Chosen By A Horse

 How a broken horse fixed a broken heart

Chosen by a Horse:

How a broken horse fixed a broken heart by Susan Richards

A Harvest Book, Harcourt Inc. 

Paperback, 2007, $13.00

ISBN: 978-0-15-603117-2

Available at www.powells.com or www.amazon.com. 

Reviewed by Carol M. Upton: www.dreamsaloud.ca

First printed in Horses All: www.horsesall.com

She took a deep breath and let a fine mist flubber out of her nostrils and slightly parted lips. I felt it on the back of my neck, her big, wet sigh. I felt it on my heart. ~ Susan Richards

Forty abused horses from a Standardbred farm huddle together on the other side of a paddock, as far from the humans as they can get. In this overcrowded, filthy environment, a bony mare named Lay Me Down and her four-week old foal walk into the trailer belonging to Susan Richards. Against her better judgment, Richards brings them home, hoping they will live long enough to be rehabilitated. Chosen by a Horse is a bold and tender love story that begins in that moment.

The process of nursing Lay Me Down back to health created a powerful bond between woman and horse, both of whom had suffered horrific beginnings. Richards began risking her heart in relationships again and Lay Me Down, with all she had been through, was still willing to give humans – and even other horses - another chance. Most of us are aware of how animals can help us heal, but this memoir takes the reader down a particularly life-altering path. It is a candid examination of the spiritual value of life.

Memoirs written about women and horses are rare and Richards is a brilliant writer. She uses rich word pictures to describe the shifts in her view of the world and to weave her own childhood background with Lay Me Down’s story. The mare gets healthy for a time and puts on weight, but she cannot be ridden due to lameness. The bond between the two stays permanently strong despite the mare’s continuing health challenges and Richards’ life is transformed as the story proceeds.

Many reviewers talked about reading this book multiple times and finding it deeply satisfying in spite of the grief and sadness.  There are also some genuinely funny moments. It will resonate deeply with anyone who has ever loved and lost and then learned how to fully live again. No horse lover will be the same after reading it.

Susan Richards has a BA in English from University of Colorado and a Master of Social Work degree from Adelphi University. She lives in Olivebridge, New York, with three dogs, two cats and four horses. There is now a sequel – Chosen Forever – about life after Lay Me Down.

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