' "When you touch a Lipizzaner, you're touching history," Westerman was once told. His elegant book offers fascinating proof' Financial Times Frank Westerman explores the history of Lipizzaners, an extraordinary troop of pedigree horses bred as personal mounts for the Emperor of Austria-Hungary. Following the bloodlines of the stud book, he reconstructs the story of four generations of imperial steed as they survive the fall of the Habsburg Empire, two world wars and the insane breeding experiments conducted under Hitler, Stalin and Ceausescu. But what begins as a fairytale becomes a chronicle of the quest for racial purity. Carrying the reader across Europe, from imperial stables and stud farms to the controversial gene labs of today, Westerman asks, if animal breeders are so good at genetic engineering, why do attempts to perfect the human strain always end in tragedy?

Will Stevie Have To Say Good-bye To No-Name? Stevie Lake is ecstatic. After years of wanting a horse of her own, her parents have given her "No-Name," a beautiful Arabian-Saddlebred. And everyone can see that the frisky, sassy mare is the perfect match for a rider like fun-loving, Stevie. Now all she has to do to make "No-Name" hers is come up with a fitting name. But before Stevie can find a name for the beautiful mare, her happiness is abruptly shattered. During a Pony Club exhibition, another girl claims that "No-Name" was stolen from her family's barn. Could Stevie's new mount really be the horse the older girl calls "Punk"? Is Stevie about to lose her dream horse forever?

Max's wife, Deborah, is about to have her baby, and the Saddle Club girls are keeping her company before she goes to the hospital. Stevie, Carole, and Lisa all recount—in their own words—what their lives were like before horses, and how they've never been the same since. When the last tale has wound down, Deborah realizes that the baby is about to arrive.

When a sick, abused horse is rescued and brought to Pine Hollow, every effort is made to save the horse's life, and Lisa, remembering the death of another abused horse, struggles to restore the horse's broken spirit.

Pine Hollow is boarding some horses from a neighboring stable. One of the horses has special problems that require help from The Saddle Club. But first they have to figure out how to get the horse to tell them what's wrong.Meanwhile, Stevie's grandmother is visiting the Lakes, and everyone has resolved to be on their best behavior. Can Stevie and her brothers keep their resolution? And what happens when they learn that Granny likes the normal family chaos?

Lisa's great aunt gives her a diary in which to record her feelings, like when she feels frustrated at being labeled a beginning rider, when her friends don't understand her desire to be the very best, or when her mother drives her crazy.