Book Review of Stable Relation by Anna Blake

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If you love horses and you love to read horse stories, you MUST check out blogger Anna Blake‘s horse memoir Stable Relation.

Stable Relation is technically more than just a horse story. It’s about starting over in life, perseverance, and forming a community–both human and animal. Click here to see the book trailer on YouTube.

I finished the e-book version and wanted more chapters, as I had become attached to Anna’s menagerie of farm animals and was captivated by her beautiful use of sensory details. I could picture the scenes of farm life on the Colorado prairie as though they were being played out on a movie screen.

The winter snowstorm chapter had me completely stressed out and almost shivering. When a group of special needs guests visited Anna’s farm and her gentle llamas Sebastian and Holiday met each person almost nose to nose, I was more than a little sniffly. (Speaking of llamas, I learned quite a bit about them and actually thought to myself, “Bucket list: Get a llama.”)

And the leading horse of the tale, Anna’s “Grandfather Horse” an Appaloosa who has been mistaken for a Lipizzaner while competing at a dressage show melted my heart.

The story line of Stable Relation is frequently funny, sometimes sad, and always relatable.

[Update: since this was originally posted, Anna has released two more horse books Relaxed and Forward: Relationship Advice from Your Horse and Barn Dance. ?)]

I don’t want to give too much info away, but do yourself a favor and read this book. You don’t have to be a total horse-obsessed person to enjoy the book, nor do you have to be heavy into dressage. If you’re a fan of honesty in storytelling and partial to animals and rural life, you’ll probably adore the book as much as I did.

And if you enjoy following blogs, Anna has one of the finest around. Take a peek at Relaxed and Forward, her horse/life blog. (All photos here courtesy of Anna Blake.)