Gabriel's Horses

Gabriel's father is free, but his mother is a slave, making Gabriel a slave, too. All three work on a horse farm, training and caring for horses that will one day race. It is the time of the Civil War and Gabriel's father is given an opportunity to join the Union Army and earn enough money to buy his family's freedom. This leaves Gabriel to care for the horses and protect them from Confederate raiders and a new cruel horse trainer.

I liked the story a lot, but the characters and the plot felt a little too pat, a little less nuanced than I might wish for.