Horse Care Checklist for Young Riders

The Flicka people sent this checklist to me, and I thought you would be interested for the young riders in your barns.

A printable version is available here:

Printable Version of Horse Care Checklist

Winners of the Flicka DVDs

I posted this in the comment section of the Flicka post. Since I didn't get a response, I thought I'd better make it more obvious.

Wendy and Mare, you've won a copy of Flicka. Sent me your snail mail addresses to: jamidavenport@hotmail.com and I'll see that you get a copy!! Congratulations!

If you did email me, please send another message as I didn't receive it.

Having Fun--and "Forged"

                                    by Laura Crum

            I think what we sometimes forget when we have horses is the idea of having fun. There is more to horses than having fun, of course. We need to care for them responsibly and we grow to love them and grieve when they are hurt or come to the end of their lives. Sometimes our “fun” is just the joy we feel when we walk down to feed our horse and he nickers (and that is a very real form of fun). But I think most of us have, at some time or another, connected to the delightful form of fun that one feels when riding a horse. Not the thrill of competition or the struggle/joy of training, but the simple, pure fun in being carried by the horse in those moments that are free of anxiety or the worry over whether one is doing it right. Just the plain old fun of horseback riding. I think we sometimes forget about that fun when we get caught up in all the other elements of horse ownership.

            I got reminded of this the other day when we had our first practice roping of the year. We didn’t do much, just gathered the cattle and put them through the chutes and started teaching them how to be roping cattle. Maybe ten of us, all horseback, in the spring sunshine. It was a blast. Just being on our horses, moving cattle—nothing fancy. The fun of riding with friends.

            So today I’m going to post a few photos showing the fun we’re having, and what I’m hoping is to inspire others to take a quick moment to think of the pure fun you can have on your horse—despite the goals you maybe haven’t yet achieved, or the issues you sometimes face. Because horses are FUN. (I know that not everyone can chase cattle, but just riding down the trail or in the riding ring on your good horse—with friends or solo—can be lots of fun, too.)

            Here we are, getting ready to ride at my uncle’s place. My son is holding Sunny so I can take my horse’s photo. Do these horses look relaxed or what?

            Below you see me and Sunny leading the way down the hill through the forest.

            Here my son has pushed the cattle out of the forest and is following the other guys up the hill to the corrals.

            My kid and his horse, Henry, are chasing a fresh steer down the arena to the stripping chutes.

            And here they are, along with our friend, Mark, and Coal, bringing the roping steers up the alley.

            Now, nothing too terribly exciting is happening in any of these photos. We are walking or trotting in all of them, though we do chase the steers at the high lope from time to time. Our horses are, as you can see, relaxed and quiet. Nobody is worried, nobody is doing anything that requires much skill or training, either. Pretty much any halfway competent rider on a broke horse could do what we are doing. And we’re all, horses included, having fun. I think that sometimes we can get so caught up in what we’re trying to accomplish with our horses, and the goals we are striving for, that we forget to relax and have fun.

If you have a halfway gentle horse you can enjoy walk/trot/loping in the spring sunshine. It’s a sort of fun that most of us CAN have with our horses, even if we’re not up for jumping big fences, or riding 50 miles or don’t own any cattle. I try to remember this whenever I feel jealous/envious of what others are doing with their horses. The main thing (other than being a good, responsible owner) is to have fun.

            And finally, the last of my eight out-of-print books, “Forged,” is now up on Kindle for 99 cents. “Forged” is a fun, mostly upbeat book—yes, it’s a murder mystery, so someone has to die, but the victim is your classic always-late, womanizing horseshoer, so the crime isn’t all that tragic.

            Here’s a quick summary.

 FORGED: Gail’s horseshoer is shot in her barnyard, while shoeing her horse, embroiling Gail in the ensuing investigation. No shortage of suspects in this crime, and unfortunately Gail is one of them.

           

            And here’s the link to buy Forged on Kindle.

