-
Crazy Good
- The True Story of Dan Patch, the Most Famous Horse in America
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $25.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
"...a wry, moving account of America's first epidemic of sports fever." --Entertainment Weekly
Who was the most famous athlete one hundred years ago? A horse. In fact, harness racer Dan Patch was more than a celebrity, he was once the most recognizable figure in American sports.
Born with a bad leg and nearly euthanized in 1896, Dan Patch led an ordinary wagon horse existence, pulling the grocer’s cart in Oxford, Indiana. It was when he won a race at the Indiana State Fair that Dan Patch’s fame began to build. At the time, harness racing was America’s favorite sport and as Dan Patch began beating world records and achieving unheard-of times, he caught the attention of not only fans, but corporations. In fact, this magnificent animal became the first celebrity sports endorser of everything from razors and cigars to breakfast cereal and washing machines.
Listen to this fascinating true story of the first massive sports star in America, and hear how a horse became a household name, delighting and uplifting an entire country.
"A terrific look at a legendary if now forgotten equine superstar named Dan Patch. Leerhsen does for early 20th-century American harness racing what Laura Hillenbrand’s Seabiscuit did for Depression-era Thoroughbred racing.... Thanks to Leerhsen, Dan Patch returns for another good run." --Deirdre Donahue, USA Today
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Perfect Horse
- The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis
- By: Elizabeth Letts
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the chaotic last days of the war, a small troop of battle-weary American soldiers captures a German spy and makes an astonishing find - his briefcase is empty but for photos of beautiful white horses that have been stolen and kept on a secret farm behind enemy lines. Hitler has stockpiled the world's finest purebreds in order to breed the perfect military machine - an equine master race. But with the starving Russian army closing in, the animals are in imminent danger of being slaughtered for food.
-
-
An Absorbing history
- By Jean on 04-17-17
By: Elizabeth Letts
-
Blood and Smoke
- A True Tale of Mystery, Mayhem, and the Birth of the Indy 500
- By: Charles Leerhsen
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Listen to Blood and Smoke and go back to when America was first falling in love with automobile racing. Take the driver’s seat on this audio-venture and experience the early days of the Indy 500, the controversies that shaped this iconic race, and the young drivers who risked everything for fame, fortune, and first place.
-
-
I thought it’d be more about the race
- By Daniel Hunt on 09-02-23
By: Charles Leerhsen
-
Horse Brain, Human Brain
- The Neuroscience of Horsemanship
- By: Janet L. Jones
- Narrated by: Helena Harris
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this illuminating book, brain scientist and horsewoman Janet Jones describes human and equine brains working together. Using plain language, she explores the differences and similarities between equine and human ways of negotiating the world. Mental abilities—like seeing, learning, fearing, trusting, and focusing—are discussed from both human and horse perspectives. Throughout, true stories of horses and handlers attempting to understand each other—sometimes successfully, sometimes not—help to illustrate the principles.
-
-
a must read
- By likes to read on 07-06-23
By: Janet L. Jones
-
The Eighty-Dollar Champion
- Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation
- By: Elizabeth Letts
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
November 1958: the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Into the rarefied atmosphere of wealth and tradition comes the most unlikely of horses - a drab white former plow horse named Snowman - and his rider, Harry de Leyer. They were the longest of all longshots - and their win was the stuff of legend.
-
-
Heartwarming and historical
- By Skipper on 07-01-20
By: Elizabeth Letts
-
Lexington
- The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America's Legendary Racehorse
- By: Kim Wickens
- Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kim Wickens, a lawyer and dressage rider, became fascinated by this legendary horse when she learned that twelve of Thoroughbred racing's thirteen Triple Crown winners descended from Lexington. Wickens spent years meticulously researching the horse and his legacy—and with Lexington, she presents an absorbing, exciting account that transports listeners back to the raucous beginning of American horse racing and introduces them to the stallion at its heart.
-
-
Engaging and unexpected
- By Ryan Hunt on 08-20-24
By: Kim Wickens
-
The Ride of Her Life
- The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America
- By: Elizabeth Letts
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Letts, Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1954, 63-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins embarked on an impossible journey. She had no money and no family, she had just lost her farm, and her doctor had given her only two years to live. But Annie wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. She ignored her doctor’s advice to move into the county charity home. Instead, she bought a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, donned men’s dungarees, and headed south in mid-November, hoping to beat the snow.
