About this item
" One of the best books of 2013."- Kirkus ReviewsFew people ever call up the courage to create the life they envision, leaving their dreams forever unfulfilled. But Jo Anne Normile did just that, only to find she was living the wrong dream. It all started with her beloved horse Baby, with whom she shared as strong a bond as a mother and child. Baby could be hundreds of feet away, on the far side of the pasture behind the house, but if he saw Normile coming through the kitchen door, he'd leave off grazing on the rich summer grass and come toward her. If she clapped, he broke into a gallop to reach her faster. He loved rubbing his head against her hands. She, in turn, would kiss that velvety part of his muzzle between his nostrils. It was difficult to let him go to race at the track, away from her pasture, from the back door where she'd often find him waiting for a tasty snack or to say hello.
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.
