[QUOTE=BeastieSlave;3166035]
It’s REALLY a shame that Jane Smiley, who brought Waterwheel into the world, chose the career path that led to her breakdown, decided to breed her, and profited from the telling of her story, didn’t feel the need to support her when she was through with her! [/QUOTE]
Well said, BeastieSlave.
[QUOTE=SandyUHC;3166806]
Not surprising she would appear not to have regard for the subject of “A Year at the Races” after the treatment of the family she based “Barn Blind” on. I pass on her books. [/QUOTE]
More details please? If possible?
I absolutely hated A Thousand Acres and now I have another reason to never read another one of JS’s books.
[QUOTE=Reynard Ridge;3167506]
How can you write about caring for and being responsible for horses, and then dump a pregnant, not very high quality mare at auction?[/QUOTE]
Why do you say she’s “not a very high quality mare”? I realize she’s unsound but think she’s absolutely stunning.
http://fuglyhorseoftheday.blogspot.com/2008/04/happy-ending-my-ass-you-phony-bitch.html
I loved Horse Heaven, but thought the other books were so-so (including A Year at the Races). Don’t plan to go out and buy anymore of her books, though. I wonder if she knows this is all over the internet? Maybe someone should forward her or her publisher a link. Not that it would make a difference.
Caitlin
Another thing I’ve gotten from this thread and the posts on FHOTD: even if folks have a wide range of opinions on the morality of Smiley’s decisions, no one can argue that this was a REALLY BAD PR move!
[QUOTE=Vandy;3169400]
Another thing I’ve gotten from this thread and the posts on FHOTD: even if folks have a wide range of opinions on the morality of Smiley’s decisions, no one can argue that this was a REALLY BAD PR move![/QUOTE]
Totally. Ill-advised for business reasons, and if the worst is to be believed and she truly didn’t care about the horse one bit, one would think she’d at least have considered this.
—"Quote:
Originally Posted by BeastieSlave
It’s REALLY a shame that Jane Smiley, who brought Waterwheel into the world, chose the career path that led to her breakdown, decided to breed her, and profited from the telling of her story, didn’t feel the need to support her when she was through with her! "—
If that is really so, that is something that she would have to explain better.
Those are the kind of horses most people I know, trainers and owners, keep forever.
When you are in horses as a business, you have to watch the bottom line, but those few special horses (and cattle) seemed to slip thru and keep staying around with any or for no reason.
It seems strange that she sold such a horse, but we have not heard her story on that yet.
Did she sell all her horses?
[QUOTE=Bluey;3169490]
. . . . If that is really so, that is something that she would have to explain better.
Those are the kind of horses most people I know, trainers and owners, keep forever.
When you are in horses as a business, you have to watch the bottom line, but those few special horses (and cattle) seemed to slip thru and keep staying around with any or for no reason.
It seems strange that she sold such a horse, but we have not heard her story on that yet.
Did she sell all her horses?[/QUOTE]
But that is exactly what this whole thread is about: we HAVE heard her story. No, she did not sell all her horses. The original poster had the opportunity to ask Jane Smiley why she sold Waterwheel.
Wait, is it really our business why someone sold a horse, when we haven’t purchased the horse and, apart from hearing stories, had absolutely nothing to do with the horse?
I thought this was about the principles behind how she sold it, not why. I don’t think the “why” is any of our business.
[QUOTE=Evalee Hunter;3169567]
But that is exactly what this whole thread is about: we HAVE heard her story. No, she did not sell all her horses. The original poster had the opportunity to ask Jane Smiley why she sold Waterwheel.[/QUOTE]
You know, as that post reads, if someone asked me about something I feel emotional about, I may give answers that don’t make much sense, because I don’t know where the other person is coming from or how to say what I feel and have it come out right.
That answer, as told, didn’t seem like a real well thought out idea, but something pulled out of a hat in a nervous moment, trying to say anything, blurted without much thought and not deciding what would make sense in that situation.
People are more complicated than we know and ambivalent about much in their lives.
She may honestly thought to sell her was best, as so many do with broodmares and agonized about it, but if she realistically didn’t fit any more in her life, the sale was a way to get her sold.
I am not excusing her, but saying that there may be more than we know with what we know.
Then, I have not read the horse books, so maybe she did want to have it both ways, get a pat on the back for being so toughful and caring as she appeared in the books, as some of you say and when the situation demanded it, still let the mare go.
Definitely also a bad PR move.:no:
So I was just googling, and there is a new entry on her Wikipedia page about all this. Hmmm…anyone confessing? :lol:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Smiley
Caitlin
Personal opinion. She was bred to race. She broke down racing. And then was bred to stallions to produce more race horses. In my opinion, breeding a horse that has broken down doing its job to produce other horses meant to do the same job doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Pretty is as pretty does. She may have made a lovely hunter, and may be a brilliant hunter/eventer, etc broodmare. But that’s not what she’s been doing. She’s been producing race horses. And if she wasn’t a very good one, what would make someone think she could produce nice ones? I just don’t get it. :no:
It all translates to me as a “not very high quality horse.” You can argue with me, but it’s really a matter of opinion.
Well, the wikipedia entry doesn’t really describe the controversy very well. I think anyone who didn’t know the situation and read it would say, “so what”? Plus it is inaccurate, Waterwheel, to my knowledge, was only mentioned in one book.
[QUOTE=Reynard Ridge;3170057]
[quote=rcloisonne;3169337]Why do you say she’s “not a very high quality mare”? I realize she’s unsound but think she’s absolutely stunning.
