Hay in Her Pockets

Here’s what’s currently on my “To Read” list:

Non-Fiction:

Finding My Distance:  A Year in the Life of a Three Day Eventer (Julia Wendell):  This book is loooong, but I hear it’s really good.

Chosen By A Horse (Susan Richards):  An account of the horses Richards rescued.  Of course I’m a total sucker for a rescue project, so I will be reading this book and living vicariously through Richards.

Renegade Champion:  The Unlikely Rise of Fitzrada (Richard R. Rust):  This is about one of the first women to compete at the International levels in show jumping and her challenging horse.  Pretty much a must read, if you ask me!

Horses Never Lie:  The Art of Passive Leadership (Mark Rashid):  This is another book  based on the idea a Natural Horsemanship, so I definitely want to see what Rashid’s take is.

How Good Riders Get Good:  Daily Choices that Lead to Success in Any Equestrian Sport (Denny Emerson):  I am hoping this book will give me the secret to finally moving up a level!  And Denny Emerson is someone I’ve long admired…

Fiction:

A Good Horse (Jane Smiley):  Jane Smiley stirred up quite a controversy when, after writing this book, she sent one of the horses featured in it to the auction.  Yikes.  But word on the street is it wasn’t a “livestock auction” (where killer buyers go) but a Thoroughbred auction.

The Dressage Chronicles (Karen McGoldrick):  This is written by a USDF gold medalist so I know the horse stuff will be accurate.

Under Orders (Dick Francis):  I’ve never read any Dick Francis.  This seems very, very wrong.  Definitely a situation I must rectify.

Riders (Jilly Cooper):  Frankly, the cover of this book makes me want to vomit.  But maybe it’s not as terrible as the cover would suggest?

Someday there will be a Triple Crown Winner in my lifetime that I will actually remember.  As a balm to my disappointment over I’ll Have Another being retired before running the Belmont, I read Beyond the Homestretch: What I’ve Learned from Saving Racehorses
last week. In it, Lynn Reardon tells how she started up a Thoroughbred horse rescue and what she learned from some of the horses she helped place in new homes.

You can read my full review for Horse Nation HERE.

While we get ready to celebrate the running of the Belmont Stakes (the last jewel of the Triple Crown) and cross our fingers for I’ll Have Another to be our next  Triple Crown winner, here’s a book that anyone considering getting a racetrack reject should add to her horse library:  Beyond the Track: Retraining the Thoroughbred from Racecourse to Riding Horse.

You can read my full review for Horse Nation HERE.

I got really excited when I heard about the book Derby Day: A Novel because it was nominated for a Booker Prize and I often really enjoy Booker Prize winners and nominees.  However, I was reminded that prizes and almost-prizes don’t mean everything…

You can read my full review for Horse Nation HERE.

I’m really hoping The Kid will like horses.  Partially because I think it will make it easier for me to justify the time I spend riding.  But also because horseback riding A) is fun B) is athletic and outdoorsy C) teaches responsibility, empathy, communication, respect, and confidence.

So I keep looking for tools to aid me in my indoctrination.  One great tool I stumbled upon recently was this:  A is for Apple: A Horsey Alphabet

My kid loves this book.  You can read all about why in my full review for Horse Nation HERE.

…as Cindy in the middle grade novel Pidgy’s Surprise: The Little Pony with a Big Heart
(by Jeanne Mellin) discovers.

This cute, wholesome story is really all about self-discovery and learning to be happy with what you have.  You can read my full review HERE.

…the story they’d tell might be a lot like Anne Hambleton’s middle grade novel, Raja, Story of a Racehorse.

You can read my full review at Horse Nation, HERE.

I needed a new picture to go with my HorseNation Wednesday book reviews, so here it is: 

While I wouldn’t really advocate riding and reading, Sadie did make a surprisingly comfy reading pillow.

I just finished reading Blaze of Glory by M. Garzon.  You can check out her author’s website HERE.  And you can read my full review over at HorseNation HERE.

The book is marketed as YA, but I think anyone who enjoys the Romance genre (and PONIES!!) will like it– the horse stuff (focusing mostly on jumpers and polo ponies) is spot-on (well, from what I can tell– I don’t know anything about polo).  I will say, as a disclaimer, that it deals with mature issues so it might be better for older teen readers.

I just finished reading The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation
and Snowman has joined the list of horses I wish I’d known in person.  You can read my full book review for HorseNation.com here.  I’m pretty sure if you loved Seabiscuit, you’ll love Snowman too.