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The Perfect Horse: the Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Eighty-Dollar Champion, the remarkable true story of the valiant rescue of priceless pedigree horses in the last days of World War II.
As the Russians closed in on Hitler from the east and the Allies attacked from the west, American soldiers discovered a secret Nazi effort to engineer a master race of the finest purebred horses. With the support of U.S. general George S. Patton, a passionate equestrian, the Americans planned an audacious mission to kidnap these beautiful animals and smuggle them into safe territory—assisted by a daring Austrian colonel who was both a former Olympian and a trainer of the famous Lipizzaner stallions.
As the Russians closed in on Hitler from the east and the Allies attacked from the west, American soldiers discovered a secret Nazi effort to engineer a master race of the finest purebred horses. With the support of U.S. general George S. Patton, a passionate equestrian, the Americans planned an audacious mission to kidnap these beautiful animals and smuggle them into safe territory—assisted by a daring Austrian colonel who was both a former Olympian and a trainer of the famous Lipizzaner stallions.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published August 23, 2016
About the author
Elizabeth Letts
16 books959 followersELIZABETH LETTS is an award winning and bestselling author of both fiction and non-fiction. The Perfect Horse was the winner of the 2017 PEN USA Award for Research Non-fiction and a #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller. The Eighty-Dollar Champion was a #1 New York Times bestseller and winner of the 2012 Daniel P Lenehan Award for Media Excellence from the United States Equestrian Foundation. She is also the author of two novels, Quality of Care and Family Planning, and an award-winning children's book, The Butter Man. She lives in Southern California and Northern Michigan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,167 reviews
May 21, 2016
To explain the five star rating: my American grandfather played polo for the Army in the 1930s (and always held that horsemanship helped curtail the career rise of assholes, since 1,200 pound animals don't take too kindly to assholes), I've seen the Spanish Riding School in Vienna and the national tours of the horses in the 1980s as a preteen girl who had read Marguerite Henry books, and even though it was historically inaccurate and badly dated by the time I saw it, watched the Robert Taylor movie. Letts, however, as part of the wave of Animals in Wartime research, offers are far fuller and more compelling story, including forays into the misuse and misunderstanding of genetics for eugenics, Alois Podhajsky's WWI PTSD, the 1936 Olympics, the disbanding of the Buffalo Soldiers at Ft. Riley, the politics of the Sudatenland, horse breeding and Polish nationalism, Nazi bureaucracy, the literal meat grinder WWI and II were for animals of every kind, White Russian Cossacks, a guest appearance by an early career Richard Nixon and the shift from mounted to mechanized cavalry. In the process, Patton loses his central role for a more realistic walk-on, and the very compelling story hinges on the luck that the Americans closest to the horses' hiding place was maybe the only person who still loved them. Unfortunately, the horses brought to America were mostly sold off piecemeal by the Department of Agriculture after the American breeding registries refused to acknowledge their paperwork, to the horror of the veterans who saved them, and the real restoration of the breed was left to old-school Alois Podhajsky in Austria, who embraced modern marketing and invented tours that followed the Ice Capades. Mostly I think about being 8 in Boise and how gently one of them took a carrot from me.
April 22, 2017
Letts covers two stories in this book. One is the commonly known story of the rescue of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna and their famous Lipizzaner stallions led by Alois Podhajsky. Podhajsky won the bronze medal in Dressage at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Near the end of the war the American Army heard from a German spy about the location of the horses. The Russian Army was closing on the location; the Russian soldiers were starving and the fear was they would slaughter the animals for food. General George Patton, a great horseman, ordered Major Hank Reed of the 2nd Calvary to rescue the horses.
The second section is less known about Hitler and Gustav Rau and the eugenics program to genetically engineer the perfect German War Horse. Germany had stockpiled the world’s largest collection of purebred horses from famous Polish, Russian, German, English, Irish, and Dutch horses to the rare Arabian horses from the Ottoman Turk Empire whose blood lines go back to the 17th Century. Unfortunately, in 1917 the Bolsheviks had purposefully slaughtered many of these rare Arabians as symbols of the pampered rich. Gastov Rau first had the breeding farm at the Janow Stud Farm in Poland then had to move it to Hastau, Czechoslovakia in 1942. In 1944, it was moved to St. Martin, Austria. After being rescued many of the horses came to the United States but unfortunately these famous and rare purebreds were sold off by the Army. Also included were many of the European greatest Thoroughbred racehorses; unfortunately, the American racehorse registry refused to accept their registry papers and these champion horses were sold as pets.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is about thirteen hours long. Paul Boehmer does a great job narrating the book. Boehmer is a classical trained actor and award-winning audiobook narrator.
The second section is less known about Hitler and Gustav Rau and the eugenics program to genetically engineer the perfect German War Horse. Germany had stockpiled the world’s largest collection of purebred horses from famous Polish, Russian, German, English, Irish, and Dutch horses to the rare Arabian horses from the Ottoman Turk Empire whose blood lines go back to the 17th Century. Unfortunately, in 1917 the Bolsheviks had purposefully slaughtered many of these rare Arabians as symbols of the pampered rich. Gastov Rau first had the breeding farm at the Janow Stud Farm in Poland then had to move it to Hastau, Czechoslovakia in 1942. In 1944, it was moved to St. Martin, Austria. After being rescued many of the horses came to the United States but unfortunately these famous and rare purebreds were sold off by the Army. Also included were many of the European greatest Thoroughbred racehorses; unfortunately, the American racehorse registry refused to accept their registry papers and these champion horses were sold as pets.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is about thirteen hours long. Paul Boehmer does a great job narrating the book. Boehmer is a classical trained actor and award-winning audiobook narrator.
May 16, 2018
The little girl in me saw the cover of this book and knew instantly that she had to have it.
The old woman in me started reading this book and knew instantly it was going to be a slow and tedious journey.
I enjoyed learning all that I did from this book but I did not enjoy how much of a job it was to complete it. The author mingled known history with as remembered by information that told a very detailed story. I can’t decide which issue bothered me more, the amount of not very interesting information that was crammed in to the story or the way it was told. Either item wasn’t bad by itself but the combo seemed to bore me just enough to make putting this book down quite easy. I prefer to have the opposite problem, a book in hand that I can’t put down that keeps me up all hours of the night. That was not the case at all with this one. I even found myself doing the dreaded stop in the middle of a chapter and find something else to do so I don’t nod off move. Yikes!
Three stars to a book that gave me a random fact of the day that will probably only get used once.
The old woman in me started reading this book and knew instantly it was going to be a slow and tedious journey.
I enjoyed learning all that I did from this book but I did not enjoy how much of a job it was to complete it. The author mingled known history with as remembered by information that told a very detailed story. I can’t decide which issue bothered me more, the amount of not very interesting information that was crammed in to the story or the way it was told. Either item wasn’t bad by itself but the combo seemed to bore me just enough to make putting this book down quite easy. I prefer to have the opposite problem, a book in hand that I can’t put down that keeps me up all hours of the night. That was not the case at all with this one. I even found myself doing the dreaded stop in the middle of a chapter and find something else to do so I don’t nod off move. Yikes!
Three stars to a book that gave me a random fact of the day that will probably only get used once.
April 3, 2023
I saw the movie---but I was still in great suspense reading this book, wondering if all the horses were going to make it...The movie was a Disney movie, "Miracle of the White Stallions," from 1963. The basic story is about the American Army rescuing the beautiful white Lipizzaner stallions from a war zone where they could have been killed. In the film, General Patton is the hero who saved the horses, but as Elizabeth Letts' book points out, there were other heroes, such as Colonel Charles Reed of the 2nd Cavalry. It's a compelling story well-told, but more than that, an inspiring one. As much as I enjoyed the Disney film, I'm happy to know the full story, including what really happened to the main characters of the story after the war--including the horses.
March 2, 2019
Author Elizabeth Letts' non-fiction book is about Operation Cowboy, the American protection of the Spanish Riding School and the plight of the Lipizzaner horses during World War II.
As priceless as any of the masterpieces that hung in Vienna's museum, from their snow-white coats to their large aristocratic heads and deep brown eyes, the horses were unlike any others in the world." prologue xvii
There was a precedent for saving irreplaceable works of art during the war, but Colonel Hank Reed's effort to save horses was something different. Reed, the most decorated American cavalry officer during WWII, recognized that there was something special about the horses at the Nazi stud farm at Hostau.
Gustave Rau, the Nazi's master of horse, was attempting to apply eugenics to his horse breeding program to create "the best warhorse". He focused on gathering Lipizzaners from all over Europe.
Rau, in his next official report to Berlin, would declare, "There are no high-legged Lipizzaner, there are no flat-ribbed Lipizzaner, there are no bad-tempered Lipizzaner..." Clearly, he was impressed with what he had witnessed in Vienna. pg 87
But it wasn't just about the breeding program, the Germans needed horses to feed the engines of war.
"The Germans were churning through horses at an astonishing rate — the army demanded six thousand fresh ones per month to replace those killed or lost to disease." pg 37
I didn't realize horses had such a large role in WWII. I assumed machines had taken over most of the vital functions horses used to perform like transportation and moving men into battle. I was wrong.
The Perfect Horse doesn't cover the technical aspects of WWII or talk about the American defense of Hostau. It focuses on the horses though Letts does provide some context and information about the backgrounds of the men involved on both sides of the conflict.
"Politics, prejudice, avarice, and intolerance had riven a brutal divide between the countries of these men; the grace of these horses had already started to knit them back together. The former enemies parted as friends." pg 149
She follows the horses from their eventual relocation from the war front to the United States and what happened next.
The Perfect Horse is a difficult book to read in that it contains a lot of information and not as much "story," but for readers interested in history, it may be a good fit.
