Saving Baby: How One Woman’s Love for a Racehorse Led to Her Redemption
Jo Anne Normile was not supposed to keep the colt. He was to be foaled at her farm only so she could then borrow his mother to breed a horse of her own. But once Baby is born, literally into her arms, she cannot bear to give him up. She falls too hopelessly in love. In exchange, she promises to race him so he can earn money for the breeder who lets her keep him.
Starry eyed, Normile enters her beloved Baby into Thoroughbred racing—and learns by degrees that it is not the “sport of kings,” but rather a gambling industry that discards horses when they can no longer win. Finally, in a life-changing moment, she leaves the track, taking with her a granddaughter of Secretariat who might have made her a rich woman. This mare begins a successful eventing career. As a member of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) board, however, Normile continues to work towards better conditions—safer track surfaces—for the valiant animals who run their hearts out for their owners and trainers.
Normile then catapults her mixture of love and regret into a new vision: saving Thoroughbreds from the fate many of them experience at the end of their racing careers. Discovering that many horses exit racing at a young age—when horses in other disciplines are just getting started—she becomes a middleman, connecting racehorse owners and trainers with people eager to find a good Thoroughbred for eventing, dressage, jumping, or even just pleasure or trail riding.
The vision works. The first person ever to take horses straight from the track to new homes, Normile and the organization she formed to help with this enormous task saves more than 4,000 Thoroughbreds who would otherwise have been bound for a much worse fate. CANTER (Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses) opened the doors into new lives for these horses.
Anyone who has ever loved an animal will relate to this story. It is an emotionally powerful read filled with insight into horse psychology, sprinkled with the tenets of good horse-keeping, and laced with the deep emotions and dedication of someone who affects a huge difference by making good on her mistake.
More information about the book (released April 24, 2013) - www.savingbaby.com
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