-
-
Not sure….
- By BeagleMom on 06-14-21
By: Elizabeth Letts
-
The Perfect Horse
- The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis
- By: Elizabeth Letts
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the chaotic last days of the war, a small troop of battle-weary American soldiers captures a German spy and makes an astonishing find - his briefcase is empty but for photos of beautiful white horses that have been stolen and kept on a secret farm behind enemy lines. Hitler has stockpiled the world's finest purebreds in order to breed the perfect military machine - an equine master race. But with the starving Russian army closing in, the animals are in imminent danger of being slaughtered for food.
-
-
An Absorbing history
- By Jean on 04-17-17
By: Elizabeth Letts
-
Blood and Smoke
- A True Tale of Mystery, Mayhem, and the Birth of the Indy 500
- By: Charles Leerhsen
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Listen to Blood and Smoke and go back to when America was first falling in love with automobile racing. Take the driver’s seat on this audio-venture and experience the early days of the Indy 500, the controversies that shaped this iconic race, and the young drivers who risked everything for fame, fortune, and first place.
-
-
I thought it’d be more about the race
- By Daniel Hunt on 09-02-23
By: Charles Leerhsen
-
Horse Brain, Human Brain
- The Neuroscience of Horsemanship
- By: Janet L. Jones
- Narrated by: Helena Harris
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this illuminating book, brain scientist and horsewoman Janet Jones describes human and equine brains working together. Using plain language, she explores the differences and similarities between equine and human ways of negotiating the world. Mental abilities—like seeing, learning, fearing, trusting, and focusing—are discussed from both human and horse perspectives. Throughout, true stories of horses and handlers attempting to understand each other—sometimes successfully, sometimes not—help to illustrate the principles.
-
-
a must read
- By likes to read on 07-06-23
By: Janet L. Jones
-
The Eighty-Dollar Champion
- Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation
- By: Elizabeth Letts
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
November 1958: the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Into the rarefied atmosphere of wealth and tradition comes the most unlikely of horses - a drab white former plow horse named Snowman - and his rider, Harry de Leyer. They were the longest of all longshots - and their win was the stuff of legend.
-
-
Heartwarming and historical
- By Skipper on 07-01-20
By: Elizabeth Letts
-
Lexington
- The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America's Legendary Racehorse
- By: Kim Wickens
- Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kim Wickens, a lawyer and dressage rider, became fascinated by this legendary horse when she learned that twelve of Thoroughbred racing's thirteen Triple Crown winners descended from Lexington. Wickens spent years meticulously researching the horse and his legacy—and with Lexington, she presents an absorbing, exciting account that transports listeners back to the raucous beginning of American horse racing and introduces them to the stallion at its heart.
-
-
Engaging and unexpected
- By Ryan Hunt on 08-20-24
By: Kim Wickens
-
The Ride of Her Life
- The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America
- By: Elizabeth Letts
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Letts, Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1954, 63-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins embarked on an impossible journey. She had no money and no family, she had just lost her farm, and her doctor had given her only two years to live. But Annie wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. She ignored her doctor’s advice to move into the county charity home. Instead, she bought a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, donned men’s dungarees, and headed south in mid-November, hoping to beat the snow.
-
-
Not sure….
- By BeagleMom on 06-14-21
By: Elizabeth Letts
-
The Horse God Built
- The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World’s Greatest Racehorse
- By: Lawrence Scanlan
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Horse God Built, best-selling equestrian writer Lawrence Scanlan has written a tribute to an exceptional man that is also a backroads journey to a corner of the racing world rarely visited. As a young black man growing up in South Carolina, Eddie Sweat struggled at several occupations before settling on the job he was born for - groom to North America's finest racehorses. As Secretariat's groom, loyal friend, and protector, Eddie understood the horse far better than anyone else.
