Chosen by a Horse: How a Broken Horse Fixed a Broken Heart

This is a surprisingly wonderful, honest memoir about how one reluctant rescuer was chosen a horse who saved her life - not the other way around, like it was supposed to be. That said, Richards DID foster, and then adopt, "Lay me Down" after the horse's life of misery at the hands of a breeder/hoarder (then acquisition by the SPCA); and she spoiled that horse with the love and care she never had. The wonder of this book is what the author learns from this gentle soul of a horse and how she grows, so I do not want to say much and "spoil" the beauty of that unfolding. While a sad book, it is also a hopeful one. I believe anyone (but particularly women) who has had a rough past/childhood/marriage/relationship and loves animals will get a show more lot out of this parallel lives story. It's also a quiet one about the wisdom of choosing sobriety and facing the problems of life, through love and hope, and not escape, despite how hard that might be. Highly recommended. show less

Susan Richards was more or less minding her own business, when all of a sudden a horse landed in her life. After getting a rather frantic call from a friend, telling her that the SPCA had just confiscated more than forty abused and neglected horses who needed new homes immediately, Susan came to the rescue and found one horse who seemed all to eager to come home with her. This memoir tells the story of their developing relationship.

As someone with only moderate experience with horses, some of the horsemanship that Richards takes for granted caught me by surprise. I had to turn to a friend of mine for help with some basic terminology, and to understand just why she is so ga-ga over horses. But once past the first few chapters, the story show more starts to make much more sense. I came to see that Richards sees horses the way I see my kids -- and with that relationship in perspective, I was better able to understand her intense attachment to the horse she rescued.

As it turns out, the horse rescued her, too. Richards talks with stark frankness about her troubled childhood, shuttled back and forth between relatives who didn't want her, and about her adult alcoholism and challenging relationships. I was relived to discover that she treats these challenging topics without an overabundance of self pity, but instead reports factually and tactfully on the changes she goes through as she develops an ever-stronger bond with the gentle and loving Lay Me Down [the horse].

I'd love to say the story has a happy ending, but... it's not quite the case. Readers with any sense of compassion will shed at least a tear or two. But it's an inspiring story, full of love and hope and gentle laughter, and the reminder that what doesn't kill us always makes us stronger. show less

This is a story of “divine” love, which, I believe, God sends to each of us when our heart needs help healing. For Susan it was a horse named Lay Me Down. Both had been deserted in life. Susan’s mother died when she was young and her father, a drunk, turned his back on her. She ended up bouncing from one family home to another because no one really wanted her. Lay Me Down, no longer needed or wanted after her racing days were over, was rescued along with about 40 other race horses, and fostered out through SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Susan had chosen a horse to foster just by the cute name of one horse over the phone. But when she arrived, it was raining, cold and chaotic and they couldn’t single her show more horse out from the others, who were becoming frightened and rambunctious. She shouted out that any horse would do. So, she ended up with Lay Me Down Lay, who taught Susan, then in her 40's, how to trust and love again.

Susan describes each of her four horses’ personalities very well. You will feel like you really get to know and love Lay Me Down, but because of a brain tumor that was growing behind one of her eyes, she had to be put to sleep. On her last day, Lay Me Down was found lying alone on the ground, taking in the last of the early morning spring sun instead of eating with the others as usual. Susan knew the day had come. Even the other horses knew there was something wrong; they had gathered together and were feeding away from her off in the distance. Susan grabbed her camera to capture a lasting memory of Lay Me Down, then walks you through the excruciating pain of putting her beloved horse down. Tissues are mandatory! I love that she included this photo of Lay Me Down at the end of each chapter. show less

Simply stated: This book took my breath away.

Written with humor, poignancy, candor, and clear, crisp poetic style, the author takes us on a wonderful journey regarding the redemptive power of love.

There are times in life when we spontaneously, unexpectedly break out of character, when previous behaviors are uncautiously thrown to the wind and afterward we ask ourselves -- What just happened?

