Olympia, WA., May 1, 2012 – Nationally known equestrian confidence coach Cathy Rivers, as part of her Big Horse Dreams, The Confident Equestrian Program, has designed a new e-Workbook that provides a proven learning progression for mastering confidence skills in order to improve your training, riding, competing, communication and overall enjoyment of your partnership with your horse.

“The Confident Equestrian e-Workbook” operates on the principles of human dynamics and high performance. Concepts that teach the complexities of how to best learn, communicate, relate to each other, as well as manage stress, maintain well-being and strive for goals. All important components in order to realize our potential mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

For Rivers, a human dynamics expert as well as an accomplished rider and horse breeder, confidence is not only a vital aspect to achieving one’s individual potential, but is very much a part of creating a successful partnership between owner and horse.

“Confidence is such an essential ingredient to creating the success you want in life, and plays such a big part when working with our horse,” says Rivers who is launching “The Confident Equestrian e-Workbook” as a companion to her popular and proven Big Horse Dreams, The Confident Equestrian One-on-One and Workshop programs.

Designed to guide the reader, “The Confident Equestrian e-Workbook” is organized into ten separate easy-to-understand skill areas that range from ‘’My Well-Being,’’ to ‘’In the Saddle.’’ An assessment workbook, Rivers expertly offers 101 skills that lead you towards the mastery of mindset, proven horsemanship techniques, and how to be the leader for your horse. Skills that she explains are needed to create and establish consistent confidence in the rider and for the benefit of the horse.

‘’In any aspect of your life,’’ says Rivers, ‘’you have more authentic confidence when you are physically, mentally, technically and emotionally equipped. The same is true for having confidence working with and riding your horse. The more you can bring all of yourself to your relationship with your horse, the more you will experience a true and lasting confidence.’’

‘’The Confident Equestrian e-Workbook’’ presents both horse owners and equestrians a roadmap to improving horsemanship and confidence over time.

• Confidence assessment
• 101 skills organized into 10 Skill Areas
• Designed to create and support confidence
• Track your progress
• Companion questions
• Coaching support through Big Horse Dreams programs

By utilizing a grounded holistic approach towards self-awareness and change, Rivers wrote ‘’The Confident Equestrian e-Workbook’’ as a vehicle to ask each reader questions that allow the opportunity to assess self behavior, behavior of the horse, approaches towards training, self-esteem, care, horsemanship, safety and trust. Through this assessment each reader can begin to see strengths and weaknesses in the area of personal confidence and begin to develop skills to create authentic and lasting confidence for a better partnership between owner and horse.

‘’The Confident Equestrian e-Book’’ is also a proven tool for riders who are looking to boost competitive confidence.

‘’You can have great technique in your chosen equestrian sport,’’ says Rivers, ‘’but not the confidence to match it; it’s the confidence key that let’s you and your horse succeed.’’

Cathy Rivers of Big Horse Dreams, Inc. is the Equestrian’s Confidence Coach. Rivers believes magic happens for the equestrian when their confidence surpasses their riding technique. Rivers offers various levels of Equestrian Confidence programs ranging from the Show, Perform, Win Workshop to her 6-month Gold Medal Program.

Supporting people, especially equestrians, to flourish and experience successful and satisfying relationships with their horses is near and dear to Cathy’s heart.

Rivers lives on her farm outside Olympia, WA where she breeds and trains Swedish Warmbloods.

Cathy Rivers
BIG HORSE DREAMS, INC.
www.bighorsedreams.com
360.480.0183
Connection, Confidence & Leadership

For the equestrian who is ready to ride like a champion.

For more information, media inquiries, interview request or to review a copy, please contact:

Sarah Redfield, Marketing Director
Email: sarahredfield@aol.com
Tel: 541.420.0416

To order The Confident Equestrian e-Workbook please visit:

Big Horse Dreams, Inc.
Website: www.bighorsedreams.com/programs

Preview Horses For LIFE Online Magazine Volume 41 Bent Branderup

Incredibly beautiful horse photos in this online horse magazine!