-
-
Excellent book and perfectly written
- By Jeffrey P. Allen on 09-01-17
By: Lawrence Scanlan
-
Horse Gone Silent
- By: Shane Ledyard
- Narrated by: Clay Lomakayu
- Length: 2 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inspired by a true story, Horse Gone Silent delivers adventure, drama, and life lessons in a perfectly tidy package that will speak to your heart like no horse story ever has before. Champion show jumping horse Calebo gives a divinely critical message of hope in his inspirational tale of perseverance and courage. Calebo's story follows him from his charmed youth to the top of his sport to finding himself moments from death by slaughter.
-
-
Must Read for Horse Lovers!!!
- By Jill on 08-01-17
By: Shane Ledyard
-
Milo's Eyes
- How a Blind Equestrian and Her "Seeing Eye Horse" Rescued Each Other
- By: Lissa Bachner
- Narrated by: Johanna Parker
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lissa Bachner was born with a passion for horses and won her first blue ribbon at age five. Other awards would follow as a young rider, and for years Lissa trained with jumpers, tackling more difficult leaps, and working to perfect her ride. When blindness struck in her teens, it appeared her passion for riding would come to an end. How could she jump hurdles when she could barely navigate through her own home? But success, trust, and love came to Lissa when her trainer convinced her to buy a "diamond in the rough" from Germany.
-
-
Inspirational Listen
- By Amazon Customer on 11-29-22
By: Lissa Bachner
-
Seabiscuit
- An American Legend
- By: Laura Hillenbrand
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seabiscuit was one of the most electrifying and popular attractions in sports history and the single biggest newsmaker in the world in 1938, receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. But his success was a surprise to the racing establishment, which had written off the crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail.
-
-
See you in the winner's circle
- By Janice on 06-26-13
-
A Year at the Races
- Reflections on Horses, Humans, Love, Money, and Luck
- By: Jane Smiley
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Every horse story is a love story," writes Jane Smiley, who has loved horses for most of her life and owned and bred them for a good part of it. To love something is to observe it with more than usual attention, and that is precisely what Smiley does in this irresistibly smart, witty, and engaging chronicle of her obsession. In particular she follows a sexy filly named Waterwheel and a grey named Wowie (he "tells" a horse communicator that he wants it changed from Hornblower) as they begin careers at the racetrack.
-
-
<br />T his is NOT about Horse Racing
- By Rich Tanguy on 05-24-16
By: Jane Smiley
-
Out of the Clouds
- By: Linda Carroll, David Rosner
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the wake of World War II, as turmoil and chaos were giving way to optimism, Americans were looking for inspiration and role models showing that it was possible to start from the bottom and work your way up to the top—and they found it in Stymie, the failed racehorse plucked from the discard heap by trainer Hirsch Jacobs. Taking listeners on a crowd-pleasing ride with Stymie and Jacobs, Out of the Clouds unwinds a real-life Horatio Alger tale of a dauntless team and its working-class fans who lived vicariously through the stouthearted little colt they embraced as their own.
-
-
Mostly about the people, not much about the horse
- By BDM on 11-12-20
By: Linda Carroll, and others
-
Running with Sherman
- The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero
- By: Christopher McDougall
- Narrated by: Christopher McDougall
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Chris McDougall agreed to take in a donkey from an animal hoarder, he thought it would be no harder than the rest of the adjustments he and his family had made after moving from Philadelphia to the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country. But when he arrived, Sherman was in such bad shape he could barely move, and his hair was coming out in clumps. Chris decided to undertake a radical rehabilitation program designed not only to heal Sherman's body but to heal his mind as well - and so Chris decided to teach Sherman how to run.
-
-
amazing story
- By scott on 10-19-19
-
Project Solomon
- The True Story of a Lonely Horse Who Found a Home—and Became a Hero
- By: Jodi Stuber, Jennifer Marshall Bleakley
- Narrated by: Jaimee Draper
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jodi Stuber wasn't looking for another horse for her struggling therapy ranch―let alone one like Solomon. After losing his herd, he was solitary and sad, spending his days standing near the plastic deer in his yard for company. No stranger herself to loss and heartache, Jodi knew she had to give Solomon a home. The road to recovery wouldn’t be easy. As Solomon struggled to fit in with his new herd and Jodi continued to navigate her own grief, the two developed a deep bond. But just as Jodi and Solomon were both beginning to heal, an unthinkable tragedy struck the therapy ranch.
