Books with author Natalie Keller Reinert

"Buy a horse, they said. It will be fun, they said."Casey Halbach's life was perfectly adequate. Good friends, loving boyfriend, decent job: she had it all. So why did she feel like she was missing something? And was that something actually a part of her life she'd already given up?When Casey finds herself back at the stable where she learned to ride as a child, she impulsively decides a fresh riding lesson is exactly what she needs to liven up her life. She never could have expected just how lively her life was about to become.For anyone who has ever loved a horse, dreamed about their very own pony, or simply clock-watched their way through another boring day at the office, Grabbing Mane is our story. Testing the boundaries of who we think we are, adjusting to strange new realities, and (hopefully) bringing our partners along for the ride.Early reviews:"Natalie has done it again and with all new characters! I loved getting to know Casey, Brandon and of course the lovely James! I especially liked the fact that Casey was just like all of us, bitten by the horse bug but having to make her way in the real world, with all the conflicts and confidence issues that haunt horse-girls everyday." -Kathleen Edwards, GoodReads Review"Grabbing Mane follows the story of Casey as she re-enters the horse world as an adult. It is relatable and extremely well written. Anyone who has been into horses and has walked away for a while will understand."-Jo, GoodReads Review

*Winner: American Horse Publications Award for Best Equine-Related Fiction, 2020*Jenny’s a horsewoman, born and bred. Aidan’s a photographer, with a passion for sleek thoroughbreds. Lana has business brains and start-up cash. Together, they’re going to bring horse racing’s best stories to life. Best friends working on a passion project together: it could be the perfect post-grad life in New York City… if only Jenny wasn’t hopelessly in love with Aidan.Unrequited love aside, Jenny might be in over her head. It’s not an easy task to get old-fashioned trainers to open up to her, but Jenny’s determined to get her story. Then, as she digs deep in search of a missing horse, Jenny tumbles into a dark underworld she’d thought was just a fairy tale.In the pursuit of horse racing’s happy endings, to say nothing of her own, Jenny will find herself tested again and again. A colt’s bid for a Breeders’ Cup championship, a racehorse with no name, a charming police mount on Amsterdam Avenue, a carriage horse clattering through Central Park: the horses of New York are clamoring to have their stories told. Jenny just has to find the words, and the courage, to give them a voice.

"Natalie weaves the story of Jules, her horses, and their uncertain road to the upper levels of eventing with realism and detail." - The Equine Insider" 'Ambition' is one of the good ones." - Susannah St. Clair (Vine Voice Reviewer)"This all felt very real to me." - Karen McGoldrickJules Thornton didn’t come to Ocala to make friends. She came to make a name for herself. Young, determined, and tough as nails, she’s been swapping stable-work for saddle-time since she was a little kid - and it hasn’t always been a fun ride. Forever the struggling rider in a sport for the wealthy, all Jules has on her side is talent and ambition. She’s certain all she needs to succeed are good horses, but will the eventing world agree?On her own at last, Jules is positive she’s poised to become eventing’s newest star, but soon finds she’s making more enemies than friends in the close-knit equestrian community. Little mistakes cost big -- her students are losing faith in her; her owners are starting to pull their horses. And then there’s the small matter of Peter Morrison, the handsome, on-the-rise event rider who keeps showing up when she least expects him. Jules is convinced that all she needs is good horses -- not friends, not romance, not anyone’s nose in her business. But it’s just the beginning of the long, hot, Ocala summer, and as Jules tumbles through the highs and lows of a life with horses, she might find she’ll need help after all to weather the coming storm.In the equestrian literary tradition of Jane Smiley (Horse Heaven) and Sara Gruen (Riding Lessons, Water for Elephants), Natalie Keller Reinert takes readers into the riding life as only a horsewoman can.

Jules is used to starting over. With her horses, her dreams, and Pete by her side, they're making a new go of eventing life in an unlikely setting. After years of riding for trainers and owners, their isolated little farm feels like a luxury to her. Unfortunately, not everyone in the business agrees that less is more. Jules has never thought of herself as lucky, but now she'll need all the luck -- and hard work -- in the world to hang on to the horses she loves.The fourth installment in the bestselling Eventing Series continues the story of Jules and Pete, two equestrians trying to make their names in Florida's famous Three-Day Eventing community.

At the end of Luck, we saw Jules and Pete settling into a new life at Alachua Eventing Co-op, where Jules will be the manager and head riding instructor. It’s not exactly what she expected out of her career, but things are going fine, and it’s better than living in a horse trailer, right?The cracks begin to show as the eventing season winds up and summer sets in across Florida. Pete’s new horse has an overbearing owner who is pressuring him into pushing the horse too fast. Dynamo suddenly seems to be showing his age on the cross-country course. And how on earth is Jules supposed to manage a barn, a dozen kids, and her own competition schedule?She’ll need some help from old friends — and maybe some old enemies, too — but Jules is going to keep moving forward, no matter what. From the pine plantations of north Florida to the skyscraper shadows of the Central Park Horse Show, Forward is all about chasing dreams, wherever they may lead.

All Alex wants for Christmas is a little peace and quiet. After all the drama of her summer in Saratoga, she's been taking it easy around the farm, enjoying the horses (and baiting Alexander). But a phone call from a local charity changes all that.When Alex meets Wendy, a young girl with a tragic past, she finds herself going to surprising lengths to brighten Wendy's life – and visiting some surprising places. A filly named Christmas, a horse-crazy kid, and a trainer who never thought much about holidays or children – Claiming Christmas celebrates the bond between horse and human, and between a trainer and student.*In keeping with its racetrack theme, this book contains strong language.

