This book ripped my guts up a little. I caught myself sniveling several times in public reading it. I am a huge horse lover and reading the stories of the attempts......and fails.....to save all of the horses was heart-wrenching. There are many chapters in this book where the goal is to let you learn about the horses themselves and they succeed in this very well.
I so admire the Retzlaffs for never giving up and continuing to save these horses over and over as the animal's owners were chased off their land and forced to flee for their own safety.
At the end of their time in Zimbabwe, they basically were a homeless tribe of humans and animals, trying to find their way over the border and to safety. Once safe though, they still had to provide for the animals.......and themselves. Not as easy a prospect as hoped.
Great story for any animal lover.
I've included a link for their Horse Safari they now own in Mozambique. You can see photos of the family and also some of the horses in this book.
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One Hundred and Four Horses
A Memoir of Farm and Family, Africa and Exile
Author: Mandy Retzlaff
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication: October 2013
Book Description
“A letter is handed to you. In broken English, it tells you that you must now vacate your farm; that this is no longer your home, for it now belongs to the crowd on your doorstep. Then the drums begin to beat.”
As the land invasions gather pace, the Retzlaffs begin an epic journey across Zimbabwe, facing eviction after eviction, trying to save the group of animals with whom they feel a deep and enduring bond – the horses.
When their neighbours flee to New Zealand, the Retzlaffs promise to look after their horses, and making similar promises to other farmers along their journey, not knowing whether they will be able to feed or save them, they amass an astonishing herd of over 300 animals. But the final journey to freedom will be arduous, and they can take only 104.
Each with a different personality and story, it is not just the family who rescue the horses, but the horses who rescue the family. Grey, the silver gelding: the leader. Brutus, the untamed colt. Princess, the temperamental mare.
104 Horses is the story of an idyllic existence that falls apart at the seams, and a story of incredible bonds – a love of the land, the strength of a family, and of the connection between man and the most majestic of animals, the horse.
Go to Mandy's Website Here. Mozambique Horse Safari