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List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $24.95
Availability: In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served.
Manufacturer: Freedom's Rein LLC
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Hardcover
EAN: 9780981604008
ISBN: 0981604005
Label: Freedom's Rein LLC
Manufacturer: Freedom's Rein LLC
Number Of Pages: 319
Publication Date: 2008-04-15
Publisher: Freedom's Rein LLC
Studio: Freedom's Rein LLC
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Editorial Reviews:
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Shane Sellers spent 26 years as one of the greatest jockeys in the country, both on the track and behind the scenes. He battled his way through the powers to increase jockey weight limits and reduce the growing amount of eating disorders, fought for endorsements so that his fellow jockeys would not risk their lives for a mere $50 per mount, and pushed for better insurance for the men and women who risk their lives for every race. In return, Sellers was banished from the sport in hopes that he would keep his secrets and his goals to himself.
Now Sellers is back and he has an amazing story to tell. Welcome to the secret world of horse racing; a place where heaving bowls and sweat boxes cover every jock s room, horses run numbly towards their final destinations, and one man continues to fight for what he knows is right.
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Customer Rating:
Summary: A true page Burner
Comment: This book so well writen it will open your eyes to the behind the scenes of the "Sport Of Kings". From the cover to the last word the pages burned in my hands. Shane fought a very hard fight, with no reason at the time, the reason is here in this book. Shane is a world class jockey and is a classy man, with a lot to offer those who don't know better.
Shane I wish you the best, you tugged at my heart strings,made me smile and feel you anger. Only good things should come your way. God Bless You!
Customer Rating:
Summary: A true eye opener
Comment: I'm a big bookworm and up until now, I have never read an autobiography, I always assumed that they would be boring an uninteresting, well you know what they say when you assume. I picked up this book on a whim. The only thing I know about horse racing is from watching the two movies Seabiscuit & Hidalgo, and going to the race track in Saratoga one year.
From the very first chapter I was hooked, I had no idea what to expect and my heart broke as I read about the horrors one little poor boy named Shane Sellers had faced. As I read I watched this same little boy overcome obstacles and go after his dream with so much passion, it inspired me.
I was excited when Shane talked about his racing career, and outraged at the dirty little secrets behind the horse racing industry. By the middle of the book, I had found myself completely wrapped up in this one man's tale.
Then my heart ached as I read the downfalls and watched his world fall apart. Even though I had never met Shane, I wanted to read that he would get the happily ever after.
This book will make your heart soar and sink, and make you realize whether we're rich, famous or dirt poor, we all hurt, we all desire to be loved and accepted, and that we all bleed the same color red.
It doesn't matter if you like horses, hate horses or know nothing about them; this is not a book about a horse or an industry. This book is about a human being that had it all, lost it all, had it all again and lost it all again, but it didn't kill him, just made him stronger. Anyone of us can relate to this book, whether you've been in love, betrayed, been on top of the world or simply just your average Joe, there is a piece of this story embedded in all of our hearts.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Objective Book Review or Bashing the Authors?
Comment: Before I purchased Freedom's Rein, I read the reviews posted on Amazon, including the ones by Ruffian and Rider. They made me pause and think. Their reviews were so different from the other reviews that I wondered why. It honestly sounded to me that they were bashing Shane rather than giving an honest critique of his story. An avid reader myself, I've read hundreds of reviews. It's a little unusual when someone actually advises you not to buy a book. You can say that you don't like a book and even give some reasons why without trying to verbally discredit the author.
Telling some people not to buy a book could actually have the opposite effect. In my case it actually made me want to read the book even more. When I did read it, I was looking for the numerous editing mistakes and the poor writing that the reviews spoke about. There were several mistakes, which is typical for all books. I thought the writing was good and I did not feel that Shane was complaining about his life. There's no way to tell your story without including the bad. Others might read this book and feel that he was bragging about his many accomplishments rather than complaining.
