Crossing the Line Book Review

Crossing the Line: a Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport that Changed Their Lives Forever by Kareem Rosser is a memoir bursting with hope, hard work and horses. The cover hooked my attention with an image of a little boy in shorts on an Appaloosa, riding with a halter and two mismatched lead ropes for reins.

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When I discovered it was an equestrian memoir (I devour the genre and even wrote my own) and the rider was a polo player, I pre-ordered a copy immediately. If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’ll know I started “playing” polo this summer. I took a series of ten lessons and am now scheming to take ten more.

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I listened to the Audible version (click here for sample audio), and later purchased the book so I could see pictures. 🙂

Crossing the Line’s Storyline

Kareem Rosser, the star of Crossing the Line, is an unlikely polo player. His family is not from Argentina, Wellington or Santa Barbara–they are from an under-resourced community in West Philadelphia. The urban neighborhood Kareem grew up in had a reputation for poverty and violence, yet there was an oasis of serenity not too far away at the Work to Ride stables. There Kareem fell in love with horses. He found both an outlet for his athleticism and motivation to keep his grades up–so he could ride.

Leslie Hiner, the founder of Work to Ride, starts out as Kareem’s riding instructor who teaches horsemanship and eventually polo. As time progresses, she becomes a mentor and like a family member as she facilitates Kareem’s life with horses.

Leslie’s role resonated with me. I would not have had the means and opportunity to connect with horses were it not for a kind horsewoman who was friends with my parents. I refer to her as my horse riding patron.

Kareem’s story is an important one to be read and pondered. I am not going to overshare here because you really ought to read it for yourself. However my guess is if you are reading this blog, you did not grow up in a troubled neighborhood. I believe it’s important to both listen and learn from people whose life experiences and backgrounds differ from our own. Doing so gives us more empathy and can inform our worldview for the better. Not only that, but you will encounter your own “me too” moments.

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I already alluded to the fact I rode borrowed horses, sometimes in a halter and lead when I was a kid. Also, I had an older, caring adult who made horses happen for me. And like Kareem, I have found solace in a stable and a true friend in an equine partner.

This memoir beautifully portrays the role horses play in connecting people to each other. How many amazing people are in your life because you share a horse bond? Furthermore, it demonstrates how horses themselves are powerful healing forces for us mere mortals. Horses give us affection, trust and the ability to be our truest selves without judgment. They listen to our sorrows and hold us up high (literally), allowing us to be bold in a way that endures, even when we are unmounted.

Horses are transformational and the very nature of living with them is hope. I predict you will laugh, cry and enjoy reading Kareem Rosser’s life story. Perhaps you will be inspired to do something, like Leslie, in order to bring the kindness and glory of horses to children who need them. Snag your own copy of Crossing the Line to gallop into an exciting world of polo and its people.

Thank you for reading and tally ho!

Leave a Comment: Have you read Crossing the Line yet? If so, what did you think? Does this story remind you of other equestrian memoirs?

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