Product Description

"All I can say is that there was something - right from the first. She was not a My Little Pony sort of a horse, not a dolly-girl, not winsome and winning, not even terribly pretty.

"A stubby little mare, bright bay with remarkably large ears. A white star in her forehead shaped like Madagascar. A huge arse; which is good, not bad, because that's where the power comes from. Not a horse that would turn heads, no, just a very horse-like horse. She stood, quiet, docile, as I approached her. I was a bit disappointed not to be offered something more lively. Ha. I placed a foot in the iron and swung on board...

"It was as if I had turned a key: all the lights came on. In that single instant, the horse came alive. She started buzzing. To tell the truth, I was a little alarmed: a little intimidated. This was definitely rather more horse than I was expecting..."

This is the story of an extraordinary relationship - and an extraordinary horse. When Barnes buys Dolly Dolores VII on a hunch, he knows he has got something special. She is feisty, restless, mysterious - unpredictable to the point of craziness. But she is also, to her owner's delight, a jumper of mesmerising poise and skill; she canters like a ballerina, gallops like a wild thing. And somehow, they just get on.

Then, one day, Dolly does something so startling, so inexplicable that she brings her owner to breaking point. Barnes is faced with a terrible decision...

The Horsey Life is about a friendship pushed to its limits. But it's also a book filled with larks and joy, which takes you right to the heart of the world of horses and those that love them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19036 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-17
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

About the Author
Simon Barnes is the multi-award-winning chief sportswriter for the Times. He is also a novelist, nature writer and horseman, and the author of a dozen books, including How to be a Bad Birdwatcher and The Meaning of Sport. He lives in Suffolk with his family.

Customer Reviews

thin, but fascinating
I was expecting more from this little book - i'm not sure what - i think it may be the briskness of the canter through the story that disappointed me as i prefer more reflective reads. it's a great story though and people who love horses will find it interesting. for those of us who ride and who have bought and sold horsey friends and enemies over the years it's doubly interesting. but it is kind of like a gossipy newspaper piece that you gobble down with toast and tea and then feel you don't really have a need to read ever again... still, simon barnes' capable journalistic style and lifetime of experience make it worth a look, and it couldn't be a more ideal stocking present for a horsey chum.

Just wish it had been longer!
When I read the extract in the Times I knew I wanted to read the book. And I read it in one sitting and loved every word. If you are a horse owner/rider/lover this book will resonate with you..it says what you know but better and it makes you think. It interpreted a lot of my unacknowledged feelings and experiences of horses in a way that I found not just hugely entertaining but also very helpful. It's a tender, funny, insightful book and you just want Simon on your yard because you know he'd be the best fun!