The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss, Read by Renee Maudman

I really don't remember how this book arrived on my To Read list, but I'm glad it did! Why? Because it's a sweet, gentle read about the West.  And life. And love. There aren't many words wasted on emotions, but there is plenty of description about how to break a horse, which I appreciated.

Nineteen-year-old Martha Lessen leaves home by herself in order to make a living breaking horses.  She doesn't get far from home when she finds new family--the owners of the horses she breaks. She sets up a circle--two horses per ranch that she works with, and she travels the circuit, gently training horses to stand still in barbed wire, take children in their saddle, and just be overall darn good horses.  Martha is quiet, shy, and unsure of herself around people, and her bumbling is adorable.  She isn't sure what do around affection and sarcasm because her family life was rough and mean.

My words aren't doing justice to this quiet read. It's just a sweetheart of a novel about farm life at the bring of World War I and trying to make it as female on your own in a man's world. So, so good.

And, yes. I like horse books.  I've reviewed mysteries like Tami Hoag's Dark Horse and years ago I read all of Dick Francis's jockey mysteries, the Misty books, and scores of other horsey kid books!