Only Heroes and Horses

Description

Including a brand-new bonus chapter '[Park Lane Stables] is such a force for good' - Rob Brydon '[An] uplifting story' - Horse and Rider This is the story of Park Lane Stables. It is about hope, about horses and about lots and lots of heroes. Natalie O'Rourke was an ordinary little girl from Birmingham in all respects save one: she was lonely. When she discovered how much she loved horses, she decided she wanted to grow up and run a riding stables. She wanted her stables to cater for children and adults with disabilities, additional needs and anyone who needed a friend - people who you might not expect to find riding, but who she knew could find happiness through horses, because she had. Full of guts and optimism, Natalie fought tooth and nail to achieve that dream in the face of some hefty tragedy, heartbreak and hardship. Even the Covid-19 crisis couldn't slow her or her league of fearless Park Lane colleagues down - despite barely surviving financially in lockdown, the stables' 'Pavement Ponies' paid visits to the community on a mission to cheer their neighbours up, and tirelessly supported the NHS. But when the news came that the landlord was selling the stables, and that the Park Lane horses and their humans would be evicted unless they found a whopping 1,000,000 to buy the plot, it seemed a mountain too high even for this plucky team to climb. Could they win the support of the nation and with it their fight to save the stables?

Natalie O'Rourke is a qualified riding instructor with over a decade's experience of working with vulnerable children and adults. She runs the Park Lane Stables in west London, which is a registered charity.

Heartwarming * The Richmond and Barnes Magazine * If you don't believe in fairytale endings you might want to think again. This is a classic * Country Life * This outstanding book reads less like a memoir and more of a near 300-page source of inspiration, showing dreams can still come true * The Racing Post *