Now on my way home to Kentucky from Equine ER’s East Coast book tour, these experiences come to mind:

At a signing in New York City, a tall distinguished-looking gentleman in his 60s got tears in his eyes while telling me about watching Secretariat win the Belmont in 1973, and how the stands went silent as the great horse flew by for the finish. At that same signing, a successful Manhattan real estate broker told me about his daughter’s way of rebelling against her NYC upbringing:  She recently became a large-animal vet specializing in cattle and has moved to the heartland, complete with a boyfriend with a truck.

From Southampton to New Jersey, I met horse-crazy girls of every age. I also met the parents of horse-crazy girls of every age, who, while puzzled by their daughters’ obsession, do what most parents in their situation do: Sigh and accept their girls the way they are … and shell out for what they can afford.

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