NEW BOOKS
If you are a woman who loves horses, if you love a woman who loves horses, if you are the parent of a girl or the child of a woman who loves horses—this is for you. Karin Winegar does the deepest dive yet into the nature of horse craziness, that incurable attraction and joy so many of us feel in the presence of horses.
Why are girls and women so very often horse lovers? Who are we, this subset of female humans: risk takers, romantics, independents, all this or something else?
Horse Lovers untangles the roots of female horse craziness, sizes it up, assesses its causes and effects. This book explores in depth who we are and why we feel and do what we do. It is a trail of exaltations, adventures and inquiries. It is about a colorful worldwide culture, about vivid lives and about a unique form of love.
Horse Lovers is available now!
Reader reactions:
"Winegar's experience as a lifelong equestrian and her eloquence in storytelling come together in this beautifully-written exploration of the deep bond between women and horses. As a lifelong horse lover, she blends vivid personal anecdotes with her passion to unravel the cultural and psychological reasons behind this connection. Her style captures the essence of many horse loving women she knows, admires, rides alongside and shares her passion with.Beyond her personal stories, she delves into others enduring fascination all while exploring the joys and occasionally less than joyful lifetimes of loving horses.Whether you're a seasoned rider or simply curious about the magic of horses, Horse Lovers is an inspiring and heartfelt exploration and celebration of a bond like no other---a must read for anyone who cherishes these majestic friends of ours."
Michelle N.
"Finished the book. It was delightful--well written and thoughtful and avoided facile conclusions. "
Carol F.
"The book is beautifully written!...The introduction alone draws the reader in. Laughing out loud at many passages and tearing up also.
I'm on my second read through and absolutely love the book."
Liv H.
“If you appreciate writing as a craft. If you've felt lured by horses. Or if you like a deep dive into the whys. For those reasons and more, you may find yourself, as I did, savoring every word and image in Karin Winegar's latest book, Horse Lovers. Karin came into this world with a love and longing for horses. It seems those feelings predated speech and an ability to walk. This book explores our human (pervasively female) fascination with horses. A terrific read. Sumptuous writing. Vivid storytelling. And journalistic scrutiny. Loved it!”
James K., farrier
"Regardless of sport, Karin’s story exemplifies the joys and struggles of passionate women who follow their dreams. It is brilliant and tightly written where every word, every comma, every quote counts!"
Barbara R.
"I sat down and read it last night in one sitting and didn't go to bed a little before midnight, I read the whole thing in one sitting and absolutely love it. You did such a great job. I will be ordering more books for more friends cause I think everybody needs to read this."
Jane S.
"If you know a horsewoman, are married to one, have a woman in your life who rides, have a sister or a daughter who rides, or have a friend who's horse crazy, BUY THIS BOOK for them! It's a great read! HORSE LOVERS, Unpacking the Female Fascination by Karin Winegar, is a non-fictional account of Karin's early obsession with horses and her witty and intelligent life-long love affair with horses, riding and writing. The book cover is illustrated by Donna Howell-Sickles. I loved reading the book, know many of the characters in ink and know first hand about Karin's passion for the sport and enjoyed her narration."
William E.
"Few people write better than Karin does, but she's also called out the heart of the issue--of the love that we crave to give and receive with horses. It's flashed me back on the wonderful aspects of our childhood.I spent this morning in my pajamas, reading the first 35 pages of the book and cried three times. The writing is of course perfection. It's a book so full of heart and perfect sentences that I want to give it to everyone."
Gayle W.
"I specially loved 'Following a Cloud' and 'All the Fun of War' chapters -- to write fear is so much a part of passion and you embrace it so well within moments in each chapter."
Barbara R.
"At times, this writing seems like poetry."
Stan S.
Horse Lovers is featured on “Amazon Hot New Releases” this week!
Pioneer Press review by Mary Ann Grossmann (April 13, 2025):
“Although I know about climate chaos and political apocalypse, and although I woke up feeling creaky and unloved, for now, I feel all is well… All is well as his unshod hooves crush the frozen, short-shorn alfalfa. All is well as we slip into the woods where deer flash among the birches, where woodpeckers dart and bob and a pair of eagles abide. All is well as we follow the side-by-side prints of a pair of coyotes in a rime of new snow. … Millions of other girls are born this way, and because it never stops, for a while, any while, in the company of horses, for us all is truly well. — from “Horse Lovers”
What is it about horses that keeps girls mucking out barns in dirty clothes, grown women spending money on saddles and equipment they sometimes can’t afford?
After three decades of riding adventures, Karin Winegar tried to get answers to this puzzle as she rode with the top horsewomen in the United States and the United Kingdom. She rode and talked horses in Virginia horse country and in the American West. She talked to carriage drivers and women who did 100-mile endurance races.
Winegar, a former Star Tribune writer, has loved horses since her childhood in Albert Lea when she “rode” her dad’s back and rode bareback on her pony, Molly. She and other “horse girls” were a close community as they did stable work and cared for their horses. She even took her horse with her to Carleton College in Northfield.
“What was the sensation I felt most often then?” she writes of riding. “Aliveness.”
When Winegar was earning her own money, she formed that horse-woman bond with Gabe, her gray Arabian “heart horse.”
Unlike some women, who ride only their own horse in the same place all the time, Winegar was willing to ride any mount she was given during her adventures. Closer to home, she drove carriages in downtown St. Paul, taking kids to proms and others for rides in cold weather.
One of the most elusive parts of Winegar’s quest for information is how males differ from females when it comes to horses. She writes of seeing a change in men when she was about 16, as they looked at her in a different way. Is it that men want power over horses while women listen to the animal?
Written beautifully (as you’d expect from an award-winning journalist), “Horse Lovers” includes chapters about horses in film and books, the heartbreak of losing your “heart horse,” women who give what money they can to stop the killing of wild horses and to rescue good horses sent to kill pens because nobody wants them. (This is a hard but important chapter to read.)
Among the horsewomen Winegar interviewed (often while riding together) are Pulitzer Prize winner Maxine Kumin; author and civil rights activist Rita Mae Brown; Minnesota Jungian analyst and psychologist Mary Lynn Kittelson; author and PBS documentary film maker Ginger Kathrens; and Carole Federighi, lawyer and endurance rider.
In the end, Winegar has no definitive answer to why there is a strong and fascinating bond between women and their horses. But a reader who is unfamiliar with the world of riding may simply say it is inherent love.
If you are a horse girl or even if you have never been near a Thoroughbred, you will enjoy this meditation on some women’s passion written by someone who lives it.
Winegar, who has won awards for investigative and maritime writing, will launch her book at 7 p.m. April 23 at Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls., in conversation with fellow horse-lover Sarah T. Williams, former Star Tribune books editor.
Free; registration at magersandquinn.com.”