The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World’s Greatest Racehorse

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 1,171 ratings

Price: 13.54

Last update: 02-04-2025


About this item

In The Horse God Built, best-selling equestrian writer Lawrence Scanlan has written a tribute to an exceptional man that is also a backroads journey to a corner of the racing world rarely visited. As a young black man growing up in South Carolina, Eddie Sweat struggled at several occupations before settling on the job he was born for - groom to North America's finest racehorses. As Secretariat's groom, loyal friend, and protector, Eddie understood the horse far better than anyone else. A wildly generous man who could read a horse with his eyes, he shared in little of the financial success or glamour of Secretariat's wins on the track, but won the heart of Big Red with his soft words and relentless devotion. In Scanlan's rich narrative, we get a groom's-eye view of the racing world and the vantage of a man who spent every possible moment with the horse he loved, yet who often basked in the horse's glory from the sidelines. More than anything else, The Horse God Built is a moving portrait of the powerful bond between human and horse.


Top reviews from the United States

  • GoldenPony
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Tribute to the bond between Secretariat and his groom...as horse to man
    Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2016
    If you love horses and understand the bond that occurs between you and your horse...or if you desire to have that bond, you will love this book. I almost gave it four stars because, in my estimation, only one thing was missing; there are very few pictures in this book. Why do we not see more of what the book is telling us.; the winding miles of fence at Meadow Farm or Claiborne, Secretariat at play, at work, the faces of the people the author speaks about, etc? (If, by chance, they are located in the back of the book (I am reading the Kindle version and this review comes before the acknowledgements, etc. If there are pictures in the back, then please forgive me) I'm just sad about not being able to enjoy some of those photos of which the author speaks.
    This has whetted my appetite to read more about Secretariat (which I thought I knew already but so many more to learn) This books pulled a lot of emotion from me and I appreciated the author's desire to not only tell a story of Secretariat but of the unknown, seldom celebrated story of a man almost lost to the pages of time, Eddie Sweat...Secretariat's groom during the glory years. What a beautiful picture which has been painted by Mr. Scanlan of that man who loved "his" horse. Mr. Scanlan is a horse owner also and he states his desire to become a better horseman because of what he learned about the devotion of Mr. "Shorty" Sweat to "the Horse God Built."
    I was 18 the year Secretariat won the Triple Crown; I would be graduating HS in a few weeks. Too busy with my own horse in the way of any horse-crazy girl who lives and breathes the equine, I did not follow Thoroughbred racing though I could tell you, loving all things HORSE, the Triple Crown winners and the year they won. I owned a quarter horse named Barzal Bravo ("Bozo" for short) with thoroughbred racing blood making up half his pedigree. Helping my horse-centered world along, my family lived in the same equestrian subdivision as several of the Los Alamitos Race Course trainers and their "lay off" horses. I was often at those early morning workouts at the track with my horsey girlfriends; ethereal moments about which the author writes. My bedroom walls were covered with the daily race results from Los AL. Because I did not have access to much money on my own and most of what I did earn went to support my own horse's upkeep, I did not buy magazines or books to read and thus knew very littleabout this new "Big Red"...plus, I was a Man O' War purist in my heart. However, everyone had heard of Secretariat and I became a believer after watching him win the Derby and Preakness. As the day of the Belmont arrived, my parents had taken us camping. I only agreed to go if my dad made sure we had a working TV to watch the race. As Secretariat rounded the last turn pulling away, my emotions spilled out. As an equine artist, I appreciate the beauty of the horse and this was a thing of beauty...and history. I knew I was watching it being made right in front of me! I screamed! I jumped up in the air. Then as Big Red swept toward the finish line with the cameras struggling to even show the other horses in the race, I laid on the floor and wept like a baby.
    To this day I cannot watch that race without those emotions welling up inside me and weeping outloud...for the beauty, that wonderful horse, the history, his death and my youth long gone but remembered for a shining moment. Much like other transcendent moments in history when one can remember where theybwere or what they were doing, I
  • Pearl Gorman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2025
    Got for my boyfriend he loves this book and the history of the horse
  • Heidi
    5.0 out of 5 stars America's best race horse EVER!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2025
    Can't wait to read this! The movie was spectacular made me laugh ???? and cry ????
  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive book on Secretariat and Groom
    Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2024
    This book goes into exhaustive detail about Secretariat’s breeding, physique, personality and racing history. A lot of the book is about his Groom and best friend Eddie Sweat and how they worked together to achieve race horsing immortality.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming
    Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2024
    I absolutely loved this book. It is so well written, capturing the special relationship between groom and horse. It is sad how all the accolades go to jockey and trainer, yet the grooms are care takers 24/7 of these amazing animals. I appreciate the authors thorough research and acknowledging other writers work about Secretariat and the racing industry. Thank you for the insight and educating us non-horse people.
  • REDVETTEGODDESS
    3.0 out of 5 stars Book more about the groom than the horse
    Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2024
    The book is called “The Horse God Built” but it focuses more on Secretariat’s groom than on the horse itself. This is great to a point, but the author basically worships Eddie Sweat and finds absolutely no flaws in him, even calling him a “saint” (despite his relationship/family history- children with three different women, etc.). It’s too one sided and also it’s not well organized so you kind of get dragged all over. Solid book but a bit disappointing.
  • Amazonas Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars " The Horse God Built..."
    Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2024
    This book exceeded both my hopes & expectations. I liked the exquisite attention to detail given to Secretariat & loved the author's
    outstanding appreciation of & respect for, Eddie Sweat (Secretariat' s exceptional groom. There was nothing to dislike about this book.
  • perri green
    5.0 out of 5 stars into the soul of a man and a horse
    Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2025
    The interviews and stories make for a compelling tale. Each chapter is filled with great anecdotes worth the time it takes to read

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