Review: "None of us knows when we might meet the person [or animal] who will save our life."
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 28, 2012
I'm a sucker for animal stories, and I especially like stories about the underdog, that animal who shows that he's more than most people assume he is. I love all animals, but to me there is something very special about those animals who've been discounted, rejected or thrown away. You see a deep understanding and a different sort of affection and love in those eyes gazing back at you.In this true story, we meet Boyd Martin, a determined and out-going personality in his own right, and also an animal lover. He takes a chance on a horse no one seemed to want, a horse no one had any real patience or understanding for. This horse is said to be too difficult, maybe too scrappy. Kind of bold like Boyd himself, and you just know that these two strong-willed characters were meant to find each other. Boyd looks at this horse and sees the pure spirit there, all that strength and personality looking right back at him.Boyd buys the horse (renamed Neville) fairly on the cheap. After all, who wants him for anything good? But eventually, this "eight-hundred-and-fifty-dollar racetrack reject" becomes a winner on the international stage, with he and Boyd as part of the U.S. contingent at the Olympics this summer. And while that's impressive and a true underdog showing us just what he's made of, the real story here is that Neville is more than just a winner. He's a friend, a partner, and if you happen to be an animal lover, too, you know just what that means.It's really special this story of this man and this horse finding each other, seeing and trusting the best in each other. They end up helping each other through some very trying and devastating times. Even a tragic fire couldn't keep these two down for long. I have to admit this story had me tearing up towards the end. And just as it made me cry, it also made me smile. It's touching and uplifting, a story of courage, endurance and hope. A story of true friendship that goes both ways. One saving a life, the other saving a soul. The love of and for an animal can do amazing things when given the chance.