As priceless as any of the masterpieces that hung in Vienna's museum, from their snow-white coats to their large aristocratic heads and deep brown eyes, the horses were unlike any others in the world." prologue xvii
There was a precedent for saving irreplaceable works of art during the war, but Colonel Hank Reed's effort to save horses was something different. Reed, the most decorated American cavalry officer during WWII, recognized that there was something special about the horses at the Nazi stud farm at Hostau.
Gustave Rau, the Nazi's master of horse, was attempting to apply eugenics to his horse breeding program to create "the best warhorse". He focused on gathering Lipizzaners from all over Europe.
Rau, in his next official report to Berlin, would declare, "There are no high-legged Lipizzaner, there are no flat-ribbed Lipizzaner, there are no bad-tempered Lipizzaner..." Clearly, he was impressed with what he had witnessed in Vienna. pg 87
But it wasn't just about the breeding program, the Germans needed horses to feed the engines of war.
"The Germans were churning through horses at an astonishing rate — the army demanded six thousand fresh ones per month to replace those killed or lost to disease." pg 37
I didn't realize horses had such a large role in WWII. I assumed machines had taken over most of the vital functions horses used to perform like transportation and moving men into battle. I was wrong.
The Perfect Horse doesn't cover the technical aspects of WWII or talk about the American defense of Hostau. It focuses on the horses though Letts does provide some context and information about the backgrounds of the men involved on both sides of the conflict.
"Politics, prejudice, avarice, and intolerance had riven a brutal divide between the countries of these men; the grace of these horses had already started to knit them back together. The former enemies parted as friends." pg 149
She follows the horses from their eventual relocation from the war front to the United States and what happened next.
The Perfect Horse is a difficult book to read in that it contains a lot of information and not as much "story," but for readers interested in history, it may be a good fit.
March 18, 2017
In the waning days of World War II, an American Second Cavalry unit was camped out awaiting orders on the German side of the border with Czechoslovakia in southern Germany. Suddenly, a motorcar with a white flag appeared at the checkpoint. Inside was an officer of the German Luftwaffe. Claiming he had urgent information, he demanded to speak with the commanding officer. The unit’s German speaking translator attempted, unsuccessfully, to find out the meaning behind the German’s request. Seizing the German officer’s wallet, the translator found only several photos—not of the officer’s family but photos of beautiful white horses…….
Colonel Hank Reed, a passionate horseman and former cavalry rider, was called in to talk with the German. Reed was told that the horses in the photos were part of a herd that was being held just over the border. The horses were the priceless Lipizzaners which were taken by the Nazis from the world renowned Spanish Riding School in Vienna and priceless thoroughbreds formerly owned by Polish, Italian, and Yugoslavian nobility. The German officer was a horse lover who risked his life to plead for help in rescuing the horses before the Russians could overrun the stables where the horses were being kept. It was no secret that the Russian army left a trail of destruction wherever they went, and that the horses would no doubt be slaughtered to provide food for the hungry Russian troops.
Thus was set in motion one of the most unusual rescue efforts undertaken during World War II. Author Elizabeth Letts’ meticulous research sheds light on the daring wartime rescue operation across enemy lines to save the lives of the world’s most valuable horses. The sense of urgency is palpable as Colonel Reed, with the blessing of General Patton, directs the rescue effort.
Ms. Letts flawlessly weaves together the stories of the men and the horses whose fates become intertwined. It’s an outstanding story of courage, selflessness, sacrifice, and love of animals that will appeal not only to horse lovers, but to World War II buffs as well.
Note: Elizabeth Letts also wrote The Eighty Dollar Champion which is another award winning, outstanding read!
Colonel Hank Reed, a passionate horseman and former cavalry rider, was called in to talk with the German. Reed was told that the horses in the photos were part of a herd that was being held just over the border. The horses were the priceless Lipizzaners which were taken by the Nazis from the world renowned Spanish Riding School in Vienna and priceless thoroughbreds formerly owned by Polish, Italian, and Yugoslavian nobility. The German officer was a horse lover who risked his life to plead for help in rescuing the horses before the Russians could overrun the stables where the horses were being kept. It was no secret that the Russian army left a trail of destruction wherever they went, and that the horses would no doubt be slaughtered to provide food for the hungry Russian troops.
Thus was set in motion one of the most unusual rescue efforts undertaken during World War II. Author Elizabeth Letts’ meticulous research sheds light on the daring wartime rescue operation across enemy lines to save the lives of the world’s most valuable horses. The sense of urgency is palpable as Colonel Reed, with the blessing of General Patton, directs the rescue effort.
Ms. Letts flawlessly weaves together the stories of the men and the horses whose fates become intertwined. It’s an outstanding story of courage, selflessness, sacrifice, and love of animals that will appeal not only to horse lovers, but to World War II buffs as well.
Note: Elizabeth Letts also wrote The Eighty Dollar Champion which is another award winning, outstanding read!
April 22, 2020
Fascinating true story of how a group of horses, appropriated by the Third Reich from various European nations, survived WWII, including the famous Lipizzaner stallions of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. This book is logically laid out in four parts. The first establishes the background of the Lipizzaner breed and major players from Germany, Poland, and Austria. It tells how the horses came under the control of the Germans and their plans to breed a “perfect horse” (based on their flawed theories of eugenics). The second recounts the history of the US Army’s 2nd calvary and introduces the Americans that will participate in the rescue. The third covers the rescue itself, including negotiations, excursions behind enemy lines, and logistics involved in recovering the group of 300 horses. Custodians of the Lipizzaner, Arabians, and other thoroughbreds desired to keep them out of the hands of the Russians, since the Russian Army had been slaughtering horses to feed their troops. In addition, Nazi officials were giving orders to make a last stand near the end of the war. The fourth part explains the transportation and disposition of the animals after the initial rescue. An Epilogue relates what ultimately happened to the named people, places, and horses.
The author brings this complex story together in an engrossing manner. She helpfully provides a map, photos, and meticulous documentation of her sources. An amazing number of factors had to come together to safeguard these beautiful animals. This book is an inspiring account of what can be done when people (in this case enemies at war) put their differences aside in pursuit of a common goal.
The author brings this complex story together in an engrossing manner. She helpfully provides a map, photos, and meticulous documentation of her sources. An amazing number of factors had to come together to safeguard these beautiful animals. This book is an inspiring account of what can be done when people (in this case enemies at war) put their differences aside in pursuit of a common goal.
October 18, 2016
Looks like I am among the minority of reviewers here, but to me this book got long, overly detailed and moved as the speed of a brief cool down stroll (a bit of horse racing parlance). The title hooked me and I was impressed by all the research done by the author, but the story is really one that I think I heard before as a child when I watched the Wonderful World of Disney and they did a story on the Lippizaner stallions. Have been fortunate to have seen them perform twice and they are remarkable.
The book began with a lot of promise as the author introduced us to many of the "Europeans" who are main characters in the book. Gustav Rau was fascinating as he was a firm believer in Eugenics and it came out that horses were the example that Hitler used for his attempts to breed a master race humans. But then things go a bit sideways, as the only really big plan for breeding this race of of horses was by breeding them at younger ages and with close relatives. We never really see if those efforts paid off at all or the results of those testings.
The title claims the horses were kidnapped by the Nazi's - not sure if that is really true. It was war, the horse were in the occupied area and the Nazi's used them. Hmmm, kidnapped?? I don't think so.
That premise fails when the US eventually makes a made dash across the Czech border (contrary to the terms of the Yalta agreement with Russia) and captures the horses and takes them back to their side of the river, into territory the US was permitted to control. When there was an investigation into this the US declared the horses were "spoils of war" which is exactly what the horses were when they were removed from their home stables in Austria and Poland and taken by the Nazi's.
The part of the book that dealt with the actual negotiations and one US officer crossing into Czech territory and actually being captured by the Nazi's was an interesting and fast paced part of the book, but once again we moved from a trot back to a cantor and eventually a really slow walk around the shed.
I wanted to like this book, but the more I read it the more I felt the author added about 50 pages more than was necessary to tell the story. Her shorter chapters are pretty good but her longer chapters dragged on forever for me.
She did make the point that the US had fully mechanized the calvary by WW2, whereas most all the European countries still relied on horses to move man and equipment, which was the reason they really needed the horses in the first place. She gave us some very good historical facts about the use of horses in the military and the amounts of horses needed to keep the Russian and German war machine moving and that really was some of the best writing in the book.
I love horses, love the Lippizaner's, and enjoyed some of the personal stories in this book, but I guess I am spoiled by a book like "Seabiscuit" which is so well written and which keeps the reader enthralled from beginning to end that this book and the writing just pales in comparison.
An interesting topic but a book without near as much suspense and drama as the title wants to indicate. It reminds me of those Daily Racing Form charts where a horse has won all these races at a lower level and then makes the step up to an Allowance Race. The competition is greater, and despite the big buildup most times those horses fail to perform as advertised! Whereas "Seabiscuit" is a solid $10 Win wager, "The Perfect Horse" is a jittery $2 wager to Show!
The book began with a lot of promise as the author introduced us to many of the "Europeans" who are main characters in the book. Gustav Rau was fascinating as he was a firm believer in Eugenics and it came out that horses were the example that Hitler used for his attempts to breed a master race humans. But then things go a bit sideways, as the only really big plan for breeding this race of of horses was by breeding them at younger ages and with close relatives. We never really see if those efforts paid off at all or the results of those testings.
The title claims the horses were kidnapped by the Nazi's - not sure if that is really true. It was war, the horse were in the occupied area and the Nazi's used them. Hmmm, kidnapped?? I don't think so.
That premise fails when the US eventually makes a made dash across the Czech border (contrary to the terms of the Yalta agreement with Russia) and captures the horses and takes them back to their side of the river, into territory the US was permitted to control. When there was an investigation into this the US declared the horses were "spoils of war" which is exactly what the horses were when they were removed from their home stables in Austria and Poland and taken by the Nazi's.
The part of the book that dealt with the actual negotiations and one US officer crossing into Czech territory and actually being captured by the Nazi's was an interesting and fast paced part of the book, but once again we moved from a trot back to a cantor and eventually a really slow walk around the shed.
