On Monday, I discussed one of my favorite new books, Beyond the Homestretch (see below). Today, I'm recommending two more books, neither of which are brand-new but definitely worth checking out. As I mentioned on Monday, throughout the writing and reporting of Equine ER, I read many horse books for background – fiction, nonfiction, equine veterinary textbooks, you name it. I also read books about all kinds of animals in order to see the impact that comes from having creatures in our lives, as well as the universal themes. Similar reading continues today.

Today's selections are:

Beautiful Jim Key: The Lost History of the World's Smartest Horse
by Mim E. Rivas (HarperCollins, 2006)

This nonfiction book is the unforgettable story of a man and his horse at the turn of the century: Jim Key, the remarkable self-taught veterinarian, a former slave and Civil War veteran whose intelligence was only surpassed by his gentleness, and the horse he taught to do math, read, debate, and all manner of smart things. This is a dense, extremely well-researched book, and highly recommended. If you want to be inspired by two heroes whose relationship was a testament to the human-horse bond, pick it up.

The Nature of Animal Healing
by Martin Goldstein, D.V.M. (Ballantine, 1999)

I know this blog is hosted on The Horse, and named Equine ER, so why would I recommend a book with the subtitle: The Definitive Holistic Medicine Guide to Caring for Your Dog and Cat? For a couple of reasons: One, every horse owner I've met so far is crazy about dogs and/or cats. And two, this book has interesting, sometimes provocative, ideas that I believe can apply to all animal/pet ownership, including horses. Goldstein challenges the idea that Western medicine is the way to go every single time in illness and discusses experiences such as the mysterious phenomenon of "resonance" between owner and animal. (However, in specific regard to dog and cats, given that the EPA announced today greater scrutiny into the toxicity of spot-on flea and tick treatments, the natural alternatives in this book strike me as particularly timely.) Whether or not you agree with everything Goldstein puts forth in The Nature of Animal Healing, I believe it is an important book that every pet owner should take a look at.

If you missed Monday's post, I recommended:

Beyond the Homestretch: What I've Learned from Saving Racehorses

by Lynn Reardon (New World Library, 2009)

Beyond the Homestretch is about Lynn Reardon's journey from a bored, frustrated office worker in the Washington, D.C. area, to creating and running a rural Texas racehorse placement program called LOPE (LoneStar Outreach to Place Ex-Racers). The book follows Reardon's adventures as she encounters horses like the tantrum-throwing Nacho Mann (Reardon practices reverse psychology to catch him) ... to celebrating her birthday by unexpectedly assisting a sweet colt named Spider as he recovers from a near-fatal snakebite and emergency tracheotomy.

Reardon trips, falls, and gets back up again in the service of creating a meaningful life for herself and for horses who can no longer make it on the track. This book also touches on the important issues of slaughter and steroids. 

Beyond the Homestretch is for horse lovers and for anyone who dreams of escaping a desk job. My favorite chapter involves Reardon participating in a clinic by Zen cowboy Ray Hunt, "one of the godfathers of natural horsemanship." Here's an excerpt:

     Ray liked to conclude his classes with a lengthy Q&A session, his mysterious answers often drifting into lengthy monologues. A practical question such as "What's the best way to ride a bucking colt? could prompt a soliloquy along the lines of "In the midst of difficulties, there's lots of opportunities. It's best to stay on the edge of trouble, not in the middle of it. Sensing confusion from the crowd, Ray would continue on, sometimes tapping his knee for emphasis. "See, you got to adjust to fit the situation. It's the little things that make a big difference. Recognize the smallest change, the slightest try. And remember – I might not know where I'm going, but I'm not lost. Just another student of the horse."

News flash! Equine ER was just chosen as a semifinalist for the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, the "Pulitzers of equine literature."

A reader's comment on an Equine ER blog post several months ago entitled "Unforgettable," about the loss of an equine friend, prompted numerous comments from other readers, some of which we are enclosing here today.

