God has blessed me in so many ways, but I think that His gift of horses has to be the best part of life this side of heaven. I have been looking at the world framed in a set of horse ears since 1958
-Madison Seamans MS DVM: Never Trust a Sneaky Pony
I have been getting into the groove lately of reading more regularly. Downtime always seems to be a limited resource but I have been getting better at prioritizing it. Between showtimes, before bed instead of scrolling TikTok, on rainy days, and on nice days out in the field with my horses. It helps when you have great books to read!
Today’s read is called Never Trust a Sneaky Pony by Dr. Madison Seamans MS DVM. This book was published by Trafalgar Square Books in 2022. I finally picked it up and read the first chapter, Dr Seamans did the rest.
You get get your copy directly here at Trafalgar Square books!
I am enamored by this book. The wit and humor combine with real life and education most splendidly. In Never Trust a Sneaky Pony Dr Seamans recounts stories from his life as a veterinarian. The good, the bad, the ugly, and the funny. The stories educate us, readers, about different medical cases, the presentations, the symptoms, diagnostics, and the resolutions. It gives us a look into the veterinary world and what our vets likely see on a day-to-day basis. It also gives us a perspective into the characters vets must deal with daily.
Merriam-Webster defines “soliloquy” as “the act of talking as if alone; a literary vehicle used by Shakespeare…” And, I would add, veterinarians. It surely seemed like I was talking to myself!
―Madison Seamans, MS DVM: Never Trust a Sneaky Pony
Never Trust a Sneaky Pony is divided into 9 main Chapters, which are further broken down into several smaller parts. The chapters organize the stories into categories. Vet School, Horse Feet, and Foals to name a few.
Having been around horses for a few decades, I am quite familiar with some of the maladies Dr Seamans describes, but I also found myself learning a lot. By no means if the learning dry, either. The wit and humor put into the stories make education secondary to the stories. It’s clear that he loves his vocation and he loves horses.
I did not say “I think I know…” but I thought it loud enough to hear
-Madison Seamans, MS DVM: Never Trust a Sneaky Pony
Throughout the book you also find sketches. Not only is Dr Seamans a talented veterinarian and wordsmith, but he is also a talented artist as the sketches are all his own work.
The right thing is not often the easy thing, but kindness is never wrong.
-Madison Seamons, MS DVM: Never Trust a Sneaky Pony
I wish I could share with you more passages, a full story, heck…the full book with you. I have been having a hard time even coming up with my favorite story. I could tell you about the horse van hauler with a deceased horse, the belligerent cow, Buddy…he has a few golden stories of his own throughout the book, the horse with unknown owners.
Not all stories in this book have happy endings, after all these are real life…I was particularly haunted by the story for which the book was named.
The book gives you a look into the crazy personalities of humans…and the lack of humanity, common sense, or basic logic some possess. Dr. Seamans is so tactful about the human components…owing to his success as a veterinarian and his ability to work with people of all types (bless him because I sure couldn’t!).
Final Word:
For the last forty-five years or some I have spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out how a horse thinks. There are some fairly consistent concepts: They do not like change, windy days, or the smell of pigs. But the only thing about horse behavior that remains a surety is that the “fairly consistent concepts” are subject to change.
-Madison Seamans, MS DVM: Never Trust a Sneaky Pony
Never Trust a Sneaky Pony is an incredible read for just about anyone. The quick wit and wordplay presented here are simply genius. The stories are incredibly entertaining, educational, and not too long. The stories are written in such a way you can “hear” them being told. I’ve never heard Dr. Seamans voice but I could hear it as if we were telling stories over coffee (or cocktails). Sometimes the story goes off on a tangent, making you wonder where it’s going, and suddenly it all comes full circle and it all makes sense.
Despite the content being medical in nature, there is nothing too graphic, nothing overly disturbing, and the medical jargon is described in a way that anyone can understand.
This may be among my top-ranking books. I really really loved reading it. I was excited to read it. I often laughed out loud and had to read sections of it to my very non-horsey boyfriend…who also laughed out loud. Add this to your collection!
One more ultrasound exam would have cost her about fifty dollars. Instead, she took a week of work, drove twelve hundred miles to Colorado-twice-to deliver and retrieve her mare, paid for ninety days board, and eventually, another vet exam anyway to determin the mare was pregnant all along.
With that exercise in economics, I’m sure she has a promising future in politics.
-Madison Seamans, MS DVM: Never Trust a Sneaky Pony
I also want to add that I buy most of my horse books from Trafalgar Square Books. I’m excited to say that I am an affiliate with the publisher, and so proud to be. Trafalgar Square embodies the spirit of horse people…. they ARE horse people. The operation is based in an old barn in Vermont and run by only a few people…people you can talk to and meet in person at events. It’s not a big corporate conglomerate, and for that I am grateful. This happens to be one of such books. You can find your copy through my affiliate link here, it’ll let TSB know I sent you!
Never Trust a Sneaky Pony And Other Things They Didn’t Teach Me in Vet School Madison Seamans MS DVM
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