Stories that help kids find where they belong.

Horses, kids, and stories have always belonged together

Laura Holt-Haslam is a multi-award-winning author, lifelong horsewoman, and a big believer in the power of stories and horses to help young people discover who they are and who they can become.

She writes heartfelt, horse-centered fiction for middle grade readers, especially kids in those wonderful, complicated years between childhood and the teens. Her stories have plenty of horses, barn adventures, riding, and rescue, but the heart of her writing is about the kids: their friendships, family struggles, mistakes, hopes, and the challenges that are part of growing up.

"I hope every child who closes one of my books walks away feeling a little more seen, a little more courageous, and a little more confident that they have a place where they belong."

Horses have a wonderful way of helping us discover who we really are. That's why Laura's stories are about much more than riding. They're about friendship, forgiveness, resilience, and discovering that our differences often become our greatest strengths, rather than keeping us from belonging.

Where the stories began

Long before she became an author, Laura was teaching kids about horses. As a teenager and young adult, she taught riding and horsemanship, and over the years she's had the privilege of mentoring hundreds of children through camps, church programs, community ministry, and plenty of informal hours spent at the barn.

Eventually, those parts of her life found their way into her books. When her daughter left for college, her family's miniature horse, Max, and Laura began taking afternoon walks together without her. For years, Max had been at the center of their mother-daughter adventures. Laura found herself imagining a lonely miniature horse whose favorite child had grown up and gone away.

At first, the story was sad. But then she realized that wasn't the story she wanted to tell. She wanted other children to discover this horse. She wanted friendship, belonging, and laughter to return to the barn. That simple idea became A Place for Sofia, her first published novel, which eventually grew into the Sofia's Story series.

More than books

Laura's love of kids, horses, and literacy has continued to grow beyond the stories themselves. She's a certified Horse Powered Reading® facilitator, and she creates horse-powered literacy and book club curriculum designed to help children experience reading in an entirely different way.

She also runs River Pony Press, where readers can find her books, educational resources, signed copies, book bundles, and other resources for families and educators.

A little more about Laura

Laura lives in Southern Maine with her husband, adult son, and two adorably naughty cats. She's also the mom of an adult daughter who grew up sharing her love of horses.

And then there's Max. Max is Laura's 31-year-old miniature horse and has been part of the family since her daughter was three. Over the years, he's been a child's riding pony, driving horse, obstacle-course partner, champion jumper, teacher, and companion. These days, life moves at a gentler pace, but he still enjoys daily grooming sessions, walks, and napping in the sunshine. Max and his best friend, Tater Tot, serve as the official spokesponies for River Pony Press, a position they take exactly as seriously as you might expect.

If you're a young reader, parent, grandparent, teacher, educator, or simply someone who never outgrew loving horses, Laura is glad you're here. She hopes you'll find stories that make you smile, characters who feel like friends, horses you'll wish you could meet, and perhaps a reminder that there's room in the barn for you, too.