Horse People
If you are a horse nut like me of just an animal lover, Horse People: Scenes from the Riding Life is for you. Michael Korda, former editor-in-Chief of Simon and Schuster, creates a wonderful memoir of a life with horses. Korda's story is everything you would want from a memoir, funny, sad, and moving. Through various vignettes you meet the people in Korda's life and their horses.
As a child he rode horses, but gave it up as life got in the way. By signing his son up for lessons, Korda rediscovers horseback riding and opens up a whole new world. Through horses he encounters many different characters from penny pinching stable owners, riders who put on airs despite living in a trailer home, to a woman who becomes his second wife. We are introduced to many horses too, some are prize winners and others are simple trail horses, but they all have their place.
One hilarious tale has Korda visiting an author whom he represents, and finding himself in the middle of a foxhunt. Upon learning that the city slicker New York Publisher rides, the author signs him up for a foxhunt. Not wanting to be embarrassed, Korda does not admit that he is not comfortable riding in such a fast-paced event and does not even agree with the idea of hurting the fox. Soon he finds himself riding through fields into private backyards, jumping walls and clinging to his horse for dear life. When he finally breaks away from the other riders he comes face to face with the fox. Korda never admits to the other riders that he found the fox and is quite relieved that it escapes to safety.
Through this book, Korda realizes that he is part of a group of people who "love horses, or who know horses, or who make their living out of horses, or who just can't imagine what their lives would be like without horses."
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