Book Review: Horse of A Different Color

Horse of a Different Color is the last in the series of 8 autobiographical books by Ralph Moody. In this volume, he was still in Kansas trying to make a living. After his successes with his crop hauling business, he added cattle feeding to his resume. In business with a man of questionable character, Ralph learned some very hard lessons. Combined with a crash in the price of livestock, his poor choice in partners left him holding a massive amount of debt. 


Discouraged but not defeated, Ralph's incredible ingenuity and hard work enabled him to see opportunities where most men found only bankruptcy. Even in his desperate situation, he refused to "get ahead" by climbing over others. Instead, he looked for solutions that benefited the entire community instead of just himself. 


The crash in the livestock markets was not the only disaster to strike. The small Kansas town was devastated by a flash flood that swept away every pig Ralph had. It looked like it was over.


Instead of declaring bankruptcy, however, Ralph went into an entirely new line of work: butchering animals and providing meat to the railroad and farms. Through non stop hard work and creativity, not to mention the wonderful friends he had made along the way because of his character, he once again came up with a profitable business and the ability to repay all of his debt, which was actually the debt of the man he had been in the livestock feeding business with when things went south. 


Because of the level of physical labor required, Ralph decided to go off his special diet to treat his diabetes. He started eating large, hearty meals and was actually able to put on all the weight he had lost over the last several years. His doctor, after running numerous tests, realized that the Boston specialists who had initially diagnosed Ralph with diabetes and given him a prognosis of only six months had been wrong. Ralph didn't have regular diabetes after all. He had a "temporary" form brought on by malnutrition and overwork. 


Out of debt and given a new lease on life, his thoughts returned to his childhood sweetheart. He began writing her and found that she still felt the same way about him. The story ends with Ralph telling his closest friends at a celebratory dinner that he was out of debt, in good health, and set to be married in a few weeks.


These books have been such a great resource for teaching the value of hard work and creativity. Ralph always believed there was a solution to any problem if one looked hard enough and was willing to do whatever was necessary to accomplish the solution. His hard work always paid off and the respect he earned through being honest and straightforward, as well as hardworking, endeared him to the entire community.


#39 out of 52, 13 more to go. This is going to come right down to the wire. :)

Website