John Richard Young

American author of both fictional and non-fictional horsy books. His fictional works include a series of four books about an Arab called Raffy which can be very hard for British readers to get hold of. His non-fictional works on schooling are quite easy to find by comparison.

Raffy Series:

1) ARABIAN COW HORSE
(WILCOX & FOLLETT [USA] 1953)
ILLUSTRATED BY LORENCE BJORKLUND
SUMMARY: Don and his father Big Mike don't think Arabians belong on a working ranch - until they meet Raffy, a young Arabian stallion. The boy and the horse seem made for each other...

2) CHAMPION OF THE CROSS 5
(WESTMINSTER [USA] 1955)
SUMMARY: Raffy becomes a champion reining horse.

3) ARIZONA CUTTING HORSE
(WESTMINSTER [USA] 1956)
SUMMARY: Don's father thinks Arabians are just show horses, so Don sets out to prove Raffy's worth with ranch work. Whilst out on the range he also searches for the wild and beautiful mare Clonmella.

4) OLYMPIC HORSEMAN
(WESTMINSTER [USA] 1957)
SUMMARY: Don enters the world of Olympic eventing hoping to do well on the mare Clonmella but Raffy does not want to be left out of things for long!

Collector's Info:
No British printings. The first book in the series is the easiest to find. Champion of the Cross 5 and Olympic Horseman are both very rare, even in America, and can be very expensive. Those two may be almost impossible to find outside of the States.