When horse-crazy Sister Bear takes up riding, a fellow equestrian makes fun of her seasoned horse, Old Bess, whose sorrow has a compelling cause. As with other Berenstain offerings, the writing is full of clichés, and the message--in this case, that winning isn't everything and newer models aren't always better--is delivered as if via mallet. Black-and-white drawings of the familiar bears accompany the text. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.