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Post by lessonlearned on Jan 21, 2006 16:49:24 GMT -5
I HIGHLY recommend "Horse Heaven" By Jane Smiley. It is a wonderful, sweet, sad, funny book. It is fictional but does address some of the problems with the disposible attitude of the racing industry. I read it a few years ago and the storyline of Justabob the solid campaigner who goes to lower and lower quality tracks and from owner to owner really opened my eyes to what happens to these horses when they can no longer run. I seriously considered naming my first horse "Bob" in honor of him, but then couldn't bring myself to name a horse "Bob."
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Post by rainydayride on Jan 21, 2006 16:59:46 GMT -5
I second the recommendations for
After the Finish Line (thank you GwenR)... a great stories of those who have worked so tirelessly to help these noble beasts..
and Horse Heaven.
Jane Smiley has also written A Year at the Races: Reflections on Horses, Humans, Love, Money and Luck about her experience as a race horse owner.
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Post by critterseverywhere on Jan 23, 2006 11:19:55 GMT -5
I dunno guys...I was a little traumatized by Horse Heaven. I read it pretty much straight through, then drove out to the barn (40 min away) to feed Karma (my OTTB) a whole bucket of treats. Both hubby & Karma thought I was nuts. On a non-fiction note, I really like Sally Swift's Centered Riding books. And I think every horse owner should pick up a copy of Veterinary Notes for Horse Owners. You can usually get them used off of abebooks.com for fairly cheap (I think I paid @$10 for mine) and it's very useful for getting a quick overview of pretty much any syndrome or condition found in horses. I love it for when my vet says "Well, it could be X, Y, or Z" so I can quickly look up what the heck she's talking about! It also gives you a good foundation on the biology/anatomy of a horse. I also like the videos Essential Hoof Care and Natural Balance Hoof Trimming available at hopeforsoundness.com/edss/store/educateprod.html (I have to admit though that while he's a fabulous source of knowledge, Gene does have one of the driest presentation styles I've ever seen. )
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