Chosen by a Horse (Reprint) (Paperback) by Susan Richards

About the Book

A lonely woman who's had a difficult life agrees to take care of a skeletal racehorse rescued by the SPCA. Susan Richards already owns three horses, but it is with Lay Me Down that she forges a special, healing relationship that alters her life.

Book Synopsis

The horse Susan Richards chose for rescue wouldn't be corralled into her waiting trailer. Instead Lay Me Down, a former racehorse with a foal close on her heels, walked right up that ramp and into Susan's life. This gentle creature--malnourished, plagued by pneumonia and an eye infection--had endured a rough road, but somehow her heart was still open and generous. It seemed fated that she would come into Susan's paddock and teach her how to embrace the joys of life despite the dangers of living.

An elegant and often heartbreaking tale filled with animal characters as complicated and lively as their human counterparts, this is an inspiring story of courage and hope and the ways in which all love--even an animal's--has the power to heal.

From the Back Cover

"Two kindred spirits find each other in this beautifully written memoir about the human-animal bond."-Temple Grandin, author of "Animals in Translation"

The horse Susan Richards chose for rescue wouldn t be corralled into her waiting trailer. But Lay Me Down, a former racehorse with a foal close on her heels, walked right up that ramp and into Susan s life. Weak from malnutrition, Lay Me Down had endured a rough road, but somehow her heart was still open and generous. Then fate brought her into Susan s paddock, where she taughtthis brokenhearted woman how to embrace the joys of life despite the dangers of living.

"Susan Richards thought she was rescuing a starved, abused and abandoned mare . . . Turns out Lay Me Down was rescuing Susan Richards. An incredibly moving story, beautifully written and insightful." --"The" "Roanoke Times"
"Important lessons about courage, kindness and grief." --"The" "Hartford Courant"

Susan Richards has a B.A. in English from the University of Colorado and a Master of Social Work degree from Adelphi University. She lives in Bearsville, New York, and teaches writing at SUNY Ulster and Marist College."

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR CHOSEN BY A HORSE

"This is an inspirational story of what family means, and what the loss of one can do to us, and for us."--THE BOSTON GLOBE

"Two kindred spirits find each other in this beautifully written memoir about the human-animal bond."--TEMPLE GRANDIN