Old Chatham, NY - February 12, 2004 - Jane Smiley, Pulitzer prize-winning author (A Thousand Acres), and author of Horse Heaven, will read from her new book, A Year at the Races: Reflections on Horses, Humans, Love, Money and Luck , on Sunday, May 16, 2004, at 2:00 PM, in Old Chatham, NY to benefit The Equine Fund, an educational non profit dedicated to raising equine awareness to prevent abuse of horses and raising funds to assist equine rescue organizations.

"My book Horse Heaven was a tribute to my first horse, a rescue, called Mr. T," says Smiley. "I was lucky to have him, and some say he was lucky to have me. His next step was the slaughterhouse. He taught me everything. I think raising equine awareness is important in preventing abuse. I'm happy to help."

Jane Smiley is author of ten works of fiction including The Age of Grief, The Greenlanders, Ordinary Love and Good Will, A Thousand Acres, Moo and Horse Heaven, as well as many essays for such magazines as Vogue, The New Yorker, Practical Horseman, Harper's, The New York Times Magazine and The New York Times travel section and others. She has written on politics, farming, horse training, child-rearing, literature, impulse buying, marriage and many other topics. She recently wrote a tribute in the New York Times Magazine to horse racing jockey great, the late Bill Shoemaker.

The Equine Fund is an educational non profit working to find creative ways to raise equine awareness to prevent abuse of horses. Recently the group hosted Olympic dressage rider/trainer, Lendon Gray for a series of riding clinics. "We are very grateful to Jane Smiley for her support," says Allison Marchese, founder of The Equine Fund. "We believe the more people know about horses, the less likely they are to hurt or harm them out of neglect or ignorance. We feel Jane is the perfect voice for this important work."

The book reading will be followed by a book signing and reception and will take place at Leslie Stanton's equestrian center located on Route 66 in Malden Bridge, NY (just outside of Old Chatham, ½ hour east of Albany, NY, and ½ hour west of the Berkshires.) Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at the door or in advance at Chatham Books on Main Street in Chatham, NY, or by calling 518-766-0632/email equinefund@aol.com. Sponsors include: Vlada Boutique, Stockbridge, MA, Liz and Mark Williams, Tyringham, MA, Down to Earth Gardening, Stockbridge, MA, Nejaimes Wine Cellar,Stockbridge, Lenox, MA, The Women's Times, Great Barrington, MA, and Adam Dolle, Inc., New York, NY. Donations to The Equine Fund may be mailed to: P.O. Box 162, Old Chatham, NY 12136.