I read this book a couple years ago. It is a poignant read. A true story. Melanie Sue Bowles writes of her life rescuing abused, abandoned and neglected horses. This is not a light read but it is inspirational. There is sadness as I'm sure anyone who deals with rescue horses can relate to. But there is also triumph for many of the horses Melanie has rescued. Though I cried through many parts of this book, and honestly, I don't do that with books very often, at the end, I closed the book feeling that someone was trying to some good in the world.
Melanie takes the reader into the world she lives every day. She writes about various horse rescues, the indivual horses themselves and what it took to rehabilitate them. She also tells of her trials to keep the Proud Spirit Sanctuary running. Melanie's approach to her story is heartfelt but not sappy. She is realistic about what she is up against but she stays in it for the horses she has saved, and the ones she will be able to save in the future.
Melanie Sue Bowles has written a sequel: Hoof Prints: More Stories from Proud Spirit (March 2008) and I am looking forward to reading it. I also learned that there is a PBS documentary airing nationwide about the first book, though I haven't run across it on my local PBS stations yet.
If you'd like a look into the hard work and dedication it takes to run horse rescues, I recommend reading The Horses of Proud Spirit. If you want to experience the journey these devoted people take in their efforts to save horses this is a good place to start.
No comments:
Post a Comment