend! Although she loves her horses she wishes for a special human companion.

6) GIFT HORSE
(TYNEDALE PB [USA] 2003)
SUMMARY: As Christmas arrives, a mysterious horse shows up in the pasture behind Winnie's house. Winnie becomes caught in a life-and-death struggle with the sick old mare. Who is the horse's owner? And will she be able to save the mare and its unborn foal?

7) FRIENDLY FOAL
(TYNEDALE PB [USA] 2004)
SUMMARY: A newborn filly has lost her mother, and it's up to Winnie to help the foal adjust to her new world.

8) BUCKSKIN BANDIT
(TYNEDALE PB [USA] 2004)
SUMMARY: When a buckskin disappears from the rundown Happy Trails stable, Winnie and her friend Kaylee set out to investigate….

Collector's Info:
All paperback editions. All still in print and easy to find both new and second hand in the USA and the UK.

Horsefeathers Series:
Christian-slanted teen pony series about a girl struggling to help run the family horse farm as well as learning to cope with life's other problems.

1) HORSEFEATHERS!
(CONCORDIA PB [USA] 2000)
SUMMARY: Motherless Scoop lives with her Aunt Dot and Grandfather on a horse farm they can barely maintain. By befriending a mysterious new neighbour, she finds a way to make enough money to keep their home and her beloved horse Orphan.

2) HORSE CENTS
(CONCORDIA PB [USA] 2000)
SUMMARY: A wayward and difficult horse named Ham threatens the peace at Horsefeather's farm.

3) HORSE WHISPERS IN THE AIR
(CONCORDIA PB [USA] 2000)
SUMMARY:  Scoop is struggling to cope with a new horse and her reaction to her grandfather's worsening Alzheimers.

4) A HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOUR
(CONCORDIA PB [USA] 2000)
SUMMARY: Money is once again in short supply for the farm. Could a deal with a TV show host and a problem appaloosa hold the key to solving their money problems? Or is this just the start of new ones?

5) HORSE ANGELS
(CONCORDIA PB [USA] 2000)
Reprinted in paperback
SUMMARY: When someone plays a cruel Halloween prank at Horsefeathers it seems to set in motion a chain of misfortunes which leads Scoop to lose confidence in herself.

6) HOME IS WHERE YOUR HORSE IS
(CONCORDIA PB [USA] 2000)
Reprinted in paperback
SUMMARY: Scoop is befriended by Twill, a woman whose foal she helped deliver. It soon becomes clear that the pair are uncannily alike not only in looks but in personality. Scoop starts to wonder if Twill could be the birth mother she never knew...

7) HORSEFEATHERS MYSTERY
(CONCORDIA PB [USA] 2001)
SUMMARY: Scoop swallows her dislike for horseracing in order to take on some race horses to board at the stables and earn some much needed cash. But this begins a series of disasters which threaten to destroy the stable's reputation. Can Scoop and her brother solve the mystery before its too late?

8) ALL THE KING'S HORSES
(CONCORDIA PB [USA] 2001)
SUMMARY: One month before sophomore year begins, Scoop volunteers to work with some newly donated horses at the Horsefeathers Stable

Collector's Info:
All paperback editions. All still in print and easy to find both new and second hand in the USA and the UK.

Starlight Animal Rescue Series:
Series set in an animal rescue  centre where troubled children are helped as well as animals. This is partly a general animal series, although two books are predominantly horsy, butI have included the full series here.

1) RUNAWAY
(TYNEDALE PB [USA] 2008)
SUMMARY: After running away from seven foster homes, Dakota is sent to the Coolidges who live in an animal rescue centre as well as fostering troubled kids. There she meets the impossible horse Blackfire, and through learning to help animals helps herself come to terms with her life.

2) MAD DOG
(TYNEDALE PB [USA] 2008)
SUMMARY: Dog story rather than horse story. 14 year old Wes is angry at being sent to the Coolidges. His only friend is his dog Rex and he wants to keep it that way. But can his love of dogs save him before he goes too far?

