Twisting in Air by Carol Bradley

 

First Line: Tall, ebony-haired Chuck Roberson had landed his dream job in Hollywood.

 

Westerns had long been a moviegoer favorite, and Hollywood cranked them out by the dozens. However, it wasn't until the 1940s that movie studios agreed to abide by the Hollywood Production Code's ban on cruelty to animals, which meant they had to stop using deadly tripwires, tilt chutes, and covered pits. Filmmakers still wanted to depict horses falling in battle so they had to start looking for "acting" horses who could fall to the ground on command.

 

A thoroughbred-quarter horse mix named Cocaine ("Coke") overcame a debilitating injury to become the fastest falling horse of all. Coke was one of only two dozen horses who mastered the athleticism required to fall safely at will. He doubled many times for John Wayne's horse, Dollor, and appeared in several Westerns directed by John Ford. 

~

If you grew up watching Westerns in movie theaters or on television, like I did, you're bound to find Twisting in Air fascinating. Carol Bradley's book is an absorbing look at the early dark history of stunt horses in movies, to its heyday, and on to the present day. I've been a horse lover my entire life, and I'm glad I didn't watch those early Westerns before the Hollywood Production Code's ban on cruelty to animals. 

I learned so much about the training and development of falling horses, but-- as usual-- it was the relationship between rider and horse that was key. The relationship explored the most in Twisting in Air is between stunt rider Chuck Roberson and his horse Cocaine. Roberson was the inspiration for the TV series "The Fall Guy," and he doubled for John Wayne many times.

This book explores the entire history of stunt riders and horses, from the early days of the Wild West shows to now. Once the Hollywood Production Code and the Humane Society began to have an increased say in how animals were treated, I knew it was only a matter of time before uncaring, miserly film producers found a way around the rules. (Countries outside the U.S. didn't have those same laws.) What about movies being made today? Computer-generated imagery is a wonderful thing.

Twisting in Air was a valuable read for me because it filled in so many gaps in my knowledge of the movies and television shows I loved to watch in my youth (including the true meaning of animals' facial expressions). Stunt men like Chuck Roberson and horses like Cocaine worked hard to bring a safe kind of realism to Westerns. They really were teams that cared for one another, and I'm glad I now know more about them.

Twisting in Air: The Sensational Rise of a Hollywood Falling Horse by Carol Bradley

eISBN: 9781496240712

University of Nebraska-Bison Books © 2024

eBook, 224 pages

 

Non-Fiction

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

Tschiffely's Ride by A.F. Tschiffely

First Line: "Impossible!" "Absurd!" "The man's mad!" In this way many people stated their opinions, some publicly, some privately, when the news came out that somebody was going to attempt to ride from Buenos Aires to New York with two native Argentine horses.

In 1925, A. F. Tschiffely decided to follow his dream. He planned his route, purchased supplies, and readied his two Criollo horses, Mancha and Gato, and set off to ride from Buenos Aires, Argentina to New York City-- a journey of over ten thousand miles. Most thought he was crazy. Scarcely anyone thought he would make it. The memoir he wrote about his experiences is a fascinating read.

The care Tschiffely took of his horses-- often having fodder sent ahead so the horses would be able to eat and keep up their strength-- warms the heart. Mancha and Gato weren't just his modes of transportation, they were his friends on what was often a very lonely journey. Not only that, but they also saved his life more than once.

His story of dealing with tremendous obstacles, both natural and manmade, and his travel through areas torn apart by war are mesmerizing, but what impressed me the most about this memoir is the man Tschiffely himself. His personality came shining through in his writing.

He didn't hold back when he felt strongly about something, whether it be watching his first bullfight or government officials who were more concerned with obtaining bribes than doing their jobs. He took advantage of his travels to see many archaeological sites and other places of interest, and he made friends all along his route.

Although he encountered danger countless times during his two-and-a-half-year trek, there are also humorous anecdotes that made me smile: his reaction to getting asked the same questions over and over and how much sleep he lost due to all the celebrations being held in his (exhausted) honor that he had to attend being two.

Tschiffely's observations of nature and the landscapes through which he traveled were vivid. Many times I felt as though I'd saddled up my own horse and was accompanying him. If there was any single disappointment in reading his memoir, it was the fact that he glossed over the last few months traveling through the United States.  I completely agreed with the reasons why he did, but as a resident, I always like to learn visitors' reactions to my country.

Read it as the memoir of an incredible feat. Read it as a historical document of its day and age. Read it as an animal lover or as an adventure story aficionado. Tschiffely's Ride is the best sort of armchair travel, and I highly recommend it. 

Tschiffely's Ride: Ten Thousand Miles in the Saddle from Southern Cross to Pole Star 
by A.F. Tschiffely

eISBN: 9781628733884

Skyhorse Publishing © 2013

eBook, 392 pages

Non-Fiction, Standalone

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon. 

The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation by Elizabeth Letts

Title: The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation
Author: Elizabeth Letts
ISBN: 9780345521088
Publisher: Ballantine Books, 2011
Hardcover, 352 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction
Rating: B
Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewer program

First Line: The horse vans parked along Seventh Avenue came loaded up with dreams.