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Bent Branderup – The Art of Pluvinel
Anja Beran – Lusitano versus Andalusian
Kladruber in the Snow – Christiane Slawik

More info: http://horsesforlife.com

A Journalist Rediscovers Herself With The Help Of A Native American Community And A Quadriplegic Man Who Can Gentle The Horses Even The Toughest Cowboys Can’t Break

BROKEN ~ A Love Story

Horses, Humans, and Redemption on the Wind River Indian Reservation
By Lisa Jones

Broken’s Book Reviews…

“At the book’s core are the themes of healing, redefining family and home, and ‘finding your center.’ In the end, Jones reveals the beauty, ruin-and spirituality-of life on the ‘rez.’”
—Publishers Weekly

“…[H]er unique experience with this unusual man makes for compelling reading.”
—Booklist

“Jones has written the most important and beautiful book to come out of the West in a decade. Moving, powerful, humbling, beautifully rendered.”
—Alexandra Fuller, author of Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight

“Intrepid only begins to describe Lisa Jones, who goes to admirable and adventurous lengths to take the measure of a singular American spirit. Her engagements with (and devotion to) Stanford Addison also lead to her candid measure of herself – a risk that pays off for those willing to jump into Jones’ old Toyota as she looks for wisdom in a neglected corner of the West.”
—Ted Conover, author of Whiteout, Rolling Nowhere and Newjack

In 2002, journalist Lisa Jones traveled to a dusty corral on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming to meet Stanford Addison for a magazine assignment. A Northern Arapaho with a special gift for gentling horses rather than breaking them by force, Stanford also had the ability – driven by his deep spirituality – to cure people of everything from cancer to bipolar disorder. Even more remarkable, he did all of this from an electric wheelchair; he was quadriplegic. Lisa expected to stay with him for just four days but instead came home four years later with a brand new life. BROKEN: A Love Story by Lisa Jones (Scribner; May 12, 2009; Hardcover; $25.00) is Lisa’s beautiful and utterly moving written memoir about her time spent with Stanford and the soul-shifting spiritual journey she took while on the reservation.

This youTube features Lisa reading the book’s preface over slideshow of photos taken of Stanford, his family, horses and home. The photos were taken by Teresa Neptune and Sarah Kariko.

Lisa was forty-two and at a crossroad in her life when she traveled to Wyoming. She was dating a man she deeply loved, and with whom she shared “a compatibility so rare it would be a sin against God not to arrange our lives around it.” But he too who was at a crossroads, wanting to passionately pursue his spirituality, considering a life as a Buddhist monk. She struggled with the desire to get married and have children. Driving from her home in Colorado to meet Stanford on the reservation she had no idea she was about to experience a life transformation.

Stanford spent his teenage years busting broncos, seducing girls and dealing drugs. When he was 20, he left his house one night to party with his friends. Barreling down the road in a truck, they hit a pack of horses that were wandering loose. Their truck rolled violently three times and while Stanford’s friends emerged from the accident unharmed, he was pinned underneath the cab. When the police arrived and attempted to jack the truck up to try to rescue him, the jack slipped and cut Stanford’s spinal cord at the neck—he would never walk again. By morning, this brutal accident had robbed him of his physical abilities. Adding insult to injury, he soon started developing disconcerting, unwelcome spiritual powers.

After years of struggling with the loss of his former prowess and the arrival of his mysterious gifts, Stanford eventually surrendered to his new life, helping people overcome their own life struggles. When Lisa met Stanford on the reservation at a horse clinic where beginners gentle untamed horses, he had been paralyzed for more than two decades. Meeting Stanford’s calm eyes for the first time, she blushed to the roots of her hair: “It felt like he could see every little place in me that had gone hard and rigid and smiling.” She became a frequent visitor to Stanford’s place over the next four years, spending many nights at the modular home he shares with his large extended family, sipping coffee and watching the “paralyzed, six-toothed, one-lunged Plains Indian [taking] a drag of his KOOL Filter King” and jokingly saying, “‘I guess the thing I miss most since the accident is ski jumping.’” Lisa watched neighbors from the reservation and visitors from miles away travel up the dirt road to Stanford for guidance and healing for what was broken in their lives.

