Selected Book
Chosen by a Horse
- Paperback
- Edition: Reprint
- Author: Susan Richards
- Publisher: Mariner Books
- Release Date: June 2007
- ISBN-10: 0156031175
- ISBN-13: 9780156031172
- List Price: $13.95
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryThe horse Susan Richards chose for rescue wouldn’t be corralled into her waiting trailer. Instead Lay Me Down, a former racehorse with a foal close on her heels, walked right up that ramp and into Susan’s life. This gentle creature—malnourished, plagued by pneumonia and an eye infection—had endured a rough road, but somehow her heart was still open and generous. It seemed fated that she would come into Susan’s paddock and teach her how to embrace the joys of life despite the dangers of living. An elegant and often heartbreaking tale filled with animal characters as complicated and lively as their human counterparts, this is an inspiring story of courage and hope and the ways in which all love—even an animal’s—has the power to heal. |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Sad and uplifting all at once
Rating: 
Having been born with the *horse bug*, and owning/riding horses throughout my childhood and teenage years, I found I could not put this book down...except before reaching the last 15 or so pages, when I knew the heartbreaking death of Lay Me Down was inevitable. I knew I would cry like a baby, and I did. It struck me that the last time I had had such a visceral reaction to this kind of thing was when I found out, ten years after the fact, that the pony I had ridden as a child for many years was put to sleep, also due to cancer. I was stunned at my reaction at that time, since it had been so long since I'd seen her, but the love and indescribable connection that a horse can mark on your heart is truly something horse people understand.
While the author does seem a bit self-absorbed and wallowing in her own misery at times (I am not sure I'd want her as my therapist), her connection to her horses rang so true with me, that I couldn't find too much fault with her personal issues. A good read and a true understanding of how a horse can change a life.
A sad and miserable person who knows nothing about horses
Rating:
As a horse owner and trainer it's clear all the way through this book that the author doesn't know anything about horses. Everything about her views on horses is filtered by her very needy, self-centered life. She put that poor horse through far too much suffering because she couldn't bring herself to losing the horse. It was all about her, not the horse. If you're looking for a real-world perspective on horses and their relationships with humans, don't look here.
Everything in this book in really nothing more than the whinings of a self-centered person whose life is really messed up and ends up just as messed up as she starts out. I'm not unsympathetic to some of the events in her life that caused her pain. And I have first hand experience how a horse changed my life and was essentially my best friend during a very tough period of my life. But I would never consider burdening others by writing a book that was all about me; my pain, my insecurities, my selfishness, my inability to learn from my past mistakes, my unwillingness to get over myself and start thinking about others for once in my life.
I'm astounded that so many people have written favorable reviews on this book. I can only conclude that misery loves company. The answer to getting through and past life's difficulty is not found in commiserating with others who have stories similar to yours and who are still stuck (like this author obviously is). It's better found in stories of people who have learned from their suffering and found a way out of their self pity and depression.
If you're looking for hope, you won't find it in this book.
Perhaps one day the author will find real joy and balance in life and write a sequel about that. I hope so. Then, she will have a book to offer the world that is of value.
inspirational good read
Rating:
A great inspirational story about a women learning to deal with her past. She learns by helping an abused horse that sometimes you just have to face your fears and sometimes you have to let them go.
A story to stay with you forever
Rating:
This book chose me. I jsut happened to see it and picked it quickly before paying. I loved this book and read it quickly.
It's one of the best memoirs I've read. Susan Richards is so passionate for the horse she rescues against her initial reaction. This horse transforms her and you feel Susan's bitter feelings change, and she as a person blossoms into a warm friend. It's a beautiful story, and if you love animals you will love this story. I love animals, and I love memoirs, and this one is about her journey, the horse journey, and how they both collide. It's well written, and unique. It's not convuluted, or long, or hard to get into- it's quite literaly the perfect book.
Very Good!!
Rating:
Chosen by a horse was one of the best books I have read in a while. I could not put it down.
It does not matter whether you are familiar with horses or not to enjoy this book. Susan Richards does not talk down to the horse owner yet gives enough information to make the novice feel like they understand what is going on.
From the start, the rescue of mare and foul, to the end I felt as though I was experiencing everything that the author was feeling. This was a great read and I would encourage anyone, especially animal lovers, to get this book.
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