
Falling for Eli
How I Lost Heart, Then Gained Hope Through the Love of a Singular Horse
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Dina Pearlman
-
By:
-
Nancy Shulins
About this listen
Nancy Shulins had a great career, a loving husband, and was looking forward to having a family. Cheering as her friends got pregnant and dutifully bringing gaily wrapped gifts to every baby shower, she suffered bout after bout of unsuccessful infertility treatment. Devastated, she slowly heals through the most unexpected route: the love of a good (if cranky) horse named Eli. Everyone knows a woman who loves horses. Maybe she rides whenever she can find the time, maybe she rode as a young girl, or maybe she just devoured the Black Stallion books. Twenty years ago, Nancy Shulins let go of one dream - having a child - and worked toward another one: learning to ride and, eventually, having her own horse. In the process, she learned what it means to love another being so much you can’t imagine life without them.
Falling for Eli is about learning to break a sweat rather than break down, to try your best even if you’ll never be the best; it’s about learning to stand on your own six feet.
©2012 Nancy Shulins (P)2014 Audible Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Last Chance Mustang
- The Story of One Horse, One Horseman, and One Final Shot at Redemption
- By: Mitchell Bornstein
- Narrated by: Tom Zingarelli
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Last Chance Mustang is the story of Samson, a formerly free-roaming, still wild-at-heart American mustang that was plucked from his mountainous Nevada home and thrown into the domestic horse world, where he was brutalized and victimized. After years of abuse, Samson had evolved into a hateful and hated, maladjusted beast - until the day he found his way to a rural Illinois farm, an ill-equipped owner, and one last chance.
-
-
Great story
- By ggvan on 04-30-17
-
The Horsewoman
- By: James Patterson, Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Chloe Cannon
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Maggie Atwood and Becky McCabe, mother and daughter, both champion riders, vowed to never, ever, go up against one another. Until the tense, harrowing competitions leading to the Paris Olympics. Mother and daughter share a dream: to be the best horsewoman in the world. Coronado is Maggie’s horse. An absolutely top-tier Belgian warmblood. Sky is Becky’s horse. A small, speedy Dutch warmblood.
-
-
Performed well, Exhausting Political References
- By Kelly E. Christensen on 01-13-22
By: James Patterson, and others
-
Grabbing Mane
- By: Natalie Keller Reinert
- Narrated by: Kathryn Lynhurst
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Casey Halbach's life was perfectly on track. She had it all: good friends, a loving boyfriend, a decent job with her very own cubicle. Then, she met Sky. Riding instructor, barn manager, and whirlwind of energy, Sky effortlessly launches Casey back into the saddle. Friends are confused, the boyfriend is concerned, and Casey is conflicted - but when she decides to take the plunge and buy a horse of her own, she realizes that she was just dabbling in the shallow end before. Now, Casey's pretty sure she's in over her head, but the crazy thing is: She thinks she likes it this way.
-
-
Equestrians will enjoy this story!
- By Toni & Karl on 06-21-22
-
Pas de deux
- By: E. J. Noyes
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Caitlyn Lloyd has the world at her feet. Or more accurately - under her horse’s hooves. With the 2016 Rio Olympics just around the corner, nothing is going to derail her long-held dream of winning a medal or two in Olympic dressage. Not even the reappearance of a childhood so-not-a-friend throwing her perfectly balanced life into disarray. Addie Gardner’s career is at its peak, and accepting a last-minute fill-in position as the veterinarian for the US Olympic Dressage Team was a no-brainer. The fact that her old crush from Pony Club is on the team is just a bonus.
-
-
No reason not to get this book
- By Tammi on 05-30-21
By: E. J. Noyes
-
Project Solomon
- The True Story of a Lonely Horse Who Found a Home—and Became a Hero
- By: Jodi Stuber, Jennifer Marshall Bleakley
- Narrated by: Jaimee Draper
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jodi Stuber wasn't looking for another horse for her struggling therapy ranch―let alone one like Solomon. After losing his herd, he was solitary and sad, spending his days standing near the plastic deer in his yard for company. No stranger herself to loss and heartache, Jodi knew she had to give Solomon a home. The road to recovery wouldn’t be easy. As Solomon struggled to fit in with his new herd and Jodi continued to navigate her own grief, the two developed a deep bond. But just as Jodi and Solomon were both beginning to heal, an unthinkable tragedy struck the therapy ranch.