Meanwhile, the reservation, its people’s struggles with poverty and violence, and their deeply spiritual culture worked on Lisa, too. Over time, Stanford was able to expose and heal the places where she, too, was broken. BROKEN is an amazing journey of self-realization, the surrendering to something larger than we know, and a powerful testament to the belief that love makes a broken spirit whole again. Lisa tells us that Stan always says that “Life isn’t about happiness. Good times are followed by bad times; bad times are followed by good. Life isn’t about staying clear of pain. Life is about finding your center, even when things get so painful you want to run like hell in the opposite direction.” Through her friendship with Stanford, Lisa found her center, and a greater way to love.

— end —

Above is a press release available for Immediate Release
Contact: Heidi Richter
Scribner Publicity
Phone: 212-632-4952
heidi.richter @ simonanschuster . com (remove spaces)

About the Author Lisa Jones

Lisa Jones has written for The New York Times Magazine, High Country News, and National Public Radio. She lives in Colorado with her husband. BROKEN is her first book. Please visit Lisa Jones’ website: LisaJonesWrites.com were you can read four excerpts from the book, Broken. And check out her video on youtube: BROKEN – A Love Story read by Lisa Jones

Lisa also has a blog you can read.

Information about the book, including author interview videos, can be found here: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Broken/Lisa-Jones/9781416579069

About Scribner

Scribner is an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., part of the CBS Corporation. Simon & Schuster is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic and multi-media formats. Its divisions include the Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.

Equine Adoption Network Adopt your next horse!

There are a few horse training books books out already about clicker training horses but I say the more the merrier because each person has their own voice and way of explaining training lessons. So if you are having trouble wrapping your mind around the lesson in with one book you can try another. I find that with each new book I read on the same subject that I pick up more knowledge from the different points of view.

Leslie Pavlich’s new paperback book is named: Clicker Training: Colt Starting the Natural Horse and it is available now at Amazon.com.

Leslie Pavlich on her new horse training book

After over 20 years of training experience with horses I discovered Clicker Training.

With clicker training I was able to do things with horses that I had never dreamed of before. I hope to share with your what I have found through my book which is the result of over 4 years working with 50 different horses using Clicker Training as my main training tool.

This book is a step by step guide for taking a horse that has never been touched to the beginning of riding combining Clicker Training and Natural Training techniques. If you have a young colt, one of the wild ones, or just want to retrain Old Faithful this book can help you accomplish that.

Problem Horse or Horse training problem

I wrote this Clicker Training book because there are so many horses in need. Just about everyone I know has one difficult horse or a horse that is not broke to ride yet. Owners have concerns about sending their horses away to a trainer. So their horse just doesn’t get the training they need.

This book can help, it is a step by step guide to walk you through the process and you don’t have to send your horse away. If you need extra help with your horse I will be available for Video Lessons to add extra assistance. I believe in one on one interaction because every horse and owner are different.

My goal is to help motivate you, that you can do it, and get you out to the barn. If you run into a problem you and need extra help I give private video lessons that can fast tract you to success.

What do I hope for the future of horse training?

I hope to teach as many as I can that you can use Clicker Training for everyday riding. My book can guide your gently through the basics and to a well-rounded horse you can be proud of. Through the clicker I have worked with horses that I would never have attempted to handle before I discovered the magic of clicker training. Seven years of working with the clicker and a wide range of horses has given me the knowledge to create an easy to read, hold-your-hand and lead you book.

Please join me in this new journey of discovery and you too can have a new outlook for your horse.

OK so what is Clicker Training?

Clicker Training is a precise way of marking and rewarding your horse for specific things that they have done. The clicker is a small hand held plastic box that makes a clicking noise when pressed. The clicker noise, tells the horse “YES, that is correct.” Then you give your horse some food so the click has meaning – a motivator.

Clicker Training works great with anything that you would like to teach your horse. I work with many different ages of horses. I would be working on more finished colts, then 6 months later I was back to just weanlings. I wrote a manual that I went by to help keep me on track, and to keep me consistent. I have incorporated Clicker Training with Colt Starting and the result is this step by step Clicker Training book.

Horse Clicker Training Lesson; youtube.com video

Note from Joni Solis (owner of this blog): So many people PooPoo any ideas that involve horses and hand feeding of treats. BUT don’t toss out Clicker Training just because it deals with feeding horses from your hand. If you work correctly the horse doesn’t turn into a monster just because he knows you have food on you. I have two very food loving ponies and one used to be a biter. Though clicker training I have two highly motivated ponies that love their training lessons and don’t want them to end. The biter no longer bites.

