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Last Chance Mustang: The Story of One Horse, One Horseman, and One Final Shot at Redemption
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Last Chance Mustang is the story of Samson, a formerly free-roaming, still wild-at-heart American mustang that was plucked from his mountainous Nevada home and thrown into the domestic horse world where he was brutalized and victimized. After years of abuse, Samson had evolved into a hateful and hated, maladjusted beast until the day he found his way to a rural Illinois fa
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Start your review of Last Chance Mustang: The Story of One Horse, One Horseman, and One Final Shot at Redemption
I enjoyed the story about the horse more than I did the story about the man. Maybe it was the audio narrator or maybe it was much more than that. Samson, the horse, had a hard life and needed to be domesticated. This story mentioned wild mustangs and the abuse of these animals, and I feel it needed to be told, but I had a hard time with the trainer. This didn't seem to be well written or maybe the editor needed a stronger hand...I don't know, but it didn't work for me. There was a lot of anthrop
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I bought the Kindle version and read it in 3 days. I throughly enjoyed the book, well written. The book not only gave excellent insight to why horses act the way they do, but also how harmful the BLM is to Mustangs. I was but a young girl in the early 70's and was so thrilled to hear about how the BLM was going to "protect" the Mustangs. Boy were we fooled. Unfortunately there are a lot of abusive horse owners in the world, most I believe are due to pure ignorance. This book will educate as well
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This book was very touching. I never expected it to make me laugh and sob. The author does a beautiful job describing the special relationship between himself and Samson the very deeply troubled horse. I also learned a lot about the "American Wild West" through this book. Chapter 7 detailed the horrendous ways Mustangs were (and probably still are) treated during capture. I lost sleep after reading that chapter. Overall, this was a very moving book and anyone who appreciates animals and the rela
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This is a must read for horse lovers in America. This non-fiction story is written by an experienced horse trainer dealing with a last chance Mustang and the history of wild horses across the country. He gives an eye opening and fact filled history of many of these wild horses that many of us have not heard about.
Having been an amateur horse-trainer many decades ago, I truly enjoyed this book that I received through Goodreads Giveaways.
I admire Mitchell Bornstein for becoming involved with an abused horse like Samson. I think if I had been Amy I would have decided to let Samson live the way nature intended, though in a much smaller, restricted range. This is not a "how-to" book, but an interesting blend of a unique inter-species relationship and history of the mustang.
Having experienced the same sort of ...more
I admire Mitchell Bornstein for becoming involved with an abused horse like Samson. I think if I had been Amy I would have decided to let Samson live the way nature intended, though in a much smaller, restricted range. This is not a "how-to" book, but an interesting blend of a unique inter-species relationship and history of the mustang.
Having experienced the same sort of ...more
I just finished my arc of this book and it was very inspiring. It took me to a world that I know very little about. What a great book and author. The compassion for Samsom shows what a truly wonderful person Mitchell Bornstein is. Samsom was very lucky to have Mr. Bornstein as a trainer.
Fascinating account of Mr. Bornstein's attempt to train (and his partial success - Samson will always be partly wild) a formerly wild, abused Mustang stallion named Samson. Interspersed with episodes of Samson's training are accounts of the catastrophic failures of the BLM, or the Bureau of Land Management, to manage the herds of wild Mustangs in the prairies of the Midwest and West. Mr. Bornstein repeats over and over that Samson could easily have been one of the horses killed cruelly and inhum
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I won this book on Goodreads
Last Chance Mustang is a great book! I throughly enjoyed this book and will read it again in the very near future. If you are an animal lover this book is definetly a must read. Samson's story is both tragic and triumphant! A horse that saw the very worst of people and the best of a great man who knew he was worth saving. Samson never lost his great spirit of freedom and pride even through all the abuse he suffered. Samson story is inspiring. Mitchell Bornstein has do ...more
Last Chance Mustang is a great book! I throughly enjoyed this book and will read it again in the very near future. If you are an animal lover this book is definetly a must read. Samson's story is both tragic and triumphant! A horse that saw the very worst of people and the best of a great man who knew he was worth saving. Samson never lost his great spirit of freedom and pride even through all the abuse he suffered. Samson story is inspiring. Mitchell Bornstein has do ...more
Not only is this the story of one beaten-but-not-broken Mustang, it is the story of the beaten-but-not-broken Spirit of the West. It is a story of Samson and it is a story of his wild cousins, past and present, on the open rangelands, both facing uphill battles for their right to survival. As we follow Samson's journey we also follow the history of the horse in North America, the good, the bad, and the downright heartbreaking. While the plight of the Mustang is still happening, Samson, at least,
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In truth, one third of the book is redundant. Bornstein would constantly repeat what he wrote page after page after page. What the book needed was a good editor, because the story is lovely. As it is, I'm not sure it's worth the time.
