Excerpt from Horses for Writers

Introduction

As a teacher of horsemanship I've always tried to give my students tools that will encourage them to keep trying to learn little more and be a little better that they are today. I believe as a writer I need to continue this creed. I hope this guide will help others reach just a little further each time they sit down at their desk to write or go out to commune with their horses.

Horses For Writers began as a simple reference guide for writers who wanted something beyond the black/white horse cardboard cutout for their story. I added something each time someone called me with a question about horses. I added to the book when I spotted something in a story that was just wrong.

Many writers do go with the simple solution of black/white/stallion/mare. This guide is for those who want go beyond that basic level. The beyond may only be a bay/gray/chestnut/gelding. Some may want to go a long way beyond that; all the way to creating horses readers remember long after they've forgotten the title of the book or even the name of the author.

There is a connection between horses and writers. I know many a writer who indulges their love of horses as soon as they earn some money from their writing. Others, like me, write in order to support their equine habit.

Few writers can resist the appeal of a horse. Sooner or later a horse shows up in their work, leading to scenarios like the following one.

"How old does a horse need to be before it's broken to ride?" I was in the middle of my own writing when a fellow writer called me with this question.

Since I have been a professional instructor and trainer for forty years now I am considered something of an expert on equines in my own circle of writing friends and acquaintances. Such phone calls are not uncommon.