I wanted to like this book, but the more I read it the more I felt the author added about 50 pages more than was necessary to tell the story. Her shorter chapters are pretty good but her longer chapters dragged on forever for me.
She did make the point that the US had fully mechanized the calvary by WW2, whereas most all the European countries still relied on horses to move man and equipment, which was the reason they really needed the horses in the first place. She gave us some very good historical facts about the use of horses in the military and the amounts of horses needed to keep the Russian and German war machine moving and that really was some of the best writing in the book.
I love horses, love the Lippizaner's, and enjoyed some of the personal stories in this book, but I guess I am spoiled by a book like "Seabiscuit" which is so well written and which keeps the reader enthralled from beginning to end that this book and the writing just pales in comparison.
An interesting topic but a book without near as much suspense and drama as the title wants to indicate. It reminds me of those Daily Racing Form charts where a horse has won all these races at a lower level and then makes the step up to an Allowance Race. The competition is greater, and despite the big buildup most times those horses fail to perform as advertised! Whereas "Seabiscuit" is a solid $10 Win wager, "The Perfect Horse" is a jittery $2 wager to Show!
May 31, 2016
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley
When most people hear the words Nazi and Eugenics, they only think about the Nazi view on humanity – the slaughter of innocent people and the desire to breed the perfect people. What many people don’t know is that the Nazis did try to do the same to animals. The Nazis didn’t just steal art and material possessions; they also took horses and various other animals to use in breeding programs.
Elizabeth Lett’s latest book, The Perfect Horse, is a chronicle of the rescue of some of the horses the Nazis tried to take. It is a book that will undoubtedly disappoint some people, but it that is because it is far more than what cover seems to indict.
If people mostly think of the Nazi eugenic ideas only in terms as applied to humans, then most people when they think of horses in World War II think of the Flight of Lipizzaner, not so much fleeing the Nazis as fleeing the Russians. This is in doubt because the Lipizzaners are beautiful ballet horses. They are entrancing. They do magnificent things. It is also do the many books, articles, and a few movies made about the event. What most people do not know or forget is that the Dancing White Horses were not the only breed targeted by the Nazis.
Lett’s book acknowledges this targeting.
Admittedly, Lett’s keeps the focus on the Lipizzaner but also includes the Polish Arabian Stud farm Janow Podlaski’s struggles to keep its horses, including the famous Witez II, safe. (Letts refers to Witez II as Witez throughout the book, but he is usually termed Witez II). At times, this can make the narrative two pronged with the tie in being the rescue of the horses by the American Army. The plus side is that it allows for a more detailed look than the usual saving the dancing horse story.
Letts’ writing tends to be the best when she is dealing with travails of the people who struggle to save the horses. When writing about the horses, sometimes she gets a bit over the top – I am not sure that Witez II felt like a homesick person when he left the stud, and I am sure that Letts doesn’t know either. That aside, the book does detail not only the breeding programs, but differences in how various countries viewed and constructed Calvary.
At times one does wish she included more information – for instance, she notes that Breyer did a model of Witez II but does not note what model it was (Proud Arabian Stallion, in case you want to know) and she could list some film titles as well as detail the draft or other less flashy breeds that were targeted as well.
What Letts does is detail a popular topic that truly gets little detailed coverage.
When most people hear the words Nazi and Eugenics, they only think about the Nazi view on humanity – the slaughter of innocent people and the desire to breed the perfect people. What many people don’t know is that the Nazis did try to do the same to animals. The Nazis didn’t just steal art and material possessions; they also took horses and various other animals to use in breeding programs.
Elizabeth Lett’s latest book, The Perfect Horse, is a chronicle of the rescue of some of the horses the Nazis tried to take. It is a book that will undoubtedly disappoint some people, but it that is because it is far more than what cover seems to indict.
If people mostly think of the Nazi eugenic ideas only in terms as applied to humans, then most people when they think of horses in World War II think of the Flight of Lipizzaner, not so much fleeing the Nazis as fleeing the Russians. This is in doubt because the Lipizzaners are beautiful ballet horses. They are entrancing. They do magnificent things. It is also do the many books, articles, and a few movies made about the event. What most people do not know or forget is that the Dancing White Horses were not the only breed targeted by the Nazis.
Lett’s book acknowledges this targeting.
Admittedly, Lett’s keeps the focus on the Lipizzaner but also includes the Polish Arabian Stud farm Janow Podlaski’s struggles to keep its horses, including the famous Witez II, safe. (Letts refers to Witez II as Witez throughout the book, but he is usually termed Witez II). At times, this can make the narrative two pronged with the tie in being the rescue of the horses by the American Army. The plus side is that it allows for a more detailed look than the usual saving the dancing horse story.
Letts’ writing tends to be the best when she is dealing with travails of the people who struggle to save the horses. When writing about the horses, sometimes she gets a bit over the top – I am not sure that Witez II felt like a homesick person when he left the stud, and I am sure that Letts doesn’t know either. That aside, the book does detail not only the breeding programs, but differences in how various countries viewed and constructed Calvary.
At times one does wish she included more information – for instance, she notes that Breyer did a model of Witez II but does not note what model it was (Proud Arabian Stallion, in case you want to know) and she could list some film titles as well as detail the draft or other less flashy breeds that were targeted as well.
What Letts does is detail a popular topic that truly gets little detailed coverage.
May 14, 2016
What should have been a heartwarming story about the rescue of the world-famous Austrian Lipizzaner horses of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna at the end of World War II, is disappointing because it is marred by errors that could have eliminated by fact checking the text and proofreading it, and by long digressions about subjects and people who are unrelated to the substance of the story. A conclusion that discusses what happened to people who were bit players in the drama, while failing to discuss in detail the fate of the key players and horses in the story, or the Disney film about their rescue, which although inaccurate, aided the Spanish Riding School's return to its previous fame and glory, leaves the reader wondering about what could have been done with this tale had it stayed focused on the story of the Lipizzaner stallions and not sought to also tell the stories of some of the other horses rescued from the Nazis, which it does not do very well or else provided more information about the other horses and their fates and how they intertwined with those of the Lipizzaners who did not belong to the Spanish Riding School.
July 27, 2016
I received this early copy through the publisher via NetGalley.
I was horse-obsessed as a kid. I was able to see Lipizzaners on tour once when I was 11, and it was incredible. Of course, I had read a great deal about the horses and their airs above the ground. Years and years ago, I saw the old Disney movie "Miracle of the White Stallions" about how the Lipizzaners were saved from Austria during World War II. Well, this is the real story behind that, and it's an engaging, fascinating read.
It begins long before the war. Even as militaries worldwide began to shift to mechanized forces, the horse carried an important role; Olympic equestrian teams came out of national military units. This is where many of the human players in this story grew up and spent their formative years. Patton is the most famous example. Germany still utilized horses in World War II, but even more, they wanted to create the perfect horse. Yes, Aryan-style eugenics with horses. Germany collected the best horses from their expanding territory and established breeding farms for Lipizzaners, Arabians, and other highly-esteemed breeds.
As the war continued, the horses were shuffled for safekeeping, but food and communication became increasing issues as Germany's collapse grew imminent. Even more, the Russians approached from the east, and they esteemed horses as only food. Therefore, the desperate horse-lovers betrayed 3rd Reich ideals and looked for help from their invaders from the west: the Americans. Enemies were united through their love of horses.
The book goes into the aftermath of the war as well, and how some horses made it to the US for so-called safekeeping. It also follows the glorious rebirth of the Spanish Riding School.
I loved it. I knew only bits and pieces of the real story, and Letts' storytelling really brings everything to life. I highly recommend this to history buffs and horse lovers.
I was horse-obsessed as a kid. I was able to see Lipizzaners on tour once when I was 11, and it was incredible. Of course, I had read a great deal about the horses and their airs above the ground. Years and years ago, I saw the old Disney movie "Miracle of the White Stallions" about how the Lipizzaners were saved from Austria during World War II. Well, this is the real story behind that, and it's an engaging, fascinating read.
It begins long before the war. Even as militaries worldwide began to shift to mechanized forces, the horse carried an important role; Olympic equestrian teams came out of national military units. This is where many of the human players in this story grew up and spent their formative years. Patton is the most famous example. Germany still utilized horses in World War II, but even more, they wanted to create the perfect horse. Yes, Aryan-style eugenics with horses. Germany collected the best horses from their expanding territory and established breeding farms for Lipizzaners, Arabians, and other highly-esteemed breeds.
As the war continued, the horses were shuffled for safekeeping, but food and communication became increasing issues as Germany's collapse grew imminent. Even more, the Russians approached from the east, and they esteemed horses as only food. Therefore, the desperate horse-lovers betrayed 3rd Reich ideals and looked for help from their invaders from the west: the Americans. Enemies were united through their love of horses.
The book goes into the aftermath of the war as well, and how some horses made it to the US for so-called safekeeping. It also follows the glorious rebirth of the Spanish Riding School.
I loved it. I knew only bits and pieces of the real story, and Letts' storytelling really brings everything to life. I highly recommend this to history buffs and horse lovers.
July 16, 2016
An absolutely fascinating, well-written and researched title. Just when you think you know pretty much every horror and bizarre idea the Nazi's came up with-you find out there is more. Even the animals weren't spared from their ideology. I am not a big fan of spoilers so I will just say this is one amazing non fiction book. A definite must read for the animal lover as well as history buffs.
May 22, 2023
Here was another of Hitler's Big Ideas. The perfect horse for the perfect man in the perfect army. He succeeded so thoroughly he nearly wiped them out.
Elizabeth Letts has provided her thoughts and research on what transpired during the days before and during the decision of the US to join the valiant few working to rescue the kidnapped horses Hitler was using to breed a master race of horse with which he planned to take over the universe.
