Half Broke

This book appealed to me because I love horses and have been volunteering at an Equine therapeutic center for a number of years and have seen the transformational work horses and people make with each other. Ginger Gaffney lays bare her fears and opens up about feeling different at a time and place before Pride and the LGBT community helped people feel good about who they were. 
My real interest was in the prison ranch and what they were doing there. The correlation between broken horses and broken people was clear and I respect Sarah and Flor, the leaders of the livestock team at the ranch for reaching out for help. Gaffney helped tame the wild horses and in turn tamed the wild prisoners who were all battling with their own demons. She instinctively knew that to help one she had to help the other too. Here were people and horses that had been so damaged by life that their only instinct was to hurt, but Gaffney showed them that by persistence, patience and kindness she could make them see the good in others, themselves and life again.
This isn't just a book for horse lovers, this is a book for anyone fighting demons, interested in human/animal connections and someone who loves a good ending.

A most moving memoir from Ms. Ginger Gaffney. I enjoyed this read very much, as I’ve worked with horses off and on for decades, including therapy horses, and worked with female inmates, some on a prison work release program. Ms. Gaffney offers a brutally honest look at the ranch and it’s residents and how they relate (or not) to the horses and the program. As the residents gain confidence in themselves and their abilities, so does Ms. Gaffney. Her writing is beautiful and poetic; at times she is as skittish as the residents and the horses, yet she emerges strong and courageous, with a deeper knowledge of self. I could relate to her struggles as well as the residents and their equine charges. A touching and passionate look within, at the human condition, our self-esteem, how some people can be delicate and frail and broken over past events as well as the wonderful horses (some having been abused before their arrival at the ranch), and both triumphs and failures of the human spirit, and the human-animal bond. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would highly recommend it. Thank you to Netgalley, Ms. Gaffney, and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. #halfbroke #gingergaffney #netgalley

Ginger Gaffney is a horse trainer who volunteered her time on a ranch for prisoners who are transitioning to life outside.  They called her when they realized that the ranch horses were no longer manageable and what resulted was a relationship with the prisoners and the horses, sometimes rewarding and almost always challenging.  Ginger also mixes in her own story and it ultimately becomes a tale of empathy, connection (with people and horses) and acceptance.  This is beautifully written and while the slow pacing and description may not be for everyone, I found this to be a lovely memoir.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ginger Gaffney has written a poignant, thought-provoking accounting of her time on a  ranch in New Mexico.  Ginger is a horse trainer who specializes in horses who are the most difficult to train - those with damaged psyches as well as damaged bodies.  This ranch is like no other - it is a ranch where felons apply to work, to learn a trade, and to take care of the animals.  In addition, they learn social skills and other things they need to fit back into a society that has spit them out again and again.  Ginger was called because the horses have been running in a pack, rather than a herd, and biting, kicking and trying to hurt anything that gets close to them.  Ginger works with the horses to regain their trust and heal them, and with the residents who need to heal and learn to trust themselves and each other.  Ginger, herself, has led a rough life and finds herself learning much from the horses and people too.

I was drawn to the cover of this book - a beautiful line drawing of a horse, half-in-shadow which is a great representation of Gaffney's tale.  She flashes back to the events that got her involved with horses and the life that led her to mistrust herself as well as other humans.  It is through working with horses, especially those who are as damaged as she, that Ginger finds a life that she loves.  Her descriptions of the horses and people she encounters are so vivid they brought me to tears on many occassions.  She's real and truthful without being overly sentimental.  Horse-lovers will enjoy this book as will anyone who enjoys an interesting, enlightening read.