For fifteen-year-old Maya Voss, life is measured in the rhythmic clatter of a south London riding school and the "consistency of concrete" mud she mucks out three days a week. But her world is upended on a drizzly Tuesday when a cedar crate arrives from France—a crate containing a letter from a grandmother she was told died twelve years ago.

Madeleine Voss is not a memory. She was a woman living among the salt marshes of the Camargue, and she has left Maya a strange inheritance: a crumbling farmhouse, a scholarship to a prestigious equestrian academy in Arles, and a set of cassette tapes describing a landscape that feels like a memory Maya hasn’t lived yet.

But the true heart of the inheritance is a silver bit of an impossible design—a "silver bridle" that fits no known tack and carries a weight that feels more like a purpose than a tool.

As Maya travels to the wild wetlands of southern France, she discovers that her grandmother wasn't just a student of horses; she was the guardian of a lineage the world thinks is extinct. Between the high-pressure training of the Saint-Cyr Academy and the encroaching threat of a powerful developer, Maya must learn the language of a stallion known as Le Fant�me—the Ghost—to protect a secret that has been kept for generations.

The world is larger than anyone tells you it is. And the large parts are worth finding.

Product Details

Series: The Silver Bridle Chronicles (Book 1)
Genre: YA Contemporary / Action & Adventure / Animals (Horses)
Themes: Heritage, Equestrian Mystery, French Provence, Conservation

About the Author

Gareth Croot crafts immersive, atmospheric narratives that blend technical precision with emotional depth. The Hidden Valley is the first installment in The Silver Bridle Chronicles, exploring the profound, ancient connection between humans and the natural world.

Equestrian fiction, Camargue horses, France mystery, YA adventure, hidden legacy, horse training, female protagonist, silver bridle, French marshes, horse academy.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

We first started out as ?The Paperback Exchange,? a chain of physical bookstores where we would part exchange your beloved books for new stories to transport you to faraway places. However, as shopping started to evolve to online shops and marketplaces, we bid our stores goodbye to become ?PBShop.? This transition has only allowed us to blossom as we now ship thousands of titles to book lovers across the globe. We pride ourselves in being a community of local book lovers which allows our passion and devotion to shine in everything we do. In 2020 we not only celebrated our 20th birthday but our 1st birthday as being completely employee owned after becoming an E.O.T in September 2019. We are proud to be different and embrace standing apart on a book mountain by working from a virtual inventory which allows us to provide thousands of books that may be difficult to get for your bookshelf or your studies. Working with a number of different suppliers allows us to explore other avenues such as puzzles, sheet music and even stationery so we really do have something for everyone. Life is about being versatile in all realms of existence. If this is your first visit or you are a returning customer, we would like to welcome you to the PBShop family, for there is no friend as loyal as a book. We are a company who put our customers at the centre of everything we do as we understand the importance of reading because once you learn to read, you will forever be free. There are a whole lot of things in this world of ours that we are yet to explore, which is why we will forever inspire curious minds.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

Pbshop.co.uk Ltd
Unit 22 Horcott Industrial Estate, Horcott Road, Fairford, GL7 4BX, United Kingdom

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

Returns Policy
We ask all customers to contact us for authorisation should they wish to return their order. Orders returned without authorisation may not be credited.
If you wish to return, please contact us within 14 days of receiving your order to obtain authorisation.

Returns requested beyond this time will not be authorised.

Our team will provide full instructions on how to return your order and once received our returns department will process your refund.
Please note the cost to return any...

More Information

Shipping Terms

Books are shipped from UK warehouse. Delivery thereafter is between 4 and 14 business days dependant upon your location - please do contact us with any queries you may have.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.
Order quantity	7 to 14 business days	7 to 14 business days
First item	US$ 0.00	US$ 0.00

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.