4 of 15

Write now Article Tools

Most horse books contain a big flaw the horses' characters are as flat as pancakes. People who know horses even those who just get to take pony rides know that horses are just as three dimensional in their personalities as people are. To have a horse become a riveting character, he must somehow bring out the true nature of the people around him.

With that argument, the most memorable fictional character ever created was

the Black Stallion by Walter Farley. There's just something about leading men who are tall, dark and handsome. Magnetically fascinating in character, the Black contains a mixture of equine fantasy and a fatalistic death wish. He is a little-examined literary character that is almost Shakesperian in his scope.

The Black And Alexander The Great

The first book in the series, entitled simply "The Black Stallion" (1941) was written when Walter Farley was still in high school. We are introduced to a tall, dark, mysterious stranger, later christened The Black by teenager Alec Ramsey, the protagonist of the series.

The Black is completely unmanageable for everyone except Alec. This story does have an obvious echo from the legend of Alexander the Great and his horse Bucephalus ("Ox-Head"), which was also a black stallion. Bucephalus was another unmanageable but magnificent black stallion who no one could handle except Alexander, who realized that the mighty horse was scared of his own shadow.

The Black's Quirks

The Black is equally magnificent, heroic and quirky. In the course of the series, we discover that he snores, he likes his tongue pulled and develops a strong friendship with a broken-down grey gelding named Napoleon. Any other male horse he tries tends to try to kill, unless he knows the farm is at stake and must settle down to win the race. He seems to know best when to fight and when to run.

Although the venerable Black Stallion series has been carried on by Walter Farley's son, Stephen, the latter lacked the deep knowledge of horse character that marked Walter Farley's best books. Walter Farley was also a better fact checker than his son from everything on rules of Thoroughbred racing to California geography.

There are some big inconsistencies with the Black Stallion series (in "The Black Stallion Revolts", the Black suddenly sprouts a pink nose), but not in the character of the Black. Although Alec is the typical good guy of any book series, he's not as interesting as the Black himself. Alec seems to function best as the Black's interpreter and as a vicarious outlet for the reader.

And what horse lover wouldn't eat their own eyeballs for a chance to ride the Black, the fastest and most beautiful horse in the world? Thoughts of The Black still thrills readers decades after first reading about him. He's the most unforgettable character that this reader has ever read about.

Learn more about this author, Rena Sherwood.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Favorite fictional characters?
We want to hear your view. Write now!