Take your time to truly investigate clicker training and give it a real go. Your horse will love you for it and you will be amazed at what you can get your horse to do and do it happily.

Clicker Training can be done safely. It can be less stressful to your horse than conventional training. More and more people that were about to give up on their horse have discovered the Prince of a horse they really had once they tried the clicker.

I am an amazon affiliate and will make some money if you buy this book from clicking on the links on this page. I do believe in clicker training for all animals and highly recommend you try it even if I don’t make any money from it.

Just try it!

After reading the book, “Alteza” I’ve interviewed its author, Linda Hines.

Dear Linda, I loved your book, “Alteza”. I read it over a period of a few days and it tempted me away from my workload more than a few times. Being a workaholic that was not an easy feat. This is the first literary Western adventure story that I have read and it enchanted me with its romantic tale that takes place in the 1800′s in the Territory of New Mexico. The poetic and literary excerpts were an extra delight as were the black and white artwork sprinkled throughout the book.

Thank you, Joni. I am pleased you are pleased! Alteza and Book Two of the Metairie Saga, Phantom Suns, are a Celebration of all I love most … horses, the Victorian West, and 18th and 19th Century Romantic Literature and Music.

Book writing

How long have you been writing?

As long as I’ve been reading. But short stories only. Only after I returned to university as an adult did I “discover” my mature voice … as well as the discipline required to develop a longer work. What a delight those “school” years were! Most as I raised a family while working full-time. But my desire to learn was so keen! Still is and it’s that quality which is reflected in my Metairies: The insatiable desire to learn! The incredible joy of holding a beautiful, uniquely bound antique volume in my hand! And savoring the thought of ALL those books I NEED to read!

Have you had any formal training for writing a novel?

No, other than a lifetime of reading and a professional life which requires an articulate voice. Would formal training be of benefit to others with a desire to write? Most definitely, as would searching out writing groups for support.

Could you tell us a little bit about the research you did this book?

How dynamic the 19th Century! Although the Metairies are a work of fiction, the visionary nature of such Empire Builders certainly was not! Therefore, to the best of my knowledge, any actual event or date described in my books are historically correct! My intention always to write from the point of the view of the period. The details of ranching and cattle drives were obtained from documentation written in 1874. Facts of the tragic Chicago fire are from historical record. Even the operas referred to in Crosby’s Opera House in Chicago are accurate in name and performance date. Other events, whether innovative in nature like Cyrus Field’s transatlantic cable or nation-altering like the Wars of German Unification, are historic in fact. Most particularly, book and music titles, as well as their translations, were those available in the years 1871 to 1873.and are historically correct.

Literary excerpts and classic illustrations greatly enhance the Romantic mood and adventurous nature of these books. Whether translations of the great German poets such as Goethe, Schiller, Heine or Novalis; or words of other notable authors of the period such as Lord Byron, Thomas Carlyle or Walter Scott … all excerpts shared within these pages are from editions a Metairie could have treasured in his library or held in his hand.

Horses

Do you own a horse?

Alas, we have been horseless for a number of years now (two sons in college) but that was certainly not always the case. Appaloosas and quarter horses have always been my breeds of choice, but we also had a lovely Arab mare for many years while my husband had a mischievous paint. And many ponies have shared our lives as well! But being “in” horses is not only a state of mind … its a state of heart and that will never change.

So with what delight did I weave the memory and nature of the horses which had shared my life into The Metairie Saga! Because Ruark’s fiery sorrel, Rouge; Mariah’s spirited appaloosa, Riago; and Galen’s aristocratic Rune were ALL my beloved companions; while the powerful bay, Mythos, was my first horse … the exquisite Greyling, my last.

Books and the joy of learning

Many of the characters in the book are enchanted with learning and reading books. In fact I had never read where an author describes in such loving detail the joy of learning and the description of book bindings. Owning a large library of books myself I understand their fascination and delight.

Are most of the books mentioned in this novel real and have you read many of them?

