The Horse Of My Dreams

The Horse of My Dreams
Edited by : Callie Smith Grant
Publisher: Revell
ISBN: 9780800727185

Ok, let's just put it out there. I love horses! So, when I saw The Horse of my Dreams for review with Revell, I was so excited! I enjoy reading stories about how others have experienced life with horses.

Summary:

Truly the horse is one of the finest creatures on earth. In it we find embodied all of our own hopes and dreams. Our longing to live noble lives. Our need for companionship. Our desire to do good and helpful work. Our yearning to feel truly free.

With contributions from both well-known and up-and-coming writers, this heartwarming collection of true stories is the perfect way for you to decompress from the day's stresses and remember God's good gift to us in the majestic, calming, inspiring, and even silly horses he created. Here you'll meet a stubborn Shetland pony who teaches her girl the importance of hanging on. You'll see how a young woman learned to trust again after a serious riding accident. You'll fall in love with a stray donkey who finds a home--and a friend. And so much more.

So make yourself a cup of tea, open up this book, and claim a few refreshing moments on a busy day for yourself . . . and the horse of your dreams.

My Review:

I grew up dreaming of having a horse. I think I was probably still in single digits when that dream started. That dream was finally fulfilled when I was 33yrs old! It took a while, but it happened. My mom gave me Winston as my birthday gift. What was wonderful was, I was able to share him with my girls. There's a more personal story around my time with Winston, but I'll save that for another time. Let's just say he was there for me during one of the hardest times of my life. He would stand there and let me hug him and cry.

It was so neat reading the different experiences each of these people had in The Horse of My Dreams. One of the stories I really enjoyed was by Susy Flory. Her story really shows how smart horses can be. It really reinforces to me how amazing they are, too!

Lauraine Snelling (one of the only contributors I'm familiar with) shares about her first pony. Boy did that pony share teach her some lessons! I've always thought ponies were stubborn little stinkers, but our first pony or horse always leaves a lasting imprint on our lives!

Rachel Anne Ridge's story about rescuing a donkey and introducing him to a donkey they already had reminded me of 2 experiences I had. When we lived in Colorado, when I was a young teen, I had thought about rescuing a wild mustang. My mom encouraged it because at the time we had a fenced in horse yard, but couldn't afford a horse. Unfortunately that didn't come to fruition. The other memory I have is when Winston first joined the herd at the farm where we were boarding him. The period of initiation into the herd is a difficult one. Winston was kind of a butt head so he didn't always get along with the other horses. He kind of stayed at the bottom rung for quite some time. Seeing his bites was difficult, but he needed to find his way in his new herd.

I enjoyed the stories I read of people who were older like me when they got their first horse. "Callie Had A Secret" is a great one! I also, with a bit of envy, enjoyed the stories of people who had horses in their lives at a young age. So many of us dream about having horses and this book reminds us how wonderful it can be when those dreams come true!

I'm actually giving this book to one of my friend's daughter. She loves to ride her horses and she's living the dream I had as a young girl. I figured this book would be right up her alley!

About the Editor:

Callie Smith Grant is the editor of Second-Chance Dogs, The Cat in the Window, The Dog Next Door, The Cat on My Lap, The Dog at My Feet, and The Horse of My Heart. She is the author of several nonfiction books for young readers and adults as well as many animal-themed stories and poems, which can be seen in Guideposts anthologies and in magazines such as Small Farmer's Journal.