For three-day event rider Jules Thornton, courage means riding her horses forward through the most daunting cross-country courses in the sport. She's already proven she's willing to do whatever it takes to make her name as an eventer, even spending the summer in an intense dressage program.Now she's back in Ocala and ready to tackle the winter eventing with her usual bravado, but neither she nor her partner, Pete are ready for the next struggle the eventing gods have cooked up. Their farm is locked in a legal battle, their income depends on galloping racehorses, and Amanda the Hunter Princess is way too friendly with Pete for Jules' tastes.This fall, Jules has to learn courage goes deeper than kicking on through sticky situations. Courage means hanging on for dear life, and knowing when to let go.

"Delightfully addictive barn drama." - HorseNation.comGrace has built her life on show horses. It's been a good life, too -- she mounts her wealthy students on European warmbloods, competes her horses on Florida's rigorous A-circuit, and runs the nicest barn in the neighborhood. Then, suddenly, it's the only barn in the neighborhood.As Grace's country town becomes a sun-drenched playground of pools and golf courses, she vows that no bulldozer will ever touch her farm. With her neighbors selling their farms and moving to more isolated corners of Florida, she finds herself fighting off land-hungry developers alone -- until Kennedy comes along.Kennedy is everything Grace doesn't want around her bustling show barn -- a pleasure rider who would rather wander in the woods than tackle a show-jumping course. Kennedy might make for an unlikely sidekick, but she's just the inspiration Grace needs to fight back against the developers who want to bulldoze her corner of Floridian wilderness -- and, eventually, against the wilderness itself.

Horses aren't cheap, and competing event horses is a tough way to make a living. Jules Thornton is settled at Briar Hill Farm with fellow trainer Pete Morrison, eyes focused on a successful future in eventing, but money is tight and opportunities are dwindling. When a potential sponsor offers Pete a stellar deal, Jules is ready for her big break -- but it's not what she was hoping for. She'll have to make hard choices if she wants a future in eventing -- and with Pete. There are fireworks on the horizon as Jules heads south to Florida's vacation-land to meet her new trainer, Grace Carter. The star of "Show Barn Blues" is back to put Jules through her paces and bring her attitude down a notch or two. Can Jules stick out a summer of dressage lessons and high-dollar clients?

Jules Thornton didn’t come to Ocala to make friends. She came to make a name for herself. Young, determined, and tough as nails, she’s been swapping stable-work for saddle-time since she was a little kid -- and it hasn’t always been a fun ride. Forever the struggling rider in a sport for the wealthy, all Jules has on her side is talent and ambition. She’s certain all she needs to succeed are good horses, but will the eventing world agree?On her own at last, Jules is positive she’s poised to become eventing’s newest star, but soon finds she’s making more enemies than friends in the close-knit equestrian community. Little mistakes cost big -- her students are losing faith in her; her owners are starting to pull their horses. And then there’s the small matter of Peter Morrison, the handsome, on-the-rise event rider who keeps showing up when she least expects him. Jules is convinced that all she needs is good horses -- not friends, not romance, not anyone’s nose in her business. But it’s just the beginning of the long, hot, Ocala summer, and as Jules tumbles through the highs and lows of a life with horses, she might find she’ll need help after all to weather the coming storm.

Grace and Seabreeze Equestrian Center. They’ve been an institution in Central Florida for decades. But now it’s the end of the line. The community around Seabreeze has been torn up by resort development, and Grace is ready to retire gracefully to the ever-receding countryside, with a smaller barn and smaller ambitions to match.Or not.A shot at making a few extra bucks by renting stalls to a trainer specializing in parade horses becomes a new obsession for Grace’s assistant trainer, Kennedy -- and a shot in the arm for Grace, who finds herself charmed by the local theme park’s equine manager, Mark. Not ready to cede the area’s equestrian experiences to the theme parks, she begins to think she can beat them at their own game. Which, unfortunately, won’t be easy to explain to Mark.Trying to balance a barn full of boarders, aggressive new neighbors, a troublesome staff and a relationship with a man whose business model is in her crosshairs isn’t easy. Grace has been in the horse business a long time... but it's never looked like this before.

"This is a horse story for grown-ups. The Black Stallion for adults.""Written by a horse person for horse people""Enchanting and consuming."Six horses and Saratoga. It's a young trainer's dream come true, and it's happening for Alex at last: Alexander is entrusting the farm's racing string to her while he heads Down Under to help run his sick brother's farm.But Saratoga isn't interested in Alex without Alexander. Unproven and decidedly female in a man's world, Alex finds herself the target of old-school racetrackers certain she married her way into training good horses. At the same time, her naïve assistant, Kerri, is far too interested in the less-than-scrupulous trainer who shares their barn.But running a racing stable doesn't leave much time for petty fights and stable rivalries. Horses need to be worked, races need to be run. And Alex has her eye on something besides the winner's circle: a funny-faced filly, a chestnut nobody with a spotty blaze and a decided lack of brakes. Saratoga thinks the filly has a screw loose. But Alex knows better.From training track gossip to tack-room confidentials, OTHER PEOPLE'S HORSES continues the story of Alex and Alexander -- two Thoroughbred trainers trying to do that right thing -- that began in THE HEAD AND NOT THE HEART.*In keeping with its racetrack theme, this book contains strong language.