Pulling Punches

Rating:
Summary: Very Entertaining!
Review: This British book covers the author's year-long, day-per-week introduction to traditional horse farming in the English countryside. Equally about horses, self-discovery, and cultural differences, this entertaining and self-deprecating author takes you from his introduction to mucking out the stable yard with the taciturn farm help to his wonderful descriptions of his successes and satisfaction in finally handling the horses and equipment competently on his own, gaining some measure of amused respect from the farm's owners (Roger and Cheryl Clarke) along the way. The author is warm and descriptive. This is a very satisfying book. There are also two companion videos available, "First Steps to the Furrow," and "Harnessed to the Plough" which are very worthwhile. Interestingly, I didn't experience the slightest sense of disjointedness between the book and the reality as shown by the videos. That says a lot about the author's power of description.