Dark Horses

Gr 8 Up—After her beloved grandmother dies, 17-year-old Merritt Wenner begins a downward spiral of acting out. She walks out of the SAT and doses herself heavily with alcohol and drugs. Her parents send her to an equine therapy camp for troubled teens, where she meets and bonds with an equally troubled ex-racehorse, Big Red. The two of them are magic together, and are sent to train and show in the junior hunter-jumper circuit. The introspective Merritt finds a friend in Red's groom, Beatrice, as well as an attraction to her closest rival, Carvin. Meanwhile, Red is jealous of anyone who takes Merritt's attention away from him. When tragedy strikes, Merritt struggles to maintain her hard-fought equilibrium. Despite the well-crafted story, Merritt's instant success in the aggressive world of competitive riding and the anthropomorphism of Red into a psychotic admirer strain credulity. Luis Moreno reads the part of Red in a strong, deep voice that is a fine contrast to the light, youthful voice of Sandy Rustin, reading the part of Merritt.