Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

Hope Rising: Stories from the Ranch of Rescued Dreams

Hope Rising: Stories from the Ranch of Rescued Dreams

by Kim Meeder

Kim Meeder has seen horses go where no one else can tread - stepping through the minefield of a broken child's soul in a dance of trust that only God can understand. From a mistreated horse to an emotionally starved child and back again, a torrent of love washes away their barren places. Kim's ranch is a place where this miracle happens over and over again. It is a place where the impossible flourishes, where... (more)

Flying Changes

by Sara Gruen

Anxiety rules Annemarie Zimmer's days—the fear that her relationship with the man she loves is growing stagnant; the fear that equestrian daughter Eva's dreams of Olympic glory will carry her far away from her mother . . . and into harm's way. For five months, Annemarie has struggled to make peace with her past. But if she cannot let go, the personal battles she has won and the heights she has achieved will have... (more)

Horse of a Different Color: A Tale of Breeding Geniuses, Dominant Females, and the Fastest Derby Winner Since Secretariat

Horse of a Different Color: A Tale of Breeding Geniuses, Dominant Females, and the Fastest Derby Winner Since Secretariat

by James D. Squires

What does it take to win the Kentucky Derby? The breeder of the 2001 Derby winner shows us that while a fast horse is necessary, a sense of humor and a boundless capacity for absurdity and humiliation are absolutely essential When Jim Squires set up shop as a horse breeder in the bluegrass country of Kentucky, no one held out much hope for him making a living at it. As the editor of the Chicago Tribune ,... (more)

Stud

by Kevin Conley

Every year on Valentine's Day, the great Thoroughbred farms open their breeding sheds and begin their primary business. The fearsome roars of stallions and the vigorous encouragement of their handlers echo through breeding country, from the gentle hills of Kentucky to the rich valleys of California. Cheap stud, top stud, old stud, wild stud, from the Hall of Fame horse to the harem stallion with his feral herd,... (more)

She Flies Without Wings: How Horses Touch a Woman's Soul

She Flies Without Wings: How Horses Touch a Woman's Soul

by Mary D. Midkiff

From a renowned horsewoman and gifted storyteller comes this groundbreaking new book that explores a powerful relationship like no other: the magical kinship between women and horses. Drawing from myth and literature, the author’s own experiences, and interviews with countless women, we learn, through women’s deeply personal stories, how horses enrich our lives and connect us to nature–making us readers of... (more)

In the Presence of Horses

by Barbara Dimmick

A moving, powerful novel of a woman coming to terms with her past -- for readers of Jane Hamilton and Barbara Kingsolver. Throughout her life Natalie Baxter has lost everyone she has ever cared for, and after losing her faith in people she returns to her hometown of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and takes a job at a local horse ranch. Caring for a fiery true black mare named Twister, she slowly begins to find... (more)

The God of Animals: A Novel

by Aryn Kyle

From an award-winning and talented young novelist comes one of the most exciting fiction debuts in years: a breathtaking and beautiful novel set on a horse ranch in small-town Colorado. When her older sister runs away to marry a rodeo cowboy, Alice Winston is left to bear the brunt of her family's troubles -- a depressed, bedridden mother; a reticent, overworked father; and a run-down horse ranch. As the hottest... (more)

Riders Down

by John McEvoy

No one really notices that a fix may be in until Matt O'Connor, a Chicago-based columnist for a national racing newspaper, gets a call from Moe Kellman, a horse-owning acquaintance. Kellman’s question for Matt: Was the death of ninety-two-year-old Bernard Glockner, Chicago's oldest active bookmaker, suicide or murder? Glockner was Kellman's late uncle and Kellman, a man not unfamiliar with the Chicago mob, wants... (more)

Bloodlines of Shackleford Banks: A Mystery

Bloodlines of Shackleford Banks: A Mystery

by B J. Mountford

It's time for the roundup of the wild ponies that reside on Shackleford Banks, a barrier island at the southern end of North Carolina's Outer Banks. Volunteers have gathered to help the Park Service give the ponies their regular checkup. But ponies start disappearing, and carcasses of endangered sea turtles wash up on shore. It's not long before volunteers start dying, too. Roberta "Bert" Lenehan, a Park Service... (more)

Breaking Free: A Novel

by Lauraine Snelling

Bestselling author Lauraine Snelling crafts a poignant story of hope and restoration for a newly paroled mother rebuilding her life after the loss of her son.Maggie Roberts is starting over again after her reckless driving led to a 10-year prison sentence and the devastating loss of her son. Having learned to repurpose retired thoroughbred racehorses through an inmate training program, Maggie finds a way to... (more)