It was fate that brought Susan Richards and an abused horse together. When the local SPCA posted a SOS plea asking the public to assist with 40 recently confiscated malnourished, poor- in- health horses, uncharacteristically, Susan jumped in her car and drove to the SPCA.

When a severely emaciated mare named Lay Me Down walked into her horse trailer, show more tiny foal behind, Susan knew it was not she who chose which horse to adopt, but indeed she was chosen.

Susan knew pain and abandonment. Her mother died when she was five; her father then left for a life of booze and denial. Susan was shifted to homes of relatives who clearly thought her a burden. Abused and unwanted, knowing love hurt too much, Susan learned to build a wall where pain could not touch.

Then, at 43, after a broken marriage and recovery from alcoholism, a broken horse helped a broken hearted woman, the rescuer was rescued and the wounded horse helped a wounded owner to find the strength to risk and dare to love.

When the horse developed a tumor, the author knew that Lay Me Down had created a space wherein the horse and her childhood merged forcing her to learn that risking love, in all the beauty and potential sorrow, takes strength and courage and creates a gift that keeps right on giving.

Highly recommended. I believe you will laugh, you will cry and this is a story that will hold your heart for a while. show less

I bought this book for my wife for Christmas, but I read it first. (She still hasn't.) It's a very well-told story about a woman who lost her mother as a child, then suffered abandonment, abuse, neglect and an all-around lack of love throughout her youth. As an adult she lost herself in happy hours, alcoholism and promiscuity, followed by a bad marriage that ended in divorce. Finally, through AA, a few good friends, and an innate love of animals, particularly horses, she gets herself straightened out and begins to learn how to love herself again. In other words everything you need for a good potboiler of a book. But instead Susan Richards chooses to examine her life carefully. The catalyst for doing this is an abused horse she rescues, show more a special horse who seems to return Richards' unconditional love in kind. The horse, Lay Me Down, is a Black Beauty for the 21st century, that rare animal who endures man's cruelties and gives back love in return. And helps a damaged lonely woman to finally come to understand that she is capable of loving and of being loved. Geeze, this sounds almost too corny, but it's what just came out when I started writing this, so ...? I also found it interesting that Richards ended up a Social Worker, since it seems so many abused and mistreated women finally end up in this profession. Is it because they feel they've been through it all and so can do some good for others who have suffered the same kind of stuff? I don't know. Now I've gone and broken the spell of that fine review I started. What the hell. This is a damn good book, and one of the best "horse books" I've read since Molly Gloss's lovely novel, Hearts of Horses. Read 'em both. show less

This is an approachable and fast memoir that most any animal lover would enjoy. Susan Richards had a lot of baggage, but by the time she entered her 40s she regarded herself as an independent woman in control of her life. She had conquered the alcohol addiction that dominated her for decades. She shed an abusive husband and family. But when she agreed to take care of an abused mare and foal, she got more than she bargained for. The mare, Lay Me Down, had every right to hate humans, but she didn't. She looked on Susan with trust and faith, and Susan felt her old protective barriers begin to fall. But barriers exist with a reason, and soon Susan would need to face the truth: with love comes vulnerability, but it is still worthwhile.

I was show more surprised at how gently this book flowed. It felt like stream-of-consciousness, progressing from memory to memory without me even fully realizing how far the story strayed. Susan had a very difficult life, and she is very honest about what she endured and also what she brought on herself. Her relationship with Lay Me Down and other horses, even the impetuous Morgan Georgia, reveal a lot about her and her maturity. This is really a book about love, life, death, and how a person is never to old to learn and grow wise. show less

Chosen by a Horse is a memoir by Susan Richards of the time she rescued a former racehorse, Lay Me Down. It is a sad and sweet tale. Both Lay Me Down and Susan come from similar backgrounds of abuse. Through caring for Lay Me Down, Susan re-learns that life can be full of joy and love and is worth the risk of being hurt. It begs the question of who rescues who when we take an animal into our lives. While I am a general animal lover, I don't know much about horse care or horse personalities so really enjoyed those parts. Susan also writes about her own efforts as a 40-something woman attempting to date again with rather mixed results. Keep a box of tissues handy, this one is a tear jerker.