-
-
A MUST HAVE!
- By Fredrik D on 12-13-23
By: Jodi Stuber, and others
-
Secretariat
- By: William Nack
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1973, Secretariat, the greatest champion in horse-racing history, won the Triple Crown. The only horse to ever grace the covers of Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated in the same week, he also still holds the record for the fastest times in both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. He was also the only non-human chosen as one of ESPN's "50 Greatest Athletes of the Century".
-
-
Loved It - But It Is Not Just About A Super Horse
- By Julie on 06-10-12
By: William Nack
-
In the Middle Are the Horsemen
- By: Tik Maynard
- Narrated by: Tik Maynard
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2008, 26-year-old Tik Maynard faced a crossroads not unlike that of other young adults. A university graduate and modern pentathlete, he suffered both a career-ending injury and a painful breakup, leaving him suddenly adrift. The son of prominent Canadian equestrians, Maynard decided to spend the next year as a "working student." In the horse industry, working students aspire to become professional riders or trainers, and willingly trade labor for hands-on education.
-
-
All about the Journey
- By Kindle Customer on 11-28-22
By: Tik Maynard
-
Running to the Edge
- A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed
- By: Matthew Futterman
- Narrated by: René Ruiz
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the dusty hills above San Diego, Bob Larsen became America's greatest running coach. Starting with a ragtag group of high school cross country and track runners, Larsen set out on a decades-long quest to find the secret of running impossibly fast, for longer distances than anyone thought possible. Running to the Edge is a riveting account of Larsen's journey, and his quest to discover the unorthodox training secrets that would lead American runners (elite and recreational) to breakthroughs never imagined.
-
-
Well worth the listen
- By cfinedell on 04-01-20
-
My Farming Life
- Tales from a Shepherdess on a Remote Northumberland Farm
- By: Emma Gray
- Narrated by: Helen McAlpine
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Emma Gray was just 23 when she moved to an isolated farm in Northumberland, becoming Britain's youngest solo shepherdess. In the seasons that followed, Emma fell in love with its rolling fields, sycamore trees and sturdy farmhouse, where she tended her sheep and trained her dogs - and even found romance along the way. But when Emma finds herself suddenly alone again, heartbroken, mourning the loss of loved ones and recovering from a serious accident, she can't help but wonder if her isolated existence is still such a sensible idea.
-
-
Sweet enjoyment
- By Bruce on 08-11-22
By: Emma Gray
Critic reviews
"In this spirited narrative, Leerhsen, an editor at Sports Illustrated, tells the now-forgotten saga of Dan Patch, a race horse that at one time drew an estimated 60,000 people to a single event in 1903. Admitting from the outset that the events of this book may seem as if they transpired on another planet, Leerhsen delivers a mesmerizing look into a strange corner of American sports and folk history when Dan Patch became a household word, earning roughly $1 million a year at a time when, Leerhsen notes, the-highest paid baseball player, Ty Cobb, was making $12,000. The arc of Dan Patch's career involves a range of often unscrupulous entrepreneurs: his first owner, Dan Messner Jr., who overpays by mistake for an injured pace horse and whose drunken decision to breed the pace horse with a wild stallion results in Dan Patch's birth; the horse's second trainer, Myron McHenry, who despite his conflicts with Messner grooms the horse for success; and M.W. Savage, the horse's final owner, who makes millions from Patch-related merchandise while overworking an obviously tired animal. But the heart of the book is Dan Patch himself, a horse with an almost human capacity for calm and determination that deserves to be rediscovered by a modern audience." --Publishers Weekly, June
"It is difficult for the contemporary mind to fathom that there was a time when harness racing - trotters and pacers - was king in America. Yet from about 1885 to about 1915, an era when the horse and buggy were the most common form of transportation, harness racing was more popular than Thoroughbred racing, baseball, and boxing, hands down. And in the middle of that era, the undefeated pacer Dan Patch was the king of harness racing. After he ran out of equine competition, he paced against the clock, setting and repeatedly lowering track, state, and world records while drawing crowds up to 117,000 and pocketing appearance fees of up to $21,500. His most lucrative activity, netting up to $1 million a year at a time when the dollar was worth 20 times its current value, was "endorsing" scores of products ranging from tobacco tins to washing machines. Leerhsen tells the story of Dan Patch and his connections - the series of scoundrels and self-promoters who served as his owners and drivers - with humor and a fine sense of detail. The author no doubt owes a debt to Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit, which created both the mold and the audience for a certain kind of exhaustively researched book about a horse and his people; but that doesn’t make his work any less fascinating." --Booklist, starred review
"Leerhsen vividly recounts Dan-mania and digs up dirt on the colorful gamblers and shady horse handlers of the 1900s. In rescuing Dan from the mists of history, he also draws a wry, moving account of America's first epidemic of sports fever." --Entertainment Weekly
Related to this topic
-
Out of the Clouds
- By: Linda Carroll, David Rosner
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the wake of World War II, as turmoil and chaos were giving way to optimism, Americans were looking for inspiration and role models showing that it was possible to start from the bottom and work your way up to the top—and they found it in Stymie, the failed racehorse plucked from the discard heap by trainer Hirsch Jacobs. Taking listeners on a crowd-pleasing ride with Stymie and Jacobs, Out of the Clouds unwinds a real-life Horatio Alger tale of a dauntless team and its working-class fans who lived vicariously through the stouthearted little colt they embraced as their own.
