Saving Baby: How One Woman's Love for a Racehorse Led to Her Redemption

In this memoir, Normile charts the course of her life and describes the growth of her passion for horses. In the early 1990s, her stable of horses was expanding, but one of the conditions of that expansion was that she race Baby, a grandson of the legendary Secretariat. Normile soon became immersed in the world of horse racing, but discovered, much to her shock, that it is corrupt, that many trainers are indifferent to the well-being of their horses, and that when a horse is injured or performs poorly, it is sent to be slaughtered. Normile's na%C3%AFvet%C3%A9 was destroyed for good when poor track maintenance caused Baby to fracture his tibia, an injury that led to his being euthanized. Normile resolved to commit her life to saving damaged horses and rescuing unwanted ones from slaughter. She started an organization called the Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses (CANTER), giving thoroughbred racers new lives. While Normile could never get Baby back, she parlayed her tragedy into new life for hundreds of animals. Readers who love animals will be touched by this account, and by Normile's love of and dedication to horses. Her courage in exposing the dark underbelly of racing is reflected on every page. While the story lags at times, Normile and Lindner have produced an engaging memoir that is a must-read for animal lovers.