[RC] Jane Smiley (was Thoughtful insight) - Ruth Maher
I also highly recommend Barn Blind. Horse Heaven is one of the best horsey novels I've ever read, but BB gets to the heart of something a lot of us struggle with: balancing our priorities between our horse families and our people families...
> From: stephteeter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: Re: [RC] Thoughtful insight > Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:53:46 -0700 > > Horse Heaven is one of my all time favorites! I haven't read her > latest, but will look for it- > > Steph > > On Jan 11, 2010, at 5:12 PM, Kristen A Fisher wrote: > > > Thanks Cheryl - I really like this author. A Year at the Races is a > > non-fiction chronicle of her own horses over the course of a year. > > Horse > > Heaven is a fictional novel that parallels some of the horses she > > has known. > > Both are great reads!! > > > > Make me want to go re-read them ;-) > > Kristen > > > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > >> [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Randy or > >> Cheryl Winter > >> Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 5:18 PM > >> To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > >> Subject: [RC] Thoughtful insight > >> > >> Thought I would share this with ridecamp. > >> > >> Cheryl > >> > >> Following is an excellent quote from Jane Smiley"s book " A > >> Year at the Races" Most horses pass from one human to another > >> - some horsemen and women are patient and forgiving, others > >> are rigorous and demanding, others are cruel, others are > >> ignorant. Horses have to learn how to, at the minimum, walk, > >> trot, canter, gallop, go on trails and maybe jump, to be > >> treated by the vet, with sense and good manners. Talented > >> Thoroughbreds must learn how to win races, and if they can't > >> do that, they must learn how to negotiate courses and jump > >> over strange obstacles without touching them, or do > >> complicated dance like movements or control cattle or > >> accommodate severely handicapped children and adults in > >> therapy stables. Many horses learn all of these things in the > >> course of a single lifetime. > >> Besides this, they learn to understand and fit into the > >> successive social systems of other horses they meet along the > >> way. A horse's life is rather like twenty years in foster > >> care, in and out of prison, while at the same time changing > >> schools over and over and discovering that not only do the > >> other students already have their own social groups, but that > >> what you learned at the old school hasn't much application at > >> the new one. We do not require as much of any other species, > >> including humans. That horses frequently excel, that they > >> exceed the expectations of their owners and trainers in such > >> circumstances, is as much a testament to their intelligence > >> and adaptability as to their relationship skills or their > >> natural generosity or their inborn nature. That they sometimes > >> manifest the same symptoms as Romanian orphans - distress, > >> strange behaviors, anger, fear - is less surprising than that > >> they usually don't. No one expects a child, or even a dog to > >> develop its intellectual capacities living in a box 23 hours a > >> day and then doing controlled exercises the remaining one. > >> Mammal minds develop through social interaction and > >> stimulation. A horse that seems stupid might just have not > >> gotten the chance to learn! > >> Take care of your horses in 2010 > >> > >> > >> > >> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- > >> Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. > >> Information, Policy, Disclaimer: > >> http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe > >> http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp > >> > >> Ride Long and Ride Safe!! > >> > >> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- > > > > > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- > > Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. > > Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp > > > > Ride Long and Ride Safe!! > > > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- > > > > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > > Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. > Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp > Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp > > Ride Long and Ride Safe!! > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= >
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