Horse Tales

Idaho author Heather Smith Thomas's book, Horse Tales: True Stories from an Idaho Ranch, is a collection of 22 non-fiction stories about the horses that helped define Thomas's life in the ranch country near Salmon, Idaho. She grew up with horses and has been raising and training them for more than 60 years-and still uses horses to do cattle work on the ranch.

"This book is about the horses in my life," Thomas writes in the preface to Horse Tales. "They all had very different personalities and each one taught me a lot-not just about horses and riding, but about life and responsibility, patience, respect and trust, consistency and perseverance."

Thomas is the author of 25 books and countless articles on horsemanship, stockmanship and animal health care. In the tradition of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small, Thomas centers each story in Horse Tales on her experiences with a specific animal, and is infused with lessons on life, family and stockmanship. Together, the stories comprise a beautiful memoir about a remarkable life with horses, and offer a unique glimpse into ranch life in rural Idaho. Horse Tales is the first book in her trilogy that includes Cow Tales and Ranch Tales.