Only Heroes and Horses

By: Natalie O’Rourke

Narrated by: Yolanda Kettle

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?

©2022 Natalie O’Rourke (P)2022 Hachette Audio UK

Critic reviews

"[Park Lane Stables] is such a force for good." (Rob Brydon)

"[An] uplifting story." (Horse and Rider)

Irrepressible horse-lover transforms community

An awe-inspiring story of how a stable director, committed to offering lessons to able-bodied people and therapy to disabled individuals, moved heaven and earth to purchase the stables so these vulnerable kids could continue to heal through their contact with horses.

Heartwarming and Hope-filled

For the first several minutes of the book, I thought that this would be simply a sweet, almost-fictionalized upbeat story of the life of a young woman who wanted to immerse herself in the world of horses. And for me, that type of story would have been quite acceptable as a momentary mood-lifter.

However, as the story unfolds, we find a young woman overcoming one loss and tragedy after another, while remaining primarily optimistic, hopeful, and grounded in her goals. Ms. O'Rourke's love for horses and her passion to help other people in need converge to create a life story of triumph and fulfillment. Thanks to the author for sharing her love of horses - and their healing powers - with us (particularly those of us who heretofore had no connection with that world). Thanks also for the look into the author's personality that refused to accept defeat. And a special thank you to the narrator, who it seems to me captured the spirit of the author. Well worth the listen.