A true story I'd never heard before, and by the author who'd written Finding Dorothy a book I'd earlier enjoyed, so picking this up and reading was an easy choice. If you love horses and are a WWII buff, chances are you'll find this interesting.
Elizabeth Letts has provided her thoughts and research on what transpired during the days before and during the decision of the US to join the valiant few working to rescue the kidnapped horses Hitler was using to breed a master race of horse with which he planned to take over the universe.
A true story I'd never heard before, and by the author who'd written Finding Dorothy a book I'd earlier enjoyed, so picking this up and reading was an easy choice. If you love horses and are a WWII buff, chances are you'll find this interesting.
August 20, 2016
I won a review copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway promotion. It's funny to look at a review copy since there are so many typos, no index (except "18 pages Index here" on a blank page) and what I assume was supposed to be a map but only lists place names in various size fonts. However, I assume that by the time The Perfect Horse is released properly, these problems will all be cleared up.
Too bad they won't be able to make the content better. This is more of a 2.5 stars than a 3 since this was a real disappointment. It starts really good and then falls dramatically.
Which is a crying shame since this was a story I hoped someone one day would tackle -- how the US Army got the Lipizzaner horses out of Nazi territory at the end of WWII. Without this rescue, the breed would probably have died out by now and the Spanish Riding School in Vienna would have come to an end. Also included in the rescue were dozens of Polish Arabians, European Thoroughbreds and a random Kabardin or two. Here's a Lipizzaner, Siglavy Rigoletta:
The book focuses on the people in the story to the point where you want to scream at the pages, "BUT WHAT ABOUT THE HORSES???" Although hundreds of horses were rescued (and a few hundred brought to the United States) only a handful of horses are listed by name. By God, what the hell could be wrong with listing the names of all of the horses rescued? We had to sit through all of the backstories of US soldiers who appear in the story for ONE SECOND and learn practically nothing about the horses. The author had the papers in her hot little hands and decided that naming the horses was NOT important.
Also, for a book supposedly about Lipizanners (this Anglican form of the plural of the breed is never used. Really? Suddenly all English-speaking people knew the plural German form of an obscure breed in 1945 - 1950?) we read an awful lot about Arabians. The star of the story? An Arabian named Witez II (and for Arabian enthusiasts, yes -- THAT Witez II.) He's already been the star of a few books, notably the fictional version of his early life And Miles to Go. Apparently Witez II was never crossed with the Thoroughbred or Lipizzaner mares to make the so-called Nazi superhorse. Apparently not a single superhorse foal was ever bred, let alone was foaled. After the huge build-up about "superhorses" that was disappointing.
The author's style of writing tumbles as the pages turn. Although the first half of the book is gripping and not so full of facts as to drown you, the last 100 pages are pathetic in comparison. They are repetitive and cloyingly sentimental. There are also long "Epilogues" about the people in the story and only a brief mention of two or three horses in the lot. The list of Cast of Characters at the front of the book is also woefully incomplete, although it was nice to see a correct pronunciation of Witez listed.
If you want to learn about Lipizzans (or even about Arabians), go to another book. This is basically about the Nazi horse breeding scheme (which never really went anywhere) and the rescue of the horses in that scheme. There's also a lot of treacly nostalgia for cavalry soldiers and horses. Unfortunately, this is the only book I know of in English that goes into any detail about the rescue. Since all the principle players are dead it looks as if this is the best we are ever going to get.
Too bad they won't be able to make the content better. This is more of a 2.5 stars than a 3 since this was a real disappointment. It starts really good and then falls dramatically.
Which is a crying shame since this was a story I hoped someone one day would tackle -- how the US Army got the Lipizzaner horses out of Nazi territory at the end of WWII. Without this rescue, the breed would probably have died out by now and the Spanish Riding School in Vienna would have come to an end. Also included in the rescue were dozens of Polish Arabians, European Thoroughbreds and a random Kabardin or two. Here's a Lipizzaner, Siglavy Rigoletta:
The book focuses on the people in the story to the point where you want to scream at the pages, "BUT WHAT ABOUT THE HORSES???" Although hundreds of horses were rescued (and a few hundred brought to the United States) only a handful of horses are listed by name. By God, what the hell could be wrong with listing the names of all of the horses rescued? We had to sit through all of the backstories of US soldiers who appear in the story for ONE SECOND and learn practically nothing about the horses. The author had the papers in her hot little hands and decided that naming the horses was NOT important.
Also, for a book supposedly about Lipizanners (this Anglican form of the plural of the breed is never used. Really? Suddenly all English-speaking people knew the plural German form of an obscure breed in 1945 - 1950?) we read an awful lot about Arabians. The star of the story? An Arabian named Witez II (and for Arabian enthusiasts, yes -- THAT Witez II.) He's already been the star of a few books, notably the fictional version of his early life And Miles to Go. Apparently Witez II was never crossed with the Thoroughbred or Lipizzaner mares to make the so-called Nazi superhorse. Apparently not a single superhorse foal was ever bred, let alone was foaled. After the huge build-up about "superhorses" that was disappointing.
The author's style of writing tumbles as the pages turn. Although the first half of the book is gripping and not so full of facts as to drown you, the last 100 pages are pathetic in comparison. They are repetitive and cloyingly sentimental. There are also long "Epilogues" about the people in the story and only a brief mention of two or three horses in the lot. The list of Cast of Characters at the front of the book is also woefully incomplete, although it was nice to see a correct pronunciation of Witez listed.
If you want to learn about Lipizzans (or even about Arabians), go to another book. This is basically about the Nazi horse breeding scheme (which never really went anywhere) and the rescue of the horses in that scheme. There's also a lot of treacly nostalgia for cavalry soldiers and horses. Unfortunately, this is the only book I know of in English that goes into any detail about the rescue. Since all the principle players are dead it looks as if this is the best we are ever going to get.
July 26, 2019
This is a story of epic proportions. Kudos to Letts for lassoing this saga into an appealing narrative. As with the 80-DOLLAR CHAMPION, I was captivated by the horses in the story and the humans who valued and cared for them. It was also refreshing to read a WW II story that includes cooperation across enemy lines. The scope of this book is nicely served by the epilogue giving the reader a chance to revisit the key players and locations in real time. Makes me want to revisit my days of reading The Black Stallion and Marguerite Henry books. I also have a new respect for the resilience of the Lippizaner and Arabian breeds.
August 29, 2016
Today it seems inconceivable that there was a time when the Lipizzaner horses were not familiar to U.S. audiences. In 1962 their performance at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna was included in Telstar's maiden intercontinental transmission. Some may recall the Disneyfied version of their World War II rescue in the 1963 film “Miracle of the White Stallions”. As recently as 1995 the Lipizzaners figured in a tense and revealing conversation between its principal characters played by Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington in the film “Crimson Tide”. Yet, in 1945 even an accomplished horseman like General George Patton was unfamiliar with the breed.
Through extensive archival research and interviews Elizabeth Letts has preserved the complex story of the horses during World War II. It is a story that will appeal not just to horse lovers but to anyone seeking a thoughtful and troubling perspective on human ethical behavior.
Letts begins her story with the 1936 Olympics staged in Berlin. The event was designed to showcase the Nazi narrative of Aryan superiority. In the Track-and-Field events, that narrative was disrupted. African American Jesse Owens captured five gold medals. In the more subjectively judged dressage competition, Austrian Col. Alois Podhajsky was less fortunate. Despite a dazzling performance which garnered attention throughout the equestrian community, he won a bronze medal in individual dressage; gold and silver went to two German competitors. For Podhajsky, however, the point was not winning. He cherished dressage for its disciplined precision and strong historical tradition. Dressage helped him rebuild a sense of mental harmony that had been shattered by World War I. (Wade Davis touches on a similar theme with considerable poignancy when discussing the mindset of post war British mountaineers like George Mallory in his book INTO THE SILENCE). Like many war veterans then and now, Podhajsky suffered from what was then called “shell shock” and found quiet comfort working with horses. In 1939 he received an ideal posting as director of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. The position gave him stewardship over an Austrian national treasure that he was determined to preserve despite the Nazi Anschluss the previous year (March 1938).
Podhajsky's vision of stewardship was at odds with the goal of his German overlord Gustav Rau. Rau initiated a master breeding program to mass produce the “perfect” German war horse. That plan included consolidating the Lipizzaner and other horse breeding farms and accelerating both the breeding pace and turnover. In October of 1942 he moved the Lipizzaner mares and foals from the Austrian stud farm in Piber, Austria to Hostau, Czechoslovakia. Letts rightly condemns Rau's views. Yet, this section felt incomplete. She fails to distinguish Rau's repudiated views from the current practice of thoroughbred breeding, which many blame for recent high-profile injuries (See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wondermonk...).
Each chapter of the book is captioned with a location and date, giving the organization a documentary-like structure. However, the inattentive reader can easily become confused by the backwards and forwards jumps in chronology. Moreover, to give the reader a sense of engagement, her narrative follows the lives of individual horses such as Witez the Polish Arabian and Neapolitano Africa, Podhajsky's Lipizzaner. A few major dates need to be kept in mind. In March 1939 the German army marched into Czechoslovakia. In September of that year they entered Poland. The fateful invasion of Russia occurred in June of 1941.
The national breeding farm for Arabians, Janów Podlarski, was located in the eastern part of the country. After the slaughter of these horses by the Bolsheviks during the Polish-Soviet War, the Poles had worked tirelessly to revive the breed. Just as the Lipizzaners were a national treasure of Austria, the Arabians were a Polish national treasure. By 1944 Janów Podlarski was threatened not only by the advancing Russian army but by Polish resistance fighters. Nine of the most valuable Arabians including a stallion named Witez were moved to the Lipizzaner facility in Hostau, Czechoslovakia in May of 1944. The flight of the remaining Polish Arabians is one of the most heart-breaking sections of the book.
The Spanish Riding School with its stallions had remained in Vienna as a symbolic statement of Nazi triumph — the Thousand Year Reich. However, by 1944 the Allied forces had begun bombing Vienna and Podhajsky realized they needed to flee to safety. Getting out of Vienna was yet another harrowing scramble. By the spring of 1945 the last of the Vienna stallions had made it to St. Martin im Innkreis, located in upper Austria about 100 miles north of Hostau in Czechoslovakia.
At this point, many will realize the dilemma. The real danger to the horses was not from the Nazis but from the Soviet army. The Russian government estimates approximately 27 million soldiers and civilians died during World War II. Disease and starvation contributed to these numbers. Fueled by revenge and hunger, it was unlikely the Soviet army would have much interest in the welfare of horses. Letts does not cite these facts. Instead, she offers a grim iteration. Typically, the Russians had conscripted captured horses to haul artillery and supplies; the majority were butchered for food. The examples she includes point to a dark layer of special brutality that enveloped the Russian forces. The American army, however, had been ordered not to cross into Czechoslovakia. They were not to interfere with the advance of their Russian allies. This was the situation on the brink of the “Great Rescue.”
We might like to think that humane intervention was an easy and characteristically American decision. Letts makes clear that both luck and personal courage saved the Hostau and St. Martin herds. The men of the U.S. 10th Cavalry actually rode horses until 1942 when the conversion to tanks was completed. Moreover, soldiers from rural America were still familiar with horses. Thus there was in the army both emotional connection and technical expertise. Many Americans will associate General George Patton with the rescue, and certainly he played an important role. However, the instrumental players included a wide circle of both Americans and Germans: Tom Stewart, Hank Reed, William Quinlivan, Rudolf Lessing and Hubert Rudofsky. Part of Letts' accomplishment is focusing attention on the decisions made by these now obscure heroes. Nor does Letts simply end her story with the rescue. The subsequent fate of the horses is a bittersweet story of uncertain dispersal.
It is perhaps unavoidable that Letts occasionally lapses into anthropomorphizing the horses. Readers unversed in handling horses may find that grating. However, she builds that imagery around a theme of “home”. Before the war, stud farms typically bred, reared and trained their horses. It was a lifetime commitment. In America Calumet Farms was probably the last facility based on that model. There, many grooms and handlers had been born on the farm and expected to spend their entire lives there. It was a tradition of intimacy. Farm workers felt a special connection to their charges. This is described with particular power by Anne Hagedorn Auerbach in her book WILD RIDE; The Rise and Tragic Fall of Calumet Farm, Inc., America's Premier Racing Dynasty. Today, both horses and people live a nomadic existence.
Many readers of this book will be previous admirers of THE EIGHTY DOLLAR HORSE, Letts' previous book. That one was a Cinderella story. This story is more difficult. Too many people have the image of horse shows, particularly dressage, as elitist. Olympics coverage of dressage in the U.S. is minimal. Letts does an excellent job of explaining the training and dedication demanded in the Spanish Riding School where horse and rider are collaborators in an art form not unlike ballet.
The horse occupies an ambivalent place in the American psyche. Like Gustav Rau, many see the horse as only a tool. Others begrudge the horse living space — space that could be developed and exploited for profit. When asked why he took such a chance to save the horses Col. Hank Reed replied: “We were so tired of death and destruction. We wanted to do something beautiful.” These are refreshing sentiments in today's society where voices obsessed with careerism and self-aggrandizement so often seem to dominate. Despite its flaws I highly recommend this book.
I received THE PERFECT HORSE through Goodreads Giveaway, and would like to thank them for this special opportunity. At the same time, I felt considerable responsibility to give this book a particularly thoughtful reading and review. I hope I have succeeded on both counts.
Through extensive archival research and interviews Elizabeth Letts has preserved the complex story of the horses during World War II. It is a story that will appeal not just to horse lovers but to anyone seeking a thoughtful and troubling perspective on human ethical behavior.
Letts begins her story with the 1936 Olympics staged in Berlin. The event was designed to showcase the Nazi narrative of Aryan superiority. In the Track-and-Field events, that narrative was disrupted. African American Jesse Owens captured five gold medals. In the more subjectively judged dressage competition, Austrian Col. Alois Podhajsky was less fortunate. Despite a dazzling performance which garnered attention throughout the equestrian community, he won a bronze medal in individual dressage; gold and silver went to two German competitors. For Podhajsky, however, the point was not winning. He cherished dressage for its disciplined precision and strong historical tradition. Dressage helped him rebuild a sense of mental harmony that had been shattered by World War I. (Wade Davis touches on a similar theme with considerable poignancy when discussing the mindset of post war British mountaineers like George Mallory in his book INTO THE SILENCE). Like many war veterans then and now, Podhajsky suffered from what was then called “shell shock” and found quiet comfort working with horses. In 1939 he received an ideal posting as director of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. The position gave him stewardship over an Austrian national treasure that he was determined to preserve despite the Nazi Anschluss the previous year (March 1938).
Podhajsky's vision of stewardship was at odds with the goal of his German overlord Gustav Rau. Rau initiated a master breeding program to mass produce the “perfect” German war horse. That plan included consolidating the Lipizzaner and other horse breeding farms and accelerating both the breeding pace and turnover. In October of 1942 he moved the Lipizzaner mares and foals from the Austrian stud farm in Piber, Austria to Hostau, Czechoslovakia. Letts rightly condemns Rau's views. Yet, this section felt incomplete. She fails to distinguish Rau's repudiated views from the current practice of thoroughbred breeding, which many blame for recent high-profile injuries (See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wondermonk...).
Each chapter of the book is captioned with a location and date, giving the organization a documentary-like structure. However, the inattentive reader can easily become confused by the backwards and forwards jumps in chronology. Moreover, to give the reader a sense of engagement, her narrative follows the lives of individual horses such as Witez the Polish Arabian and Neapolitano Africa, Podhajsky's Lipizzaner. A few major dates need to be kept in mind. In March 1939 the German army marched into Czechoslovakia. In September of that year they entered Poland. The fateful invasion of Russia occurred in June of 1941.
The national breeding farm for Arabians, Janów Podlarski, was located in the eastern part of the country. After the slaughter of these horses by the Bolsheviks during the Polish-Soviet War, the Poles had worked tirelessly to revive the breed. Just as the Lipizzaners were a national treasure of Austria, the Arabians were a Polish national treasure. By 1944 Janów Podlarski was threatened not only by the advancing Russian army but by Polish resistance fighters. Nine of the most valuable Arabians including a stallion named Witez were moved to the Lipizzaner facility in Hostau, Czechoslovakia in May of 1944. The flight of the remaining Polish Arabians is one of the most heart-breaking sections of the book.
The Spanish Riding School with its stallions had remained in Vienna as a symbolic statement of Nazi triumph — the Thousand Year Reich. However, by 1944 the Allied forces had begun bombing Vienna and Podhajsky realized they needed to flee to safety. Getting out of Vienna was yet another harrowing scramble. By the spring of 1945 the last of the Vienna stallions had made it to St. Martin im Innkreis, located in upper Austria about 100 miles north of Hostau in Czechoslovakia.
At this point, many will realize the dilemma. The real danger to the horses was not from the Nazis but from the Soviet army. The Russian government estimates approximately 27 million soldiers and civilians died during World War II. Disease and starvation contributed to these numbers. Fueled by revenge and hunger, it was unlikely the Soviet army would have much interest in the welfare of horses. Letts does not cite these facts. Instead, she offers a grim iteration. Typically, the Russians had conscripted captured horses to haul artillery and supplies; the majority were butchered for food. The examples she includes point to a dark layer of special brutality that enveloped the Russian forces. The American army, however, had been ordered not to cross into Czechoslovakia. They were not to interfere with the advance of their Russian allies. This was the situation on the brink of the “Great Rescue.”
We might like to think that humane intervention was an easy and characteristically American decision. Letts makes clear that both luck and personal courage saved the Hostau and St. Martin herds. The men of the U.S. 10th Cavalry actually rode horses until 1942 when the conversion to tanks was completed. Moreover, soldiers from rural America were still familiar with horses. Thus there was in the army both emotional connection and technical expertise. Many Americans will associate General George Patton with the rescue, and certainly he played an important role. However, the instrumental players included a wide circle of both Americans and Germans: Tom Stewart, Hank Reed, William Quinlivan, Rudolf Lessing and Hubert Rudofsky. Part of Letts' accomplishment is focusing attention on the decisions made by these now obscure heroes. Nor does Letts simply end her story with the rescue. The subsequent fate of the horses is a bittersweet story of uncertain dispersal.
It is perhaps unavoidable that Letts occasionally lapses into anthropomorphizing the horses. Readers unversed in handling horses may find that grating. However, she builds that imagery around a theme of “home”. Before the war, stud farms typically bred, reared and trained their horses. It was a lifetime commitment. In America Calumet Farms was probably the last facility based on that model. There, many grooms and handlers had been born on the farm and expected to spend their entire lives there. It was a tradition of intimacy. Farm workers felt a special connection to their charges. This is described with particular power by Anne Hagedorn Auerbach in her book WILD RIDE; The Rise and Tragic Fall of Calumet Farm, Inc., America's Premier Racing Dynasty. Today, both horses and people live a nomadic existence.
Many readers of this book will be previous admirers of THE EIGHTY DOLLAR HORSE, Letts' previous book. That one was a Cinderella story. This story is more difficult. Too many people have the image of horse shows, particularly dressage, as elitist. Olympics coverage of dressage in the U.S. is minimal. Letts does an excellent job of explaining the training and dedication demanded in the Spanish Riding School where horse and rider are collaborators in an art form not unlike ballet.
The horse occupies an ambivalent place in the American psyche. Like Gustav Rau, many see the horse as only a tool. Others begrudge the horse living space — space that could be developed and exploited for profit. When asked why he took such a chance to save the horses Col. Hank Reed replied: “We were so tired of death and destruction. We wanted to do something beautiful.” These are refreshing sentiments in today's society where voices obsessed with careerism and self-aggrandizement so often seem to dominate. Despite its flaws I highly recommend this book.
I received THE PERFECT HORSE through Goodreads Giveaway, and would like to thank them for this special opportunity. At the same time, I felt considerable responsibility to give this book a particularly thoughtful reading and review. I hope I have succeeded on both counts.
August 9, 2017
Following World War I, the Spanish Riding School of Vienna was rebuilding its herd of Lipizzaners and its traditions. In Poland the government was rebuilding its purebred Arabian herds. With World War II, the Nazis took over both herds with the idea of creating the perfect military horse. Toward the end of the war the Americans with the help of some locals attempt to rescue both from the Germans and to keep the Russians from acquiring those horse. An ideal read for the horse lover.
September 17, 2021
At first I thought this was going to be a little boring, but it got so much better! I loved the pictures, and I enjoyed learning more about the U.S. Calvary in WWII, Commander Hank Reed, Patton, Lessing, Podhajsky, and this sad, wonderful and inspiring story about saving the horses! I also love that the author gives the cast of characters in the beginning of the book, and at the end tells what happens to all of them.
March 18, 2018
This review has not taken a ridiculously long time to put together. I have no excuse; the closest I can come to a reason is that the emotions and the quality of the writing and my own back story with the subject matter all made it hard to write.
So, the story goes that when I was five or six my parents took me to a party their friends were throwing. Someone must have mentioned what a little horse freak I was, and one slightly drunken man decided to play Stump the Smartypants. I can just about remember him looming over me when he asked me to name the largest breed of horse. I'm told I responded (correctly) with all the contempt such a softball deserved. I used to trace the diagram in one of my books that charted the points of the horse, close the book, and fill in all the labels. (It's true what they say about stuff learned when small – I can still tell a forelock from a fetlock and a cannon from a croup. I'll bet I could still label a diagram.) My father, with extraordinary patience, used to drive me to riding lessons and wait while I gloried in learning to post the trot. (Well, no, I gloried in cantering when they let me – the trot was never fun. And that time Spiz the appaloosa ran away with me on a trail ride? Awesome.)
And when in some elementary school English class we learned about tall tales and were asked to write our own, I – being deep under the spell of Marguerite Henry, wrote a thing which must have left my teacher utterly baffled: my tall tale was about a Lipizzaner who could hold a levade for hours and perform as many caprioles as you could possibly want. This was pre–internet, so I still wonder if the poor woman had to go hit the library to figure out if I was being esoteric or just a truly weird little kid.
So obviously the horse–mad parts of this book were made for me. I thrive on details of horsemanship and stable life, and there is no stable on earth in which I would rather experience horsemanship than the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. It's nice to be given the explanation for why there is a Spanish Riding School in Vienna. (It's a breed of Spanish origin named after a village in Italy (which is in current–day Slovenia) and perfected in Austria.) I'm still boggled by the fact that a Standardbred can "trot the distance of one mile in less than two minutes and thirty seconds" when Thoroughbreds galloping all out take about two and a bit minutes to run the mile-and-an-eighth Kentucky Derby, doing the hour in about 1:35. That's astonishing, although it was just a side comment; this book has lots of details I knew and also lots I never knew before. I never knew Poland was so highly regarded for its Arabs – perhaps because by the time I was born the breed had not yet recovered there (like so many other things). (And now I feel extraordinarily stupid for never processing "Polsky Arab" into what it actually means. Well, I was a kid.) I never knew that WWII actually used twice as many horses as WWI.
This was a long tale of heroism – the men who worked so hard to save the Lipizzanners and other fine horses were amazing – and of horror. The reasons the horses needed saving are just one part of the awfulness of the war; I never knew that the Third Reich's goals of pure blood extended to horses as well; I don't think I want to get into the corollaries between Reichian eugenics and the breeding of horses to foster certain qualities. I had no idea about the seizures of horses all over Europe – and the equine massacres that often resulted. And I'm not thrilled by how America handled the recapture, the "rescue" of thousands of horses.
"Trakhenen, Germany’s famed 'city of horses,' had seen a mass exodus of all of its equine inhabitants. The owners and breeders of the famed Trakhener cavalry horses, close to eight thousand in number, had fled across the frozen Vistula River while being strafed by Russian bombers. Germany’s greatest Thoroughbred racehorse, Alchimist, was shot to death on April 15, 1945, after Russian soldiers tried to seize him and the stallion refused to load onto their truck."
"Among the numerous heartbreaks of this terrible war, the innocent horses shot, abused, and killed would not rank among the worst atrocities—but somehow, the killing of innocent beasts, domesticated animals who existed only for man’s beauty and pleasure in a good, seemed to highlight the barbaric and depraved depths to which man had allowed himself to sink."
Yeah. That about covers it. I didn't fail to see how … off it was to be so outraged by horses' deaths and abuse when all over Europe more than six million people were in the process of being murdered. But I'm not about to apologize for it. It's similar to the human tendency to weep over the death of a single child when outright genocide might result in simple numbness. I love horses. I know horses. I want more to do with horses. Le plus je connais les hommes, le plus j'aime mon cheval – I had that on a mug when I started taking French in school. And it was, and is, the absolute truth (except for the "my" part, since, I've never had my own horse). Horses are innocent – as were all of the civilians killed and displaced and abused. But horses are entirely dependent on humans. They have no agency to relocate to a safer area on their own, or to fight back in any way but in the moment with teeth and hooves. We, people, have put them in the situations where they exist – to then make those situations painful, or lethal, is unforgivable.
It was horrible to read – and a relief that there was heroism to dilute the pain.
This tale reminds me a bit of a shallow stream, beautiful in places, pooling in places, in some places trickling slowly over rocks, occasionally diverted a bit before coming back on track. There are frequent recaps (where the stream flows backward for a minute before resuming), which began to feel like padding.
I was not overly fond of the author's departures into what Capote liked to call a non-fiction novel, with notes about what subjects' thoughts must have been here, or what someone saw there; a straightforward history might have been better. Sentences like "The two chestnuts followed Hank’s movements with their big, soft eyes", while quite possible accurate, begin to make it sound like a novel I might have read when I was fourteen. These fictionalized moments softened the focus – and also felt a bit like padding.
(I was also a little bothered by the fact that the author consistently used the adjective "white" for the Lipizzaners. There's no such thing as a white horse, unless it's an albino.) (I know, I know – but I don't make the rules.)
I got a chuckle out of one quote from Alois Podhajsky (Ah–loys Pod–hey–skee, thank you Ms. Letts), director of the Spanish Riding School: "Excited applause does not help in the least; what is needed is perfect sympathy and harmony with one’s partner." I saw the Lipizzaners perform years ago, and the announcer specifically encouraged the audience to be loudly enthusiastic and take lots of pictures, because the stallions loved the approval and attention. They're apparently big ol' gorgeous hams, which is incredibly endearing – and, now that I've learned more than I knew then, pretty surprising considering horses in general and stallions in particular don't tend to handle noise and flashing lights with what could be called aplomb. Or sanity. But maybe the stallions' enjoyment of the attention increased as technology advanced. Honestly, I think Lipizzaners are responsible for the layman's misunderstanding that stallions are easy to handle (which in general they are not.
"And to all the fallen horses— may we honor their sacrifice."
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
So, the story goes that when I was five or six my parents took me to a party their friends were throwing. Someone must have mentioned what a little horse freak I was, and one slightly drunken man decided to play Stump the Smartypants. I can just about remember him looming over me when he asked me to name the largest breed of horse. I'm told I responded (correctly) with all the contempt such a softball deserved. I used to trace the diagram in one of my books that charted the points of the horse, close the book, and fill in all the labels. (It's true what they say about stuff learned when small – I can still tell a forelock from a fetlock and a cannon from a croup. I'll bet I could still label a diagram.) My father, with extraordinary patience, used to drive me to riding lessons and wait while I gloried in learning to post the trot. (Well, no, I gloried in cantering when they let me – the trot was never fun. And that time Spiz the appaloosa ran away with me on a trail ride? Awesome.)
And when in some elementary school English class we learned about tall tales and were asked to write our own, I – being deep under the spell of Marguerite Henry, wrote a thing which must have left my teacher utterly baffled: my tall tale was about a Lipizzaner who could hold a levade for hours and perform as many caprioles as you could possibly want. This was pre–internet, so I still wonder if the poor woman had to go hit the library to figure out if I was being esoteric or just a truly weird little kid.
So obviously the horse–mad parts of this book were made for me. I thrive on details of horsemanship and stable life, and there is no stable on earth in which I would rather experience horsemanship than the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. It's nice to be given the explanation for why there is a Spanish Riding School in Vienna. (It's a breed of Spanish origin named after a village in Italy (which is in current–day Slovenia) and perfected in Austria.) I'm still boggled by the fact that a Standardbred can "trot the distance of one mile in less than two minutes and thirty seconds" when Thoroughbreds galloping all out take about two and a bit minutes to run the mile-and-an-eighth Kentucky Derby, doing the hour in about 1:35. That's astonishing, although it was just a side comment; this book has lots of details I knew and also lots I never knew before. I never knew Poland was so highly regarded for its Arabs – perhaps because by the time I was born the breed had not yet recovered there (like so many other things). (And now I feel extraordinarily stupid for never processing "Polsky Arab" into what it actually means. Well, I was a kid.) I never knew that WWII actually used twice as many horses as WWI.
This was a long tale of heroism – the men who worked so hard to save the Lipizzanners and other fine horses were amazing – and of horror. The reasons the horses needed saving are just one part of the awfulness of the war; I never knew that the Third Reich's goals of pure blood extended to horses as well; I don't think I want to get into the corollaries between Reichian eugenics and the breeding of horses to foster certain qualities. I had no idea about the seizures of horses all over Europe – and the equine massacres that often resulted. And I'm not thrilled by how America handled the recapture, the "rescue" of thousands of horses.
"Trakhenen, Germany’s famed 'city of horses,' had seen a mass exodus of all of its equine inhabitants. The owners and breeders of the famed Trakhener cavalry horses, close to eight thousand in number, had fled across the frozen Vistula River while being strafed by Russian bombers. Germany’s greatest Thoroughbred racehorse, Alchimist, was shot to death on April 15, 1945, after Russian soldiers tried to seize him and the stallion refused to load onto their truck."
"Among the numerous heartbreaks of this terrible war, the innocent horses shot, abused, and killed would not rank among the worst atrocities—but somehow, the killing of innocent beasts, domesticated animals who existed only for man’s beauty and pleasure in a good, seemed to highlight the barbaric and depraved depths to which man had allowed himself to sink."
Yeah. That about covers it. I didn't fail to see how … off it was to be so outraged by horses' deaths and abuse when all over Europe more than six million people were in the process of being murdered. But I'm not about to apologize for it. It's similar to the human tendency to weep over the death of a single child when outright genocide might result in simple numbness. I love horses. I know horses. I want more to do with horses. Le plus je connais les hommes, le plus j'aime mon cheval – I had that on a mug when I started taking French in school. And it was, and is, the absolute truth (except for the "my" part, since, I've never had my own horse). Horses are innocent – as were all of the civilians killed and displaced and abused. But horses are entirely dependent on humans. They have no agency to relocate to a safer area on their own, or to fight back in any way but in the moment with teeth and hooves. We, people, have put them in the situations where they exist – to then make those situations painful, or lethal, is unforgivable.
It was horrible to read – and a relief that there was heroism to dilute the pain.
This tale reminds me a bit of a shallow stream, beautiful in places, pooling in places, in some places trickling slowly over rocks, occasionally diverted a bit before coming back on track. There are frequent recaps (where the stream flows backward for a minute before resuming), which began to feel like padding.
I was not overly fond of the author's departures into what Capote liked to call a non-fiction novel, with notes about what subjects' thoughts must have been here, or what someone saw there; a straightforward history might have been better. Sentences like "The two chestnuts followed Hank’s movements with their big, soft eyes", while quite possible accurate, begin to make it sound like a novel I might have read when I was fourteen. These fictionalized moments softened the focus – and also felt a bit like padding.
(I was also a little bothered by the fact that the author consistently used the adjective "white" for the Lipizzaners. There's no such thing as a white horse, unless it's an albino.) (I know, I know – but I don't make the rules.)
I got a chuckle out of one quote from Alois Podhajsky (Ah–loys Pod–hey–skee, thank you Ms. Letts), director of the Spanish Riding School: "Excited applause does not help in the least; what is needed is perfect sympathy and harmony with one’s partner." I saw the Lipizzaners perform years ago, and the announcer specifically encouraged the audience to be loudly enthusiastic and take lots of pictures, because the stallions loved the approval and attention. They're apparently big ol' gorgeous hams, which is incredibly endearing – and, now that I've learned more than I knew then, pretty surprising considering horses in general and stallions in particular don't tend to handle noise and flashing lights with what could be called aplomb. Or sanity. But maybe the stallions' enjoyment of the attention increased as technology advanced. Honestly, I think Lipizzaners are responsible for the layman's misunderstanding that stallions are easy to handle (which in general they are not.
"And to all the fallen horses— may we honor their sacrifice."
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
March 7, 2023
The true WWII story of European horses, among them Thoroughbreds and the amazing Lipizzaners, taken as war prisoners -no other word for it ;) .
The book is written in 4 parts, explaining the horses, the caretakers, The U.S. Army, how the U.S. became involved and an explanation near the ending of where/how they all ended up. It was engrossing, the kind of book I could not put down, This, I might add, was a story I knew nothing about.
It is so sad to realize that we all feel the hurt and loss of humans during war time, and yet how many of us stop to think about what happens to the animals? The sadness of this just ripped me apart. It was a fluke, truly, that the men who rescued these horses were where they were at the time when the horses were near being overtaken by opposing armies.
Elizabeth Letts research was deep and spot on-I loved this book and highly recommend it.
The book is written in 4 parts, explaining the horses, the caretakers, The U.S. Army, how the U.S. became involved and an explanation near the ending of where/how they all ended up. It was engrossing, the kind of book I could not put down, This, I might add, was a story I knew nothing about.
It is so sad to realize that we all feel the hurt and loss of humans during war time, and yet how many of us stop to think about what happens to the animals? The sadness of this just ripped me apart. It was a fluke, truly, that the men who rescued these horses were where they were at the time when the horses were near being overtaken by opposing armies.
Elizabeth Letts research was deep and spot on-I loved this book and highly recommend it.
December 10, 2016
This history is quite chilling as we follow the horse breeding schemes of the evil Third Reich. Germany is today one of Europe's biggest producers of horses. In 1936, when the tale starts, the Great War had killed millions of horses; exports of horses were demanded under reparations; the Olympic team did everything it had to do to win all the gold medals for Germany. The Second World War despite employing tanks, trains and trucks, used 2,750,000 horses from Germany alone, sixty percent of which were killed according to this book. Poland was invaded and stud Arabians stolen by Russians, then the rest were sequestered by Nazis for breeding in their cause. While breeding was an inexact science, the principle of breeding the best horses for a particular purpose was well understood and the Nazis wanted to breed a purebred race of war horse.
The Lipizzaners of Austria, trained in the Spanish Riding School in Vienna under Alois Podhajsky, were a natural target. Vienna was occupied and the men summoned for military service, but Podhajsky had secured funding and riders for the prestigious, three hundred year old school. The Piber stud had been taken over for war horses and no new stallions were being sent to train; by 1942 rumour said the stallions would be moved.
I love the photos of the Lipizzaners training. The work is briefly explained, from basic riding to haute ecole, airs above the ground being the pinnacle. We see the horses showing off in the hall in Vienna, all the more striking because they are seen in black and white, dark-clad horsemen and white horses. Later photos show war evacuations, then military men and performances again.
Gustav Rau, the Nazi in charge of horse provisions, had systematically collected all the Lipizzaners from Austria, Yugoslavia and Italy, and now set to crossbreeding them in Bohemia. We learn that ambulance driving during WW1 led to the development of the first four in hand Achenbach system of driving a carriage of four horses by one person.
From 1943 the Allied bombing raids drew nearer to Vienna, and the horses were in danger. The riders were also called up to serve, and some horses were too. Podhajsky, his wife Verena and his grooms had to decide upon extreme measures to save any of his stallions. We also follow the evacuations of the Polish Arabians as the populace fled the advancing Russians. With good reason. The grooms did not know they were heading into the destruction of Dresden.
As a horse lover all my life, I did find some of this book difficult reading. Horses suffered horribly in war. We are reminded that men were being sent to protect cultural icons and art, but not horses. We are introduced to some outstanding horses, Witez, Neapolitano Africa, Indigo, Madera and more. Many horses have their pedigrees written on them in the form of brands.
The second half of the book introduces the Americans, including cavalry trained at West Point, heading for Europe. Here the feeling of urgency leaves us for a while amid a discussion of equestrian competition, spit and polish, black regiments. Colonel Rudofsky, seeing that his Arabians were as good as lost to Russians, was given a hint to head for oncoming Americans by another horseman officer, Holters, and sent a man called Rudolf Lessing. By good luck, Colonel Hank Reed was in charge of these forces. His polo buddy was General George Patton.
By the end of the war, many European horses were unaccountably, to me, in America, where they were wrangled over, some the property of US Army, which was no longer in the horse business. They were further whittled down and only some were saved. The author tells us of the men who fought for them and loved them. She provides her sources at the end, and has undoubtedly pulled together a fine account of the movements of these horses and horsemen during turbulent times.
I recommend this history, but not for children.
I downloaded an ARC from Net Galley.
The Lipizzaners of Austria, trained in the Spanish Riding School in Vienna under Alois Podhajsky, were a natural target. Vienna was occupied and the men summoned for military service, but Podhajsky had secured funding and riders for the prestigious, three hundred year old school. The Piber stud had been taken over for war horses and no new stallions were being sent to train; by 1942 rumour said the stallions would be moved.
I love the photos of the Lipizzaners training. The work is briefly explained, from basic riding to haute ecole, airs above the ground being the pinnacle. We see the horses showing off in the hall in Vienna, all the more striking because they are seen in black and white, dark-clad horsemen and white horses. Later photos show war evacuations, then military men and performances again.
Gustav Rau, the Nazi in charge of horse provisions, had systematically collected all the Lipizzaners from Austria, Yugoslavia and Italy, and now set to crossbreeding them in Bohemia. We learn that ambulance driving during WW1 led to the development of the first four in hand Achenbach system of driving a carriage of four horses by one person.
From 1943 the Allied bombing raids drew nearer to Vienna, and the horses were in danger. The riders were also called up to serve, and some horses were too. Podhajsky, his wife Verena and his grooms had to decide upon extreme measures to save any of his stallions. We also follow the evacuations of the Polish Arabians as the populace fled the advancing Russians. With good reason. The grooms did not know they were heading into the destruction of Dresden.
As a horse lover all my life, I did find some of this book difficult reading. Horses suffered horribly in war. We are reminded that men were being sent to protect cultural icons and art, but not horses. We are introduced to some outstanding horses, Witez, Neapolitano Africa, Indigo, Madera and more. Many horses have their pedigrees written on them in the form of brands.
The second half of the book introduces the Americans, including cavalry trained at West Point, heading for Europe. Here the feeling of urgency leaves us for a while amid a discussion of equestrian competition, spit and polish, black regiments. Colonel Rudofsky, seeing that his Arabians were as good as lost to Russians, was given a hint to head for oncoming Americans by another horseman officer, Holters, and sent a man called Rudolf Lessing. By good luck, Colonel Hank Reed was in charge of these forces. His polo buddy was General George Patton.
By the end of the war, many European horses were unaccountably, to me, in America, where they were wrangled over, some the property of US Army, which was no longer in the horse business. They were further whittled down and only some were saved. The author tells us of the men who fought for them and loved them. She provides her sources at the end, and has undoubtedly pulled together a fine account of the movements of these horses and horsemen during turbulent times.
I recommend this history, but not for children.
I downloaded an ARC from Net Galley.
August 11, 2016
4.5 stars
Elizabeth Letts has deftly woven together a true story of the famous Lipizzaner stallions of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, introducing us to the men who worked tirelessly and with incredible dedication to protect and save these incredible animals, highlighting a previously-unknown facet of WW II. It's compiled from first-person accounts, archival material, books and monographs, and supplemented with detailed end notes for those who wish to learn more, or to trace the source.
Setting the stage in the 1936 Summer Olympics, she showed the German drive for supremacy (and even some cheating) which led to an increased obsession with eugenics and breeding the perfect German horse. This is where we meet two of the main characters: Gustav Rau and Alois Podhajsky. Later, we meet the Americans Colonel Hank Reed and Tom Stewart, and the German army vet Rudolf Lessing.
It's filled with fascinating facts, bringing in a short but relevant history of horse breeding as well as the use of horses in war, either as cavalry or within the army itself, but all carefully introduced within the story. War is so despicably wasteful, and this highlights how centuries of culture and heritage can be lost in just a couple of years. Indeed, the thought of the horses growing to recognize air raid sirens, the desperation of the staff trying to rescue Austria's national treasure while hampered by Nazi occupation and fearing the Russian troops, and the images of broodmares and foals walking for miles towards safety brought tears to my eyes at times. I didn't know that Poland used to be famous for its Arabians, and the thought that 80% of them perished during that time... heartbreaking.
Letts shows the years of patient training from men who devoted their entire lives to their horses, their heartbreak at being separated, and yet also how these horses brought together men and women from America, Czechoslovkia, Poland, Austria and Germany in an effort to save them.
The writing itself was somewhat dry in its factual presentation, each sentence patiently plodding away, but it did move steadily, including numerous photographs of both horses and men throughout, and kept my interest the whole time. It felt a lot longer than 384 pages should, though the epilogue and end notes took up about a quarter of the book.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Elizabeth Letts has deftly woven together a true story of the famous Lipizzaner stallions of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, introducing us to the men who worked tirelessly and with incredible dedication to protect and save these incredible animals, highlighting a previously-unknown facet of WW II. It's compiled from first-person accounts, archival material, books and monographs, and supplemented with detailed end notes for those who wish to learn more, or to trace the source.
Setting the stage in the 1936 Summer Olympics, she showed the German drive for supremacy (and even some cheating) which led to an increased obsession with eugenics and breeding the perfect German horse. This is where we meet two of the main characters: Gustav Rau and Alois Podhajsky. Later, we meet the Americans Colonel Hank Reed and Tom Stewart, and the German army vet Rudolf Lessing.
It's filled with fascinating facts, bringing in a short but relevant history of horse breeding as well as the use of horses in war, either as cavalry or within the army itself, but all carefully introduced within the story. War is so despicably wasteful, and this highlights how centuries of culture and heritage can be lost in just a couple of years. Indeed, the thought of the horses growing to recognize air raid sirens, the desperation of the staff trying to rescue Austria's national treasure while hampered by Nazi occupation and fearing the Russian troops, and the images of broodmares and foals walking for miles towards safety brought tears to my eyes at times. I didn't know that Poland used to be famous for its Arabians, and the thought that 80% of them perished during that time... heartbreaking.
Letts shows the years of patient training from men who devoted their entire lives to their horses, their heartbreak at being separated, and yet also how these horses brought together men and women from America, Czechoslovkia, Poland, Austria and Germany in an effort to save them.
The writing itself was somewhat dry in its factual presentation, each sentence patiently plodding away, but it did move steadily, including numerous photographs of both horses and men throughout, and kept my interest the whole time. It felt a lot longer than 384 pages should, though the epilogue and end notes took up about a quarter of the book.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 24, 2016
If you can picture a book which covers "two continents and more than eight decades", as author Elizabeth Letts puts it in her acknowledgements, you will begin to get an idea of how remarkable a story The Perfect Horse is.
Letts weaves an intricate tapestry which eloquently tells the story of how the American military manages to rescue priceless horses from imminent death at the end of World War II. These horses include the extraordinary, balletic Lipizzaner, the breathtakingly beautiful Arabians, and the powerful, stocky Russian horses. All would have died if this daring mission had not occurred. Why was this mission undertaken? No one really knows, but all the people who participated were dedicated to the horses. Possibly it was message of hope after all the horrors the world had been through.
A large and varied assortment of courageous men from Europe and the US fell into place, almost haphazardly, to accomplish this rescue. You will read about each of them in this book, and love them all. They manage to trick the Nazis into releasing these precious horses, which they had been hiding in order to breed them eugenically. What united these men on this mission? The answer to that one is easy. They all loved horses.
Each of these men is presented to the reader as a full character. The horses are beautifully depicted as well. When the author writes about them, the love she has for them is so powerful and passionate, yet so honest and true, the reader cannot help but understand what it is that drew her to such a massive undertaking. This chronicle of a barely known story which is a part of World War II, the most horrible war we have ever known, sends us messages from the past which restore our hope for the future. The redeeming actions powerfully illustrate the love of the horses which was evidenced by these allied men. From different countries they joined together on this mission to save these beautiful animals who could not speak for themselves. And save them they did. This is the most uplifting book about WWII I can possibly imagine. You don't have to be a horse lover or a War buff to be mesmerized by The Perfect Horse. You simply have to pick it up and read the first page. You will understand immediately.
Letts weaves an intricate tapestry which eloquently tells the story of how the American military manages to rescue priceless horses from imminent death at the end of World War II. These horses include the extraordinary, balletic Lipizzaner, the breathtakingly beautiful Arabians, and the powerful, stocky Russian horses. All would have died if this daring mission had not occurred. Why was this mission undertaken? No one really knows, but all the people who participated were dedicated to the horses. Possibly it was message of hope after all the horrors the world had been through.
A large and varied assortment of courageous men from Europe and the US fell into place, almost haphazardly, to accomplish this rescue. You will read about each of them in this book, and love them all. They manage to trick the Nazis into releasing these precious horses, which they had been hiding in order to breed them eugenically. What united these men on this mission? The answer to that one is easy. They all loved horses.
Each of these men is presented to the reader as a full character. The horses are beautifully depicted as well. When the author writes about them, the love she has for them is so powerful and passionate, yet so honest and true, the reader cannot help but understand what it is that drew her to such a massive undertaking. This chronicle of a barely known story which is a part of World War II, the most horrible war we have ever known, sends us messages from the past which restore our hope for the future. The redeeming actions powerfully illustrate the love of the horses which was evidenced by these allied men. From different countries they joined together on this mission to save these beautiful animals who could not speak for themselves. And save them they did. This is the most uplifting book about WWII I can possibly imagine. You don't have to be a horse lover or a War buff to be mesmerized by The Perfect Horse. You simply have to pick it up and read the first page. You will understand immediately.
February 24, 2017
An interesting story of WWII I didn't know much about including: The Nazi's stealing valuable thoroughbreds in their drive to develop the perfect horse. The difficult compromises and nerve wracking decisions the horse caretakers made to ensure these beautiful animals stayed safe. The fate of some of those horses transported to this country as they ceased to have value in a machine driven army. However the multi- focus, the shift of settings (Europe?USA), detailed characterizations of so many people detracted from my enjoyment. I liked
better, and gave that 4 and a half stars. I give this one three and a half.
better, and gave that 4 and a half stars. I give this one three and a half. 
March 13, 2017
I always love a good story about horses and enjoyed reading about how this special breed was saved from the devastating repercussions of the war but it was too long and too many unnecessary details that failed to make the plot or characters more interesting. It could have been almost half as long and still been a strong testament to the heroes involved.
October 20, 2016
Should have included Lipizzaner in the title or blurp to make the book sound more interesting. The cover photo would have been better with a picture of the riding school on it.
May 4, 2021
I mean, wow. Those men were incredible.
September 5, 2016
*I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I've always been interested in the history surrounding WWII and being a horse owner and lover increased my interest in this book. This was a piece of history that I hadn't ever heard much about and I wanted to know more.
While I enjoyed this, it wasn't quite as powerful as I had hoped. The focus was more on the people involved in the rescue than the horses, which was a bit of a surprise. I did like reading about them and there were some powerful moments, but I would liked more about the horses.
The style was somewhat disjointed to me. I felt it hopped from person to person and place to place too quickly at times, jumbling certain stories and events.
Overall I enjoyed learning about this historical event. I will definitely be looking into more of the history surrounding this rescue.
Full review to come on my blog.
I've always been interested in the history surrounding WWII and being a horse owner and lover increased my interest in this book. This was a piece of history that I hadn't ever heard much about and I wanted to know more.
While I enjoyed this, it wasn't quite as powerful as I had hoped. The focus was more on the people involved in the rescue than the horses, which was a bit of a surprise. I did like reading about them and there were some powerful moments, but I would liked more about the horses.
The style was somewhat disjointed to me. I felt it hopped from person to person and place to place too quickly at times, jumbling certain stories and events.
Overall I enjoyed learning about this historical event. I will definitely be looking into more of the history surrounding this rescue.
Full review to come on my blog.
May 4, 2018
This book was well researched and written. While it reads more like a history book then a novel, I found my self thoroughly drawn into the story from the beginning. Unlike some nonfiction books I have read in the past that are full of unimportant and useless facts, every story and fact in this book had a purpose a reason for being told. I was entirely fascinated by these horses and the men on both sides of the war the worked and sacrificed to protect them.
October 30, 2016
I won this read through Goodreads giveaway. I listened and read the book. The audio narration was very well done and I felt the story was very interesting.
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