Here is the original reader comment:

In over forty years of horses in my life every day, and over twenty-five of them as my living, I learned that no matter how much business they are, they still work their way into our hearts. ... Unfortunately, like most people who have had long-term dealings with horses, mules or donkeys, I have suffered the loss of some special wonderful friends. Honestly, you can fill their stall in the barn again, but their stall in your heart forever remains empty. I suggest that when you lose an equine friend, remember the good times you had, but keep in mind there are so many more out there who will nuzzle you, if given half a chance, and are waiting their turn to brighten your life. – Tim

And here are some of the responses from readers*:

What a wonderful and accurate comment. Horses have been in my life for 23 years, but I have only owned one horse – an OTTB mare that has been with me for 14 of her 19 years. She is my sun, moon, and stars ... my heart melts each and every time I see her blazed bay face, which is daily. I cannot imagine life without her ... but I know it will happen some day. Eventually, I will have new equine friends and, as your reader said, my Limerick will have a special empty stall in my heart. – Heidi

I have lost several horses in my life time. Going through the motions of making that hard decision, I maintained my sanity and made sure that my face and voice were the last things that they heard and saw. I have a senior horse right now. I love him, perhaps more than the others, and I let him know that every day.  I'm sure in his grumpy-old-man manner he loves me too.  And when that time comes for him, I will again take my place and be the last thing he sees and hears.  It's the most of myself that I can give him in return for what he has given me.  – Carol

It was one year ago ... that my horse was discharged from Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital after recovering from emergency surgery for a potentially life-threatening hoof injury. My 25+ years of experience as a registered nurse in the operating room did not prepare me at all for the anxiety and fear that I experienced during his hospitalization. Happily, I can now look back and reflect on the wonderful care that he received and pass along my sincere gratitude to those in the "Equine E.R. and Operating Room". – [Another] Carol

In response to Equine ER blog readers' requests to know more about the current status of Sophie, the foal of Surely Awesome, whose story was recently excerpted here from the Eclipse Press book Equine ER, we checked in earlier in the week with Surely Awesome and Sophie's owner, East Coast resident Susan Blackburn, a large and small animal vet. 

When we last left Sophie, it was roughly a year and a half ago, right after Surely Awesome had to be put down because of laminitis. Sophie was still in Kentucky at the lay-up barn that was her home after she and Surely Awesome left Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. After Surely Awesome had to be put down, Sophie would go to the section of the paddock that had been sectioned off for her mare and linger for long periods, trying to catch Surely Awesome's scent. 

Sophie after Surely Awesome's death.

Here's what Blackburn says Sophie, now back on the East Coast, is like today:

"She is VERY, very people-oriented ... as all orphan foals are really into humans, but she is not dangerous as some are (since they don't see people as in charge, but just another "horse" with two legs).  I feel we were saved from that problem by having had (Surely Awesome) alive for a few months, and the rest can be attributed to having Cowboy, the best (gelding) weanling baby sitter ever. He is so incredibly patient with them."

But, Blackburn says, Cowboy was a little too patient, and Sophie started to take advantage of him, as all kids do with lenient baby sitters.

Sophie today, all grown up. 

Enter Missy, a broodmare who had lost twins and took it upon herself to "educate Soph to the 'harsh' reality of horsedom." says Blackburn.

"As you probably know, horses don't need to be physically violent; they just give the evil eye to the less dominant animal.  Well, Soph really thought Missy must have missed the memo about Sophie being allowed to do everything she wanted!!  Of course, we had fenceline separation for a while before putting them together, then supervised, so we got to see Sophie first trying to intimidate Missy from behind or on the other side of Cowboy!

However, Missy's evil eye prevailed, and Sophie has learned who "the real queen is" and that "other animals have power over her (even humans!)"

More about Sophie from Blackburn:  "She LOVES attention, and she would rather stand in the aisle and be brushed than go to her stall and eat, because she gets touched from being brushed. She is sweet, she is smart, she is opinionated, she is beautiful, she's a nice mover, we love her and still miss her Mama every day."

YouTube alert! Susan Blackburn also made a rough YouTube video of her working with Sophie. You can find it by clicking right here.

