BOOK REVIEW By Laurie Loveman
SAVE YOUR HORSE!
By Michelle Staples
Most
of us spend about 75% of our time working with our horses and their maintenance,
and only 25% of our time riding them. I’ve just read Michelle Staples’
book, Save Your Horse! A Horse Owner’s Guide to Large Animal Rescue and I
believe this book—in addition to its rescue information—is the best basic
horse handling manual I have come across in a lifetime of working with horses.
Not only is
Save Your Horse! a teaching manual for rescue situations, it’s a basic safety manual
for anyone needing to handle a horse with whom they are unfamiliar. Michelle
Staples tells, in an easy-to-understand format, not just how to effect a rescue,
but why steps must be taken in a particular order to protect both the rescuer and
the horse. The many photographs and illustrations provide clear instructions.
Rescuer safety
is continually emphasized, and in each section important safety factors are repeated
so the lessons really sink in. The chapter on trailering should be learned
thoroughly by anyone who trailers a horse on a regular basis or who may be called
upon to do so in an emergency. An Appendix section has numerous resources
for you to further your knowledge, and includes a section on handling other types
of large livestock.
In Save Your
Horse! Michelle Staples has provided a manual that should be “must” reading for
every horse owner and facility manager. This is a book that belongs in your
barn, and when you take to the road, Save Your Horse! should ride with you in your
truck or trailer.
You can order
Save Your Horse! directly from the publisher at www.redjeansink.com. Don’t
let another day pass by without this valuable information.