-
-
Mostly about the people, not much about the horse
- By BDM on 11-12-20
By: Linda Carroll, and others
-
American Pharoah
- The Untold Story of the Triple Crown Winner's Legendary Rise
- By: Joe Drape
- Narrated by: Aaron Abano
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
History was made at the 2015 Belmont Stakes when American Pharoah won the Triple Crown, the first since Affirmed in 1978. As magnificent as the champion is, the team behind him has been all too human while on the road to immortality. Written by an award-winning New York Times sportswriter, American Pharoah is the definitive account not only of how the ethereal colt won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes, but how he changed lives. Through extensive interviews, Drape explores the making of an exceptional racehorse, chronicling key events en route to history.
-
-
Narrated like a Pre-School Teacher
- By Michael on 05-06-18
By: Joe Drape
-
The World's Fastest Man
- The Extraordinary Life of Cyclist Major Taylor, America's First Black Sports Hero
- By: Michael Kranish
- Narrated by: David Sadzin
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the tradition of The Boys in the Boat and Seabiscuit, a fascinating portrait of a groundbreaking but forgotten figure - the remarkable Major Taylor, the Black man who broke racial barriers by becoming the world’s fastest and most famous bicyclist at the height of the Jim Crow era.
-
-
before there was Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson
- By Leo on 07-29-19
By: Michael Kranish
-
The Horse God Built
- The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World’s Greatest Racehorse
- By: Lawrence Scanlan
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Horse God Built, best-selling equestrian writer Lawrence Scanlan has written a tribute to an exceptional man that is also a backroads journey to a corner of the racing world rarely visited. As a young black man growing up in South Carolina, Eddie Sweat struggled at several occupations before settling on the job he was born for - groom to North America's finest racehorses. As Secretariat's groom, loyal friend, and protector, Eddie understood the horse far better than anyone else.
-
-
Excellent book and perfectly written
- By Jeffrey P. Allen on 09-01-17
By: Lawrence Scanlan
-
Beautiful Jim Key
- The Lost History of the World’s Smartest Horse
- By: Mim Eichler Rivas
- Narrated by: Mim E. Rivas
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The horse Jim was known as Beautiful Jim Key from the moment he stepped into the American spotlight in 1897 at age eight until his death in 1912. This horse was beloved for his remarkable intelligence, cultivated by human kindness and patience. No less extraordinary was the man who trained Jim, Dr. William Key of Shelbyville, Tennessee, a former slave who in his life had seen horrific cruelty toward humans and animals. Bill Key was a self-schooled veterinarian and Black entrepreneur who refused to use force in any guise while breaking and training horses.
-
-
Interesting subject, but horrible narration
- By Ken M. on 10-05-21
-
Horse People
- Scenes from the Riding Life
- By: Michael Korda
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author Michael Korda's Horse People is the story - sometimes hilariously funny, sometimes sad and moving, always shrewdly observed - of a lifetime love affair with horses, and of the bonds that have linked humans with horses for more than 10,000 years. It is filled with intimate portraits of the kind of people, rich or poor, Eastern or Western, famous or humble, whose lives continue to revolve around the horse. Korda is a terrific storyteller, and his book is intensely personal and seductive, a joy for everyone who loves horses.
