Books with author Virginia Vail

Val Taylor, eighth-grade future veterinarian, helps her dad out by assisting him at his clinic, Animal Inn. Amid ailing cats and pregnant rabbits, a call comes in requesting help for a champion hunter horse who has crashed a fence. Upon learning that his world champion is not lame but in fact going blind, and thus no longer a financial asset, the owner orders the horse destroyed. Val, outraged, hatches a plan to save "The Ghost.''

Ever since a developer offered Tess Sherrill's Uncle Matthew a lot of money to buy his property and stables and Matthew turned him down, somebody has been out to sabotage him. Is it the developer, who can't build his mall and houses? The neighbor whose deal will fall through if Matthew won't sell? The owner of the stable next door who has a family grudge against the Sherrills and stands to gain business at her own place if Matthew loses his boarders?One thing's for sure - if Tess and her friends don't act fast to find out who it is, all the horses including Tess's beloved Palomino, Ariel, are in danger!

More than anything, Cam Porter wants to join the South Shore Centaurs, a local riding club, but first she needs a horse—any horse. Cam thinks she’s found a way to make her dream come true when she comes across a shaggy, neglected gelding that nobody else wants. She dreams of turning him into the magnificent horse she’s always wanted. But Galahad has different ideas. He hates the saddle and fights the bit. Every time Cam gets on his back, he bucks. It looks as though she’ll never get him trained! Then one day, when Galahad meets another horse, he finally comes to life. He’s suddenly cooperative and good-natured. But when Cam tries to work with him again, Galahad returns to his old tricks. Maybe all he needs is a true friend. Can Cam ever grow to care for such an unlovable beast?

Joelle has a very special relationship with her Thoroughbred mare, Dance Away. Then Dancer dies giving birth to her first foal, and Joelle swears that no horse, not even Dancer’s filly, will ever replace Dancer in her heart. But Joelle’s parents insist she take care of the orphaned filly—it needs her help to survive. Joelle does as little as she can to groom and train the foal. All she can think about is Dancer—that they won’t be riding together in the big fall show where Joelle was sure they’d win a trophy. Joelle’s convinced that Dancer’s filly will never be a winner like her mother. Then something happens that makes Joelle change her mind forever . . .

Tess Sherrill is thrilled when her uncle turns down a developer’s offer to buy his stable, The Barn. Without The Barn, Tess wouldn’t be able to ride her favorite horse, a palomino named Ariel. But Tess’s happiness fades when The Barn is plagued with freak accidents that threaten the lives of the horses boarded there. Is it sabotage?Tess vows to stop whoever is behind the destruction. Then Ariel and other horses are injured in a dangerous stampede on the night of The Barn’s annual Harvest Moon trail ride, and Tess’s uncle is ready to give up. Can Tess uncover the criminals before her uncle sells out—or worse, her cherished horse is hurt too badly to save?