Saving Baby
by JoAnne Normile (2014 nonfiction)

In the mid-1990’s, JoAnne Normile made a bargain to oversee the birth and raising of a foal. She fell in love
with the Thoroughbred colt, which she nicknamed “Baby,” and was ultimately allowed by the breeder to keep him – providing she raced him. This is the story of Normile’s involvement in the “Sport of Kings,” one that would tragically take Baby from her and spark the founding of the most successful horse rescue in the country.

Horseracing is by and large all about the money and not very much about the plight of the horse. After losing Baby to a poorly maintained track, Normile began a crusade, not only to improve the conditions at the facility, but also to rescue from the slaughterhouse the Thoroughbreds that became injured, too old to compete, or just didn’t win. This story is grim in many respects, but in the end, Normile is able to triumph and found two rescue organizations, her original CANTER
for Thoroughbreds, and Saving Baby Equine Charity, which rescues all types of horses and finds new homes for them. This is a captivating book, particularly for horse lovers, and it draws the reader’s attention to an extremely worthwhile cause. (An excerpt from this book was recently published in the Reader’s Digest.) Recommended.

Reviewed by Ginger Russell