The Big Red Horse: The Story of Secretariat and the Loyal Groom Who Loved Him

by Lawrence Scanlan

The world of horse racing is brought to life by Larry Scanlan, following the career of Secretariat and looking at the relationship between the horse and his beloved groom. Scanlan introduces young readers to the hierarchy of the track, from the hot walker to the owner to Secretariat, the fastest horse of the twentieth century. Secretariat was good - and he knew it. He didn't tolerate fools, and his groom knew just how to handle him, with lots of love and a firm hand. Eddie Sweat loved that horse, knew every muscle in his body, knew how to calm him down, and knew when to hold firm. He drove him to races and flew with him to his ultimate home, the stud farm. Following Secretariat from the time he was born to the time he died, Scanlan presents a fascinating and engaging look at the partnership of Secretariat and Eddie Sweat - and at the racing world in general, complete with fun trivia facts about Secretariat.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horses

176 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

From Macmillan Books:

Lawrence Scanlan is the author of six bestselling books, including Wild About Horses and Little Horse of Iron. He is the coauthor, with Ian Millar, of Riding High, and has written three books for younger readers: Big Ben, Horses Forever, and The Horse’s Shadow. Scanlan worked closely with Monty Roberts on his acclaimed book The Man Who Listens to Horses. Winner of three Canadian National Magazine Awards for his journalism, Scanlan lives in Kingston, Ontario.

Reviews

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my dad's. He has always loved Seretariat and that is his all time favorite horse. My family happen to be a family of horse lovers. I had seen this movie about this beautiful horse so read the book myself. It was prefect and such fun to read. It is quite short but filled with the love for horses and this beautiful horse Secretariat.

A must read for any horse lover.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about the lif and jurnies of secratiriot and the people around him. I really liked this book and hope you like it too.

[Runita Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can I rate a book that I didn't finish? I started this with a student that I was tutoring this summer and I was thoroughly enjoying the book, however, our sessions ended and I only bought one book, which I gave to my student. But I found the book to be informative about horse racing without being boring. It also captures the relationship between Secretariat and his groom, Eddie Sweat. This is Lawrence Scanlon's YA version of the biograpy The Horse that God Built. I plan to read that book, as that is the one that I have a copy of.

[Mirrani · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Big Red Horse is a good book to give a young reader whose love of racing is just beginning. While those who are already familiar with Thoroughbred Racing might find the explanations somewhat intrusive, to the story and style of writing that combines terms, phrases, and culture into the history of Secretariat makes for an effortless first understanding for newcomers. Much like learning another language by association in context, a reader finds explanations and background on the sport as they go through the book.

This is a look at what made this one of the famous times in American Racing and goes deeper into the era than to simply tell Secretariat’s story. The reader learns of how he inspired a nation, how various people (both in and out of the profession) thought of him, and it often lets you in to the life of the members of the racing team that aren’t usually spoken of. We get to see how horses were shipped by plane and get into the minds of the trainers, to understand more of the pressures and thinking that goes on behind the scenes. In all of this, even today we can see that times have changed.

The book follows two important figures through their lives. In Secretariat's story, we learn how horse are weaned, trained and raced. We even see how life goes on after retirement and once a champion has died, and discover just how a horse can touch the hearts of a nation from beyond the grave, to have people asking, "what if," when thinking of a fantasy meeting – like a race between the two, 'Big Reds;' Man o'War and Secretariat. In the story of Eddie Sweat, we learn a little about the history of grooms and the beginning of American Racing. We feel first hand what it is like to have little, but to continue what you are doing because you love it more than anything else. Through Eddie's story we learn how each groom can be deeply connected to their horses, as well as the influences they have on the horse and its team, which so often go unnoticed.

Though there were times that I felt the stories of Eddie Sweat and Secretariat could have been intertwined in a more natural way, as would be fitting of their relationship together, I enjoyed reading about their lives and getting a glimpse into this special time in American Racing. The one thing that took my mind off of this book was the constant need to add one more comparison to the mix; Zenyatta.

[Tobinsfavorite · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fairly straightforward telling of the life of Secretariat with good, age-appropriate descriptions of racing life, and yet, I was annoyed by the "He never should have lost any of the races he lost" sprinkled through the book.

Maybe there were reasons, but the losses happened. For some reason, saying they shouldn't have just rubbed me the wrong way. It is the thing I will remember about the book, and I don't believe that was the intent.