-
-
good yarn for nag lovers
- By bj bell on 03-27-21
By: Michael Korda
-
Out of the Clouds
- By: Linda Carroll, David Rosner
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the wake of World War II, as turmoil and chaos were giving way to optimism, Americans were looking for inspiration and role models showing that it was possible to start from the bottom and work your way up to the top—and they found it in Stymie, the failed racehorse plucked from the discard heap by trainer Hirsch Jacobs. Taking listeners on a crowd-pleasing ride with Stymie and Jacobs, Out of the Clouds unwinds a real-life Horatio Alger tale of a dauntless team and its working-class fans who lived vicariously through the stouthearted little colt they embraced as their own.
-
-
Mostly about the people, not much about the horse
- By BDM on 11-12-20
By: Linda Carroll, and others
-
American Pharoah
- The Untold Story of the Triple Crown Winner's Legendary Rise
- By: Joe Drape
- Narrated by: Aaron Abano
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
History was made at the 2015 Belmont Stakes when American Pharoah won the Triple Crown, the first since Affirmed in 1978. As magnificent as the champion is, the team behind him has been all too human while on the road to immortality. Written by an award-winning New York Times sportswriter, American Pharoah is the definitive account not only of how the ethereal colt won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes, but how he changed lives. Through extensive interviews, Drape explores the making of an exceptional racehorse, chronicling key events en route to history.
-
-
Narrated like a Pre-School Teacher
- By Michael on 05-06-18
By: Joe Drape
-
The World's Fastest Man
- The Extraordinary Life of Cyclist Major Taylor, America's First Black Sports Hero
- By: Michael Kranish
- Narrated by: David Sadzin
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the tradition of The Boys in the Boat and Seabiscuit, a fascinating portrait of a groundbreaking but forgotten figure - the remarkable Major Taylor, the Black man who broke racial barriers by becoming the world’s fastest and most famous bicyclist at the height of the Jim Crow era.
-
-
before there was Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson
- By Leo on 07-29-19
By: Michael Kranish
-
The Horse God Built
- The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World’s Greatest Racehorse
- By: Lawrence Scanlan
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Horse God Built, best-selling equestrian writer Lawrence Scanlan has written a tribute to an exceptional man that is also a backroads journey to a corner of the racing world rarely visited. As a young black man growing up in South Carolina, Eddie Sweat struggled at several occupations before settling on the job he was born for - groom to North America's finest racehorses. As Secretariat's groom, loyal friend, and protector, Eddie understood the horse far better than anyone else.
-
-
Excellent book and perfectly written
- By Jeffrey P. Allen on 09-01-17
By: Lawrence Scanlan
-
Beautiful Jim Key
- The Lost History of the World’s Smartest Horse
- By: Mim Eichler Rivas
- Narrated by: Mim E. Rivas
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The horse Jim was known as Beautiful Jim Key from the moment he stepped into the American spotlight in 1897 at age eight until his death in 1912. This horse was beloved for his remarkable intelligence, cultivated by human kindness and patience. No less extraordinary was the man who trained Jim, Dr. William Key of Shelbyville, Tennessee, a former slave who in his life had seen horrific cruelty toward humans and animals. Bill Key was a self-schooled veterinarian and Black entrepreneur who refused to use force in any guise while breaking and training horses.
-
-
Interesting subject, but horrible narration
- By Ken M. on 10-05-21
-
Horse People
- Scenes from the Riding Life
- By: Michael Korda
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author Michael Korda's Horse People is the story - sometimes hilariously funny, sometimes sad and moving, always shrewdly observed - of a lifetime love affair with horses, and of the bonds that have linked humans with horses for more than 10,000 years. It is filled with intimate portraits of the kind of people, rich or poor, Eastern or Western, famous or humble, whose lives continue to revolve around the horse. Korda is a terrific storyteller, and his book is intensely personal and seductive, a joy for everyone who loves horses.