            Also, there is a little “prank” in this book. Something I put in to amuse myself. So far no reader has mentioned it to me—perhaps no one has noticed. Or perhaps some have noticed and just been too polite to call it to my attention. But for those of you who are reading the series in order, see if you find anything odd about a certain scene in Forged.

And there are still two more opportunities to acquire the last four titles in my mystery series for FREE. Simply email Susan Daniel at susan@danielpublishing.com with your snail mail address and your agreement to review all four books on Amazon.

I’ll be on vacation next week, so no Weds post from me. But true to my word, all of the first eight out-of-print titles in my mystery series are available on Kindle for 99 cents by the end April, just as I promised. Here’s the link to buy them. The order is Cutter, Hoofprints, Roughstock, Roped, Slickrock, Breakaway, Hayburner and Forged. 

I Love Mysteries!

I grew up reading animal books: Black Beauty, Billy and Blaze, King of the Wind and Lassie. Nancy Drew mysteries were never on my bookshelf, yet I ended up writing over thirty mysteries.

It all started with my first published story, "Dusty's Disappearance" published in 1984 Highlights Magazine. One of my third grade students came into class one day and told me his pony, pastured with the cattle in a big field, was missing. The whole class was enthralled, and we guessed rustlers, lost, run away. For a week, we waited for updates. Finally, the student told us the pony had been found trapped in an old stone ice house. He'd wandered onto the roof of the ice house and fallen through. Because the ice was lifted out from the top, there were no doors, and firemen had to bust their way though the stone walls. The pony was hungry and dehydrated, but fine.Instinctively, I knew this was a great story. I added action, suspense, and a great cliffhanger and sent it to Highlights; it was my first sale after a long run of rejections, and I was elated!



In the late 1980s, I began to write for the 'new' Linda Craig series. (The old series had been published in the 1950s and badly needed updating as you can see by  the cover.)  I was given the galley of the first book written in the series, and after reading it, thought "Wow, that was boring." Even the horse-details were slightly off and I vowed to make my book, which would be the second in the series, better.

As I wrote the outline, the adventure grew into a mystery. Almost instinctively I knew how to pace the story, write logical clues, ratchet up the suspense, add twists and create cliffhangers. It was as if my brain was born to 'mystery.'  The editors loved The Silver Stallion and I wrote five more in the series, all with strong mystery elements.

When Linda Craig ended, the editor asked if I wanted to try writing a Nancy Drew mystery. I was a natural and ended up writing over twenty digests, racks, and supermysteries, five online serial Nancy Drews as well as editing/rewriting for the publisher. It was during my editing jobs that I realized I did, indeed, have a knack for mystery as I rewrote countless boring scenes, added clues that made sense and increased the tension/action. I even got to add horses in my own Nancys The Mystery of the Missing Horse and The Mystery of the Masked Rider (I didn't come up with the titles).

My Nancy Drew training got me ready to plot and write Shadow Horse, which was nominated for an Edgar, and its sequel Whirlwind as wells as all my historical novels, which are as suspenseful and action-filled as a good mystery.

But where did this knack for mystery come from? I have no idea. Currently, I am enthralled by the mysteries behind the antique and vintage items that I find at yard sales, auctions and thrift shops. Each vase, plate or tin has a story behind it. What is the value? Who made it? How old is it? What was it used for?

For example, my antique wicker potty had two brass rings on the end of each arm. Was this once a potty swing? Obviously that didn't make sense, but I could not figure out how the rings were used until I came upon this photo.  I deduced this was once a torture chamber for potty-training Victorian two-year-olds. Case closed.

In my last two blogs, I got to review two fun mysteries, one written by Laura, so I can add reading mysteries to my other loves. And what about you? Do you love solving a good mystery or puzzle? Writing them? Reading them?  If you do, please share!

