Horse Crazy!

If a girl was born with the ability to speak complete sentences, it’s a good bet the first thing she would ask for is a horse. The moment her tiny head popped out, the doctor would be certain of the baby’s gender. “Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Indebt, you have a daughter. She wants a Palomino.”

And that is the essence of Horse Crazy, Bob Goddard's hilarious
guide for parents of horse-addicted girls.

“Goddard's humor transcends all barriers of all that is ‘sacred’ in the horse world. He makes us see the humor in everything we do; even the most serious of tasks, and helps us to laugh at ourselves.”
- Carol Eilers, Editor and Publisher, Apples 'n Oats

In Chapter 6, “The Drudgery of Dailey Care”, Goddard describes the role of exercise in a horse’s life:

“Horses are not lazy animals. They love physical activity. They run for any reason or for no reason. But a horse's favorite reason to run is the simple joy of watching slightly overweight, middle-aged men on the verge of cardiac arrest stumble around the paddock attempting to catch the horse and put a halter on him.”

“Bob Goddard's sharp wit will make you laugh out loud. His astute observation on life with our four-footed friends will delight any horse lover.”
- Rene E. Riley, Editor, The Trail Rider

Horse Crazy also provides a lighthearted, sometimes irreverent treatment of the psycho-social nature of horses and those who love them. In Chapter 2, “The Horsepeople Culture,” the author warns us of the terrible consequences of taking a horse-obsessed girl out of her horsey environment for too long:

“Extended periods away from Those Like Her can lead to unfortunate consequences. For example, if a horseperson finds herself sitting at restaurant table with a large group of non-horsepeople whose primary topics of conversation consist of the weather, gardening, and Hilary Clinton, she may, without warning, simply explode. The eruption often comes in the form of a verbal spewing of unrelated horse terms, ‘Equitation, gallop, lead rope! Reins, sidesaddle, Pinto! Hocks! Withers! Green broke! Green broke! Green broke!’ For bystanders who are unacquainted with the horsepeople culture, this can be disturbing. But it's no big deal to those of us who have been around it for years. ‘We've seen worse,’ we like to say.’”

Chapters include:
“The Horsepeople Culture”
“The Nature of the Species: Big, Fast, Beautiful, and No Longer on the Menu”
“The Drudgery of Daily Care”
“Riding: Keeping the Horse between Her and the Ground”
“Horse Sex”
“Housing the Horse: Barns, Loans and Holes”
“The Sick Truth of Horse Health”
“The Truck and the Trailer: The Budget Busters”
“Horse Shows: An American Family Surrenders to the Absurd”

The book is rounded out an open letter from Bob Goddard to the equine species.

Horse lovers will have no difficulty relating to the content and tone of Horse Crazy. The humor is drawn directly from Goddard’s experience with this passionate and lively group of people. It is the kind of book a horseperson would buy as a gift for a non-riding friend or family member.