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Three short stories by literary writer Natalie Keller Reinert, exploring the culture of horse racing and English riding.
Set on the backside of a racetrack, "Expendable" was previously published by Bushwick Daily, and is described in one review as "A well-executed short. Natalie Reinert displays a rare knack for providing a ton of insider's info with grit, yet at an effortless pace."
Another reviewer says: "Natalie Reinert truly brings her writing talent to bear in this short, almost minimalist piece that takes place in the Aqueduct backstretch. Strong feeling went into this story and the reader is made to feel strong emotion about the glimpse of backstretch life at a notoriously tough track (any track that races during those winters has to be tough). No extra word stayed in this story. It gets to the point and remains just as vivid as necessary. As in her other writing, readers witness the good and the ugly of keeping horses. In this story the reader meets those who honor the domestication contract and those who do not."
"Horse-Famous" delves into the obsessive, traditional culture of British horsemanship. After half-a-life on the run from the horse business, Holly has spent six months pouring all her energy into renovating an old farm into a model equestrian center, according to the strict rules of the English Equestrian Council Manual, a book she knows by heart. But the white-glove inspection will uncover more than cobwebs in the tack room: in Holly's tumultuous youth, she was a famous rider.
Reviewers say: "Horse-Famous explores an obsessive response to the thematic question of whether or not the main character can live without horses. Where The Head and Not the Heart may be considered uplifting in so far as the characters progress, this short story glimpses the resignation of the main character to her passion for equines and the highly ritualized English school of horsemanship. Reinert creates a scarred, sympathetic character with skeletons in her barn." -Smashwords
And: "The experience of reading this story is somewhat akin to the dread fascination of submerging into quicksand. Degree by relentless degree, the protagonist, Holly Blakely (nee Healy) reveals the course of her life during an English Equestrian Council inspection--a life from which, at last it becomes clear, she has found it impossible to escape." - Smashwords
"The Long Walk" follows a young woman just trying to make a living in the horse business, and shows how long the walk from the broodmare barn to the breeding shed can really be. This short is a fascinating insider's glimpse of the breeding farm, where the creation of Thoroughbred racehorses is an industry with its own strange rules and characters.
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