Most Definitely! In fact, the majority of books I included in my story are my own! You see, my particular passion is collecting antique volumes! Thomas Carlyle’s 1827 “German Romance” (featuring the earliest English translations of German Romantics Ludwig Tieck, Jean Paul Friedrich Richter, A.T.W. Hoffman and others) and Henry Morley’s 1845 “Dream of the Lilybell” were my first “first” editions. Since then I have collected the entire Works of J.W. von Goethe, Friedrich von Schiller, Heinrich Heine, Thomas Carlyle … all in the most beautiful 19th Century bindings. Finding these books is an adventure of its own … and the rarest of my books have come to me from foreign lands. My first edition collection of the poetry of Sir Walter Scott is from Ireland. Beautifully bound in burgundy and gold, these small “octavo” volumes fit in the palm of your hand! All of Scott’s Waverley novels are uniformly bound in blue and gold as well. And I have many uniquely bound volumes of Lord Byron, the latest an illustrated complete works which is just gorgeous and takes your breath away!

But the pride of my collection are the earliest translations of J.W. von Goethe’s masterwork, “Faust” …! Yes, these are mine! Just like in the book! I’ve managed to acquire fourteen of the much sought-after original twenty-four translations so far! As in the Metairies’ library, the first ever translation (Lord Gower’s 1823 exercise) is a raggedy volume carefully preserved on my library shelf in ribbon and cloth of scarlet and gold. This came to me from Germany. The impressively bound and presented Birch “Faust” translation which Sable examines in the story was, indeed, dedicated to the Crown Prince of Prussia, and is just as beautiful as described … and came to me from South Africa.

The German Romantics are my particular passion, and even to this year their translations are rare and very hard to find; once again, usually coming to me from the United Kingdom. But tenacious as always, I’ve acquired Jean Paul’s 1860 translation of his 2-volume “Titan,” Christoph Martin Wieland’s 1861 translation of his 2-volume “Republic of Fools” and on its way to me now is a VERY rare 1852 translation of Ludwig Tieck’s “The Legacy.” As Goethe’s “Faust” played a significant role in “Alteza,” the works of Jean Paul, Wieland and Tieck will inspire “Lords of High Degree,” the book I’m working on now.

Pardon my passion! But have you ever held an antique volume in your hand? Just the scent and feel of the beautifully crafted old leather is intoxicating! Listen! The Past will speak … if only you have the Heart to hear!

Do you feel that the poetic and literary excerpts that decorate each chapter will awaken people to the books that held these words?

I hope so! Writing the Metairie Saga is a journey of discovery for me. All of the illustrations … whether classic in nature or vivid silhouettes … were carefully selected. And the lyrical words of the Literary Princes are the delight of my life and have become part of the person I am today. I could only wish for other readers to experience the thrill of their discovery … and have their daily lives “enhanced” in this way.

Nature

Laced throughout are descriptions on the wonders of the natural environment and how nature can be so giving and inspiring. Yet the book reminds us about nature’s unpredictability and danger.

I’ll let Ruark Metairie speak on that!

Twas in the rugged pastoral North
‘Neath mighty Sangre de Cristo’s majestic shadow
Defiance dared Deception,
An Empire of Dreams … their creation.

Alteza

Audaciously they claimed her.
But holding her, taming her, truly possessing her …
Would demand a lifetime
And, perhaps, even their lives.

“This is Alteza, girl.
Metairie land
Just a shade of the Empire we will build here.

Though we call her our Own …
The Spirit of this proud untamed land belongs to the Ages.
For no one can truly possess Alteza.
Demanding only Respect, these grasslands give us Life.
For that,
We owe her our Devotion.”

Romance

Of course the best part of, Alteza is the romantic tension entwining the main characters and the mystery of what will happen next.

Could you give us a few words about why you choose to write a romance and if any of the characters are based on real people or situations?

The Metairie Saga is a richly woven tale of audacious, creative individuals determined to carve out a Cattle Empire in the rugged Victorian West.

But if you ever delve into the real lives of those you most admire … the Visionaries … you will likely discover a personal life which is complex and often unconventional, and usually the most challenging for anyone who “dares” to love those who “create.”

