United States Eventing Association

Although not a book about eventing, The Scorpio Races, will interest horse lovers of any kind. A quirky setting not quite modern day, but not complete fantasy, The Scorpio Races, definitely kept me wondering as the author, Maggie Stiefvater, seemed to purposefully keep the descriptions ambiguous until a tactful explanation could be had.

The Scorpio Races is based on the island of Thisby, and if you are anything like me you will spend a lot of the book wondering where this island is in both location and timing (and how you can get ahold of a November cake!). Unfortunately the best clue Stiefvater gives is that it isn’t off of America but some other “mainland”. Thisby is home to a large equine population and in addition the capaill uisce (pronounced CAP-ple ISH-ka according to the author’s note in the back), monstrous ‘water horses’ who come out of the sea and often reek havoc on the island – killing and maiming anything in their path. Despite the monstrous qualities of the capaill uisce, Thisby citizens still try to capture and train them to compete in the Scorpio Races which occur every November.

The Scorpio Races follows the story of two main characters both orphaned because of the capaill uisce but still drawn to their world despite that fact. Sean Kendrick, a 19-year-old who works in the stables of the richest man on Thisby and has won the Scorpio Race multiple times aboard the capaill uisce stallion, Corr. Puck Connolly enters the Scorpio Race as the first female and aboard an island pony, Dove, rather than a capaill uisce. Sean and Puck have their own reasons for entering the race, but they are equally important and I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out their relationship and who if any of the two would win.

If you enjoy a good coming of age story with pretty accurate and realistic horse scenes, I would definitely recommend The Scorpio Races. The capaill uisce definitely add an unusual dose of fantasy that doesn’t seem to fit into a typical horse story, but it makes for an interesting read!

Interested in reading The Scorpio Races? The USEA has three copies to give away! Just leave a comment on Facebook telling us your favorite horse book of all time, and we will select winners from a random integer drawing.