Personal opinion. She was bred to race. She broke down racing. And then was bred to stallions to produce more race horses. In my opinion, breeding a horse that has broken down doing its job to produce other horses meant to do the same job doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Pretty is as pretty does. She may have made a lovely hunter, and may be a brilliant hunter/eventer, etc broodmare. But that’s not what she’s been doing. She’s been producing race horses. And if she wasn’t a very good one, what would make someone think she could produce nice ones? I just don’t get it. :no:
It all translates to me as a “not very high quality horse.” You can argue with me, but it’s really a matter of opinion.[/QUOTE]
There is a learning curve to everything with horses.
Some race horse owners are smart, get good trainers and listen to them and use them for mentors when they want to enter the industry.
Those do well, aquire good horses and learn what works and that it is all a big gamble.
Other people go on their own, buy what they like and their learning curve is full of pitfalls they keep falling into.
Don’t know which kind she is, but either way, you improve by getting better and better horses as you can.
That means you have to set a limit how many of those first ones you bought are still fitting your program and what you know is best now.
Either way, that one mare, if the lady knew more, had the foresight to realize what is pointed out to her now, should have been a keeper or one to place privately, where there was no chance of controversy and second guessing by those that love to jump on anyone they can find fault with.
I say, give her a break, she didn’t just abandon the horse on a back pasture and starved her to death.:no:
That is objectionable.:eek:
This discussion is part of the learning curve, for all, her and her detractors, right?
I worked in publishing.
One of the hardest things to reconcile is that writers whose books are fabulous can be very different in person.
I never worked with her but there are so many authors that did not “jive” with my expectations of them from their books.
There were some authors who were incredibly lovely and very famous, so it can be done.
[QUOTE=RedMare01;3169340]
I wonder if she knows this is all over the internet? Maybe someone should forward her or her publisher a link. Not that it would make a difference.
Caitlin[/QUOTE]
Well she knows now. Our interaction at the Commonweatlth Club was interesting. I do like her books. Every one so far (I haven’t gotten through the new sex one yet).
Questions are submitted by writing. Mine was:
“There is a bit of an internet firestorm about you selling Waterwheel at auction rather than finding her a “forever” home. Could you comment? Do you still ride?”
The reader didn’t read the second question.
Smiley asked who wrote the question and I raised my hand. She asked what I was talking about and I told her to check out the COTH message boards.
She said Waterwheel was a dominant racehorse and would not make a pet. She could only be a broodmare. So she did what people did with broodmares which was get her pregnant and sell her at a broodmare auction. She said it was a bad auction (meaning low sales I guess) but now Watherwheel was in a broodmare band doing what she did best (which was raising foals).
I commented that there were folks that might have taken her and she said they should contact her–she had more. She has a website. I haven’t looked.
I got the feeling that she thought she had done right by the mare. Later she told me that Hornblower (the other horse in A Year at the Races) now belonged to an 11 year old girl.
[QUOTE=lizathenag;3170299]
Well she knows now. Our interaction at the Commonweatlth Club was interesting. I do like her books. Every one so far (I haven’t gotten through the new sex one yet).
Questions are submitted by writing. Mine was:
“There is a bit of an internet firestorm about you selling Waterwheel at auction rather than finding her a “forever” home. Could you comment? Do you still ride?”
The reader didn’t read the second question.
Smiley asked who wrote the question and I raised my hand. She asked what I was talking about and I told her to check out the COTH message boards.
She said Waterwheel was a dominant racehorse and would not make a pet. She could only be a broodmare. So she did what people did with broodmares which was get her pregnant and sell her at a broodmare auction. She said it was a bad auction (meaning low sales I guess) but now Watherwheel was in a broodmare band doing what she did best (which was raising foals).
I commented that there were folks that might have taken her and she said they should contact her–she had more. She has a website. I haven’t looked.
I got the feeling that she thought she had done right by the mare. Later she told me that Hornblower (the other horse in A Year at the Races) now belonged to an 11 year old girl.[/QUOTE]
Interesting.
Seems that she did what I would say 99% of people in horses as business do, take good care of their horses and when they don’t fit their program, sell them to someone else where they will fit.
I think she would have more mileage of this whole thing if she had used the horse for publicity and pats on the back if she didn’t want to own it any more, with an unquestionable placement in a “perfect” home, not sold thru a sale.
Hindsight is always better, is it.
How to care for and dispose of our horses is a topic where people will have to agree to disagree, without anyone being right or wrong, short of outright abuse, of course.:yes:
It’s interesting that she, herself, could become so intimately attached to Waterwheel (in writing) if WW “would not make a pet”.
That’s another load of crap, btw. Put any horse in a situation where most human contact is geared to producing the fastest possible result, and you do alter that horse’s outlook and demeanor–usually for the worse.
I really hope the new owner does not intend to keep her pregnant–afterall, JS dumped her to reduce overbreeding, yes?
Where’s the Line for Duped by Jane Smiley?
I have read a lot of her articles in the past. She adored one she evented who died named Mr. T. I took my daughter to one of her lectures when she came to Maine because JS has been one of my favorite horse writers and we have event horses and my daughter wants to be a writer. We were the only horse people at this, she was very nice to us. I asked if she would write any more horse books because I liked them the best and she looked sad and said no and I was felt sorry for her since I had always assumed horses and writing about them gave her great pleasure. So maybe she is phasing out of horses as well as writing about them…Since she says she has more like Waterwheel to get rid of I suggest people contact her to get one. Her horses have been well taken care of, I am sure. Obviously she is not out to make money off dispersing them. Plenty of people around here pay a lot more for horses not as nice as hers. As a matter of fact, I might take a look at her website myself.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
