The Ghost Horse: A True Story of Love, Death, and Redemption

I really enjoyed this true story as it gave you a very good and correct look at the small local race tracks. Also it is the story about Tim Snyder's life and loves: His wife Lisa, and a big eleagant filly that nobody else wanted. Layden really knows his stuff and gives great insight into all the things that factor into if a horse will run well or not. They are many and varied. The fact that Tim picks up on the true problems with the filly's feet is the biggest example. The show horse people who have Dressage horses and Jumpers are much more likely to notice things like this. It seems like the average race horse breeder only sees whats right in front of him but not the "why"of it. I also love the fact that this relationship between Tim and "Lisa" is still going on today! The author pulls you into the story and makes you feel to be right in the shed row. I did get a bit tired of the long road of the Snyder family history though. But all in all, this is a great read and a person can learn a lot of what happens behind the typical race you occasionally see on your TV or at the local track. You can also go to "Lisa's Booby Trap" Face Book page and see what they are up to now! If you enjoy the book as I did, you will find this fun too.

For every horse that is an unbeaten star, that gives everything to finish ahead of all the rest, there are horses that have just as much will to win but cant due to trainers that do not know how to feed them, that use farriers that do not know how to balance their hooves properly, that flog an immature horse instead of waiting until its body is strong enough, that do not recognise the early stages of injury, that do not know that a tired horse is more likely to injure itself (and its jockey) as well as many other human errors. These horses are discarded or sent to the knacker yards due to no fault of their own. The ghost horse is one that was saved. Horse racing is hard on the horses, the jockeys, the stable hands and the trainers but its even harder to walk away from it no matter how many falls or how much debt your in to keep the dream alive. This story shows all of that and more. Its inspiring and sad at the same time.

I am extremely impressed with this lovely story that seems to touch so many aspects of life that we all can relate to. It is beautifully written and the author is to be commended for weaving the story and its characters with so much truth and tenderness. The education that Mr. Layden lays out for us about the inner world of The Sport of Kings is American History. I would recommend this book to everyone I know because it's a true story about love and death and the courage it takes to be human. I would reccomend it even if it wasn't about my brother, Tim Snyder. It is and continues to be a great story and anyone interested can check Lisa's Booby Trap's Face Book page and follow her past and present amazing career! Lisa won her first race of 2013 on May 7th the day this book was released after being off for a year! Thanks Lisa, for this incredible ride.

A lifelong horse lover and owner, I was drawn to this story largely through its focus on a family of amazing dysfunction, a marriage almost too strange to believe, and one battered man's determination to find value in a race horse that literally no one wanted. It's a brilliant look inside the often harsh realities of horse racing at its tough underside at small tracks peopled by every possible sort of character. In the end, though, it rewards the reader with the message that, no matter how beaten and bloodied and unappreciated one may be, there is hope, when wedded to sheer grit and a 'never say die' attitude. I found it so captivating, I read it in a single sitting.

It is a great book about life and how a horse named Lisa's Booty Trap helps Tim Synder get over losing his wife Lisa to cancer. I know that it is a true story because I work at the farm that Lisa's Booty Trap was raised. And I know many of the people in the book like my boss Mike O'Farrell who is in the book it shows just the way Mike is, and I believe that it was fate that brought Tim Synder and Lisa's Booty Trap together. As Tim Synder had a very hard life working on the race track like many people that I have know. Again it is a great book about life worth the reading.

I picked up this book because I had read about the amazing run of victories this filly/mare had in the racing circuits. Reading the story from the point of view of the trainer, his family and other connections made it a lot more interesting than just reading statistics. Granted, at some points the story may not seem to be 100% truthful, but some artistic license can be granted to authors to convey the message of hard work and success in an interesting way!.Definitely worth a buy, I will also probably put in a more detailed review on my friend's blog that is titled STOCKGAGE on blogspot.Disclosure: I did not receive this book free or receive any other compensation to pen this review.

I liked very much being able to follow the trials and tribulations of the problems this man faced and the fact that ii was no fairy tale.I have often dreamed of raising and training a horse that could be used in a profitable manner by me or someone else. This storylays out some of the problems and happiness of success in doing it. Most things are possible if you stick to what you want to do.

There are lame horses, and there are lame and weak stories. This book title and brief description promise a story of the supernatural variety. But there is none. Not one iota. This story is right up there in the supernatural quality along with the now cancelled "Destination Truth" series my 11 yr old daughter loves. Now don't get me wrong. If you love stories of desperation, self destruction, and all that goes along with the backside and sometimes seedy and less than truthful back stretch of the Thoroughbred breeding, training and racing world. Have at it! This is a book for you. But there is nothing, not one tiny bit of anything "supernatural" in these pages. Did I read it all the way thru? Yup, sure did. Was it as bad as some other titles I have raked over the literally coals? No, it is not. But don't buy it expecting anything but back story and it's almost wholly one sided at that.

It was a good read but felt he could have shown more inside feelings for the horse. Felt a little flat at end.