Carrots with Kwintus

He’s no spring chicken, but the rolling hills of Burgundy are definitely having a rejuvenating effect on our now retired, ex-dressage schoolmaster, Kwintus, who turned twenty a couple of days ago.

Kwintus officially belongs to my daughter Olivia, who left Switzerland for university in England in September 2010. We bought him in Germany when both he and Olivia were fifteen; as a first horse for my daughter we couldn’t have found better. Kind, patient, reliable, and always willing to work, Kwintus taught Olivia and me how to do half-passes, tempi changes, pirouettes, piaffe and passage. He won Olivia a first place in the very first dressage competition she ever entered. Basically,
he’s a very special horse.

Sadly, Kwintus developed arthritis in his neck, which made him stumble. His condition worsened abruptly when Olivia went to university, particularly when he suffered a broken tooth right at the back of his mouth (underneath his left eye) that became infected. I had the tooth surgically removed (I wrote about it at the time on this blog: I had to fly an equine dentist in from Munich because nobody in Switzerland could perform the operation), treated his arthritis with cortisone infiltrations, hoping to at least keep him sound enough for trail-riding. But when I saddled him up a month after the infiltrations, I knew immediately that his riding days were over, and made the decision to retire him.

Kwintus spent the next year chilling, turned out during the day with his friend Coconut, an ex-showjumper who was also retired. Kwintus seemed comfortable enough moving between his stable and the pasture, but not to the extent that I’d have considered putting on his halter and leading him down the trails for a change of scenery. It really was that bad.

But he seemed content enough, ambling around his huge field, and swishing away flies with Coco. It was nice to watch them hanging out together, enjoying each other’s company.

To my horror, late last year, totally out of the blue, Coconut’s owner evicted Kwintus. I scrambled to find him another home, and was lucky enough to get him the last space at Domaine des Hugaux, an amazing place in Burgundy. Domaine des Hugaux came came highly recommended by a friend of mine who owns my favourite tack shop, and although I can no longer visit Kwintus as often as I’d like because of the 250 kilometre drive, and hated having to tear him away from his beloved Coconut, I realise now that his abrupt eviction was a blessing in disguise.

When I first moved Kwintus to Burgundy the only thing that worried me was the hilly topography of the property, and when Olivia and I returned to visit him last week, Nathalie, who owns Domaine des Hugaux with her friend Monika, confessed that this had worried her too, because he seemed to be stumbling all over the place. Also, he had a hard time “making friends”, and seemed to prefer hanging out alone. It took a few weeks of trial and error for Nathalie to find him the right combination of field companions. But she persisted, bless her, and Kwintus made friends with Newton, a
horse ten years his junior, who is spending a year at Domaine des Hugaux while his young owner completes her education. Newton and Kwintus apparently hit it off immediately, although there were days when Newton’s youthful antics clearly got on Kwint’s nerves, whereupon Nathalie would separate them and let Kwint spend the day in part her garden, “mowing the lawn”.


Gradually, however, Nathalie noticed that Kwintus had grown stronger, and that constantly moving up and down the hills had not only done wonders for his stamina, it had also had an amazing effect on his movement.

Olivia and I could barely believe our eyes when we visited Kwintus last week and
witnessed him tackling steep inclines not only at a trot, but also at a gallop! His eyes were bright and he was clearly happy with his life within a small herd of four. Kwint recognised up immediately, raising his head and looking our way when Olivia called his name from behind the fence. I’d love to tell you that he came trotting over to us immediately, but that would be a lie; the spring grass was clearly far more appetizing than our giant bag of carrots! And as tempting as it was to slip under the fence and go pat him, we refrained. Experience has taught me that it can be dangerous to walk out into the middle of a herd of even the gentlest natured horses.

The most thrilling sight was when it was time for the horses to come in for the night. Nathalie stood at the gate, calling their names one after another. They came immediately, thundering across the fields at a full gallop. Kwint’s group skid-slipped to a halt just in front of her, then waited patiently as she put their halters on and led them two by two up to the stables. Once in his stable, Kwintus suddenly took a keen interest in our carrots, enjoying being fussed over, chatted to and photographed like a movie star.