Equine ER is very excited to have been picked as the April 2010 selection for the book club of WEKU-FM, one of the largest public radio stations in Kentucky. Thanks for visiting this blog.

Today, Equine ER  publishes some comments from readers we received after the conclusion of Quarter Horse mare Surely Awesome's story. The grief that comes from losing a horse is universal. 

Every loss makes us realize that we can't take any horse for granted, whether a school horse or an upper-level competitor. – Teresa

We just had to put down our 29-year-old Arabian gelding, Kaseem, 8 days ago and I still cannot bear to go into his lot where he is buried. He was the farm clown and will be missed for the rest of my days. I buried him with his halter and lead because I knew I would never be able to use or touch them again. {To Surely Awesome's owners:} You have my deepest sympathies in the loss of your wonderful mare. – Nicole

{On Surely Awesome's owner being unable to open the mare's tack box sent back up from Kentucky:}  I know all too well that feeling of not being able to "open that box". It has been five years since I lost my gelding, and it hurts no less. – Lynn  

Surely Awesome.

Monday featured the sad conclusion to Quarter Horse mare Surely Awesome's story in an excerpt from Equine ER, the Eclipse Press book about a year inside one of the country's most prominent equine hospitals. Today, we take a closer look at the doctor who tried to save her. 

Dr. Alan Ruggles is one of the top equine orthopedic surgeons in the country. He came to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital from Ohio State University, where he was an associate professor in clinical orthopedic surgery. Before that, he was at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, one of the top large animal veterinary teaching clinics in the world. Ruggles is in his mid-forties; I would vote him one of the veterinarians who would be most fun to take on a road trip. He tells good stories. He listens to Ted Nugent when he’s doing surgery. When I rode with him, he drove fast (if a bit recklessly), asked for directions, and I am certain he would pull over if you wanted to check out a view or stop and eat at a roadside diner you spotted in the shape of a giant piece of fruit.

 Dr. Al Ruggles (center) with clients last year.

The vet has thick gray and black hair, gray-blue eyes, and a beard when he feels like it. When I met him for the first time, as he was cutting open a foal with a radial fracture, he said I could feel free to describe him as ruggedly handsome, and he actually is handsome, not in a conventional way but in a Spencer Tracy way: an Everyman face animated by a distinctive personality with a big emotional range. He grew up on Long Island and was a groom, hot walker, and then veterinary assistant at Belmont and Saratoga racetracks from around nineteen years old to twenty-four. It’s easy to imagine him as the favorite kid at the track, schmoozing with everyone from owners to exercise riders.

Ruggles went to veterinary school at Cornell University with the help of a scholarship from the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, a group designed to help racetrack employees, along with financial help offered by some horse owners and businesspeople he met at the track who wanted him to succeed. Some people remember the stages and turning points of their lives by historic events, others by songs; for Ruggles it is racehorses, specifically, who won the Belmont in any given year. Say 1979 to him, for example, and he conjures up Coastal’s upset of Spectacular Bid. Coastal was lightly raced and had some vision problems; Spectacular Bid, a blue streak of a horse, was on track to become the next Triple Crown winner. It was the year of Ruggles’ high school graduation, and he had to miss the race because of the ceremony.

Even with his fun nature, though, at work the doctor’s state of mind is often tied to how well his patients are doing, so it can go up and down. Some interns and barn crew find him gruff, and are scared of getting him ticked off. Veterinarians and staff who know him best say he always has your back and never gets aggravated without good reason – an IV cart missing something important in the middle of treating a tense and dangerous patient, for example, or the intern who clipped a yearling for a procedure after being told repeatedly not to, as not to ruin the coat for an upcoming sale.

Next week: Your comments.

Equine ER was just reviewed in Lexington, Kentucky's monthly Southsider magazine. Book reviewer Linda Hinchcliffe calls Equine ER "an emotional, heart-wrenching, and rewarding look at the unique connection between man and horse and a lifestyle that still exists in the Bluegrass."