Wordless Wednesday – Mushroom
Starting the Colt by Jan Young
In this prequel to the Orange Slipknot, author Jan Young again introduces the reader to 12 year old Ben Lucas and his adventures on a large cattle ranch.
Since an accident with his father’s boss Fred that resulted in Ben needing to take the older man to hospital, the pair have developed an unexpected friendship. Although still gruff and seemingly angry all the time, Fred invites Ben to learn how to start a horse under saddle the old fashioned way.
Ben jumps at the opportunity and is amazed to find that his father’s way of ‘bucking out’ a horse isn’t the only way – and perhaps not the best. For Ben it is the temptation of getting to be the first rider on Soapsuds, his young colt that he had to forego to Fred, which helps him to keep his cool and stay patient for an opportunity to ride the colt.
Ben assumes the first day that they start work that he’ll be hopping on Soapsuds’ back. Fred has other ideas.
As Ben learns what Fred is teaching him, he realises that he must choose between two very different ways of starting horses under saddle. This becomes a particularly difficult issue for him, as his father indicates he’d like Ben to ‘buck out’ some young horses.
Starting the Colt is a great follow on from the Orange Slipknot, and a book that I enjoyed even more than the first. The characters are authentic and the horse knowledge of the author is obvious.
The book is an enjoyable read with a lot of great information. Like the Orange Slipknot, it contains a glossary of terms at the end of the novel to help enlighten those who may not be familiar with cowboy terms.
Author: Jan Young
http://www.janyoungauthor.com/
Fiction – youth
In my library? Indeed. A great and fitting follow on from the first Ben Lucas story by Jan Young.
Want it? Get it now on Amazon.
“What the colt learns in youth he continues in old age.” – French Proverb
May Challenge (Improve Skills)
I apologise that I didn’t get around to posting an April challenge – it was a hectic month for me! Because I have missed it, I’ll post the April challenge for you of improving skills, as the challenge for the month of May!
In every job that we carry out, there are skills to be learnt and skills to be improved. Even if you’re not currently working, you can work towards your dream career and improve your skills by:
- Finding out what skills would be required of you in this job
- Learning as much about your desired work area as you can
- Practicing any skills that you may be able to, outside of the job
- Finding different ways to achieve the same thing – seek the advice of others already in this role or who have carried it out previously.
There are many, many skills to be learnt with horses. Don’t believe that there is only one way to approach a task with a horse as it won’t always work for every horse! Be patient and open minded – that’ll get you far.
If you’d like to set yourself a challenge with a deadline, list skills you feel that you can achieve over the short term:
- Write down beside each one a definition of what you’d like to achieve – e.g., to do something faster, to do something more neatly, safely, or to learn 3 different ways to do something (for example, put a halter on a horse).
- Beside this, put down a date that gives you a pending deadline to work towards – enjoy!
“His is a power enhanced by pride, A courage heightened by challenge, His is a swiftness intensified by strength, A majesty magnified by grace, His is a timeless beauty touched with gentleness, A spirit that calls our hearts to dream.” – Author unknown
The Orange Slipknot by Jan Young
Author Jan Young was kind enough to send me an email to see if I would be willing to read and review two of her novels. Boy would I ever! The three weeks it took them to travel from Nevada to Victoria, Australia was perhaps longer than the time it’ll take me to read both!
The Orange Slipknot is a tale of a twelve year old boy named Ben who lives on a ranch in Nevada where his father is a cowboy. Ben dreams of growing up to do exactly as his father is and sooner rather than later!
It seems however that Ben’s age and his father’s boss Fred are both against him. Fred is convinced that Ben is immature and irresponsible. An accident caused by Ben that results in loose horses is the last straw.
Fred tells the young boy he wants him nowhere near his horses or cows. Ben is devastated and unsure how to make it up to his disappointed father. What’s worse, the accident has resulted in the death of a horse that Ben’s father needs to pay for.
As Ben struggles to make amends and right the mistakes that he caused, this coming of age tale explores how a young boy can make sound decisions, turn to his God and gain the respect of his elders. Jan Young writes an educational and entertaining tale in the Orange Slipknot. Some added bonuses for me were the great illustrations by Pat Lehmkuhl and Jan Young’s list of ‘ranching terms and cowboy slang’ defined at the end of the novel.
The Orange Slipknot is a well named novel that explores a young boy’s journey to behave like a man in a harsh environment.
Note – there is also a curriculum unit for this novel for teachers and homeschoolers. Take a look at Jan’s site!
Author: Jan Young
http://www.janyoungauthor.com
Fiction – youth
In my library? You bet! I’m sure I’ll enjoy the second in the series as much as the first.
Want it? Get it now at Amazon.
“A cowboy is a man with guts and a horse.” – Will James
Friday Feature: Mounted Police
This week’s letter is M. If you missed last week’s Friday Feature, take a look at Land Management (Equine).
If you have an interest in law enforcement that combines your love of horses, joining the mounted police may be for you! For those who are interested purely for the riding aspect, you may be disappointed.
Getting into the police force requires mental and physical testing. It is only after passing these and being a police officer for a set time that you may get to apply for a position within the mounted branch.
Some things to note:
- Horse skills and competent and safe riding are necessary to fulfill this role
- You need to have 2-3 years as a police officer behind you before being able to enter a mounted police role
- A good level of fitness is required
Two mounted police officers within Australia have been kind enough to answer some questions about the role. Be sure to check out the links below.
For other posts that relate to this area of work on Equus-Blog, take a look at:
“How to ride a horse: step one – mount the horse. Step two – stay mounted…” – Author unknown
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