The point is that books affect each of us differently. If you have never written a book (a friend of mine has) then you don't realize how much time, work, money, research, and anxiety is involved in birthing a book. Authors are thick skinned and can take criticism but only when it is constructive and fair. Most individuals have a story to tell but few people actually put it on paper. When an author shares their experiences with others it can be very beneficial to those reading the story. It's not easy sharing the bad but that's what makes Freedom's Rein human.
I felt the essence of the message from this book was abuse. Abuse is a difficult topic. There are many who wish individuals would not speak out when they suspect abuse. Rather than deal with the issue they pretend it doesn't happen. It is true that jockeys choose to race - there's always a choice. Just as many individuals choose to remain in abusive relationships. Just because they continue to race or because they do not leave - doesn't mean the abuse is not happening. I applaud Shane for having the courage to speak out against what he sees as abusive treatment in the sport that he obviously cares deeply about.
Another point worth noting is Ruffian only has two posted reviews on Amazon and Rider has zero reviews posted. This leads me to believe that neither of them are experienced, seasoned reviewers. Don't let the negative opinion of these two reviews stop you from purchasing this book. In my opinion, it's well written, has few mistakes, appears to be truthful and is a story that needs to be heard.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Opened my eyes and tugged at my heart
Comment: This book really opened up my eyes to a side of horse racing that I have never seen before. Behind the glamorous races is a life of sacrifice including starving, heaving bowls, sweat boxes, and other atrocities. I had no idea that this occurred in horse racing. I understood that jockeys had to be of a certain size, but did not realize the extent they have to go to be at such a light weight.
I also didn't realize that most jockeys will risk their lives for a mere $50 a mount. They can't take endorsements, which seems crazy since nearly every sport thrives on endorsements.
This book sheds light on a side of horse racing that needs to be recognized. This book is truthfully written through the eyes of Shane Sellers. The writing style of the book enables you to feel the unimaginable lows and extraordinary highs of his life. You get a behind the scenes look at what jockeys go through physically and mentally for each race.
Here is one of many passages in the book that tugged at my heart, "Nobody wants to talk about the fact that when the crowd sees a green curtain go up during a race, there is a euthanized horse on the other side of that curtain being hauled away into a horse ambulance by a chain around its neck." This is just one gripping example of how jockeys and horses suffer for their trade.
I think this type of book needed to be written, despite the uproar he has experienced from the racing community. If you want the real truth behind horse racing then I recommend this book. Make sure to have tissue on hand.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: a captivating autobiography
Comment: Freedom's Rein by Shane Sellers and Tricia Psarreas takes us behind the scenes into the world of horse racing. In any sport and many businesses there is the darker side, which is not as likely to be publicized. Shane Sellers and Tricia Psarreas unveil this side of horse racing in a captivating book, but this book is more! It is an autobiography about a man who has struggled, yet continuously picks himself up and takes that next step. It is about a man's will to fight for his beliefs and to search for love and happiness.
Through the writing of Tricia Psarreas, Shane Sellers, one of America's historically successful jockeys, tells his story. He begins with his troubled childhood and the difficult relationship that he has with his father. He quickly progresses to the passion he discovers early on, his passion for horses and winning the race. This passion allows Sellers to open doors he may never have been able to and to leave, even if only for brief periods, a haunting past. He exposes the jockey's inner world as his career progresses. It includes eating disorders to maintain an unnaturally low body weight, very little pay if you are not a winner, very low insurance and no national governing body, such as the NBA, NFL or NHL.
Shane Sellers learned to fight in his youth and has continued to fight for his beliefs throughout his adult life. Jockey weight limits, permission to endorse products for extra pay and insurance coverage have been some of his crusades. Others are more personal in nature. Psarreas' writing enables us to experience this life journey with Shane Sellers through all the highs and lows. We get to travel with him to the winning circle and then into the sweat box.
Written in the first person, Tricia Psarreas is very successful in expressing Shane Sellers story, so that the reader enters his world and immediately wants to learn more. Like many books it is not free from editing errors, but this should not keep you from a wonderful autobiography that deserves to be read. This story needs to be out there!
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