Women and their horses—a symbiotic relationship based on trust, camaraderie, friendship, and love. Why We Ride presents the stories of women who ride, giving them a platform to share their accounts of the most important animals in their lives: horses. Editor Verna Dreisbach offers a reflective view on the relationships between women and horses—the bonds formed, the paths ridden, and the hills climbed—in this provocative, compelling anthology. Each of the 27 essays collected includes the heartfelt thoughts of a range of women—those who rode as children, those who spent their girlhood years dreaming of owning a pony, and those who have made a lifelong hobby or career out of riding—and reveals how horses have made an impact upon their lives.

With a foreword from best-selling author Jane Smiley, Why We Ride includes contributions from Dee Ambose-Stahl, Jane Ayres, Linda Ballou, Chansonette Buck, Lynda Fenneman, Kara Gall, Kathryn Hohmann, Dobie Houson, Jacklyn Lee Lindstrom, Diane Mapes, Janice Newton, Penny Porter, Andrea Richards, Valerie Riggs, Lisa (Chipolone) Romeo, Sonia Saruba, Michele Scott, Beth Sears, Kate St. Vincent Vogl, Emily Alexander Strong, Samanga Ducloux Wax, Jill Widner, Jacqueline Winspear, and Vanessa Wright.