Dark Horses And Black Beauties [Hardcover]

During her midlife quest to explain the horse-filled frenzy of her childhood, Pierson (The Perfect Vehicle: What Is It About Motorcycles?) interviews the founder of an equine welfare group who expertly classifies the three kinds of women who love horses: "[T]hose who want something out of them, personally or professionally; those who anthropomorphize them; and those who are seeking a higher knowledge about horses and humans and the mysteries of their intersection." The author falls into the last group as she plumbs the depths of both the feminine and the equine, looking closely at how the two intertwine. Although the book freely mixes history, memoir, sociology, psychology and even snippets of poetry, Pierson does follow a clear narrative line. Acknowledging that her love of horses has endured long past childhood, she signs up for riding lessons. As she recalls passages from Black Beauty and describes Breyer model horse competitions from her youth, the author grows into a better horsewoman, remembering riding techniques and recapturing her love for manure's particular smell. As she gets more expert, her meditation on women and horses deepens and ranges more widely, encompassing horse racing, sidesaddle riding, class issues and competition. Pierson's smooth writing style is well suited to her subject, containing bits of breathless enthusiasm one moment and peaceful contemplation the next. Although she doesn't arrive at a definitive answer to why little girls all over the Western world suddenly become horse obsessed, she does provide a host of smaller, personal epiphanies about a woman's need to connect with the natural world, and the empowerment that comes from commanding a larger, more forceful being. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Pierson, whose previous book celebrated motorcycles, was one of those girls who love horses beyond reason, an obsession she explores in a vivifying, mosaiclike inquiry into our ancient and complex relationship with these powerful yet vulnerable beings. The world would be a very different place without the horse, Pierson observes, since they helped us become mobile, farm, build cities, and fight wars, and the number of horses who died in the line of duty is bloodchilling: 52,000 were killed in the Battle of Stalingrad alone, and nearly that many died in the streets of New York in 1916. This sad legacy shadows Pierson's penetrating musings on the beauty and soul of horses; her intriguing and anecdotal exploration of the seemingly biological, perhaps cosmic, connection between women and horses (almost all devoted riders are female); and her frank critiques of today's trendy equine universe. As she considers the enigmatic yet life-enriching nature of interspecies communication, Pierson makes plausible the assertion of many horsewomen that communing with horses is nothing less than a "path to illumination." Donna Seaman
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A meditation intended to dispel those tiresome Freudian theories aimed at the universal fascination women seem to have with horses. -- The New York Times Book Review, Jillian Dunham, 17 September 2000

As passionate as it is informative....Rich in history, romance, and charm...always engaging, and most of all, moving. -- Brenda Peterson, co-editor of Intimate Nature: The Bond Between Women and Animals

She muses to deep and lyrical effect in her new collection of slender and delicate essays on horses and women. -- Richard Bernstein, The New York Times

So beautifully written that it instantly captivates. -- Newark Star-Ledger

This is a poignant, charming, and realistic book. -- Maxine Kumin

This thought-provoking work weaves together history, anecdotes, poetry and personal memoirs of women and their often-intense love for horses. -- Karen Stone, Chicago Tribune

Whoever likes animals will love this book...whoever seeks to fathom mysterious relationships between ourselves and other species will be transported. -- Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of The Hidden Life of Dogs

An exploration of the fascination and romance of horses. The author discusses the obsession with tackle and boots, the willingness to get dirty, to live with manure and hay, and to polish leather until it shines. She remembers the enthusiasm with which young girls read detailed treatises on equine behaviour. She recalls the burgeoning collections of combs, brushes and hats. The book is also a piece of writing about the horse and its extraordinary and tragic history of domestication by humans. For thousands of years, until the close of World War II, horses died by the million in military encounters and harsh agricultural work. The author reminds us that it has been less than a century since commerce, travel and war relied on the muscles and bones of horses. She has written this book in praise of a powerful and gentle creature. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Melissa Holbrook Pierson is the author of The Perfect Vehicle: What It Is About Motorcycles. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.