Heavenly Horse, book 1: The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West
Mary Stanton1988

The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West is the Dancer, a shining Appaloosa stallion, first of all horses in the Army of One Hundred and Five and guardian of the Courts of the Outermost West.

Anor the executioner, monstrous and fanged, is the servant of the Dark Horse. He comes from the Gates of Death and if he can, he will destroy the Dancer.

Between them stands Duchess, last true mare of the Appaloosa line. When she arrives at the Bishop's farm, ill-treated and ill-tempered, she appears to be an ordinary buckskin mare. Only El-Arat, the proud Arabian who is Story Teller and Dream Speaker to the horses of the farm, can see that she carries the sacred Appaloosa genes. Then the Dancer arrives, and Duchess, accompanied by the brave mare Susie and the loyal dog Cory, runs away with him to face a winter of hardship and great danger, stalked by Anor and his Harrier Hounds.

If they succeed in killing Duchess and her foal, the Appaloosa breed will be ended.

The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West is partly an adventure, partly a fable, and partly even a lover story. It is also a mesmerising evocation of the eternal battle between good and evil.