Every time my husband and I go out, our very non-horsey friends politely ask about my horse and riding endeavors. It’s hard to know just how interested they really are (probably not much at all) but they know that horses take up such a great deal of my time. What they don’t know, and what I don’t think they can even begin to fathom, is all the blood, sweat and tears that go into owning and maintaining a horse. Let alone all the mishaps and haywire episodes no one can ever predict.
Luckily, there’s a new book, full of fun and hilarious cartoons, that captures the less-than-glamorous side of being a horse person.
“Life with Horses Is Never Orderly,” a collection of adorable and witty sketches by Morgane Schmidt, is the perfect coffee table book for any horse lover. It’s just delightful to flip through and cackle to yourself over every totally relatable scenario. In her introduction, Morgane, the author captures it perfectly: “What follows is a sort of crash course into the fray that is the horse world. I hope it not only makes you chuckle, but also inspires and reminds you that we should never take ourselves too seriously.”
From a comic on finding the “perfect” pair of breeches, to how many ponies can you cram in the indoor, the sketches capture nearly every horse moment you can think of. One of my favorites is “Equine Rule #36: No matter how many horse-specific toys you buy… Items that are ‘off limits’ will be that much more appealing.” The book certainly knows its audience – its for riders who are already in on the joke.
“Life with Horses Is Never Orderly” would make a great gift for just about any horse owner you know, but I can easily see it in the tack room at the barn, or the lobby at the vet’s office.