Alteza is very much a passionate love story … of two men and one woman who shared an extraordinary bond. But this is also a Visionary’s tale, as spirited and untamed as the time and territory in which these rugged individuals lived; and a bare 300 pages could only hint at the complex nature of the family’s relationship … or the depth of feeling Ruark and Galen and Mariah Metairie have always shared.

So the story continues in Phantom Suns … where the tumultuous events are revealed which led first to a terrible misunderstanding … and then to Galen’s exile. Because, only then, can the Brothers Metairie begin to try to make amends.

Linda, is your third book in this series out yet and do you have more books or book series planned?

Absolutely, more books are planned! Would you believe these characters have “lived” in my head and my heart since I was thirteen? But only as an adult, after a lifetime of living and loving and loss, could I find the words … or have the maturity and depth of feeling needed to try to tell their poignant tale. So that only four years ago did the Metairie Saga begin to evolve … as eight short stories. The first one, The Metairie Cattle Company, became Alteza. The next three, “Drumfire,” “Runes,” and “Dusk of Tears,” became “Phantom Suns.” Now, I am in the process of developing stories 5, 6 and 7 (“Empires,” “In the Company of Princes” and “Of Paladins and Princes”) for Book Three of the Metairie Saga … which will be known as “Lords of High Degree.” And, with all the reading and research I need to do to properly tell the tale, I am just as happy as can be!

Thank you, Joni … not only for your beautiful “Enchantress” … but for your kind words about my novel, and for sharing in the fun and adventure of my Metairies’ tale with me.

If you enjoy a wonderful romantic adventure book please read Linda C. Hines books…

Alteza

Phantom Suns

Here is a snip-it of one of the book reviews: …Yet this is no fantasy, but a tempestuous tale of passions uncontrolled, devotion, betrayal, platonic love, ethics of power, the inherent flaws of those who create ‚Ķ and the possibility of redemption…by Marin McEntee. You can read other book reviews here.

Note from Joni Solis: I do not receive any money from the sale of Linda’s books. I just love a good read (specially when it has horses in it) and thought you might enjoy Linda’s writings.

Linda purchased the use of a few of my horse graphics to use in her first book, Alteza. “Enchantress” which is on the cover and the title page. “Steps Though Time” on page 54, “Night Run” on page 167, and “Mexican Azteca Horse” on page 9.

Horses and books in my mailbox; what a delight!

It is not often that I experience excitement at the opening of my mailbox. But this morning as I pulled out the mail I caught sight of an image of a cowgirl* astride a brown horse with three wild horses running before her – a bay, a black, and a dappled gray. Yes, the sight of horses, inked on paper, can make my heart beat faster. I didn’t name my site, A Love for Horses, for nothing.

I then looked at the return address on the package and saw the name, Linda Hines, an author, and knew the package held a treasure of books. I couldn’t wait to get the package open to check them over.

Books – I love books, always have from the time of young childhood when my mother would sit with us on the bed and read until we or she fell to sleep. Books containing artwork and poems have always been a top favorite. So I was delighted when I flipped through the two books and saw both laced with black and white artwork by a multitude of wonderful artists and quotations and excerpts of poetry and prose from 18th and 19th century authors: Goethe, Lord Byron, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, among others.

Even as I have grown a custom to reading books on the computer screen, I still adore the good old paper versions. I love the heft of books, the feel and smell of the paper, even the sound of my fingers flipping the crisp pages. So many positive emotions evoked from past books that just the lifting of a books is pleasurable to me. OK, you may say I have an book addiction. I confess that I own about six large bookcases filled with books and magazines.

Linda Hines sent me her first two books, Alteza, The Metairie Saga, Book One and Phantom Suns, The Metairie Sage Book Two. My horse art, “The Enchantress” is used on the cover of “Alteza”. Some of the cool black and white horse and cowboy silhouette artwork in these books are from EZArt Graphics.

The first book:

Alteza, The Metairie Saga, Book One
by Linda Hines

How passionate the Nineteenth Century! When daring ideas sparked modern innovations; discontent sparked European revolutions; and need for inspired leadership spurred Thomas Carlyle to ponder the qualities of “Great Men.” Yet the American frontier had its own visionaries ‚Ķ and the Metairie Saga is a tempestuous tale of their daring spirits, devoted hearts and forbidden desires.

