History Literature / TheBlackStallion

* ArcWords: Farley has a tendency to describe a stretch duel with the following: "Head and head, they bobbed as one. Eye and eye. He (or 'she') never faltered. He took the challenge, met it, staved it off, and went on." Becomes almost a BrickJoke when the Black and Flame finally duel and the narrative reads "They never faltered. They took the other's challenge, met it, staved it off, and went on."

* FriendToAllLivingThings: Pam is a gentle soul who attracts and controls animals through her kindness.

* TakeAThirdOption: Steve seems to be caught between leaving Flame where he is on Azul Island or taking him away and leaving the other horses to fend for themselves. When aliens (?!) help him take Flame into horse racing, he realizes he has a way to earn enough money to simply ''buy'' Azul Island.

* GenreShift: Farley departed from his normal horse-and-his-boy story and wrote mysteries and even a horror novel within the series
** Heck, to full-on ''sci-fi'' in ''The Island Stallion Races''. To get himself and his horse to the mainland and into a race to save the island, Steve gets help from race-loving aliens. No, seriously. May be a symptom of CreatorBreakdown as the books just got progressively stranger after that.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Azul Island has a population of horses which have been inbreeding for centuries with no ill effects. Farley hand-waves this by saying that they had good genes from the start... and at any rate, we do see one 'mutant' stallion who poses a threat to the entire herd when he ousts Flame.

* InvincibleHero: The Black almost never loses. Justified, since the Black is half-Arabian and Arabian horses are [[PintsizedPowerhouse specifically bred for speed and endurance.]] Nowadays Arabians and part-Arabs are only allowed to race other Arabians.[[note]]In real life, Arabs don't have both the speed AND stamina to beat Thoroughbreds at modern racing distances. At a more moderate pace, they could outlast them, hence their popularity for sports like Endurance riding.[[/note]] There's also the fact that his non-Arab half is [[spoiler: possibly mystical and/or aliens. No, seriously.]] The Black loses once due to a technicality, despite crossing the finish line first (he broke from Alec's control and bumped other horses, causing him to be placed lower due to interference). In another case, the Black loses when Alec throws the race, choosing to help another rider whose saddle slipped, saving his life, instead of finishing the race.

* WorthyOpponent: Flame to the Black. They are effectively equal; their one official race (on the Black's preferred dirt, not Flame's turf) ends in a photo finish which the Black takes by "the thinnest fraction of a nose."

* ArtisticLicenseSports: A mix of this and SocietyMarchesOn, as the world of horse racing in these books bears almost no resemblance to horse racing today. The one violation of the rules which the books acknowledge and deal with is the Black racing against Cyclone and Sun Raider in the first book -- since it's just a match race (not sponsored by a racing association), the Black can enter even without a known pedigree. A local newsman helps things along by spreading rumors of a "mystery horse" who could beat them both, raising interest to the point where the Black is invited.

* SocietyMarchesOn: The books were largely written in the 50s, and hoo boy, does it show.
** Racism and sexism are blatantly on display, particularly in ''The Black Stallion and the Girl''.
** The Black -- never implied to be anything but full Arabian -- is not only allowed to race in Thoroughbred circuits but to be a registered sire whose offspring are also considered Thoroughbreds.
** In ''The Black Stallion's Filly'', Henry buys the two-year-old Black Minx at a bargain price because the audience can't be bothered with a spoiled filly who can't race. Buying her as a broodmare prospect never once occurs to anyone.
** In the same book, she gets into the Kentucky Derby starting gate with ''no earnings'' (she has raced twice and not finished either time). Horses today need to earn a certain amount of winnings in specified stakes races to enter the Derby.
** In the next book, she is retired from racing uninjured, having apparently lost interest after falling in love (?!) with one of her rivals. Purchasing said horse becomes a burden on Alec's new farm instead of, say, a chance to stand another good sire.
** In ''The Black Stallion's Blood Bay Colt'', an elderly trainer is packed off semi-voluntarily for several weeks of "rest cure." Harness racing at night under lights, with a mobile starting gate, is seen as new and controversial among established trainers.

