Who Ever Heard of a Horse in the House?

If you really love animals you will definately relate to this story, which is a true story about a woman who lets her horse live in her house with her. It's not a manual for how to do it, just a great story of a woman who who dearly loves her horse. She describes the adaptations necessary to accommodate having a horse in her home, how she house-trained the horse, and how she adapted a vehicle to take her horse on outings. Dogs and cats get to come inside and share your life - when you have the same kind of bond with a horse and you have to say goodnight to them in the barn, it's hard. If you have ever felt this way about your horse, this book is a must read for you! The book also contains some great photos of the horse in the house, and stories of the author's other pets. It is clearly written with love - and while those more removed from the relationship may recognize that the horse has separation anxiety, for example, don't expect the author to make such judgments. This is easy to forgive, however - what mother sees the faults in her children as clearly as her neighbor?

This is an excellent book, that I could not put down. I think that Ms. Tresl has opened up many areas of possibilities as far as the care and management of horses, as well as their need and capacity for intellectual stimulation and affection. Without Ms. Tresl's incredibly committed and devoted indulgence of her animals (not just the horse!), not to mention her husband's patience and carpentry skills, such a wonderful book would not exist, and the world would be a sadder place. Brava!

I am a retired engineer. In my semi-retirement, I am a substitute teacher. I plan to use this book when I am teaching elementary school. I'll first tell them the story in general and then read excerpts to the children. As a substitute teacher, I would probably not have enough time to read the entire book unless I was covering for a teacher out an extended time..

Definitely a page-turner -- not so much in the same sense as a mystery or a bodice-ripping romance novel, but in the way that a well-written story keeps you reading, page after page. This book is filled with humorous anecdotes about what life in Ohio is like when you have more than 1,300 pounds of Quarter Horse in your house, year-round! I would recommend this to any animal lover with a sense of humor. (Before giving it to horse-crazy little girls, first consider the amount of begging for a house-horse you will have to put up with!)That said, I would not recommend that readers rely solely on this book for information about horse behavior or horsekeeping in general; it is a case-study only. For example, given the amount of sweets and pastries that the author said she repeatedly feeds the horse, I kept fearing that the next page would include an anecdote about Misha contracting laminitis!* Second-cutting hay notwithstanding, it sounds like Misha has an "iron constitution" that many other horses might not enjoy. (I'm not advocating any warning labels here, either, but I feel this needed to be said. I also am not trying to say that the author had anything but the best interests of her horse in mind -- oh, that I should have such a close relationship with my own chestnut mare!) * Laminitis is a condition where the tissues in the hoof become inflamed, cutting off blood flow to the area and often resulting in founder, or the death of the tissue and the separation of the inner hoof from the hoof wall. All very painful for the horse.

JACQUELINE TRESL CAPTURES THE LOVING BOND ALL TRUE ANIMAL LOVERS FEEL FOR THEIR PETS AND OTHER CREATURES. HER WRITING EMBRACES THE TRUE DEFINITION OF THE BONDING OF THE SPIRTS OF ANIMALS AND THEIR HUMANS. HER STORY PERSONIFIES HOW WE PUT OURSELVES ASIDE FOR THE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE WE ARE SO PRIVLEDGED TO RECIEVE FROM A PET. THIS BOOK MAKES ONE LAUGH AND CRY. IT BRINGS INTO FOCUS SO MANY MEMORIES THOSE OF US EXPERIENCED ON A DAILY BASIS WITH OUR PETS IN THE PAST AND PRESENT. IT IS ALSO A LOVE STORY BETWEEN A MAN AND WOMAN WHO RESPECT AND UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS OF ONE ANOTHER NO MATTER HOW STRANGE THEY MAY SEEM TO OUTSIDERS. ONLY THE EVENTS IN THEIR OWN HOME ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM. SHE HAS BEEN GIVEN A GREAT GIFT AND HAS BEEN GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO SHARE IT WITH US. MISHA,THE STAR AND PRECIOUS HORSE IN THE STORY HAS CHOSEN JACQUELINE TO CARE FOR AND NUTURE HER. WITH TOTAL DEVOTION AND LOVE SHE THRIVES FROM BEING A SICKLY FOAL INTO AN OVERLY DEPENDENT PLAYFUL ADULT HORSE, WITH THE HELP OF HOME BAKED COOKIES AND SPAGHETTI AS STRANGE AS THAT MAY SEEM. THROUGHOUT THE BOOK WE ENJOY THE ANTICS AND STRUGGLES OF BOTH MISHA AND JACQUELINE WITH EVEN MORE LOVE AND DEVOTION ADDED BY HER HUSBAND MARK. ALTHOUGH SMALL, THEIR HOUSE IS BURSTING (AND AT TIMES NEEDS AN ADDITION) WITH LOVE THAT KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES. MISHAS HEART AND SPIRIT SEEM TO BE ONE WITH JACQUELINES AND THIS WONDERFUL CREATURE RETURNS HER LOVE AND DEVOTION IN A WAY ONLY UNDERSTOOD BY THOSE OF US SO LUCKY TO EXPERIENCE A SIMILAR BOND WITH A PET OF OUR OWN. THIS BOOK DESERVES FIVE CARROTS (STARS)