We checked him over, delighted by his healthy appearance. Sure, he looks a little tatty because he’s busy shedding his winter coat, but his back is strong, his legs are cool and lump-free, and his feet are in great shape; going barefoot clearly hasn’t bothered him at all (I’d pulled his shoes off soon after I initially retired him, only to have to re-shoe him in front a few months later when some moronic farrier cut his feet far too short).

Later that evening, over dinner, Nathalie suggested that Olivia might like to try saddling Kwintus up and taking out for gentle hacks on the trails when we go back to visit him in the summer. As you can imagine, this concept would have been unthinkable a couple of months ago, but now, thanks to his active lifestyle, taking him for occasional trail rides seems like a distinct possibility. Personally, I’d love for Olivia to be able to ride him again, even if it’s only once or twice a year; she was away at university in England when I had to take the decision to retire him, and she was heartbroken when I broke the bad news. I’ve always felt that it should have been her, not me, who took him for that final short, sad ride in the rain.
Might Kwintus enjoy accompanying Olivia on a couple of gentle, happy rides in the sunshine during the summer holidays? I hope so, but it will definitely be his decision.


Incidentally, if you are planning a trip to France and fancy spending some relaxing time on a hilltop in the beautiful Burgundy countryside, Domaine des Hugaux also
operates as a “Chambre d’Hôte”, offering simple but comfortable rooms, as well as great cuisine. As you can see from the photo, the house is straight out of a picture book, and the view is amazing. There’s a swimming pool, a game room with a pool table, and plenty of open space to run around. Children will love hanging out with the resident donkeys and Shetland pony, with the added attraction of the duck pond and chicken coop, ruled by Gaston the Terrible Turkey (although Gaston’s days might
be numbered due to his bad temper!), flanked by his gaggle of hissing geese. There are a couple of gentle horses to take out on trail rides, as well as a few brood mares, one of which has probably had her foal since Olivia and I were there last week. The hiking is spectacular, and there are plenty of interesting, historical places to visit within easy driving distance, lots of good restaurants to enjoy, and far too many fabulous wines to taste. And then, of course, there’s lovely old Mr. Kwintus, who would love to meet you and share a carrot or two!

Wild Life....and Free Books

by Laura Crum

No, my life is not really that wild. It may have been at one time, but now I am pretty sedate. But yeah, once upon a time I liked to go bar hopping and hang out with cowboys…not to mention I hauled my horses from cutting to cutting (and then roping to roping) all over the western United States. These days I prefer sitting on the porch with a margarita in hand, contemplating the horses grazing and the roses blooming. I have had my fair share of the wild life, thank you very much.

However, living in these brushy hills by the Monterey Bay, I am surrounded by wildlife of various kinds. My horses are so accustomed to these critters that they barely glance at them, whether said critters are strolling through the corrals, or we meet them on the trails. And this is really an advantage. No de-spooking needed.

I actually love seeing the wild animals, and consider them to be every bit as interesting and delightful as the plants in my garden, which is a good thing, as the deer eat the roses, the bobcats, coyotes, hawks..etc eat the chickens, the raccoons eat everything they can find, and, well, the list just goes on and on. So today I thought I’d share some of my “wild life” with you all.

Our commonest visitor is deer. Below you see a doe and her two fawns in my yard.

Here’s a buck behind my house. I see deer on the trails all the time; I frequently see them in the horse corrals. The horses are very used to them and barely react to their presence.

Horses don’t care at all about this critter below, either. But the chickens are very bothered by her. This is a female that I saw often—she eventually brought her kits out and I saw them, too—but I didn’t get any good photos of the babies. We call her a bobcat, but she’s really a lynx. They are very common in these hills.

