Customer Reviews

If I Had a Horse: How Different Life Would Be

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Quote from the book:

"One of the earliest religious disappointments in a young girl's life devolves upon her unanswered prayer for a horse" (Phyllis Theroux)

Indeed.

The author doesn't quite capture the essence of life long yearning to be with horses; to always dream of owning your own horse and to have that dream just out of your grasp. The above quote from the book comes close to those feelings - and overall the book comes close, but doesn't quite hit the mark.

The title is a bit misleading, or perhaps my expectations got the better of me; the author already lives with horses, has horses of her own, and is in daily contact with horses. Thus, I couldn't quite make the bridge between "If I had a horse" and "how different life would be" within the pages of this book. The text and quotes are more zen like in approach and philosophy, rather than describing life-altering changes.

Nevertheless, this is a BEAUTIFUL book. The text is honest, thoughtful, spiritual and philosophical. The photographs in this book are equally beautiful, and truly compliment the text superbly. The photographer has done a wonderful job capturing the essence, heart and soul of equus.

This is a slim book, less than 1/2" thick, and only 128 pages, but printed in hardcover, and bound on heavy semi-gloss paper. Every single page features full-colour photographs of horses, with the author's insightful text and selection of quotes from various sources.

My only complaint (and it perhaps is a minor one) is that the stars and inspirati of this book - the horses themselves - go unmentioned. The author goes to the trouble to name her sources for the various quotations used, in a bibliography at the back of the book, but there is no mention of who the horses are, their names, what breed, where they're from, etc.

This book also came with a DVD titled "The Beauty of Horses", featuring a generous 21-' minutes of live film footage of various horse breeds, from Arabians to Gypsy Vanners, Friesians, Appaloosa's and other horses. The music is a little annoying - but not overly so. How much better it would have been to let the horses speak for themselves in this DVD: the galloping of hooves, nostrils flaring and blowing, the clip-clop of hooves along a beach, horses neighing and snorting, tails swishing, etc. Instead the filmmaker opted to overdub with music and voiceover. This is perhaps a minor complaint, as the DVD production values are really well done, and the horses captured are beautiful to look at and inspiring.

All in all, this is a wonderful addition to add to anyone's equine library, and I am sure horselover's young and old will enjoy looking at this book.

~appaloosa

11/03/2006

For a horse owner this is an exquisite book and a relaxing insightful read. I bought this primarily for the photographs of the Friesians. The one on the cover is my geldings sire. To have one of this magnificent stallions foals is an honor that I am just beginning to appreciate. They are beautiful wise companions. The enclosed DVD will only enhance the experience. A true horse lovers book for all ages.

If you know a horse crazy kid, buy them this book and they'll cherish it forever. The cover image is absolutely stunning, and just a taste of what is inside. Beautiful photography, moving writing and inspiring quotes. It's not for little kids, but a horse crazy girl about 9 or 10 will devour it just as much as that horse crazy 40 something. Even if you horses aren't a big part of your life, animal lovers will enjoy it just the same. The included DVD is just icing on the cake. When I was a horse obsessed 10 year old, I would cut pictures of horses out of magazines, newspapers, or anything I could get my hands on. This is the book I wish I had back then.

I loved this book. The photographs are spectacular. The writer brings you up close and personal to her adventure with horses. I will share this book and then re-read it and enjoy it all over again.

This book is my new favorite horse book. The photography is beautiful and the verses are most meaningful. I read through it all in one sitting as I just couldn't stop myself. The bonus DVD is just icing on the cake!

this is a wonderful book whether you own a horse or not. there are so many lessons to be learned, it was hard to do more than just read a page or a quote and then put it down and contemplate the lesson. horses have so much to teach us if we just allow it. this book opens up our minds to the possibilities of these lessons. beautifully written. carefully chosen quotes and wonderful photography. i find i refer to it often and it slows me down to remember what is really important to me.

My heart breaks for all the horse-crazy little girls, boys, women, and men who want to have horses in their lives but cannot, and are given this gift by their friends. The title promises to sympathize with this yearning, and instead progresses like this with the author's tale:

"I was once like you, wanting a horse. Then I got one! And my life is such much better because of it! Let me tell you how much better!"

The author/publisher would have been hard-pressed to pick a more misleading title for the book. Perhaps other people are less bitter than I am about being unable to have horses as part of my life, but after receiving this gift from a friend who bought it based on the title, I can't imagine a bigger slap in the face.

I actually do agree with the posters above about the beautiful photos and quotes (less so about the prose, which I found vacuous). However, I wanted to make sure my review stood out as a warning to those looking for something the title misleadingly purports this book to be.

The reason I bought the book was because of the lovely quotes it contains from a variety of famous authors and poets. The photos are very nice to look at, too. It captured the way I feel about horses like no other book has before.

This book was awesome. I think this book is good for someone who dreams of having a horse or already has horses. It would appeal to the young and the old. Awesome photography and the DVD was done well. Lots of beautiful horses running around in their fancy to music.

I first saw this book in an airport, soon after losing my beautiful black Thoroughbred Mare. The Photos are magnificent, the verses so fitting for most situations.

awesome!