Beyond the Homestretch: What I've Learned from Saving Racehorses - Hardcover

In Beyond the Homestretch, Lynn Reardon shares an unlikely story. In 2002, she quit her Washington DCarea office job and moved to rural Texas to open the racehorse adoption ranch LOPE (LoneStar Outreach to Place Ex-Racers). Since then, LOPE has helped transition more than 725 thoroughbreds into new homes. Though now the director of this high-profile organization, Reardon didnt learn to ride until she was an adult. Here she presents a vivid inside look into the world of horse racing, complete with colorful horses, jockeys, trainers, and gallop girls, depicting the insights horses can offer when we reevaluate our relationship with them.

In this riveting account, Reardon encounters dozens of unruly racehorses, all with special needs, unusual histories, and distinct personalities. As she fumbles to help them find new careers, they return the favor by becoming her most memorable mentors in horsemanship and life philosophy.

Horses such as Tawakoni, the son of a Kentucky Derby winner, and Endofthestorm, the speedy bay who required an emergency tracheotomy, give Reardon an apprenticeship in facing fear and finding a new life. Reardon may have saved these horses lives, but she points out that they saved hers as well.


Again and again Reardon shows us the magic that can happen when the right horse meets the right person. Terrific tales of second chances that will lift your heart with joy.
Susan Richards, author of Chosen by a Horse

Every now and again all too rarely a book crosses my desk that is a must-read. Beyond the Homestretch is one of them. When we watch horse racing, we experience only the tip of the iceberg. We dont see the behind-the-scenes details of who the horses and humans are, their individual and engaging personalities, the ups and downs of their daily routines, and their charming quirks. Lynn Reardon has done us and the horses a big favor by writing this easy-to-read account and by adopting ex-racers so that they can live out their lives with dignity, respect, and love. Read and share this book widely. It is that important.
Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals, Wild Justice, and The Animal Manifesto


Hardcover book
304 Pages
ISBN 10: 1577316479
ISBN 13: 9781577316473