I often see wild animals when I go down to feed the horses in the morning. Here’s a coyote by the driveway. Horses don’t react to him at all. But the cats and chickens are scared of him—for good reason.

Many of the wild critters are drawn here by a desire to eat our chickens. Here’s a Cooper’s Hawk actually sitting on the chicken coop observing the poor things (the chickens get locked up from time to time when the predators have been taking too many).

Some wild animals are more benign. The tree squirrels don’t do any damage.

My son took this photo of one of his favorite wild things.

A wren raised her babies in a nest above our back door. My husband is six foot seven and he could reach up and take photos of them in the nest. The picture below was taken the very morning that they fledged. I watched over them all day and they successfully made it up into the brush—the mother stayed with them and took care of them. Yay!

Some wild things are a little creepy. My husband let this tarantula crawl on him, trusting in the wisdom that they can’t actually bite you. Not me.

But I do love these little fence lizards. We have lots of them.

And here’s another critter in my garden—but this one isn’t wild.

OK—there’s my wild life today. Doesn’t much resemble the wild life I had in my twenties (!)

And on the subject of books—I have been a total slacker and failed to finish editing my eighth book, Forged, in time to have it up on Kindle this week. I’ll try to get it done by next week. In the meantime, for those who don’t know, the first seven books in my western horse-themed mystery series about equine veterinarian Gail McCarthy are now available on Kindle for 99 cents. If you’d like to try them, follow this link. The order is Cutter, Hoofprints, Roughstock, Roped, Slickrock, Breakaway and Hayburner. For more about these titles go to lauracrum.com Next week the 8^th book, Forged, should be available for 99 cents, too. And the first five titles are available for free as a "borrow", if you're part of Amazon Prime (until June). The last four titles in the series-- Moonblind, Chasing Cans, Going Gone, and Barnstorming-- are still in print and are controlled by the publisher. They are available on Kindle, too—for $9.99.

But…if you’d like FREE copies of the last four books in my mystery series, you can have them (or some of you can) by contacting Susan Daniel at susan@danielpublishing.com and requesting review copies. This offer is limited to the first six people who request the books. Your only obligation is to review the books on Amazon. Can be a three sentence review, but you need to review all four books. So, those of you who are reading the series in order, this is your chance to get the last four books for FREE. You must review the books on Amazon, though.

(For those who are wondering why the reviews must be on Amazon, its because Amazon is now such a huge influence on book sales that having quite a few reviews for each book is very helpful. This is why the publisher is willing to give away six copies of each of the four titles. And any fan of the series who wants to do me a big favor—post a positive review of one—or more—of my books on Amazon. I don’t “expect” any one to do this—its an annoying little chore-- but if you happen to do it, I’ll be very grateful. And again, the first six people who request them can have the last four books in the series for FREE, in exchange for reviews on Amazon.)

Winners of The Girl Who Remembered Horses

Hi Everyone! I'm here to announce the winners of my drawing for three digital copies of my book The Girl Who Remembered Horses.

And they are  *drum roll, please*
Alexa
Teresa
and Greenie in WI.

Please contact me: linda (at) lindabenson.net to arrange for delivery of your choice of formats.

Also, some of you might enjoy this review by Jane Badger, who specializes in horse and pony books in the UK. http://booksandmud.blogspot.com/2012/04/review-linda-benson.html

Jane brings up the concept of genetic memory, which opens up the door for a great discussion with fellow horse lovers about whether or not the "horse gene" is inherited. This is one of the plot lines in The Girl Who Remembered Horses, and it makes for a lively argument. What do you think?

Thanks to all of those that entered! The Girl Who Remembered Horses is still rated #1 Fantasy Book Featuring Horses on Goodreads, and is consistently one of the Best Reviewed Horse Fiction books on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/The-Girl-Remembered-Horses-ebook/dp/B00635UBW8/ref=sr_1_12?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1334681148&sr=1-12

Hope you'll give it a try!

Happy Reading and Riding!