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I'm giving this book five stars on the understanding that it's not for children.
Mitch met an adopted mustang, recently gelded at the age of twelve, called Samson. His owner Amy who ran a de facto animal sanctuary had been the violent - because much abused - horse's last hope. The book tells of how Mitch, who had managed to reclaim other stressed and difficult horses, decided he had to work with the mustang and save him. Every step took a long time and Mitch gradually worked out the sources of s ...more
Mitch met an adopted mustang, recently gelded at the age of twelve, called Samson. His owner Amy who ran a de facto animal sanctuary had been the violent - because much abused - horse's last hope. The book tells of how Mitch, who had managed to reclaim other stressed and difficult horses, decided he had to work with the mustang and save him. Every step took a long time and Mitch gradually worked out the sources of s ...more
I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program in the hopes that I would then post an honest review.
When I was younger, I went through a horse literature phase, reading Black Beauty, all of Marguerite Henry's Chincoteague books, and several (if not all) of the books in the Saddle Club series. I was kind of excited to briefly return to that obsession of my childhood. Last Chance Mustang did not provide a story similar to those from my childhood. It's a lot more ...more
When I was younger, I went through a horse literature phase, reading Black Beauty, all of Marguerite Henry's Chincoteague books, and several (if not all) of the books in the Saddle Club series. I was kind of excited to briefly return to that obsession of my childhood. Last Chance Mustang did not provide a story similar to those from my childhood. It's a lot more ...more
JUST GOT DONE READING THIS BOOK CALLED LAST CHANCE MUSTANG:THE STORY OF ONE HORSE,ONE HORSEMAN, AND ONE FINAL SHOT AT REDEMPTION.I GOT THIS BOOK FROM GOODREADS FRIST READ.THIS BOOK WAS VERY TOUCHING I NEVER EXPECTED IT TO MAKE ME LAUGH AND CRY. I ALSO LEARNED ALOT ABOUT THE AMERICAN WILD WEST FOM THIS BOOK. THIS A MUST READ BOOK FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVES HORSES. IT TOOK ME TO A WORLD THAT I KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT. THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO PUT IT DOWN I HAD TO KEEP READING IT TO SEE
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This is a great book! It's an interesting mix of history, story, and training guide. I believe all equestrians should read, but any non equestrians may find some of it boring and/or can't understand everything. I learned a lot from the history and the training. I even used some of the training advise with my own horse! It will be one of my favorite books for a long time to come. I loved the quotes at the beginning of every chapter.
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This was a solid 4.75 and Jennifer, Nancy and Kathy's ratings were all spot on and better than I could have done! Again, not typically my cup of tea but I really enjoyed it. Great job!! I won this great book on GoodReads and like I do with most my wins I will be paying it forward by giving my win either to a friend or library to enjoy.
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Thank you good reads for letting me win this wonderful book. It was truly a story that touched your heart.
i really loved this book so very well written
Do you like horses, or reading about them? Well if you do, or even if you don't, I recommend “Last Chance Mustang” by Mitchell Bornstein. This animal nonfiction book follows Samson, a wild mustang that was was chased and caught and brought from beautiful Nevada home surrounded by the horses that he grew up with. He was brutalized and severely abused for years until he found his home at a rural Illinois farm which was his last chance. Mitchell Bornstein’s job was to tame the “violent beast” and b
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This was another road trip audio book. There were things I really liked and things I didn't like, but overall it was an okay horse story.
What I did like:
*There was a lot of solid training information in there. This was the first time I really understood how someone teaches a horse to yield to pressure.
*The relationship between the author and Samson was pretty endearing. All trainers have had the problem animals suck them in at least a few times. But neither of them quit on the other one.
What I ...more
What I did like:
*There was a lot of solid training information in there. This was the first time I really understood how someone teaches a horse to yield to pressure.
*The relationship between the author and Samson was pretty endearing. All trainers have had the problem animals suck them in at least a few times. But neither of them quit on the other one.
What I ...more
I "really liked it" all while I felt that the book could have been just as enjoyable and instructive at two-thirds the length. The author tended to elaborate on and on with much metaphor and simile, way past the point that, for me, separates illumination from the melodramatic. I also at times wearied of the parallel story of the historical plight of the wild Mustang horse, but I did come away with an increased awareness of the need to remain vigilant about how the BLM handles its charge to care
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This book was, for me, a disappointment. It is the story of training an abused Mustang, interspersed with the story of the Mustang in the American West. However, the parts about training the Mustang, Samson, seemed like an excuse for the author and trainer, Bornstein, to build his ego and prove what a good trainer he is. I don’t doubt that he’s a good trainer, but if he wanted to write an instruction manual on training Mustangs/difficult horses he could have done that instead of writing this boo
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There was an over dramatization of Samson's abuse. We get it, you don't have to remind me every 3 pages how he was brutalized/mistreated/punished. I understand it was an important part of the book but it was just a little too juvenile how the author constantly reminded the reader. I also have zero sympathy for the author having little or no control over Samson's circumstances since he didn't own the horse or accept him as a gift. He could have potentially owned him but boarded him at Amy's farm
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Jan 01, 2018
Jeri
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
horse-books,
nonfiction
Samson, a wild American Mustang, was taken from his mountainous Nevada home and thrust into the domestic horse world where he suffered years of abuse. He ends up on an Illinois farm with a well-meaning owner who does not have the skills or experience to help him. Mitch Bornstein is contacted to work with Samson and give him one last chance. Although Mitch has years of experience working with challenging horses, Samson will push the boundaries of Mitch's knowledge, experience and heart. Woven int
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An Extraordinary Tale
Picking this book out of a list of books that were offered lived up to its advertising as something different. The author must posses an almost Divine insight and patience. The essence of Samson came through his writing. His attributes and character were revealed through his training and behavior.
I knew a little about the Mustangs and their treatment, but I had no idea of the viciousness that was directed their way. And how consistent and current it is. The details of that h ...more
Picking this book out of a list of books that were offered lived up to its advertising as something different. The author must posses an almost Divine insight and patience. The essence of Samson came through his writing. His attributes and character were revealed through his training and behavior.
I knew a little about the Mustangs and their treatment, but I had no idea of the viciousness that was directed their way. And how consistent and current it is. The details of that h ...more
Being a horse lover and someone who thinks the Wild horses of the West are being badly mistreated due to Government greed, this book really SPOKE to me.
The author records his adventures and misadventures in training a Wild mustang named Samson who has been abused by the BLM and several previous owners who had no idea how to train a Mustang (or any horse) the correct way.
Throughout the story the author digresses to give the story of the Wild mustangs who are being hunted down by the BLM, the nu ...more
The author records his adventures and misadventures in training a Wild mustang named Samson who has been abused by the BLM and several previous owners who had no idea how to train a Mustang (or any horse) the correct way.
Throughout the story the author digresses to give the story of the Wild mustangs who are being hunted down by the BLM, the nu ...more
This was a book about saving a wild mustang, Samson. And the man who trained him. I loved his style. It was also a pretty through history of the wild horses. It also covers quite a bit of the nastiest of the BLM(Bureau of Land Management). And how they blamed wild horses to overgrazing of the land. It went into detail of how these animals died because of this horrible mislabeling of the BLM. I felt a lot of anger because of what was done. These horses are a national treasure. So truly this is mo
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Being a “horsey” person, I quite enjoyed this book.
It brought a mix of different things: story of a horse, history of the mustang, story of a man and his self reflection, history of the BML program, Amy’s story and all her animals as well as subtle training tips and many personalities within humans and pets.
It brought a mix of different things: story of a horse, history of the mustang, story of a man and his self reflection, history of the BML program, Amy’s story and all her animals as well as subtle training tips and many personalities within humans and pets.
Amazing book about an amazing relationship between a traumatized, horribly abused mustang and the man who eventually taught him about friendship, trust, and peace. Samson, the horse, also had mu h to teach. I also really appreciated that the author (Samson’s friend) interspersed with their story the history of the mustang. This book will make you sob, laugh, angry and grateful.
Took me a bit to get this one read- but I enjoyed the story being told with the historical struggle of the Mustang intertwined- a story of real partnership between human and horse, and the on going struggle to preserve a living legend.
I loved this story.
Mitche!l has my forever admiration. I could not have made this happen . I own an OTm.mmmTB and I needed a trainers help to best of him going in a wonderful directin. He is amazing.
Thank God for men like Mitchell. I wish I could speak with
Mitche!l has my forever admiration. I could not have made this happen . I own an OTm.mmmTB and I needed a trainers help to best of him going in a wonderful directin. He is amazing.
Thank God for men like Mitchell. I wish I could speak with
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At the age of seven, Mitchell Bornstein jumped atop his first horse, and in the thirty-eight years since, he has pursued his life’s dream of working with damaged, abused, and difficult horses. College, law school, and nineteen years as a practicing attorney have not stood in the way as Mitchell has followed his passion and one true calling: to save the horses that no one else will.
From Illinois t ...more
From Illinois t ...more
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