-
-
Savior Horses
- By Anonymous User on 09-13-23
By: Jodi Stuber, and others
-
The Horses Know
- The Horses Know Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Lynn Mann
- Narrated by: Emily Gray
- Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The human race has all but destroyed itself and those who remain know that they must avoid repeating the mistakes of their ancestors. But it’s extremely difficult. Without horses, it would be impossible. Amarilla is one of those chosen by a horse as a Bond-Partner. She looks forward to a lifetime of learning from her horse and of passing on the mare’s wisdom to those seeking help. But then she discovers that she is the one for whom the horses have all been waiting. The one who can help them in return.
-
-
Great story, powerful message, fantastic narrator!
- By Brooke Wagner on 03-06-24
By: Lynn Mann
-
Last Chance Mustang
- The Story of One Horse, One Horseman, and One Final Shot at Redemption
- By: Mitchell Bornstein
- Narrated by: Tom Zingarelli
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Last Chance Mustang is the story of Samson, a formerly free-roaming, still wild-at-heart American mustang that was plucked from his mountainous Nevada home and thrown into the domestic horse world, where he was brutalized and victimized. After years of abuse, Samson had evolved into a hateful and hated, maladjusted beast - until the day he found his way to a rural Illinois farm, an ill-equipped owner, and one last chance.
-
-
Great story
- By ggvan on 04-30-17
-
The Horsewoman
- By: James Patterson, Mike Lupica
- Narrated by: Chloe Cannon
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Maggie Atwood and Becky McCabe, mother and daughter, both champion riders, vowed to never, ever, go up against one another. Until the tense, harrowing competitions leading to the Paris Olympics. Mother and daughter share a dream: to be the best horsewoman in the world. Coronado is Maggie’s horse. An absolutely top-tier Belgian warmblood. Sky is Becky’s horse. A small, speedy Dutch warmblood.
-
-
Performed well, Exhausting Political References
- By Kelly E. Christensen on 01-13-22
By: James Patterson, and others
-
Grabbing Mane
- By: Natalie Keller Reinert
- Narrated by: Kathryn Lynhurst
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Casey Halbach's life was perfectly on track. She had it all: good friends, a loving boyfriend, a decent job with her very own cubicle. Then, she met Sky. Riding instructor, barn manager, and whirlwind of energy, Sky effortlessly launches Casey back into the saddle. Friends are confused, the boyfriend is concerned, and Casey is conflicted - but when she decides to take the plunge and buy a horse of her own, she realizes that she was just dabbling in the shallow end before. Now, Casey's pretty sure she's in over her head, but the crazy thing is: She thinks she likes it this way.
-
-
Equestrians will enjoy this story!
- By Toni & Karl on 06-21-22
-
Pas de deux
- By: E. J. Noyes
- Narrated by: Abby Craden
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Caitlyn Lloyd has the world at her feet. Or more accurately - under her horse’s hooves. With the 2016 Rio Olympics just around the corner, nothing is going to derail her long-held dream of winning a medal or two in Olympic dressage. Not even the reappearance of a childhood so-not-a-friend throwing her perfectly balanced life into disarray. Addie Gardner’s career is at its peak, and accepting a last-minute fill-in position as the veterinarian for the US Olympic Dressage Team was a no-brainer. The fact that her old crush from Pony Club is on the team is just a bonus.
-
-
No reason not to get this book
- By Tammi on 05-30-21
By: E. J. Noyes
-
Project Solomon
- The True Story of a Lonely Horse Who Found a Home—and Became a Hero
- By: Jodi Stuber, Jennifer Marshall Bleakley
- Narrated by: Jaimee Draper
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jodi Stuber wasn't looking for another horse for her struggling therapy ranch―let alone one like Solomon. After losing his herd, he was solitary and sad, spending his days standing near the plastic deer in his yard for company. No stranger herself to loss and heartache, Jodi knew she had to give Solomon a home. The road to recovery wouldn’t be easy. As Solomon struggled to fit in with his new herd and Jodi continued to navigate her own grief, the two developed a deep bond. But just as Jodi and Solomon were both beginning to heal, an unthinkable tragedy struck the therapy ranch.
-
-
Savior Horses
- By Anonymous User on 09-13-23
By: Jodi Stuber, and others
-
The Horses Know
- The Horses Know Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Lynn Mann
- Narrated by: Emily Gray
- Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The human race has all but destroyed itself and those who remain know that they must avoid repeating the mistakes of their ancestors. But it’s extremely difficult. Without horses, it would be impossible. Amarilla is one of those chosen by a horse as a Bond-Partner. She looks forward to a lifetime of learning from her horse and of passing on the mare’s wisdom to those seeking help. But then she discovers that she is the one for whom the horses have all been waiting. The one who can help them in return.
-
-
Great story, powerful message, fantastic narrator!
