Non-Fiction Horse Book ReviewsThe Great Match Race by John Eisenberg "Not a bad read. Alot of firsts in this "sports spectacle." It was pre-Civil War, pre-American sports of any kind, pre-jockey club. Eclipse representing the North, Sir Henry representing the South in "the race to end all races." The poor South just won't give up! They MUST prove their horses' superiority. There's alot of good information in this non-fiction horse book. It was well-researched and presented." Paula Harrington, Personal Ponies Advocate (personalponies.org) _________________________________________________________________ A Way With Horses, Understanding the Horse and Human Relationship by Trudy Nicholson "I've read this book twice and I feel it just misses the mark. The information given is short of complete and too generalized. There are better written, more thorough non-fiction horse books on the horse-human bond and how to establish and improve it." Paula Harrington, Personal Ponies Advocate (personalponies.org) _________________________________________________________________ Angel Horses, Divine Messengers of Hope compiled by Allen and Linda Anderson "Angel Horses is a wonderful collection of very personal stories about people and the horses they love. It's a book of bonding, loving, heros and miracles. A good non-fiction horse book read." Paula Harrington, Personal Ponies Advocate (personalponies.org) _________________________________________________________________ Lead A Horse to Murder by Cynthia Baxter "Jessica Popper, DVM and accidental sleuth, stumbles into a murder while on a vet call to attend to a polo pony. In my opinion, she continues to stumble through the rest of the book. Good information on Polo, though." Paula Harrington, Personal Ponies Advocate (personalponies.org) _________________________________________________________________ Wild About Horses by Lawrence Scanlon "Mr. Scanlon attempts to explain "our Timeless Passion for the Horse" from cave drawings on up to today through all ways the horse serves us. He does a good job of explaining the horse-human bond - "when human and horse...feel all of one piece, when heartbeat and hoofbeat find each other's rhythm." A good, informative non-fiction horse book read." Paula Harrington, Personal Ponies Advocate (personalponies.org) _________________________________________________________________ A Year At the Races by Jane Smiley "Eye-opening, funny, entertaining, informative. What more could you want from a book?" Paula Harrington, Personal Ponies Advocate (personalponies.org) _________________________________________________________________ Secretariat The Making of a Champion by William Nack ***You don't have to be a horse-racing fan to enjoy this book. It is written in a manner that anyone could understand. I found myself holding my breath during the descriptions of many of Secretariat's races. Very exciting non-fiction horse book! Paula Harrington, Assistant State Director, Personal Ponies-AR _________________________________________________________________ The Most Glorious Crown;The Story of America's Triple Crown Thoroughbreds from Sir Barton to Affirmed by Marvin Drager: ***Did you know we have not had a Triple Crown winner in the past 30 years? Did you know we have only had 11 TC winners? Did you know Man O' War's owner thought the Kentucky Derby, held at Churchill Downs, was "below" his standards and never even entered the great "Big Red?" This was a very informative book and an easy read. Mr. Drager did his research well and presented it in a pleasing manner. I would recommend this book to any young adult on up the age ladder. Paula Harrington, Personal Ponies Advocate, PPL-AR _________________________________________________________________ Crazy Good by Charles Leerhsen: ***You don't hear much about the Harness Racing industry anymore, even less about the Pacers of Harness Racing. At least, not that I'm aware of. I had never heard of Dan Patch until I ran across this book. Crazy Good was entertaining, informative and, at times, horrifying. I've never read of an animal that was more abused or exploited in the name of entertainment and earning the mighty dollar. The SPCA wasn't around during Dan Patch's day or they would have jumped on his owner with both feet. BUT - this book was about another time, another era. I can recommend this book for a good, eye-opening journey through the world of Harness Racing during the late 1800's and early 1900's. Dan Patch's life was hard and demanding, but the horse seemed to enjoy it for the most part, as he often posed for the cameras and bowed to his audiences. When Dan Patch passed on July 11, 1916, it marked the end of an era and the end of "The Most Famous Horse in America." Paula Harrington, Personal Ponies Advocate, Personal Ponies-AR _________________________________________________________________ The Horseman's Illustrated Dictionary by Steven D. Price: ****Very well compiled, very well illustrated, very informative. This book would be a good addition to any horseman's library. "More than a 1000 terms and phrases fully explained" is a very apt claim. Paula Harrington, Personal Ponies Advocate, Personal Ponies-AR _________________________________________________________________ Horses, Mules, and Ponies and How to Keep Them by Henry Wm. Herbert: **Originally published in 1859, this was a very entertaining read. Much of Mr. Herbert's information is still good for use today. Much of Mr. Herbert's information and instruction has, thank heavens, been discarded! For a relaxing, fun, entertaining book, this is a good choice. Paula Harrington, Personal Ponies Advocate, Personal Ponies-AR _________________________________________________________________
The Shetland Pony by Anna Hodson: ****If you want an excellent read on the United Kingdom Shetland, this is the book for you. This book addresses the early history, the first breeders, the origin of the Shetland Pony Stud-Book Society, the different "Types," the manner of work they are suitable for, buying and owning them, and the reasons they need to be worked, plus much, more. The Shetland Pony by Ms. Hodson is a wonderful piece of work that will be read many times and referred to even more. I can recommend this non-fiction book for the Teenager and Adult levels. Paula Harrington, Personal Ponies Advocate, Personal Ponies-AR (personalponies.org) _____________________________________________________________ The Village Horse Doctor: West of the Pecos by Ben K. Green: *Once again, my hopes were dashed. I hoped for a good, entertaining, somewhat funny read. I got a very boring book about alot of scientific experimenting and solving some of the problems of desert pastures, bragging about how a problem with Mexican Banditos was overcome and boredom, boredom, boredom. James Herriot, NO need to worry!! If you're looking for enjoyment - DON'T BUY THIS ONE! Paula Harrington, Personal Ponies Advocate, Personal Ponies-AR (personalponies.org)
________________________________________________________________
|