Harry de Leyer needed a good horse, but by the time he fought through the horrendous winter weather, the only horses left at the auction were those on the truck headed to the slaughterhouse. Unwilling to admit defeat, he persuaded the truck driver to let him take a look at the doomed horses loaded in the back. A certain look in the eyes of a neglected plow horse spoke to Harry, and after paying the driver $80 for the horse, Harry took him home. At that point, the horse-- dubbed "Snowman" by Harry's children-- was probably the only one that knew he was poised at the beginning of his very own Cinderella story. This is the story of a plow horse turned schooling horse turned show jumping champion. It is the story of the man who saved his life, Harry de Leyer. Most of all, it is the story of the deep love the two have for each other.

The book grabbed me at the very beginning with the tale of how Harry found Snowman and brought him home. I was chomping at the bit for more, but Letts switched leads and began telling Harry de Leyer's story of life before and during Nazi occupation in the Netherlands, and the immigration of Harry, his wife, and children to the United States. Don't get me wrong: Harry's life is extremely interesting, but after that excellent beginning, his story almost ground the pacing of the book to a complete halt. I was tempted to skip ahead and get back to the horse, but I wouldn't let myself.

Once the chronicle of Harry's story caught up with Snowman's, the book took wings again. Letts' research and interviews give The Eighty-Dollar Champion the richness of detail that it needs. The show jumping circuit in the late 1950s comes to life, and I felt as if I got to know what it was like to work Snowman at his "9 to 5" job and then load him in the trailer to compete in shows.

After the stumble at the start, the book only took one more misstep as it headed for the finish line. As Snowman started to capture media attention, the author seemed to make a bid for comparison to Laura Hillenbrand's classic Seabiscuit by adding brief sections about the uncertainty of the era, how it needed a hero to believe in, and how the working class public focused on Snowman-- a very unlikely champion. These sections don't really fit into the book because the focus of The Eighty-Dollar Champion is a very narrow one: the relationship between a very special horse and a very special man. Attempting to bring the outside world into this just doesn't work.

Although I did find a bit of awkwardness in the book, I absolutely loved the story of Snowman. However, as a word to the wise for anyone who falls apart at the end of Old Yeller or who has had a beloved pet die-- keep a box of tissues on standby. You will need them.

Learn More from Amazon.

Learn More from The Book Depository.

Learn More from Your Indie Bookseller.

Cut Throat by Lyndon Stacey

Title: Cut Throat
Author: Lyndon Stacey
ISBN: 9780099429456
Publisher: Arrow, 2003
Paperback, 576 pages
Genre: Thriller
Rating: B-
Source: Gift

First Line: Twelve hundred pounds of charging horseflesh hit the wooden railings chest high and somersaulted into the north stands.

27-year-old Ross Wakelin is in Florida trying to drink himself out of the nightmares he's having when British colleague Lindsey Cresswell offers him a fresh start with a new job riding for her uncle who has a show-jumping yard in Wiltshire, England. Ross grabs at the chance, but when he arrives at Oakley Manor, he's thrown right into the thick of it. A horse is poisoned, the overseer isn't at all friendly, one of the grooms actively obstructs Ross's every move, and a ring announcer goes out of his way to put the young rider in a very unfavorable light.

One of the owners is being blackmailed. Whenever he tries to thwart the blackmailer, one of his horses is killed or seriously injured. The owner brings Ross into this on the quiet, hoping the American can help shed light on the identity of the villain. In no time flat, things begin to escalate, and Ross's integrity isn't the only thing that's in danger.

This is Stacey's debut novel, and it shows a bit. At 576 pages, it's about 200 pages too long, and the plot creaked a bit with some well-worn devices. But the good far outweighs the awkward.

This book is a gem for anyone who loves horses and would like to know a bit more about the world of show jumping. Every time Ross schooled a horse or rode one into the ring, the story took flight and I was mesmerized. Stacey has written more books with an equestrian theme, and I look forward very much to reading more. If there are any Dick Francis fans out there, I think you'd enjoy giving Lyndon Stacey's books a try, too.

Learn More from Amazon.

Learn More from The Book Depository.

Learn More from an Indie Bookseller.

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

Title: War Horse
Author: Michael Morpurgo
ISBN: 9780545057981, Scholastic, 2008
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction
Rating: A

First Line: My earliest memories are a confusion of hilly fields and dark, damp stables and rats that scampered along the beams above my head.

Joey was born and raised on an English farm and trained by a young boy named Albert. When World War I begins, Albert's father needs money and sells Joey to the Army as a cavalry horse. Although too young to join up, Albert vows to be reunited with his horse.

Fortunately for Joey, his Army captain is an honorable man who loves horses and takes good care of him, teaching Joey things that will keep him alive in the days ahead. Joey also makes friends with another cavalry horse named Topthorn. One day in battle, both horses' riders are killed, and the horses are captured by the Germans to pull heavy munitions. Through it all, Joey never forgets Albert and wonders if they will ever be reunited.

This is a wonderful story-- on par with Black Beauty-- about the effects of war on both animals and people. Morpurgo proves adept at describing the horrors of war without being graphic. As Joey moves from the British side to the German, the people he must deal with show that, no matter the language or the uniform, we are all the same.

Knowing how military strategists on both sides tended to think of the men (and animals) under their command as so much cannon fodder, Joey's fate is not all that certain. Morpurgo makes the reader care about the young horse and what happens to it and the people with whom it comes in contact. I would recommend this book to both young and old.