About this item
"If we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt." --Anna Sewell, author of Black BeautyJo Anne Normile was not supposed to keep the foal, an exuberant Thoroughbred with only a few white hairs on his reddish-brown forehead. But she fell in love with the young horse, who had literally been born into her arms. The breeder finally said she could keep the colt, whom she nicknamed "Baby" – but only if she raced him. It was difficult to take Baby away from the safety of his pasture. But Normile had made a promise. Besides, horseracing had always come across as a glamorous blend of mint juleps and celebrity, of equine grace and speed. It was a vision she found appealing. And she fell hard for it, this "Sport of Kings.
About the Author
Jo Anne Normile as principal of Normile Racehorse Protection Consulting, advises senators, congressmen, filmmakers, legal firms, rescues, and humane organizations on all aspects of racing pertaining to the welfare of the Thoroughbred racehorse and the integrity of the industry. A former breeder and owner of racehorses as well as an elected member of two of racing's most influential boards, Normile knows the industry from the inside. In addition to her consulting work, Normile founded two successful horse rescue organizations: CANTER, the first organization to take Thoroughbreds right from the track to safe havens and which now has chapters across the country; and Saving Baby Equine Charity (www.savingbaby.org) , for which she currently serves as president.
Normile has received the Catalyst of the Year Award from the Michigan Horse Council for her "significant contribution to the Michigan horse industry" and the prestigious national Dogwood Stable Dominion Award as an "unsung hero of the racing industry." She was described in The Thoroughbred Times as having "rescued more horses than any other organization in the equine industry." Normile has been written up in The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, and The St. Louis Dispatch as well as in The Blood-Horse, the Daily Racing Form, Equus, Horse Illustrated, ASPCA Animal Watch, and numerous other publications. In addition, she has appeared on CNN and many local television broadcasts. Normile's dedication to horses resulted in her coauthoring studies that appeared in the prestigious Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Journal of Applied Research in Veterinary Medicine. She was also cited for her contributions to a research paper published in Food and Chemical Toxicology about the public health risk of selling horsemeat laced with phenylbutazone, or "bute," routinely given to Thoroughbred racers.
She lives with her husband, John, and Scarlett, age 25, a new barn friend, Cash, and two burros in Plymouth, Michigan and a portion of all book sales help fund Saving Baby Equine Charity so readers literally save equine lives.
