Behind every winning horse is a groom, the person responsible for every nuance of the horse's care, health, and spirit.  In Service to the Horse explores a year in the life of three grooms, all working with champion Thoroughbreds.

The profession is largely dominated by highly trained, expert horsepeople who work not for glory but for their love of horses.  Nusser, herself a former groom, tells three stories: of a stud groom in the most storied stable of Kentucky racehorses, home to the most high-strung and dangerous stallions in the world; of a show jumping groom struggling to square her desire to compete with the exacting demands of the rider she works for; and, at the book's heart, of Samantha Burton, a groom at the stables of an Olympic gold medalist in the controversial and rarefied sport of Three-Day Eventing.

In gripping detail, Nusser describes these horses, their owners and riders, and the multi-billion-dollar industry of equestrian sport.  Through the major competitions that define their year, Nusser interweaves stable lore, horse mythology, animal behavior, and meditations on the precise nature of the intense bond between young women and horses.  A breathtaking, awe-inspiring story of a life of service to one of nature's most majestic creatures, In Service to the Horse is an insider's look at a life of passion and devotion, pride and determination.

Hardcover: 273 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
ISBN-10: 0-316-80631-5
ISBN-13: 978-0316806312
Condition: Great - no damage to dustjacket, strong binding, slight yellowing of pages