3) WILD CAT
(TYNEDALE PB [USA] 2009)
SUMMARY: Cat story rather than horse story. 12 year old Kat is being fostered by the Coolidges and wants to help out, but how can she prove her worth when she is ill with cancer and undergoing treatment?

4) DARK HORSE
(TYNEDALE PB [USA] 2009)
SUMMARY: Winnie (from the Horse Gentler series) appears in this book as she helps two boys at the rescue centre with a burned horse and a missing cat - the results of a tragic fire.

Collector's Info:
All paperback editions. All still in print and easy to find both new and second hand in the USA and the UK.

Bob Series:
Early readers pony series with a strong emphasis on personal development and morality, with each book focusing on a different life lesson to be learnt.

1) A HORSE NAMED BOB
(ZONDERKIDZ PB [USA] 2011)
ILLUSTRATED BY CLAUDIA WOLD
SUMMARY: Ponymad but pony-less Jen is overjoyed when neighbour Mrs Gray asks her to help look after her retired horse Bob. But Bob is hardly the stuff of pony club dreams. Will Jen and Bob become friends?

2) BOB'S GREAT ESCAPE
(ZONDERKIDZ PB [USA] 2011)
ILLUSTRATED BY CLAUDIA WOLD
SUMMARY: When Bob goes missing, Mrs. Gray blames Jen, even though she's done nothing wrong. Can Jen forgive Mrs. Gray?

3) A PERFECT PONY
(ZONDERKIDZ PB [USA] 2011)
ILLUSTRATED BY CLAUDIA WOLD
SUMMARY:  When Jen's best friend Dave gets a pony for his birthday Jen is jealous. Will she learn what it means to be grateful for what she has?

4) DOUBLE TROUBLE
(ZONDERKIDZ PB [USA] 2011)
ILLUSTRATED BY CLAUDIA WOLD
SUMMARY: When Bob is hurt Jen must make things right by telling the truth.

Collector's Info:
Paperback originals. All in print at the moment.

Backyard Horses Series:
Traditional series which is a breath of fresh air in the current climate of pony books obsessed with elite riding academies and expensive Warmbloods. This series instead focuses on 'backyard horses' - non pedigrees who may never win prizes for their looks of prowess but are instead beautiful on the inside - and ideal friends for their owners.

1) HORSE DREAMS
(TYNEDALE PB [USA] 2011)
SUMMARY: Ellie spends her time daydreaming of owning a black stallion show horse and winning trophies in shows. But when the answer to all her dreams and prayers gallops into her life, will Ellie be able to recognize it?

2) COWBOY COLT
(TYNEDALE PB [USA] 2011)
SUMMARY: Ellie James and her horse, Dream, are best friends forever. But when her human best friend, Colt, starts acting strange, Ellie determines to fix his problem. She tries to find the perfect horse for Colt. But how?

3) CHASING DREAMS
(TYNEDALE PB [USA] 2012)
SUMMARY: Ellie arranges a race to show off her horse Dream. But her world is shaken when Dream becomes sick. Will she lose her dream horse?

4) NIGHT MARE
(TYNEDALE PB [USA] 2012)
SUMMARY: A school assignment to set up a blog, causes trouble when Ellie mentions Dream on her blog. When Dream's previous owners see the blog they want their horse back.

Collector's Info:
Paperback originals. All the books are in print and easy to find in the UK and USA, etc.

Other Horse & Pony Books:

DREAMS OF A DANCING HORSE
(BLOOMSBURY PB [USA] 2011)
ILLUSTRATED BY GUY FRANCIS
SUMMARY: Aimed at younger readers. Fred the farm horses must dance whenever he hears music. This gets him into trouble and thrown off the farm. Will he ever find somewhere his dancing talents will be appreciated?

Collector's Info:
Paperback original. In print and available now.