-
-
good yarn for nag lovers
- By bj bell on 03-27-21
By: Michael Korda
-
Come on, Seabiscuit!
- By: Ralph Moody
- Narrated by: Cameron Beierle
- Length: 4 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
During the Great Depression, Seabiscuit captured American hearts from the soup kitchens to the White House. In this classic story, Ralph Moody recounts the true story of a plucky horse that refused to quit, a down-on-his-luck jockey determined to help his horse win, and the trainer who brought out the best in both.
-
-
A MUST read/listen!!!
- By skater on 08-08-19
By: Ralph Moody
-
Seabiscuit
- An American Legend
- By: Laura Hillenbrand
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seabiscuit was one of the most electrifying and popular attractions in sports history and the single biggest newsmaker in the world in 1938, receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. But his success was a surprise to the racing establishment, which had written off the crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail.
-
-
See you in the winner's circle
- By Janice on 06-26-13
-
The Eighty-Dollar Champion
- Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation
- By: Elizabeth Letts
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
November 1958: the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Into the rarefied atmosphere of wealth and tradition comes the most unlikely of horses - a drab white former plow horse named Snowman - and his rider, Harry de Leyer. They were the longest of all longshots - and their win was the stuff of legend.
-
-
Heartwarming and historical
- By Skipper on 07-01-20
By: Elizabeth Letts
-
Battle for the Big Top
- P.T. Barnum, James Bailey, John Ringling, and the Death-Defying Saga of the American Circus
- By: Les Standiford
- Narrated by: B.J. Harrison
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Millions have sat under the “big top,” watching as trapeze artists glide and clowns entertain, but few know the captivating stories behind the men whose creativity, ingenuity, and determination created one of our country’s most beloved pastimes. In Battle for the Big Top, New York Times best-selling author Les Standiford brings to life a remarkable era when three circus kings - James Bailey, P. T. Barnum, and John Ringling - all vied for control of the vastly profitable and influential American Circus.
-
-
Fantastic!
- By IsleWait on 09-30-22
By: Les Standiford
-
Major Taylor
- The Inspiring Story of a Black Cyclist and the Men Who Helped Him Achieve Worldwide Fame
- By: Conrad Kerber, Terry Kerber
- Narrated by: Barrie Buckner
- Length: 15 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the wake of the Tour de France’s fallen heroes, the story of one of history’s most legendary cyclists provides a much-needed antidote. In 1907 the world’s most popular athlete was not Cy Young or Ty Cobb. Rather, he was a black bicycle racer named "Major” Taylor. In his day, Taylor became a spiritual and athletic idol. He was the fastest man in America and a champion who prevailed over unspeakable cruelty. The men who aided him were among the most colorful to emerge from the era.
-
-
Great book terrible narrator
- By B. P. H. on 10-31-18
By: Conrad Kerber, and others
-
The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told
- A True Tale of Three Gamblers, the Kentucky Derby, and the Mexican Cartel
- By: Mark Paul
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the late 1980s, a spectacular three-year-old female racehorse named Winning Colors was being groomed for success under her famous Hollywood trainer D. Wayne Lukas and the billionaire owner of the San Diego Chargers pro-football team Eugene Klein. Meanwhile, three fun-loving gamblers Miami Paul, Dino Mateo, and Big Bernie believed that Winning Colors could be the unlikely female winner of the 1988 Kentucky Derby.
-
-
Exciting & Entertaining Story
- By TeeRex81 on 04-17-20
By: Mark Paul
-
Two Hours
- The Quest to Run the Impossible Marathon
- By: Ed Caesar
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two hours to cover 26 miles and 385 yards. Its running's Everest, a feat once seen as impossible for the human body. Now we can glimpse the mountaintop. The sub-two-hour marathon requires an exceptional feat of speed, mental strength, and endurance. The pioneer will have to endure more, live braver, plan better, and be luckier than any who has run before. Ed Caesar takes us into the world of elite runners: the greatest marathoners on Earth.
-
-
I liked it!
