Coruba

The timeless tale of a girl's love for her stunning horse, Black Beauty was written back in 1877 by English author Anna Sewell. This heart-warming story has stood the test of time and today, 140 years later, it's still loved by families everywhere.

The story is an autobiography related by the horse, starting from when he was a happy and carefree colt on a farm. He is then sold to Squire Gordon of Birtwick Park as a carriage horse to serve the family. On a wet and stormy night, Black Beauty is pulling the carriage home when a flooded bridge collapses - luckily, nobody falls to their doom!

However, when Beauty gets back to the stable, Joe Green (the inexperienced stable lad) doesn't dry the horse or give him a warm rug and he makes the mistake of giving him icy cold water to drink. This leads to Beauty falling very ill and Joe is distraught but over the next few days, the squire and Joe treat the horse and he recovers well. Beauty is later sold to a London cab driver to pull the carriage and he leads a hard life until he's sold on… again and again.

Eventually, Black Beauty has a happy retirement with Joe, who sees him at a horse auction. He doesn't recognise him at first because he's in such poor shape, but when Beauty whinnies to his old friend, Joe recognises him, and they are finally reunited.

Black Beauty meets with cruelty and hardship, with each chapter describing a period in his life that teaches a moral lesson. In a beautifully narrated story that includes extensive descriptions of equine behaviour, the plot relates to having sympathy and understanding for horses and treating them with kindness and respect.