CHANGING HORSES: One Woman’s Journey Through Horse Racing, Horse Rescue, and Horse Reflection, chronicles author Esta G. Bernstein’s lifelong devotion to horses. As she explains in the book’s preface, Bernstein was born with a rare genetic disorder: Equus Addictus. Hyperbole aside, Bernstein’s addiction to horses manifested at an early age. Whether gravitating to pictures or toys or begging her mother to stop the car whenever they passed a grazing pony, the mere sight of a horse often inspired an overwhelming emotional response. The connection with horses was so pronounced, Bernstein found it difficult to sustain a similar bond with her fellow humans. According to Bernstein, the only common ground she shared with her father was “a love of horses and his temper.” Fortunately, Bernstein found an outlet for her ‘addiction’ through riding lessons and frequent visits to the local farms and racetracks. By her mid-teens, Bernstein felt called to devote her life to caring for horses. This “mission” led her to California, where she found work in the industry and eventually purchased an Arabian stallion named Caleyndar. Bernstein’s bond with the injured horse was instant, and under her care, Caleyndar became a prominent feature in a variety of equine-themed media.

The path from a ten-year-old trail guide to the purveyor of Equalia Actualization was anything but easy. In fact, a measured pessimism permeates the novel’s opening chapters, primarily due to the incredible personal challenges she faced and the abuses she witnessed. Of course, Bernstein eventually overcame the obstacles in her path, illustrating the power of perseverance. Still, CHANGING HORSES is not a self-help book. If anything, it’s a story about self-discovery. Despite the focus on horses, there’s a strong spiritual undercurrent running throughout CHANGING HORSES. Bernstein not only recognized her passion early on, she also decided to follow it no matter the cost. In the end, she changed the life of every horse she met, just as they changed hers. Through her journey, Bernstein offers readers a candid take on her achievements and failures. Rather than gloss over the painful parts of her life, Bernstein opts for exploration and shares her insights and revelations in the process. Of course, some views and opinions may polarize readers, but the ever-present love, respect, and admiration for horses remains the driving force behind CHANGING HORSES.

Horse lovers will find obvious parallels in CHANGING HORSES, but all animal lovers will likely identify with elements of Bernstein’s story. Regardless of whether or not readers connect with the finer details of caring for horses, Bernstein’s passion is palpable from cover to cover. To that point, it’s worth noting that the author’s work continues to this day with Saffyre Sanctuary, a “horse rescue and rehabilitation program that cares for horses that have been abandoned, abused, or neglected.”

Part inspirational memoir, part equine celebration, Esta G. Bernstein’s CHANGING HORSES is a moving autobiography exploring the reciprocal nature of caring for animals.

~James Weiskittel for IndieReader