An excellent story, well written.....it sounds like an action movie plot, but it was real....With the beginning of WWII many old and famous horse stables and horse breeding facilities in Europe came under the control of the Nazis. The man over the entire horse breeding program for the Nazi state was Gustav Rau, a horseman who believed firmly in the 19th century eugenics beliefs which summarized are that there are "perfect" species of animals, and of humans....of course, the Nazis believed the Aryan race (Northern europeans, especially Germans and Scandinavians) were the peak of human perfection, and for animals, it was believed that certain breeding methods COULD improve the any breed. Rau wanted to produce perfect "super horses" for the use of the Nazi military machine.
IN Austria, one of the first nations to fall to the Nazis, there is an ancient school where the Lippizaner stallions can be found, and where they are trained, each horse with one man for his entire life, to do the most incredible
"acrobatic" like moves, in a kind of dance. Originally, when the school was begun (nearly 400 years ago now) these movements were valid for horses on the battlefield. In the "Spanish Riding School" as it called, these spectacular moves are the peak of years of training of these wonderful, highly intelligent horses, trained always with gentleness and never with fear or cruelty.
Rau took over the separate breeding facilities for the Lipizanners, and began to put into effect his eugenics based beliefs.....he wanted to eventually change the Lippizanners, make them more suited to the modern age war machine, and yet keep their intelligence, good nature, and physical abilities.
Rau also took over a famous Polish stud farm which bred only Arabians....this was considered a priceless jewel by the Polish people, and the men who cared for the horses there......
Rau forced the various schools and groups of horses to be moved around....He combined Arabian and
Lippizanner bloodlines in breeding, as well as doing what is called "close breeding" i.e., breeding a mare to her father or brother to try to increase the "good" genes present (though it also increases any BAD genes, likelihood of hereditary diseases, congenital problems, etc....a fact which was not known to eugenics "experts" of the Nazis.)
As the war came to a close, it was apparent the Soviet Union's giant "Red Army" would overrun Poland, and then most of the other countries where these valuable horses were being kept. The Soviets used horses in warfare, but mainly to drag heavy burdens, and had no intrinsic love or appreciation of the horse breeds. In the past, they were known to kill and eat valuable horses, and this indeed happened to some of the Lippizzaners who came under their control.....when the horses appeared to be too high strung to pull carts, they were machine gunned, and used for food for the troops. This was the great fear of everyone involved with these horses, and fleeing to the West became a priority.
The Polish Arabians were first to flee.....but they were surrounded on the road (the horsemen were taking the entire stable on foot) by other frantic human refugees, and there was strafing of the roads, and panic which terrified the horses. MANY of the horses were lost in the trip.....some fled their handlers into the forest and couldn't be recaptured; others were likely taken by fleeing refugees to haul their belongings or even perhaps as food.....
Newborn foals and pregnant mares were especially at risk during these attempted flights, most the new born foals died...
To summarize, eventually the men who were caring for the Lippizaner stallions, learned they were perhaps a few days from being over run by the Red Army; and they knew the American army was coming toward them in the opposite direction. Ignoring the very real risk of being shot as traitor by the Nazi's in charge of the village in
which the horses were now living, the head of the school sent out the Lippizzaners' veterinarian, who spoke English, to meet with the Americans secretly. With pure luck, the Americans he found were the remnants of a
former cavalry unit, now
completely mechanized.....but the head of the company, Col. Hank Reed, was a man who was a lifelong soldier, and had lived MOST of that life as a horse-riding cavalry officer.....he was the perfect person to try to save these horses.then most of the other countries where these valuable horses were being kept. The Soviets used horses in warfare, but mainly to drag heavy burdens, and had no intrinsic love or appreciation of the horse breeds. In the past, they were known to kill and eat valuable horses, and this indeed happened to some of the Lipizzaners who came under their control.....when the horses appeared to be too high strung to pull carts, they were machine gunned, and used for food for the troops. This was the great fear of everyone involved with these horses, and fleeing to the West became a priority.