Inspired by Goethe’s “Dream no small dreams,” this exciting new series often parallels cultural and historic European events, while literary details enhance and inspire its pages. Surviving Chicago’s Great Fire, Galen Metairie returns to Alteza, his family’s cattle empire in the Territory of New Mexico. But can the love of his young bride surmount the bond her mysterious husband and his brother’s wife still share? Or will a ruthless renegade prove a greater threat? Because if Moor is involved, the issue is never cattle or land or even wealth; but vulnerabilities ‚Ķ and one man’s power over another man’s heart.

*Artwork on the package: The artwork may actually be a depiction of a cowboy with long hair, but my first thought was cowgirl, I guess I automatically put myself in the saddle. But you can be the judge (leave your guess in the comments). This same artwork is also in the book, “Alteza” in black and white on page 209.

Archive.org has free horse books that you can read online or download

I typed in ‘horses’ in their search box for ‘texts’ and received 230 results! My goodness I found a huge range of equine books. From horse training books, horse health books, horse diseases, equine veterinary books, horse management, horse story books, horse poetry, equine feeding, horse farrier books, horse history, horse tack, horse jumping, horse taming books, Calvary, and more! Many of the books are illustrated with horse graphics and horse pictures. This is a great book collection that all equestrians should find useful.

Short quote and illustration from the book: “The handbook of horsemanship”

THE Horse is an animal of great spirit and strength, very docile, delicate, and sensitive; therefore harsh treatment is not only unnecessary, but injurious. Habit forms the disposition of the horse, and guides his instinct; gentle treatment encourages and divests him of fear, a feeling which is often mistaken for obstinacy, and called restiveness. If you can convince a horse that he is not in danger, he will obey, and his memory being very retentive, instruction always succeeds with him, by a kind and persevering repetition of the discipline required to inure him to whatever he is to perform.

The archived books come in different file formats some you can view right on the Internet or you can download and print the PDF version. I love the Flip Book format that you view over the Internet and the pages flip just like a real book. But if you are on a slow Internet connection you may want to read the text version of the books.

P.S. Archive.org seems a busy site so if you have connection problems try again when not as many people are trotting around the site – like late a night or first thing in the morning.

If you want to find even more Free Books you will want to check out this web page for a TON of links to other free book sites!

Horse poem from the book, Songs of horses by Robert Frothingham…

SONGS OF HORSES

When my feet is in the stirrups
And my hawse is on the bust,
With his hoofs a-flashin’ lightnin’
From a cloud of golden dust,
And the bawlin’ of the cattle
Is a-comin’ down the wind –
Then a finer life than ridin’
Would be mighty hard to find.

Just a-ridin’, a-ridin’ –
Splittin’ long cracks through the air,
Stirrin’ up a baby cyclone,
Rippin’ up the prickly pear –
As I’m ridin’.

I don’t need no art exhibits
When the sunset does her best,
Paintin’ everlastin’ glory
On the mountains to the west,
And your opery looks foolish
When the night-bird starts his tune
And the desert ‘s silver mounted
By the touches of the moon.

Just a-ridin’, a-ridin’ –
Who kin envy kings and czars
. When the coyotes down the valley
Are a-singin’ to the stars –
If he’s ridin’?

When my earthly trail is ended
And my final bacon curled
And the last great roundup J s finished
At the Home Ranch of the world
I don’t want no harps nor haloes,
Robes nor other dressed up things –
Let me ride the starry ranges
On a pinto hawse with wings!

Just a-ridin’, a-ridin’ –
Nothin’ I’d like half so well
As a-roundin’ up the sinners
That have wandered out of Hell,
And a-ridin’.

- by Badger Clark

Yep, heaven on earth – to just be a-ridin’.

An Equine Book ONE DAY EVENT for November 15th, 2007!

Nancy Bailey’s inspirational and captivating horse book, “Clifford of Drummond Island,” tells the true story of a horse with a sense of humor. The crooked-legged runt colt came into her life after the demise of the “perfect horse”. The adventures that followed with the inimitable Clifford, his dog friends, wild birds and animals led to this modern day classic.