- By Amazon Customer on 05-07-16
By: Ed Caesar
-
Three Weeks, Eight Seconds
- Greg Lemond, Laurent Fignon, and the Epic Tour de France of 1989
- By: Nige Tassell
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For a race as long as the mighty Tour (three weeks of testing the limits of human endurance), to have the ultimate victory decided by a margin of just eight seconds almost boggles the mind. But that's exactly what happened between American legend Greg LeMond and Laurent Fignon. After more than 2,000 miles in the saddle, it remains the smallest margin of victory in the Tour's 100-plus-year history.
-
-
LOVED IT!
- By Ashley Green on 07-03-23
By: Nige Tassell
-
Horse Crazy
- By: Sarah Maslin Nir
- Narrated by: Sarah Maslin Nir
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It may surprise you to learn that there are over seven million horses in America - even more than when they were the only means of transportation - and nearly two million horse owners. Acclaimed journalist and avid equestrian Sarah Maslin Nir is one of them; she began riding horses when she was just two years old and hasn’t stopped since. Horse Crazy is a fascinating, funny, and moving love letter to these graceful animals and the people who - like her - are obsessed with them.
-
-
Return to riding at 71 years old!
- By Barbara on 09-24-20
By: Sarah Maslin Nir
-
The Man Who Listens to Horses
- By: Monty Roberts
- Narrated by: Ed Sala
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Monty Roberts' father, a traditional horse trainer, had taught his son to dominate a horse in order to "break" it. But when he was 13, Monty made a discovery that changed his life. As he watched a mare tame a rebellious colt, Monty saw that she was speaking to it through eye and body movements. Astonished, Monty realized that he could train horses by using their language, speaking to them in ways that would form trust and understanding. Developing techniques based on what he learned from the horses around him, Monty embarked on a remarkable career - one that would bring him international fame as the real Horse Whisperer.
-
-
Great read/listen for any horse lover
- By Anonymous User on 09-07-18
By: Monty Roberts
-
Saving Baby
- How One Woman's Love for a Racehorse Led to Her Redemption
- By: Jo Anne Normile, Lawrence Lindner
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jo Anne Normile was not supposed to keep the foal, an exuberant Thoroughbred with only a few white hairs on his reddish-brown forehead. But she fell in love with the young horse, who had literally been born into her arms. The breeder finally said she could keep the colt, whom she nicknamed "Baby" - but only if she raced him. It was difficult to take Baby away from the safety of his pasture. But Normile had made a promise.
-
-
Excellent book! Worth reading or listening to it.
- By L. Collins on 10-05-17
By: Jo Anne Normile, and others
-
The Beast, the Emperor and the Milkman
- A Bone-Shaking Tour Through Cycling’s Flemish Heartlands
- By: Harry Pearson
- Narrated by: Harry Pearson
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Committed Belgophile and road cycling obsessive Harry Pearson takes you on a journey across Flanders - through the lumpy horizontal rain, up the elbow-juddering cobbled inclines, past the fans dressed as chickens and the shop window displays of constipation medicines as he follows races big, small and even smaller, through one glorious, muddy spring. Ranging over 500 years of Flemish and European history, Pearson examines the characters, the myths and the rivalries that make Flanders a place where cycling is a religion and the riders its Lycra-clad priests.
-
-
Once A Year….
- By Ryan Shadrin on 05-02-23
By: Harry Pearson
What listeners say about Crazy Good
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Malcolm M Campbell
- 07-14-23
Amazing story, brilliantly told
I cannot speak highly enough about this audiobook, and I listen to a good many - especially on related subjects, including racehorses.
The story of Dan Patch is surprisingly forgotten one, given its richness in characters and the remarkable nature and life of its protagonist, the racehorse, a standardbred pacer, Dan Patch.
Dan Patch’s amazing story is beautifully rendered by the author, making the times of the previous turn of the century (1890s-1910s) and the craze around standardbred racing of that time come alive. You will cheer for Dan Patch and you will cry for Dan Patch as you follow his life from foaling to passing away over those years. You will marvel at his meteoric rise to fame and his incredible racing accomplishments and lament how he was treated from the zenith of his career to the end of his 20 year life.
The story is beautifully told, nicely paced (pun intended), and sensitively expressed. A brilliant reading.
Aside from a very few “politically incorrect” bits here and there (I counted maybe 5), which merely reflects the culture of the time, this is a perfect audiobook. Highly highly recommended.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful