Book Review: Stable Relation by Anna Blake.

I have read Anna Blakes’ poetry and have enjoyed it very much. I have previously reviewed her poetry books Horse Prayers and Horse Woman. But Stable Relation is the first time I have read her autobiogaphical prose. And I have to say I relished reading this book. Anna Blake is a very accomplished horse person but she does not inflate her reputation whatsoever! She is completely honest in what she writes. Here is what she says about this content of this book.

” When most women go through a midlife crisis they start a diet, get plastic surgery or start an affair. My life went to the dogs, …and horses… and llamas and did I mention happy hour with the goats?”

Anna Blake moved from the city out to a delapidated farm house on the Colorado prairie. She does not mince her words about how difficult this was. As I read her accounts of trying to find workers to do various jobs on the farm I smiled at her descriptions of some of them and felt sympathy for her when others just were not up to working at all.

Anna also took us though a vicious snowstorm that was so well described that I could almost feel the arctic temperatures and feel the relentlessly blowing snow. Her main concern was getting through the snow to feed her animals. She knew she could not fall down into the snow or she would perish in those conditions.

Anna Blake is a lover of horses and here is a quote that resonated with me.

“Most horse do echo their riders’ thoughts and emotions. Part of learning to be a good rider is having a positive control over your own emotions. Horses reflect our hearts as clearly as a reflection in a mirror.“

Anna is so honest about how she struggles to adapt to living on an isolated farm property. Each chapter introduces us to a new topic: how she found a new llama, a paticular dog and his personaltity, the birds she took to watching on her pond. Also she tells us about her difficult childhood and how it has made her who she is today.

Anna Blake is a pioneer woman and a woman of courage and compassiojn. I highly recommend this book for anyone to read. You don’t need to be a horse person to enjoy it.