You already have a copy of the book? That’s great, so do I, but am still planning to participate in this special event because…

Nancy wants to make “Clifford” a nationwide BEST SELLER on Amazon.com. So, she’s making this very special offer. . . Purchase another one for family or friends for only $14.95 USD on November 15th and Nancy’s going to give you over $350.00 in bonus items! PLUS, for this day’s sales event, a portion of the profits will benefit participating animal organizations. So, feel free to order several copies for your family and friends. Or do what I plan to do with my extra book and donate it to one of my favorite horse rescue organizations!

But, this special event last only 24 hours for the day of November 15th! So be sure to tell everyone you know about it.

Here’s is a sampling of the wonderful bonus items…

• 20 Dog Treat Recipes
• Free edition of Horses For Life Magazine
• Free Teleseminar: “Benefits of Equine Acupressure”
• Free Ebook: “Finding the Clickable Moments” by Dolores Artse
• Free Ebook: “25 Ways to Raise a Great Puppy”
• Free Discount from Horse Flicks on a TV episode about your horse.
• Free Horse Desktop Wallpaper Image
• And so much more.

Visit our CliffordBookShop.com for all the details of your bonus package.

I love Nancy’s books and wish her the best on this event, besides I love free gifts. By the way, if you end up with an extra book please consider donating it to Adopt A Foal…

Adopt-A-Foal & Equine Rescue, Inc. is a Volunteer Organization dedicated to reducing the suffering and senseless slaughter of orphaned foals and neglected equine in the United States. Please check out the horses up for adoption.

http://adoptafoal.org/available_horses.html

November 15 th is the day, Amazon.com is the place, and “Clifford of Drummond Island” by Nancy Bailey is the book!

I cannot remember a time that a book had me crying in the first chapter. If a book can stir my emotions to tears at all I brand it a winner. Isn’t that why we read — to be inspired, tantalized, and whisked away on an adventure beyond our daily routines?

Book excerpt…

…years of dreaming; of countless horse drawings, paintings; dreams of velvet skin stretching over bone and sinew and muscle; of riding like a prairie fire with the wind in my face…

A multitude of girls have had their hearts stroked by just such dreams. Some go on to create their horse dreams and others push them down to smolder awaiting time when they can relive these dreams — if only through equine writings and art.

This book is a true story about a Morgan horse with a bit of a quirky attitude. At Amazon.com the customer reviews for this book averaged five stars. Nancy has very graciously posted the first two chapters of her book on her website where you can read them and then click through to order the book.

I am writing this today based on reading just the first two chapters of “Clifford of Drummond Island”; imagine the praise I will gush forth with when I have read the whole book!

Meet Nancy and Clifford in this horse video

After you trot along with her first book I think you will want to gallop on to the sequel, “Return to Manitou”. Nancy has posted the first chapter online for you to read.

Here is what one reader wrote:

“If you have ever had the honor and pleasure of an extra special, once in a lifetime animal companion you will revel in this wonderful story. And if you haven’t, just read Ms. Bailey’s book and hope to be so blessed one day.”

- A Reader

About the author Nancy J. Bailey

Nancy, is an amazing women of many talents among them – artist, photographer, book and play writer, animal trainer, and breeder of champion animals. In a world were too many people spend a lifetime searching for their true passion it looks like Nancy was given many.

Horse Business Marketing Tips:

As I said, people read to be inspired, tantalized, and whisked away on an adventure beyond their daily routines. These are same reasons people are attracted to horse activities. If you can show people how your equine business can evoke the emotions people desire then you will make sales. People are not into horses because of dry logical reasons, but emotional ones — how it makes them FEEL, and that is the way to motive them to take action and buy from you.

Some of the best copywriters talk about the importance of being able to tell a good story to draw people in and hold their interest. Well the best way to improve at story telling is to read good stories. So here is a case where you can indulge yourself in a good horse book and be learning to write better sales copy at the same time! See you can mix business with pleasure!

Also note that people like videos; look how many hours most of us spend watching TV! So posting entertaining videos on youtube.com and other video sites help lead people back to your website.

If you have read any Nancy’s books I would love to hear your thoughts. Please comment too on how good storytelling copy writing has helped your business. Thanks!