Gaudezia, Pride of the Palio
Rand McNally, Chicago, 1960
This is the true story of Gaudenzia, a gray half-Arabian mare, and Giorgio Terni, a boy from the Maremma marshes in Italy. It is also the story of the famous race, the Palio, which takes place twice a year in the plaza in Sienna. Chosen by lot, horses are entered representing the various "contradas" of the town and it is a "no holds barred" contest with the horses ridden bareback by riders in Medieval costumes. Giorgio was one of these riders and rode Gaudenzia to victory as well as having to race against her in another Palio race as rider for a different contrada.
This is a moving story of the courage of both horse and rider and the customs of this ancient race. Later editions of this book were re-titled The Wildest Horse Race in the World. The cover illustration is a picture of Giorgio on a competing horse trying to whip Gaudenzia's spennacchiera off her headstall. As long as a horse wears this attachment, it can win the race even without its rider, which is what Gaudenzia managed to do.
[Info by Fran Fignar]
All About Horses
Random House, New York, 1962, illus Wesley Dennis and with photographs
Five O’Clock Charlie
Rand McNally & Company, NY., 1962, n.p., illus Wesley Dennis
Charlie is a English
work horse belonging to Mister Spinks of Tulip Hill Farm in Shropshire, England.
Charlie is described as brown with furry legs (Suffolk Punch X Shire???). He and
his master always go to the Boar's Head Inn at five o'clock when work is done and
Charlie gets an apple tart treat form Birdie, the cook, while his master goes in
for refreshment. When Charlie is retired, he dearly misses his daily treat and solves
the problem by knocking down a fence rail and taking himself to the Boar's Head every
day at five o'clock, becoming a regular scene in the village.
This is a cute story with lively drawings. The cover is an illustration of Charlie's’
head looking over the window sill of the inn.