- By Brooke Wagner on 03-06-24
By: Lynn Mann
-
Milo's Eyes
- How a Blind Equestrian and Her "Seeing Eye Horse" Rescued Each Other
- By: Lissa Bachner
- Narrated by: Johanna Parker
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lissa Bachner was born with a passion for horses and won her first blue ribbon at age five. Other awards would follow as a young rider, and for years Lissa trained with jumpers, tackling more difficult leaps, and working to perfect her ride. When blindness struck in her teens, it appeared her passion for riding would come to an end. How could she jump hurdles when she could barely navigate through her own home? But success, trust, and love came to Lissa when her trainer convinced her to buy a "diamond in the rough" from Germany.
-
-
Inspirational Listen
- By Amazon Customer on 11-29-22
By: Lissa Bachner
-
Horses Never Lie About Love
- The Heartwarming Story of a Remarkable Horse Who Changed the World Around Her
- By: Jana Harris
- Narrated by: Susanna Burney
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Combining the drama of The God of Animals with the powerful realism of Chosen by a Horse, award-winning poet Jana Harris tells the inspiring story of her twenty-four-year relationship with a troubled but beautiful, blood-red feral mare who, in spite of her difficult past, has a talent for healing and helping every human and other being she comes into contact with.
-
-
Started off promising
- By Denise Di Giorgio on 03-23-12
By: Jana Harris
-
The Ride of Her Life
- The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America
- By: Elizabeth Letts
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Letts, Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1954, 63-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins embarked on an impossible journey. She had no money and no family, she had just lost her farm, and her doctor had given her only two years to live. But Annie wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. She ignored her doctor’s advice to move into the county charity home. Instead, she bought a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, donned men’s dungarees, and headed south in mid-November, hoping to beat the snow.
-
-
Not sure….
- By BeagleMom on 06-14-21
By: Elizabeth Letts
-
Silent Harmony
- A Vivienne Taylor Horse Lover's Mystery (Fairmont Riding Academy, Book 1)
- By: Michele Scott
- Narrated by: Amy McFadden
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Small town 17-year-old Vivienne Taylor is a talented equestrian with Olympic dreams and a little something extra going on - she is also an "equine empath", someone who has the ability to read horses’ minds and moods. When she receives a full scholarship to attend Fairmont Riding Academy, a prep school with a famous riding program, she struggles with homesickness, hazing by the school’s snooty drama queen, intense competition in the sport of three-day-eventing, and the not-altogether-unwelcome interest of a hot guy. On top of all of that the horse given to Vivienne via the scholarship is an animal that she cannot "read" or understand.
-
-
Equestrian riding academy mystery
- By Jean on 07-05-13
By: Michele Scott
-
Horse Crazy
- By: Sarah Maslin Nir
- Narrated by: Sarah Maslin Nir
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It may surprise you to learn that there are over seven million horses in America - even more than when they were the only means of transportation - and nearly two million horse owners. Acclaimed journalist and avid equestrian Sarah Maslin Nir is one of them; she began riding horses when she was just two years old and hasn’t stopped since. Horse Crazy is a fascinating, funny, and moving love letter to these graceful animals and the people who - like her - are obsessed with them.
-
-
Return to riding at 71 years old!
- By Barbara on 09-24-20
By: Sarah Maslin Nir
-
The Perfect Horse
- The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis
- By: Elizabeth Letts
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the chaotic last days of the war, a small troop of battle-weary American soldiers captures a German spy and makes an astonishing find - his briefcase is empty but for photos of beautiful white horses that have been stolen and kept on a secret farm behind enemy lines. Hitler has stockpiled the world's finest purebreds in order to breed the perfect military machine - an equine master race. But with the starving Russian army closing in, the animals are in imminent danger of being slaughtered for food.
-
-
An Absorbing history
- By Jean on 04-17-17
By: Elizabeth Letts
-
Half Broke
- A Memoir
- By: Ginger Gaffney
- Narrated by: Christa Lewis
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the start of this remarkable story of recovery, healing, and redemption, Ginger Gaffney answers a call to help retrain the troubled horses at an alternative prison ranch in New Mexico, a facility run entirely by the prisoners. The horses are scavenging through the dumpsters, kicking and running down the residents when they bring the trash out after meals. One horse is severely injured. The horses and residents arrive at the ranch broken in one way or many: the horses are defensive and terrified, while the residents, some battling addictions, are emotionally and physically shattered.
