Canterwood Crest
Canterwood Crest is a young-adult book series by Jessica Burkhart about middle school students at Canterwood Crest Academy, an elite boarding school for competitive horse riders. The world combines riding, school life, and social drama as students try to balance grades, friendships, and romance.
The first book, Take the Reins, follows Sasha Silver, a transfer student who aims to join the school’s riding team. She faces resistance from the Trio — Heather Fox, Julia Myer, and Alison Robb — who want to keep their social status. Sasha makes friends, especially Callie Harper, and starts a relationship with Jacob Schwartz, who is afraid of horses. The drama includes rivalries, friendships, and romantic twists as Sasha works to prove herself on the team.
Throughout the series, new characters join the story and relationships become more complex. Other riders, friends, and rivals enter the picture, including Drew Adams and Lauren Towers, while love triangles and personal challenges keep the plot moving. A significant turning point happens when a member of the Trio faces consequences for her actions, changing the social dynamics at the school.
In later books, the focus shifts from Sasha to new protagonists like Drew Adams and Lauren Towers, expanding the cast while keeping the core themes of competition, teamwork, and growing up under pressure.
Jessica Burkhart drew on her equestrian experience to write the series. After completing a first draft during National Novel Writing Month, she found an agent and secured a four-book deal with Simon & Schuster, promoting the books online as she wrote. The Canterwood Crest books combine sports, friendships, and romance against the backdrop of a glamorous riding academy.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 07:29 (CET).