A Perfect Star

Author: Heather Grovet

Readability Level 4.1 / Points 3

Word Count 10,661

96 pages

1. People were surprised at Star’s name because _____.

a. her coat had become white / b. she was bad-tempered
c. she was all-black / d. she was not well-formed

2. Kendra’s problem with her English saddle was because she put _____.

a. the front towards the back / b. the stirrups on the wrong sides
c. too little girth around Star’s belly / d. too much oil on the leather

3. Why should Kendra have realized right away that she needed lessons?

a. Her horse didn’t like to trot. / b. No one in her family had ever had horses.
c. She didn’t know how to comb her pony. / d. She hadn’t put the saddle together right.

4. Gray horses had once been kept only for _____.

a. children / b. farmers / c. the king’s family / d. soldiers

5. Star did not want to jump because _____.

a. She was afraid / b. she had a stone in her hoof
c. she was lazy / d. the saddle was too loose
Correct answers: / 1-a 2-b 3-d 4-c 5-a

Zippity Do Dah

Author: Heather Grovet

Readability Level 4.1 / Points 3

Word Count: 12,250

96 pages

Content

1. Zipper kicked a bucket of _____.

a. feed / b. milk / c. soapy water / d. tools

2. He also kicked a bottle of _____.

a. hoof polish / b. medicine / c. perfume / d. saddle oil

3. A red ribbon on the tail meant the horse might _____.

a. bite / b. kick / c. poop / d. run away

4. They were getting the ponies ready for _____.

a. barrel racing / b. giving pony rides / c. the Rose Parade / d. a pack trip

5. All the riders had to wear _____.

a. boots / b. helmets / c. spurs / . all of these

6. The cotton candy looked black because Mr. Rawling added _____.

a. all the colors / b. licorice flavor / c. mud / d. all of these

7. To help sales on the cotton candy they added _____.

a. ice cream / b. mints / c. red hearts / d. stars

8. Zipper got frightened by a _____.

a. balloon / b. mouse / c. snake / d. truck

9. Zipper got a _____ in his hoof.

a. barbed wire / b. rock / c. staple / d. thorn

10. The little girl wanted to ride Zipper because he was _____.

a. an appaloosa / b. big / c. fast / d. small

Vocabulary

11. The difference between a paint and an appaloosa is that appaloosas have _____.

a. little spots / b. short manes / c. tiny hooves / d. all of these

12. A horse cinch is found on its _____.

a. belly / b. head / c. hoof / d. tail

13. The cotton candy was unique because it was _____.

a. the only one that color / b. the last one sold that day
c. the sweetest dessert at the fair / d. made to look like a horse

14. A lopsided house is one that is _____.

a. bigger on one side / b. covered with brick
c. surrounded by a fence / d. filled with sweets

15. A horse’s snout is found on his _____.

a. belly / b. head / c. hoof / d. tail

16. Something that is done mischievously is likely to get you _____.

a. an award / b. a good grade / c. in trouble / d. out of trouble

17. A mane is found on a horse’s _____.

a. back / b. leg / c. neck / d. rump

18. A stirrup is where you put your _____.

a. feet / b. hands / c. seat / d. none of these

19. A bucking horse is one that makes a lot of _____.

a. baby horses / b. jumps / c. kicks / d. money

20. A horse’s frog is on his _____.

a. belly / b. head / c. hoof / d. tail
Correct answers: / 1-c 2-a 3-b 4-b 5-b 6-a 7-d 8-a 9-c 10-b
11-a 12-a 13-a 14-a 15-b 16-c 17-c 18-a 19-c 20-c

Good as Gold

Author: Heather Grovet

Readability Level 3.8 / Points 3

Word Count: 12,750

96 pages

Content

1. Horse shows shouldn’t be about winning but about _____.

a. getting together with friends / b. improving your abilities
c. visiting new places / d. none of these

2. The problem at Belarus was that _____.

a. the people were very poor / b. the wind blew in nuclear pollution
c. the winters were very cold / d. all of these

3. Because of the problems, many children in Belarus had _____.

a. AIDs / b. cancer / c. no home / d. stopped going to school

4. Nadia’s family could rarely afford _____.

a. Bibles / b. fruit / c. to go to church / d. to ride horses

5. Nadia had ridden a horse at _____.

a. the circus / b. her grandparents’ farm / c. Mrs. Borsch / d. summer camp

6. Seeker couldn’t run well because she _____.

b. had broke a leg / c. was pregnant / d. all of these

7. At the sleep-over Nadia brought _____.

a. bananas / b. borsch / c. cookies / d. sandwiches

8. Nadia was willing to _____ so she could be near horses.

a. clean stalls / b. comb the ponies / c. oil saddles / d. all of these

9. Because of _____ the show had two contests going at once.

a. rain / b. few horses entering the race / c. lack of money / d. all of these

10 If Megan had entered the jumping event she might have _____.

a. been High Point English Rider / b. won a lot of money
c. gotten to know new kids / d. gotten to visit Russia

11. Nadia ended up giving Blondie bananas because _____.

a. they were too soft to eat / b. she didn’t like them
c. it would help Blondie’s sore muscles / d. none of these

12. Megan was glad Blondie was fat because it was easier to _____.

a. get up on him / b. ride bareback / c. wash him / d. none of these

13. Seeker was the mother of _____.

a. Blondie / b. Nadia / c. Star / d. Mrs. Boris

14. When there was no gas in Belarus they burned wood and _____.

a. garbage / b. grease / c. oil / d. rocks

15. Nadia had to use a _____ to get on Seeker.

a. bale of hay / b. ladder / c. step stool / d. Seeker’s mane

Vocabulary

16. At horse shows, green and maiden mean _____.

a. envious / b. not experienced / c. pretty / d. young

17. Ring protocol refers to _____.

a. how to act during a horse show / b. how to talk on the phone
c. how to saddle a horse / d. how to feed your pony

18. Both cantering and _____ are ways a horse moves.

a. loping / b. snorting / c. whinnying / d. snaffling

19. A tarp is a kind of _____.

a. cloth / b. horse / c. saddle / d. riding whip

20. To cancel the show meant to _____.

a. hide it / b. join it / c. stop it / d. tell everyone about it
Correct answers: / 1-b 2-b 3-b 4-b 5-b 6-a 7-a 8-d 9-a 10-a
11-d 12-b 13-a 14-a 15-a 16-b 17-a 18-a 19-a 20-c