Ever been atop a runaway mule in a round pen, encountered the Beast in Waders, or come face to face with a bigfoot? If you've ever camped out, hunted, fished, packed with mules, or spent time around livestock, this collection of outdoor humor stories is sure to tickle your funny bone. A delight for even the most armchair bound urbanite.
"I cannot wander about being wise and brilliant all of the time, it certainly isn't expected of me. However, I have discovered an ingenious system for being discovered should I become lost. Here's how it works.The moment you discover you are lost, simply remain calm and don't panic. Just sit down and remove your pocket knife from your pocket and begin to sharpen it. Within minutes, some know-it-all will come along and inform you that you are incorrectly sharpening your knife."
(exerpt from The Enviromeddler)
Professional Reviews
Round Table Reviews
Cinch up your saddles another notch and get a good grip on your bridle. You are in for a terrific ride with The Horse Whistler.
Thomas Firth spins a series of yarns that surpass even Zane Grey, my favorite author. I recommend that you be sitting up rather than laying in bed reading this book - you'll need the space in your lungs for laughing.
As for the stories, I particularly enjoyed "Shooter" and the description of the "land mines". It was difficult to stop laughing long enough to finish the story. The "Letter To Nurse Wendy" was also great and kept me laughing.
I couldn't find any other books by Mr. Firth, but I'll keep looking. His style of writing is well worth the addition to your book shelf.
Robert H. Goss
Western Mule Magazine
If you have a funny bone and do not mind having it tickled, then I recommend that you add "The Horse Whistler" to your book collection. Author Thomas Firth is an equal opportunity offender and no one is safe, not even his dear old granny. The antics of Thomas, his wife, his ex-wife, and the Drunkhouse gang will keep you in stitches.
Mr. Firth's brilliant ideas make for very colorful tales. It does not take long to realize that the author has a well-developed talent for stretching the truth. His "truth" is stretched farther than a budget at Christmas. When it comes to the art of exaggeration, Thomas Firth could put any self-respecting mule trader to shame.
Whether on a trail ride with his talking mule, Zane, fishing with his long-suffering wife, Cathy, or hunting with his good pal, Lecil, Thomas Firth manages to portray himself as a combination of Barney Fife and Festus. This makes for very entertaining reading, especially when he meets up with a bear.
Kick back and enjoy as you tag along with Thomas Firth in "The Horse Whistler." It's as fine a book of non-sense as you'll ever want to read. The only requirements are the aforementioned "funny bone" and perhaps some hip waders.
Brenda Brinkley, Western Mule Magazine, Aug, 2005
Western Horseman Magazine, Bunkhouse Reviews.
The Horse Whistler is Californian Thomas Firth's take on contemporary buzzwords, the politically correct, and enduring aspects of human nature- all from a backcountry cowboy's perspective. For example, did you know the acronym SMDS doesn't represent a tropical disease, but Sudden Mule Dismount Syndrome?
Firth's a bona fide backcountry horseman, a volunteer packer for the U.S. Forest Service, and a leave-no-trace and National Outdoor Leadership School Master. However, unlike many educators, Firth doesn't leave his sense of fun in the classroom or, in this case, the trailhead.
Each brief essay guarantees a chuckle, often at the author's expense, or that of someone who takes himself, life and/ or his causes a bit too seriously. This book provides a buffet of comedic relief, from the title essay to " The Enviromeddler," "My Kingdom For A Mule" and "Parelli, Schmarelli,", in which the author aspires to become a mule trainer extrordinaire.
Firth relates each tale with good-hearted humor, a bit of wry skepticism, appropriate amounts of cowboy exaggeration and a heaping spoonful of wit.-(Fran Devereux Smith)
