[2][3][4][5][6] In the mountains of Slovakia, Peter has been in love with Magdalena since childhood and asks her to marry him.

[7] In Slovakia, Three Chestnut Horses was an immediate success, running through eight editions in seven years.

[8] In Women Writers of Great Britain and Europe: An Encyclopedia, Norma L. Rudinsky noted that "[Magdalena and Peter's] spiritual growth through tragedy to a happy ending is mythologized by three horses symbolizing the goodness, beauty and strength of nature as well as the same three qualities gained by obedience to the Christian moral code.

"[9] During the period of communist Czechoslovakia, the book was published with several religious passages excised.

[10] Prof. Sarah Hinlicky Wilson awarded it five stars, saying "Three Chestnut Horses as an authentically religious book is a good antidote […] It won’t heal the wounds of living, but it will give you enough balm to carry on to the next encounter.