Title: Joey: How a Blind Rescue Horse Helped Others Learn to See
Author: Jennifer Marshall Bleakley
Year Published: 2018
Publisher: Tyndale Momentum
What's it about?: The true story of how a blind horse came to the rescue/healing center Hope Reins and left an impact on everyone who met him.
"The women stood together silently for several minutes, watching the two spotted horses. As they turned back to do their chores, a searching nicker reverberated through the air, quickly followed by an answering neigh. Lauren smiled. I will never grow tired of hearing that."
Likes:
Everything.
It is just simply an amazing book.
I love that it is a full story. Memoirs are huge in the equine world, and they are all great. Every horse has a story to tell, but I don't like when a book tells different, unconnected stories in each chapter. Joey told one cohesive story throughout the book while introducing readers to some amazing people and special horses along the way.
Dislikes:
It makes me want an Appaloosa right now!
Thoughts:
One of my first thoughts was that it felt a lot like Bridge Called Hope by Kim Meeder, and right after thinking that it was stated that, Hope Rising, the book that comes before Bridge Called Hope, was an inspiration for Kim as she started Hope Reins! (Read my thoughts on Bridge Called Hope here). I haven't read Hope Rising, but I think that is a true testament to all these women how clearly I can see and feel their impact on one another.
Hope Reins opened in Sept 2010. For most people that date won't mean much. For me, it means a lot. It was a challenging time in my life and it is weird to read about something so good happening while I can vividly remember the struggle of my life at that time. It is really nice to know that there was something so good happening while I struggled.
My first favorite lesson horse was an appaloosa, Gizmo. I haven't really known any other appys since her. Strangely, I didn't make the connection between Joey and Gizmo until I was looking at the pictures at the end of the book. I know it's strange since Joey is on the cover and is clearly an appaloosa, but seeing his full body made Gizmo pop into my head and made me really miss her.
This may be controversial, but I love Speckles. Joey is amazing and I love him too, but Speckles is the horse I felt closest to. I felt an instant and real connection with him as his story was told.
"It was evident that Speckles enjoyed Joey's companionship, and yet the blind horse did place a lot of demands on Speckles - constant nickering to ascertain where Speckles was located, a lack of concern for personal space, and nervous pacing during storms. Lauren had come to realize that even the most patient of caregivers needed a break every once in a while. As much as he loved Joey, Speckles was no exception."
What can I say? I like mean horses! Gizmo, along with being my first love, was also the first horse to bite me!
Also, as a caregiver, I can relate to needing a break on occasion no matter how much I love the person I care for.
Without having met Speckles, or known about him during his life, I felt an amazing connection to him by reading this book, and he holds a piece of my heart.
I have developed a bit of a strange habit of finishing books that make me sob, in a good way, at about 2 am. Joey is the third book this has happened to me.
This is definitely a new favorite book of mine. The story is beautiful and the writing is superb.
Give it a read and let me know what you think!
Learn more about the book here.
Learn more about Jennifer Marshall Bleakley here.
Learn more about Hope Reins here.