Author(s): Deborah Hopkinson

Children & Young Adult

In the closing months of World War II, American bombs rained down and Nazi Germany and its occupied territories, including Austria. As glass shattered around them in Vienna, an extraordinary horse named Nero and his stablemates, the dancing white Lipizzaner stallions of the famed Spanish Riding School, quivered and shook in fear. But they did not panic. Somehow, they sensed the school's director, dedicated horseman Alois Podhajsky, would do everything he could to keep them safe. Yet Alois couldn't do it alone. And in the chaotic last days of the war, as their fate became more uncertain than ever, Nero would play a key role in helping Alois appeal for aid from an unlikely ally-America. But time was running out. It would take a daring band of American soldiers-along with horse lovers from opposite sides of the battlefield-to pull off a secret mission to save the Lipizzaners from certain destruction. United by their love of horses, these unsung heroes risked their lives to preserve this majestic rare breed for generations to come. Join the ride as award-winning author Deborah Hopkinson brings to life the exhilarating true story of Operation Cowboy and the miraculous survival of the Spanish Riding School. Featuring rare family photos and told for the first time for young readers, They Saved the Stallions is bound to please every history fan and horse lover.