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
Blackstone Audio, Inc., December 2007

Susan Richards has survived an abusive childhood and a bad marriage, and now, in her forties, is living on a small farm with her three horses, working as a social worker, and determinedly protecting her independence. Having given up alcohol, casual sex, and in fact men altogether, she may be lonely, but at least she’s safe.

Then she gets a call from the local SPCA, which has taken in more than forty horses from an abuse case. Their barn was already full; they need foster homes immediately. Against her better judgment, Richards agrees to take one of the horses.

She gets a Standardbred named Lay Me Down, a 16-year-old broodmare who is terribly thin and who has pneumonia. With Susan’s care, Lay Me Down gets back to a healthy weight, recovers from her pneumonia, and gets successfully integrated into her existing herd of one Morgan mare and two quarter horse geldings.

And then she discovers that Lay Me Down has an eye tumor. In the position it’s in, it can’t even be biopsied safely, but it’s almost certainly cancerous.

Susan Richards, whose heart broke at age five when her mother died a lingering death from cancer, and who has steadfastly avoided any emotional commitments that would lead to loss, finds herself committed to a beautiful, sweet-natured horse who has had a life as hard as her own, and who is going to die. Susan struggles with Lay Me Down’s illness, her own conflicted feelings, and her first stumbling efforts to rejoin the human race. This truly is a deeply moving story about a horse, a broken heart, and the beginnings of healing.

Highly recommended.

I borrowed this book from a friend.

Reviewer Bio:
Lis and Addy

Lis Carey is a librarian with an odd sense of humor, who finds excitement in helping people find the information they need, and in the varied corners of library work–reference, cataloging, circulation, resource development, reader’s advisory. She reads voraciously and enjoys a wide variety of material–including, of course, fiction and non-fiction about dogs and cats. Addy, her Chinese Crested, is always happy to keep her company while reading, and occasionally tries to help write the reviews.

Check out her Blog Lis Carey’s Library for more Book Reviews.

During the last week of September every year, libraries, bookstores, and blogs around the country draw attention to the problem of censorship by mounting displays of banned books and hosting a variety of events. Lis’ blog is participating by taking part in the Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop, Sept. 24-Oct. 1. Her book of choice to Review and Giveaway for this event is the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. You can read all about why the book has been sensors and put on the banned list in some communities. Check out her post http://www.liscareyslibrary.com/2011/09/banned-books-week-hop.html and then visit the 234 other blogs participating in the Banned Book Blog Hop.