The Gryphon Press Releases Call the Horse Lucky, A Children’s Picture Book About Horse Rescue

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The Gryphon Press

Minneapolis, MN (Vocus/PRWEB) December 14, 2010

Simply told and beautifully illustrated, Call the Horse Lucky, a picture book released by The Gryphon Press, tells the story of horse abandonment, rescue by a young girl and the hopeful outcome for this and other horses faced with this issue.

While visiting her grandmother in the country, Mel discovers a neglected horse. Moved by the sight of the rib-thin pinto with the sad, glazed eyes and eager to help him, Mel starts a rescue process that results in the pinto’s being moved to a horse rescue ranch to revive him and treat his problems. At the ranch, Mel learns about horse care and continues to bond with the horse she has named Lucky.

During the past few years of recession, people have had to make tough choices about money, including paying the mortgage and buying food and medicine for themselves. Horse abandonment has become a major issue around the country as people have found themselves unable to care for their horses. There have been many reports of horses abandoned in pastures, on the road, or even in their empty stalls.

A new children’s picture book tells the story of how a young girl rescues such a horse and learns what it takes to successfully care for the horse and provide for its future, actions which require the intervention of a variety of rescuers. Call the Horse Lucky, beautifully told and illustrated, will go to the heart of horse lovers and will satisfy the experts in the field.

Lynn Reardon. Author of Beyond the Homestretch: What I Learned from Saving Racehorses, writes, Call The Horse Lucky from The Gryphon Press is a wonderfully told tale of horse rescue. Filled with practical information and positive outcomes, the book maintains a constructive and hopeful tone. The characters come alive with vivid illustrations that capture details all horse people will recognize (the change in a horse's eye, the weathered faces of equine caretakers, etc). An excellent book for introducing young readers to horse welfare issues, while also telling a terrific story of a very lucky horse indeed."

Juanita Havill, the author of Call the Horse Lucky, did a great deal of research on the subject before she began writing the story.

Havill writes, “I met many horses while researching Call the Horse Lucky, each one unique, each one memorable. Horses are rescued for a variety of reasons: neglect, abuse, abandonment, or are brought to facilities by a concerned owner who can no longer care for his or her horse. At one of the places I visited, Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary in Green Valley, Arizona, I met Gulliver, a gentle giant of a horse. He and his mother were adopted from a rancher in North Dakota. Karen Pomroy adopted Gulliver and his mother, and from her experiences with Gulliver, Pomroy went on to found Equine Voices. Gulliver remains on the ranch, and his gentle, extrovert manner in a giant’s body has won him the friendship and admiration of the rescue ranch volunteers and visitors. He even has his own fan club.

Javill met a particularly large draft-cross mare named Kachina, who had been severely abused by her owner. The sturdy appaloosa had been reportedly dragged behind a truck and beaten with a PVC pipe by her owner. I was told that the owner’s thirteen-year-old daughter participated in the beating – a sad testament to parental modeling. Fortunately, Kachina was taken from the owner and recovered from her injuries.

“When I visited Indiana Horse Rescue-Southwest in Owensville, Indiana, Kelsey Caldell, who runs the facility, told me of taking in a number of such horses. An attentive dog named Joey greeted me when I arrived and followed me closely. 'Joey is the best farm dog ever and believes it is his role to protect the horses,' Caldwell told me. Joey came to the ranch with a big black gelding named Candy that was removed from an owner who beat him. Joey simply jumped up in the rescuers’ truck apparently to escape beatings at the hand of the owner’s son. Again, the awful truth emerges that children of animal abusers often abuse animals, too. The good news is that both Sugar and Candy have the chance to live out their lives in the care of responsible people.”

About The Gryphon Press: The press is dedicated to publishing picture books for children that feature themes of animal advocacy and animal well-being. Founded in 2006, these books showcase a range of important issues and ideas, including the joys as well as the responsibilities of pet ownership, teaching empathy to children, fostering and adopting dogs and cats, getting rid of puppy mills, dealing with overpopulation, among others. Gryphon Press books have won major national awards, including several for best children’s picture book of the year and are being used by humane educators around the country.

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