-
-
Very disappointed
- By Abigail M on 06-09-20
By: Ginger Gaffney
-
Sacred Spaces
- Communion with the Horse Through Science and Spirit
- By: Susan D. Fay PhD
- Narrated by: Susan D. Fay PhD
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are silent, yet powerful, ingredients missing from current horse training, riding, and natural horsemanship instruction. In her research of horsemen and women who have a gift with horses, Dr. Susan Fay outlines the invisible things these equestrians do that make their interactions with horses seem effortless. As a research scientist and life-long equestrian, Dr. Fay spent more than two decades searching for scientific explanations for why some people are able to develop seemingly spiritual relationships with horses.
-
-
Absolutely perfect start to finish
- By Amazon Customer on 08-03-22
By: Susan D. Fay PhD
-
A Voice for the Horse
- By: John Saint Ryan
- Narrated by: John Saint Ryan
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Saint Ryan has traveled the world working with horses. His behavior with all students—whether equine or human—aligns with his principles, a rare and admirable practice. He shares his knowledge with agility, openness, humor, and grace, often in a poetic manner. This audiobook is a joy to listen to, as you’ll discover John's love and humility when he describes the lessons his mentor, Tom Dorrance, helped him learn. His humor shines through as he recounts horse stories from earlier days.
-
-
Excellent
- By Dinerlee on 12-06-22
By: John Saint Ryan
-
Dark Horses
- A Novel
- By: Susan Mihalic
- Narrated by: Alex Allwine
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fifteen-year-old equestrian prodigy Roan Montgomery has only ever known two worlds: inside the riding arena and outside of it. Both, for as long as she can remember, have been ruled by her father, who demands strict obedience in all areas of her life. The warped power dynamic of coach and rider extends far beyond the stables, and Roan's relationship with her father has long been inappropriate. She has been able to compartmentalize that dark aspect of her life, ruthlessly focusing on her ambitions as a rider heading for the Olympics, just as her father had done.
-
-
Incredible but Very Dark.
- By Erin M. Bleier on 02-18-21
By: Susan Mihalic
-
Out of the Clouds
- By: Linda Carroll, David Rosner
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the wake of World War II, as turmoil and chaos were giving way to optimism, Americans were looking for inspiration and role models showing that it was possible to start from the bottom and work your way up to the top—and they found it in Stymie, the failed racehorse plucked from the discard heap by trainer Hirsch Jacobs. Taking listeners on a crowd-pleasing ride with Stymie and Jacobs, Out of the Clouds unwinds a real-life Horatio Alger tale of a dauntless team and its working-class fans who lived vicariously through the stouthearted little colt they embraced as their own.
-
-
Mostly about the people, not much about the horse
- By BDM on 11-12-20
By: Linda Carroll, and others
-
Joe - the Horse Nobody Loved
- By: Vicky S. Kaseorg
- Narrated by: Dorothy Deavers
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joe, an ugly and unloved horse, trusts no one, and no one trusts him. Until Vicky. This is the story of a troubled horse and the little girl who loves him. Based on the true adventures of the author's childhood 50 years ago, Joe teaches the lesson that sometimes beauty is not skin deep, but heart deep. That the unloved have much to show us about the true nature of love.
-
-
Horses and friendships
- By THoward on 11-26-16
By: Vicky S. Kaseorg
What listeners say about Falling for Eli
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jennifer90046
- 12-08-16
Just what I needed.
As a woman of the same middling age who has recently fallen in love with horses, and one horse in particular (I'm talking about you, Cherokee), including the world of dressage...this book could not have been more perfect for me. It took me through the ignorance straight to trusting yourself, both with horses and with oneself. I sat in my car often, listening to just a little more, and almost cried when it was over. Thank you Nancy Shulins.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Elda
- 03-08-17
Reality of horse ownership
I love the narrator! She sounds just like every boarder I know! Her realistic tones when she tells stories of her negative thoughts as we horse owners do, makes me feel like my crazy thoughts are normal! Lol!
Going through horse ownership for the first time, i really appreciate her story!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alan
- 01-28-15
Great story - terrible narration!
What did you like best about this story?
I enjoyed learning about the care and expense involved in horse ownership.
What didn’t you like about Dina Pearlman’s performance?
Dina Pearlman's performance was like listening to someone trying to communicate with lower grade elementary school students. She spoke as if she was "reading" and at times like she was speaking words for the very first time. If it wasn't for the fact that I wanted to finish the story, I would have stopped listening. I so wished Nancy Shulins would have chosen someone with a "natural" way of storytelling. It would have made this book an enjoyable listen.
Any additional comments?
I will not recommend this to a friend.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Steve
- 01-30-15
Didn't finish
Boring, crazy boarding barn stories,rich crazy women horse owners who needs to relax and enjoy horse ownership and friendship
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful