Saddled: How a Spirited Horse Reined Me in and Set Me Free - Paperback

by Susan Richards (Author)

One day, at the age of thirty-one, Susan Richards realized that she was an alcoholic. She wrote it down in her journal, struck by the fact that it had taken nine years of waking up hung-over to name her illness. What had changed?

Susan had a new horse, a spirited Morgan named Georgia, and, as she says: "It had something to do with Georgia. It had something to do with making a commitment as enormous as caring for a horse that might live as my companion for the next forty years. It had something to do with love." Every day begins with a morning ride.

Every day Susan lives a little more and thinks about her mistakes a little less. Every day she learns a little more from Georgia, the kind of horse who doesn't go in for indecision, who doesn't apologize for her opinions, and who isn't afraid to be herself. In Georgia, Susan finds something to draw her back to herself, but also something to keep her steady and focused, to teach her about stepping carefully in unknown territory, to help her learn again about balance.

This is a memoir about the power of animals to carry us through the toughest times of our lives--about the importance of constancy, the beauty of quiet, steadfast love, the way loving a good (and sometimes bad!) animal can keep you going. It's a wonderful story for Susan's (and Georgia's) fans, and for anyone who has ever loved an animal enough to keep on living.

Front Jacket

This is a story for anyone who has ever loved an animal enough to keep on living.
One day, at the age of thirty-one, Susan Richards realized that she was an alcoholic. She wrote it down in her journal, struck by the fact that it had taken nine years of waking up hung-over to name her illness. What had changed?

Susan had a new horse, a spirited Morgan named Georgia, and, as she says: a It had something to do with Georgia. It had something to do with making a commitment as enormous as caring for a horse that might live as my companion for the next forty years. It had something to do with love.a

Every day Susan lives a little more and thinks about her mistakes a little less. Every day she learns a little more from Georgia, the kind of horse who doesna t go in for indecision, who doesna t apologize for her opinions, and who isna t afraid to be herself. In Georgia, Susan finds something to draw her back to herself, but also something to keep her steady and focused, to teach her about stepping carefully in unknown territory, to help her learn again about balance.

This is a memoir about the power of animals to carry us through the toughest times of our livesa about the importance of constancy, the beauty of quiet, steadfast love, the way loving a good (and sometimes bad!) animal can keep you going.

"

Back Jacket

PRAISE FOR SADDLED:

"The unconditional love our animals feel for us is precious, but as Susan Richards so beautifully illustrates, it is the unconditional love we feel for our animals that can change our lives. This is an inspiring, life-changing book." --Abigail Thomas, author of A Three Dog Life

"Reading Saddled was like having an unflinchingly honest talk with a close friend about her struggle for meaning and hope. It took a horse to give Susan the strength to change. This book is a testament to the transforming power of animals in our lives; it was also impossible to put down." --Stacey O'Brien, author of Wesley the Owl

"Richards performs dual literary magic by giving us the history of a horsewoman retrieving her life from the bottom of the wine glass, and a mirror in which the sensitive reader will see herself again and again. I loved every sentence." --Melissa Pierson, author of Dark Horses and Black Beauties

"When Susan Richards needed one sane place to stand against the stresses of a crazy world, her Morgan horse, Georgia, was there to show her that loving an animal grounds you in a way that nothing else can." --Sharon Sakson, author of Paws & Effect: The Healing Power of Dogs

"Saddle up and enjoy the ride with Susan Richards. You'll love it." -- Rita Mae Brown, author of Catch as Cat Can

Author Biography

SUSAN RICHARDS has a BA in English from the University of Colorado and a Master of Social Work degree from Adelphi University. She lives with her husband Dennis Stock and their beloved gang of four dogs and one Siamese cat. She is the author of the bestselling memoir, Chosen by a Horse.