Of Women and Horses

In the tradition of Horse, Follow Closely comes the fascinating book Of Women and Horses. Author and horse trainer GaWaNi Pony Boy gathers an impressive array of known and unknown horsewomen, who in touching prose describe the unique relationships they have with their horses. Women from all walks of life delve into their hearts to give us a taste of the special love, admiration, respect, and fun they have had with... (more)

The Lady Rode Bucking Horses: The Story of Fannie Sperry Steele, Woman of the West

The Lady Rode Bucking Horses: The Story of Fannie Sperry Steele, Woman of the West

by Dee Marvine

This is the story of legendary rancher and women bronc rider Fannie Sperry Steele. Fannie was born on a Montana homestead in 1887. At the age of two, Fannie declared "I gonna catch me a white-face horsie." Even as a child, Fannie knew what she wanted. Fannie was a remarkable woman who became a world champion. She raced thoroughbreds with a women's relay team known as the Montana Girls, twice won the title of... (more)

The Hearts of Horses

by Molly Gloss

This breakout novel from the author of The Jump-Off Creek tells the heartwarming story of a determined young woman with a gift for “gentling” wild horses. In the winter of 1917, a big-boned young woman shows up at George Bliss’s doorstep. She's looking for a job breaking horses, and he hires her on. Many of his regular hands are off fighting the war, and he glimpses, beneath her showy rodeo garb, a shy but... (more)

Leaping Hearts

by Jessica Bird

Her dreams are within reach— All she has to do is learn to hold on . . . A beautiful young woman with a defiant spirit, A. J. Sutherland spends a small fortune on a horse with a wild reputation, and is forced to sacrifice her position at her family’s stables to keep him. She plans to ride the magnificent stallion in the biggest event of the show jumping season—and she knows she can win. But without the backing... (more)

Sometimes a Woman Needs a Horse

by Betsy Talcott Kelleher

"When a horse is right for the owner, a precious bond . . . a very real form of love . . . emerges from the response of one to the other." Every horsewoman's life journey has a unique destination. Some earn the winner's circle; others simply enjoy a wooded trail. Whatever the ambition, it's the wonderful partnership of horse and rider that gives any journey true joy. This personal story goes beyond the "how... (more)

Chosen by a Horse: a memoir

by Susan Richards

"Proof that love for another animal can alone make one human and humane: wit and crushing sadness chasing each other all across the page; intelligence and bravery and perfect literary pitch... Damn great."-Melissa Holbrook Pierson, author of Dark Horses and Black Beauties: Animals; Women, a Passion "A bold and sensitive memoir of what it means to open one's heart to love... A magnificent read."-Adele von... (more)

Coal Black Horse

by Robert Olmstead

When Robey Childs's mother has a premonition about her husband, a soldier fighting in the Civil War, she does the unthinkable: she instructs her only child to find his father on the battlefield and bring him home. At fourteen, wearing the coat his mother sewed to ensure his safety—blue on one side, gray on the other—Robey thinks he is off on a great adventure. But not far from home, his horse falters and he... (more)

Ruffian: A Race Track Romance

by William Nack

On July 6, 1975, a 3-year-old filly named Ruffian was loaded into the starting gate at Belmont Park for a televised match race against Kentucky Derby winner colt Foolish Pleasure. Since winning her first race a little more than a year earlier, the unbeaten, unflappable Ruffian had literally raced her way into the hearts of a nation. One of those hearts belonged to Newsday turf reporter William Nack. As a boy... (more)

Hoofprints In The Sand: Wild Horses of the Atlantic Coast

Hoofprints In The Sand: Wild Horses of the Atlantic Coast

by Bonnie S. Urquhart, Bonnie Urquhart Gruenberg

Visitors to the Eastern seaboard islands may find themselves face-to-face with the beautiful and controversial wild horses that roam on the islands and survive in the harsh conditions. This book explores the history and lives of these hardy animals and their uncertain future.

Horseplay: A Novel

by Judy Reene Singer

Patty got up to peer into the refrigerator. “Honey, don’t look so guilty,” she said. “Men are like horses. If they’re even-tempered and sweet, you stay on for the ride. If they buck and run around, you get off before you get hurt.” She slammed the refrigerator door. “Damn, we’re out of cake.” --from Horseplay: A Novel A debut novel full of sparkle and wit, Horseplay is a story of the animals that touch our... (more)

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Tags: horses - adult