A Sunday Horse: Inside the Grand Prix Show Jumping Circuit
Editorial Reviews
Publisher's Weekly, January 26, 2004
"...reveals the world of the riders, trainers, owners, horses, judges and personalities of the horse show circuit."
Review
"She peppers the book with descriptive details and asides, and includes local celebrities and the horsey social set as well as the hard-ridding competitors. The book also features photos of the circuit's biggest past and current names....Moon takes readers on a ride along the circuit, beginning near Palm Beach, Fla. at 'Welly World' and finishing right here at the Washington International."
The Equiery (magazine), December 2004
"...a combination of serious sports reporting, social commentary and celebrity observation, distinguished by Moon's sometimes tart writing style."
Chauncey Mabe, South Florida Sun Sentinel, April 17, 2005
"In her book 'A Sunday Horse: Inside the Grand Prix Show Jumping Circuit,' Vicky Moon offers a grand tour of the people and places that make up the Grand Prix Show Jumping Circuit. The reader is treated to the sights and sounds of races in Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia and California, and given an insider's view of the horses, people and personalities that populate the sport....'A Sunday Horse' is full of amusing stories about celebrities and horse aficionados. Moon shifts from personality to personality with the talent of a certified people watcher....There is a comprehensive list of resources for horse lovers at the back of the book. Equestrians and celebrity watchers alike will enjoy this romp through the Grand Prix Show Jumping Circuit."
Ellen Birkett Morris, Kentucky Monthly, September 2004
"'A Sunday Horse' by Vicky Moon is a fascinating tour through the world of the 'horsey set.' The people, the mores, the ambitions, even the crimes, are all presented in a light-hearted, gossipy format that often provides more information than expected. In many ways, the book provides a study of a side of equestrian competition often overlooked by mainstream authors....The equestrian world, as told through Moon's eyes, is a marvel of fancy-dress balls, charity events, undocumented aliens, Pilates clinics for riders, sports hypnotists, and a myriad of movers and shakers. It is a Cinderella environment dominated not so much by the rich and famous, as by their daughters....Moon, an accomplished equestrian herself, gives the reader a backstage look at this world....The book includes tidbits about dozens of major and minor characters from aristocratic millionaires to undocumented workers, all of whom play key roles. Moon is democratic. She can lavish attention on people who spend thousands to fly horses across the country as well as those who clean up after the horses....And Moon has lots of time to for all of the interesting scandals that the equestrian world just loves to talk about.
It is the love of horses that counts for Moon, and her book deals with those who take care of them....Some of them are scoundrels, others are doting parents. They are all colorful and are chronicled by Moon in loving fashion. If you love this world, A Sunday Horse is a book you will not want to miss."
Leonard Wechsler, Florida Horseman, February/ March 2004
"'A Sunday Horse' by Vicky Moon, Middleburg's professional tell-all tattler, focuses on Grand Prix jumping....A Sunday Horse takes readers behind the scenes in the fascinating world of life on the jumper circuit. From stables to show ring, the big-buck business of clearing huge, painted fences provides thrills and spills for everyone involved....Moon's easy-to-read prose reminds us of a neighbor who drops in for a quick cuppa and then knocks our socks off with all the latest goodies off the gossip grapevine. We read eagerly and we are rarely disappointed in her tales of people bitten by the jumper bug, hypnotherapists for riders, massage for horse & rider, salesmen specializing in carrots, sex offenders, and high-and-mighty financial tycoons with pretty horse-crazy daughters."
Lauren Giannini, In & Around Horse Country, April/ May 2004
"Over 14 million Americans over the age of 12 ride horses regularly and approximately 88 million Americans attended sanctioned horse-related events last year, including the children of celebrities like Bruce Springsteen, Johnnie Cochran, and Joan Lunden. The U.S. National Horse Show and Grand Prix jumping circuit is one of the most popular and technically demanding string of competitions in the American horse world.
In her new book, Vicky Moon, an accomplished equestrienne and author, reveals the behind-the-scenes stories on the Grand Prix circuit and introduces you to the unique characters who live in this world."
Equine Journal, May 2004
"The book has been well-received in horse circles and features some delightful stories weaved with some great historic research and behind the scenes stories of the National Horse Show and Grand Prix jumping Circuit. She covers it all from riders and trainers to the scandals of killing horses for insurance money....The book is a must-read."
Sharon Robb, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, February 22, 2004
"'A Sunday Horse: Inside the Grand Prix Show Jumping Circuit' by Vicky Moon reveals the world of the riders, trainers, owners, horses, judges and personalities of the horse show circuit."
Publisher's Weekly, January 26, 2004
"Writers have taken the horses and people as inspiration for books. The latest of those books is Vicky Moon's 'A Sunday Horse.' Moon's book takes readers inside the Grand Prix show jumping circuit focusing on the people, the history and the atmosphere of the sport....Moon has a unique perspective on Devon, having ridden there as a junior competitor, worked there as a journalist, and even had a shop on the show grounds."
Marcella Peyre-Ferry, Daily Local News (Exton, PA), May 27, 2004
"Following the U.S. national horse show and grand prix jumping circuit, Middleburg author Vicky Moon recently released her latest book, 'A Sunday Horse,' just in time for the June 13 $100,000 Upperville grand prix....Moon aptly describes the intricate dance of horse competition, swanky charity fund-raisers and the likes of Johnnie Cochran, Bruce Springsteen and Dan Marino rubbing shoulders with sports hypnotists, animal communicators and stable staff....In 'A Sunday Horse,' she illustrates celebrity sightings (Glenn Close and Calvin Klein were recently seen at grand prix finals), as well as juicy scandals such as the killing horses for insurance money play from the 1990s, the history of show jumping, and more. She follows the lives of the rich, the not-so-rich, the famous and the invisible behind-the-scenes workers who make Sunday feature classes possible....The 220-page 'A Sunday Horse' is lavishly illustrated with black-and-white photos and sketches of grand prix courses."
Betsy Parker, Fauquier Times-Democrat, June 8, 2004
"This book offers everything you ever wanted to know about the horse show world but never had the gall to ask....Vicki Moon describes the history and people surrounding the horse shows on the circuit, such as Washington, Upperville, Devon, Wellington, and More. It is a fun and shocking read."
Spring Mill Farm Gazette, June 2004
"...an up close and very personal look at the fascinating world of Grand Prix show-jumping....She offers readers an inside look at the sometimes scandalous, sometimes humorous, and always entertaining and competitive circuit..."
The Pink Sheet (Middleburg, VA), May 2004
A Sunday Horse: Inside the Grand Prix Show Jumping Circuit
A Sunday Horse: Inside the Grand Prix Show Jumping Circuit,Vicky Moon,Capital Books (VA),1931868417,1971-,Description and travel,General,Horse shows,Horses - Showing/Training,Moon, Vicky,Pets,Show jumping,Social aspects,Social life and customs,Travel,United States
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