Horses & Us product reviews

As a child, I spent a lot of time around horses. My cousins had horses on their farm, but even more immediate was our link with the racing community. One cousin was the racing reporter for the local newspaper. For several other family members, Saturdays were sacred to The Races (or sometimes The Trots)! We would pile into the car and travel up to 250 km return so that we could be there for the excitement. Although I was too young to bet on a horse, I was trained at an early age to spot a winner. My grandmother would always go to the birdcage to check out the talent, and I was taught to look at the way the muscles rippled under each horse's thigh as this would show how much power the horse would have. Kui had to be right as she won more often than not!

This early exposure meant that I was interested in reading this book and learning about the other ways that horses interact with humans. The range of experiences is breathtaking; for readers used to pets being small creatures like dogs or budgies, it is an education to find that many horses become members of the family, every bit as loved and cared for as any human children! The book is divided into sections, each devoted to a particular aspect of horse life, but the section on Healing Horses deserves a special mention as it highlights the role that horses can play in helping riders with disabilities and enabling them to reach their goals.

Apart from the variety of personal accounts, I enjoyed the way the book has been crafted. In some ways, it is like a glossy magazine, with copious graphics to illustrate each story. I especially liked the final graphic that accompanies Tyson Miller's story. It shows a horse and rider heading off into the sunset. Unfortunately, the specific artist is not identified although the anthology does include a list of contributing artists. Some of the photographs are amazing too, especially those of Gaucho with Ellie O'Brien. There are poems about horses, and even a reproduction of a page from the Auckland Weekly News (April 9, 1941) as referenced in Sir Haare Williams' story.

There is no way this book could be mistaken for anything other than a series of accounts set in Aotearoa New Zealand. Many of the contributors are Maori or have lived in Maori communities, and their use of Te Reo highlights this. Most of these words will be familiar to the kiwi reader, but for those who need it, a glossary is included at the end of the book along with a second glossary of terms used in the equine world. There is even an index for quick reference.

Although this is a book that can be read in any order since each story is self-contained, the narratives are held together by the first and last stories. These demonstrate the author's special relationship with her own horse, Billy. I was fascinated by the way he was introduced at the start as this heralded what was to follow in the remaining stories. However, the inclusion of the last story which explores what happened to Billy when he was much older really tops off the whole experience. In retrospect, I am glad I did read the book in sequence as this made Billy's story so much more effective.