The 'seed' of the story: I had been searching for the best approach
to this book for many years, the problem being that most people define
a natural lifestyle for horses by what it is not – no stalls,
no blankets, no sweet feeds, no shoes, etc.
I realized that there needs to be no negatives
in a children’s book and decided to follow the old rule, ‘show, don’t
tell’ ... literally!
I hit upon this idea when a visiting friend offered
to help me feed hay. She asked why I spread it around like I did and
I explained how it created movement and prevented overfeeding and waste.
She kept commenting on how interesting that was and how she had never
thought of doing it that way. This friend is a third generation horse
person with over 40 years of personal experience. She runs a horse boarding
facility and trains horses and riders ... and she never thought of
doing it that way!
So this is a book that simply shows what I do
with my horses – a visit through the seasons; a chance to learn
the details and to share their lives, from beauty to silliness. It allows
a new generation of young horse lovers to be exposed to previously unwritten
possibilities in horse care, planting a seed that horses living more
naturally is not only possible, but actually produces super calm, healthy
equine companions.
