The Black Stallion

The Black Stallion by Walter Farley, 1941 Random House

     Alec Ramsey is traveling home from a visit to his uncle in Arabia when his steamer is caught in a storm and sinks. The only living beings to survive are Alec and the powerful Arabian black stallion who wasn't happy to be on the boat to begin with. The boy and the horse survive when Alec manages to get the Black free from his stall, then catches hold of the halter-rope when he plunges into the sea. Alec clings to that rope when the stallion swims to a desert island where the two are stranded for some time.
     They are rescued and Alec brings the Black home with him. He befriends the retired horse trainer, Henry Dailey, who lives nearby and together Henry and Alec begin to train the Black for racing. The Black, however doesn't have proper documentation and cannot race other than as a mystery mount in a race between champions.

     Alec and Henry train and train the Black. They enter him into the champions’ race with Alec as jockey. Until the end it is a close race, but Alec’s love for the beautiful horse helps him to beat the favored champions.

     The relationship between Alec and the Black is the cornerstone of The Black Stallion. The two begin as distant companions, survivors of a similar trauma. In the end they are inseparable and their connection is unheard of in racing circles.

     The Black Stallion is a classic, read by generations of young readers internationally. It is the first in a prolific series continued after Walter Farley’s death by his son.