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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All Creatures Great and Small, May 16, 2000
This review is from: Who Ever Heard Of A Horse In The House (Hardcover)
JACQUELINE TRESL CAPTURES THE LOVING BOND ALL TRUE ANIMAL LOVERS FEEL FOR THEIR PETS AND OTHER CREATURES. HER WRITING EMBRACES THE TRUE DEFINITION OF THE BONDING OF THE SPIRTS OF ANIMALS AND THEIR HUMANS. HER STORY PERSONIFIES HOW WE PUT OURSELVES ASIDE FOR THE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE WE ARE SO PRIVLEDGED TO RECIEVE FROM A PET. THIS BOOK MAKES ONE LAUGH AND CRY. IT BRINGS INTO FOCUS SO MANY MEMORIES THOSE OF US EXPERIENCED ON A DAILY BASIS WITH OUR PETS IN THE PAST AND PRESENT. IT IS ALSO A LOVE STORY BETWEEN A MAN AND WOMAN WHO RESPECT AND UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS OF ONE ANOTHER NO MATTER HOW STRANGE THEY MAY SEEM TO OUTSIDERS. ONLY THE EVENTS IN THEIR OWN HOME ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM. SHE HAS BEEN GIVEN A GREAT GIFT AND HAS BEEN GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO SHARE IT WITH US. MISHA,THE STAR AND PRECIOUS HORSE IN THE STORY HAS CHOSEN JACQUELINE TO CARE FOR AND NUTURE HER. WITH TOTAL DEVOTION AND LOVE SHE THRIVES FROM BEING A SICKLY FOAL INTO AN OVERLY DEPENDENT PLAYFUL ADULT HORSE, WITH THE HELP OF HOME BAKED COOKIES AND SPAGHETTI AS STRANGE AS THAT MAY SEEM. THROUGHOUT THE BOOK WE ENJOY THE ANTICS AND STRUGGLES OF BOTH MISHA AND JACQUELINE WITH EVEN MORE LOVE AND DEVOTION ADDED BY HER HUSBAND MARK. ALTHOUGH SMALL, THEIR HOUSE IS BURSTING (AND AT TIMES NEEDS AN ADDITION) WITH LOVE THAT KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES. MISHAS HEART AND SPIRIT SEEM TO BE ONE WITH JACQUELINES AND THIS WONDERFUL CREATURE RETURNS HER LOVE AND DEVOTION IN A WAY ONLY UNDERSTOOD BY THOSE OF US SO LUCKY TO EXPERIENCE A SIMILAR BOND WITH A PET OF OUR OWN. THIS BOOK DESERVES FIVE CARROTS (STARS)
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An engaging read, June 25, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Who Ever Heard Of A Horse In The House (Hardcover)
Definitely a page-turner -- not so much in the same sense as a mystery or a bodice-ripping romance novel, but in the way that a well-written story keeps you reading, page after page. This book is filled with humorous anecdotes about what life in Ohio is like when you have more than 1,300 pounds of Quarter Horse in your house, year-round! I would recommend this to any animal lover with a sense of humor. (Before giving it to horse-crazy little girls, first consider the amount of begging for a house-horse you will have to put up with!) That said, I would not recommend that readers rely solely on this book for information about horse behavior or horsekeeping in general; it is a case-study only. For example, given the amount of sweets and pastries that the author said she repeatedly feeds the horse, I kept fearing that the next page would include an anecdote about Misha contracting laminitis!* Second-cutting hay notwithstanding, it sounds like Misha has an "iron constitution" that many other horses might not enjoy. (I'm not advocating any warning labels here, either, but I feel this needed to be said. I also am not trying to say that the author had anything but the best interests of her horse in mind -- oh, that I should have such a close relationship with my own chestnut mare!) * Laminitis is a condition where the tissues in the hoof become inflamed, cutting off blood flow to the area and often resulting in founder, or the death of the tissue and the separation of the inner hoof from the hoof wall. All very painful for the horse.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't waste your money on this one, July 20, 2009
This review is from: Who Ever Heard Of A Horse In The House (Hardcover)
I am very disappointed in this book and had a hard time finishing it. I read it expecting to hear a great story about how a woman lived with her horse in the house. Instead this is a book about a woman being extremely obsessed over her horse to the point where I felt the horse was put in dangerous situations at times.
Horses are herd animals and given the number of books she claims to have read she definitely should have understood this. By bringing her foal into the house and initially sleeping with her, in actuality she raised a horse that didn't know how to handle being in proximity with other horses and a very severe level of separation anxiety which is not healthy for anyone, pet or human. She should have gotten a goat or small pony for companionship on Day 2.
The amount of garbage food the author feeds her horse is insane. I wouldn't let my children eat junk food as often as she feeds her horse - a dozen donuts in one sitting? Daily?? That is neglectful of her horse's health. As the author is in the medical field, there is no excuse for this treatment.
Given the fact that her husband is put on the back burner more often than not, I cannot understand why he stayed married to her, let alone catered to her every whim where the horse is concerned.
The only positive at all is the level of intelligence this horse possesses. Misha definitely shows that she is an expert in manipulating her owner and getting her own way. But then again, just how "smart" would any pet be if a person spent 24/7 with them?
Don't buy the book unless you have nothing better to read. Many horse owners would be appalled to find this in print. Too bad this isn't fiction.
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