The Polish Arabians were first to flee.....but they were surrounded on the road (the horsemen were taking the
entire stable on foot) by other frantic human refugees, and there was strafing of the roads, and panic which terrified the horses. MANY of the horses were lost in the trip.....some fled their handlers into the forest and
couldn't be recaptured; others were likely taken by fleeing refugees to haul their belongings or even perhaps as food.....
the American army was coming toward them in the opposite direction. Ignoring the very real risk of being shot as traitor by the Nazi's in charge of the village in which the horses were now living, the head of the school sent out the Lipizzaners veterinarian, who spoke English, to meet with the Americans secretly. With pure luck, the Americans he found were the remnants of a former cavalry unit, (now completely mechanized).....but the head of the company, Col. Hank Reed, was a man who was a lifelong soldier, and had lived MOST of that life as a horse-riding cavalry officer.....he was the perfect person to understand their value, and to try to save these horses.
Many adventures ensued, with the local Nazis still wanting to fight, and the Red Army approaching, the Americans went to the horse farm, and with the agreement of General Patton, contacted by radio, (he was a former cavalry officer as well, and known to the company commander, Col. Hank Reed). Col. Reed and his men put into effect the final rescue of the Arabians, Lipizzaners, and other purebred horses and got them in safety to Bavaria, at the very end of the war.....(the war was still going on when the rescue mission began).
The book continues with the aftermath of the rescue, as many of the "best" Arabians were taken on a troop ship to the U.S. to be sent to the remaining U.S. army horse breeding site. SADLY, within a few years, the Army had finished phasing out horses, and turned over the remaining horses they owned to the Dept. of Agriculture, which did not want them....some were euthanized, others were sold at auction to the highest bidder.....Disagreements with the people in the U.S. who certified thoroughbred horses, but who did not want to believe the certification of the European horses, made them "worthless" to the very rich who may have purchased them.....though ALL had their bloodlines established and certified before the horses left EuropeThe Lipizzaner school in Austria, was able to re open and to begin again showcasing the beauty of the Lipizzaners' style of being ridden. It is now, justifiably, world famous, though at the time a few Lipizanners were brought to America on the troop ship, this breed was unheard of here....in fact, surprisingly, so were the Arabians from Poland, who made up most of the horses brought to the U.S. Only later, with Walter Farley's "Black Stallion" books and those of other authors, did the public begin to understand and appreciate the Arabians.
Overall, this was a very good book....yes, the author did have to struggle to keep the "cast of characters" (both humans and horses) clear, since often different things were happening at the same time to the Arabian horses of Poland, to the Lipizzaner horses of Austria, and a few others (some Russian horses were brought by a White Russian to be saved from the Red Army, and they became part of the mixture of horses)..... She did a good job of this, I think, and kept all groups, which eventually would be combined in Bavaria, straight for the reader. The
"after the war" section is very sad, as the horses were never appreciated in this country as they should have been. BUT they had survived the war, which at many times, seemed impossible! (WWII left 80% of Arabians in Poland dead!!!).
Many adventures ensued, with the local Nazis still wanting to fight, and the Red Army approaching, the Americans
went to the horse farm, and with the agreement of General Patton, contacted by radio, (he was a former cavalry officer as well, and known to the company commander, Col. Hank Reed). Col. Reed and his men put into effect the final rescue of the Arabians, Lipizanners, and other purebred horses and got them in safety to Bavaria, at the very end of
the war......
The Perfect Horse: The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis
4.5 | 3,328 ratings
Price: 17.72
Last update: 05-17-2024
About this item
Top reviews from the United States
gilly8
Excellent book reads like an adventure movie! A must-read for horse lovers or fans of history!
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2016
islandlady
Fabulous story
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2024
Mary Stillman
The perfect horse
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2024gaiagirl
Book review
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2024Dragonfly
The Perfect Horse IS a Perfect Story
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2019
Jean Mader Booklover
Beauty of Spirit
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2021
Jmodef
3 stars for the story
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2024