* ArtisticLicenseSports: As noted under SocietyMarchesOn, the world of horse racing in these books bears almost no resemblance to horse racing today. The one violation of the rules which the books acknowledge and deal with is the Black racing against Cyclone and Sun Raider in the first book -- since it's just a match race (not sponsored by a racing association), the Black can enter even without a known pedigree. A local newsman helps things along by spreading rumors of a "mystery horse" who could beat them both, raising interest to the point where the Black is invited.

%% RearingHorse: On the cover of many books, including ''Son of the Black Stallion''.

** The Black, once his full pedigree is known, is not only allowed to race in Thoroughbred circuits but to be a registered sire.
** In ''The Black Stallion's Filly'', Henry buys the two-year-old Black Minx at a bargain price because the audience can't be bothered with a spoiled filly who can't race. Buying her as a broodmare prospect never once occurs to anyone.
** In the same book, she gets into the Kentucky Derby starting gate with ''no earnings'' (she has raced twice and not finished either time).
** In the next book, she is retired from racing uninjured, having apparently lost interest in racing after falling in love (?) with one of her rivals. Purchasing said horse becomes a burden on Alec's new farm instead of, say, a chance to stand another good sire.
* In ''The Black Stallion's Blood Bay Colt'', an elderly trainer is packed off semi-voluntarily for several weeks of "rest cure." Harness racing at night under lights, with a mobile starting gate, is seen as new and controversial among established trainers.

* WorthyOpponent: Flame to the Black. They are effectively equal; their one official race (on the Black's preferred dirt, not Flame's turf) ends in a photo finish which the Black takes by "the thinnest fraction of a nose."

%% MiracleRally: In the first book, but used again throughout the series.

* SocietyMarchesOn: In addition to the blatant sexism displayed by Henry and others, the world of horse racing depicted is almost nothing like its present reality.
** In ''The Black Stallion's Filly'', for example, the filly of the title is able to get a place in the Derby starting gate despite never winning a race, and is entered in another race during Derby week itself. Contemporary horses need a certain amount of graded stakes earnings to even ''look at'' the starting gate and almost never run earlier than three weeks before the race.
*** Since the above edit it's gotten even harder, with a point system earned from specific races (all of which would require a filly like Black Minx to compete in mixed races against males.) But then, when the books were written, horses also would sometimes race the week before the Derby, or in races between the legs of the Triple Crown (for instance, Triple Crown winner Count Fleet won the Withers Stakes between the Preakness and Belmont... and then won the Belmont by 25 lengths). This would be unheard of today.

* AccidentalAthlete: Alec, fortuitously, stays small so he can be the Black's jockey. Last books call attention to how hard it is for him and other jockeys to stay under the maximum weight.

* ArtisticLicenseSports: Played with as one of those cases where something was within the rules when it was made, which is partly SocietyMarchesOn, but not now... except it's a Long Runner, and the series kept following the obsolete rule. The rule in question? Allowing a "Mystery Horse" (i.e. a horse of uncertain breed) such as Black to enter a special match race that had been arranged between two champion racehorses, Cyclone and Sun Raider.
** There's a lot of weirdness in the Kentucky Derby in ''The Black Stallion's Filly'' -- a filly with ''no earnings'' (she's raced twice and not finished either time) gets into the starting gate. Moreover, one of the races she failed to finish was Derby Week itself. Again, this wasn't unusual at the time (see below), but it would be impossible now.

%%* [[BigGame Big Race]]

%%* BusCrash: Pam.
%%* CrossOver: With his ''Island Stallion'' series

%%* DesertedIsland: In the first book, and ostensibly Azul Island as well.

%%* FriendToAllLivingThings: Pam.

%%* HeroicBSOD: Alec after learning of [[spoiler:Pam's death]].

* ArtisticLicenseSports: Played with as one of those cases where something was within the rules when it was made, but not now... except it's a Long Runner, and the series kept following the obsolete rule. The rule in question? Allowing a "Mystery Horse" (i.e. a horse of uncertain breed) such as Black to enter a special match race that had been arranged between two champion racehorses, Cyclone and Sun Raider.
** There's a lot of weirdness connected to the Kentucky Derby in ''The Black Stallion's Filly'' -- a filly with ''no earnings'' (she's raced twice and not finished either time) gets into the starting gate. Moreover, one of the races she failed to finish was Derby Week itself. This wasn't so unusual at the time (see below) but it would be impossible now.