At some point in life there comes the time when the storm must become peace…Becoming a race horse is a grueling marathon training event. FROM RACE HORSE TO TRAIL HORSE AND PET is the non-fictional memoir of Billy, an ex thoroughbred race horse, who’s able to look back over a young but profound life and shares his deeply moving story!Retired from racing, Billy is exercised occasionally, but always groomed and fed… Until one day he’s not shod and soon develops abscesses on his feet. Angry at Billy’s condition, his caretaker called the vet. After all the changes that have happened at the farm, Billy worries as horses leave and his caretaker sinks deeper and deeper into melancholy. And this was only the beginning.Despite his caretaker's sadness and the disappearance of the other horses, she cares lovingly for Billy. The day she takes him to a new home, he’s surprised but very pleased — He was moved to a green and grassy place, with good hay to eat and a lake with cool, refreshing water! Although he’s the only thoroughbred race horse in the huge paddock, the other horses, albeit somewhat shy, are healthy, well-groomed and friendly. To his surprise, Billy finds out he first must learn to be like a natural horse — something he’s never been taught. He’d been trained to run and win. This is a new race in which no one runs and everyone can win!In this heartwarming and candid expose, we’re invited into the world of a thoroughbred race horse, never realizing the trials and triumphs that make this horse and caretaker a cut above all others! This enthralling book is filled with gorgeous photos that say what words never can. Get your copy of FROM RACE HORSE TO TRAIL HORSE AND PET and discover the exciting and precarious life of a champion thoroughbred whose only goal is to fit in… Just to be a natural horse! **** 4 StarReview by April Gilly for Readers' FavoriteRead full review here:readersfavorite.com/book-review/50979 From Race Horse to Trail Horse and Pet by Marion N. Seidel is relatively well written and the author has great imagery and puts the pictures of Billy in the right spots to help you picture what Billy is describing. I smiled and laughed at Billy's accomplishments and wanted to cry when Billy told of the pain he was in. This book is written from the horse's perspective. Billy's story is true and a real account of our experiences together during the time of his transformation of becoming just a trail horse and pet. FROM RACE HORSE TO TRAIL HORSE AND PET is an exciting foray into the world of thoroughbred horse racing after the racing career has ended. This riveting story inspires awe and admiration for the endurance, grace and speed of these sought after horses. Through the memoir of Billy, an ex race horse, we experience the moving story of a horse put out to pasture. But, thanks to Billy's resilience and the compassionate new owner who found him, the story doesn't end there! Billy shows signs of stress and illness after his new owner passes away and through the disbanding of the farm on which he lives. Discovering Billy's condition, his caretaker, with the approval of the deceased owner's daughters, takes charge and relocates him to another farm and a new future. This is the beginning of an enriched life and a deepening friendship between Billy and his caretaker. As he learns to be a "natural" horse, acquiring new skills and a new perspective on winning, Billy also learns that life, with all its ups and downs, can have the most wonderful, unexpected rewards we can ever imagine! Beautifully written and filled with such candid transparency, FROM RACE HORSE TO TRAIL HORSE AND PET is destined to become a keeper. As Marion N. Seidel captures our soul and our senses with gorgeous photos and flawless imagery, her loving tribute to Billy becomes a literary tapestry woven with a magical story that touches and transforms our hearts forever! Marion N. Seidel's equestrian journey has traversed two continents and spanned nearly four decades.Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, her love of horses drew her to the race track and as a teenager, Marion became an apprentice jockey. For sixteen years she poured all of her love and passion for the majestic animals and racing into her work. In 1992, Marion made a move to Florida and continued working in the field as an exercise rider. It was then that she was presented with a stark contrast of ideology between her home in Germany and of Europe as a whole, and how the Thoroughbred Horse Racing industry was run and operated in the United States.She was confronted with an astounding amount of performance enhancing medication administered to the animals, as well as drug use, and abuse forced upon them. Training methods that were taboo in Europe were commonplace in the U.S., and Marion became disenfranchised with the entire structure of the industry. In 1995, she made the decision to step away from the sport and from the animals she loved because she couldn't reconcile what she saw as