Blog : Equus Education

Color My Horse by Bev Pettersen

July 3, 2017 by Christine Meunier Leave a Comment

Recently I was able to download another book by Bev Pettersen on Kindle. Having read Riding for Redemption not too long ago, I was keen to read another horse mystery romance by this author. Color My Horse didn’t disappoint.

Once again with a focus on the racing world, it brings together two very different characters. Mark is a promising thoroughbred trainer who is just hitting his prime at 31 years of age. Having a colt that could run in – and even win – the Derby is a highlight for him. He can even handle the difficult owner. That is, until said owner insists that Mark takes on his granddaughter in an attempt to break her spirit – and rebellious streak.

Jessica is in her late twenties and has suffered early retirement as a skier due to a knee injury. She makes a bargain with her grandfather. He will fund her planned dog grooming business if she can last working at the racetrack for Mark for a set period of time.

Mark chooses to ignore his immediate attraction to Jessica – she’s an heiress to a fortune. Plus, she doesn’t know horses. He just wants her to do her job quietly – once she learns to do it competently. The fact that she is very green with regards to racing is a time wasting frustration.

Jessica is determined to show her worth at the track. She’ll work hard, learn all she can and get her grandfather off her back. What she didn’t factor in was falling for the head boss – or his lack of interest in her. Used to getting her way because of her looks, Jessica is surprised to find that she wants to earn Mark’s respect as well as his interest.

Color My Horse

As the upcoming Breeders Cup meet draws closer, Jessica finds an unexpected love for the racing industry. Throw in an orphan boy, a foreign man with a knife who is out to get her and a scheming grandfather and Jessica doesn’t know where to turn.

Color My Horse is an aptly named, entertaining mystery that wraps up nicely. I loved how Jessica’s character developed and learned what she really wanted in life – with a little pushing from Mark. Toning down the language and crude descriptions would make this book almost perfect.

Author: Bev Petterson
Fiction – adult
In My Library? As an eBook.
Want it? Get it now on Amazon.

Equine Non Profits Network

June 30, 2017 by Christine Meunier Leave a Comment

I was interested to recently discover an equine non profits website. This network focuses specifically on equine non profits that are located in the North Carolina region. As it says on their website,

‘the mission of this project is to promote and support communication and collaboration among North Carolina’s horse related nonprofit organizations.’

Equine Non Profits can be a Great way to Give Back and Learn new Skills

I was amazed to learn through this website, that there are over 100 horse related nonprofit organisations within the North Carolina area – wow! The website has been created to be an interaction point for all of these organisations. It’s a place they can go online to gain information and help in relation to horse focused non profits. The site has been set up by Equine Career Network founder, Kelsey Sullivan and is run in conjunction with the North Carolina Horse Council.

The website provides details on the various organisations within the North Carolina counties. The 100+ organisations cover the areas of therapeutic riding, equine assisted, therapy, rescue, racehorse rehoming and preservation.

Equine Non Profits in North Carolina

I am blown away by the number of organisations set up in the NC area. For someone who wants to learn about setting up and running a non profit that relates to horses, volunteering at any number of facilities like these would be of benefit! As you can see, you can focus your interests to a particular area, such as therapeutic riding. Or, maybe you’d rather focus your energies where you see there is still a great need. Non profits are a great way to offer your time and energy through volunteering. They can also provide you with much information and skills as you make yourself available to them.

If you want to set up such an organisation in the NC area, then keep this website address handy. It not only provides contact details of over 100 setups in the North Carolina area, it also provides details on grants and emergency resources, as well as agriculture extension office details.

I love to learn about resources like this! If there isn’t one for your local area, then maybe you could start to collate similar information for it? This website came about from a Masters Thesis project – cool!

The Muleteer as a Horse Career

June 28, 2017 by Christine Meunier Leave a Comment

So recently I’ve had the opportunity to consider another in the equine species – the mule. Or more specifically, the role of the muleteer. This was on account of the Equine Spirit by C S Purdy. It was followed up by reading Brown Sunrise of Sawdust Valley by Marguerite Henry which will be reviewed in the future.

For those who are unaware, a mule is a foal that results from a horse and a donkey being bred. More specifically, the female is a horse (mare) and the male is a donkey (jack).

Something that fascinates me is that a mule is infertile. You cannot breed two mules and gain a baby mule. This is because donkeys have an extra set of chromosomes to the horse and so the resulting mule ends up with one chromosome not being paired. Interesting!

Mules have a lot of appeal to those who own them and handle them. They can be quite large, depending on the horse influence. Mules are sturdy, surefooted and hard workers. They also keep well, unlike some breeds of horse that require a lot to stay in good condition.

The Muleteer

Whilst reading Marguerite Henry’s novel about Brown Sunrise, reference was made to one of the gentlemen being a muleteer. I’m not sure I’ve read this word before! I assumed it related to the care of a mule, but I thought I’d do a little investigating. A muleteer can simply be described as “one who drives mules.”

A definition that I feel is a little more comprehensive details:

“A muleteer, or more informally a muleskinner is a person who transports goods using pack animals, especially mules. In South America, muleskinners transport coffee, maize (corn), cork, wheat and myriad other items. They remain common in the Paisa Region of Colombia. In California, muleteers work out of pack stations. In Europe, there are still muleteers in the south of Portugal and the southwest of Spain, in the cork producing area. Their role is now limited to transporting the cork with their mules, out of the Mediterranean oak forest to more accessible routes, where modern means of transport are available.”

Perhaps you have an interest in training and working with the equine species. But maybe donkeys and mules appeal to you more. Or the idea of working with pack horses in general! Being a muleteer could provide you with the chance to train, travel and get a lot of exercise!

Horse Wise (Saddle Club #11) by Bonnie Bryant

June 26, 2017 by Christine Meunier Leave a Comment

In the eleventh adventure in the Saddle Club series, Horse Wise, the members of Pine Hollow are getting a Pony Club. Now it seems that the girls will learn even more on a regular basis. Made up of riding lessons, practical health care sessions and theory, Carole, Lisa and Steve are rapt about Max’s decision to start a Pony Club.

Horse Wise (Saddle Club #11) by Bonnie Bryant

It is soon discovered that for the club to run effectively, many parents need to volunteer to help out. Carole is dismayed to find that after her father volunteers; his lack of horse knowledge is embarrassingly evident.

On top of this, she’s battling envy because spoilt rich kid Veronica diAngelo is getting a new horse. This is after her recklessness killed her beloved thoroughbred stallion Cobalt. Carole can’t bear the thought that another horse may be harmed under Veronica’s care.

Lisa is battling something, too. It seems that her parents have decided to get her a horse, but how can she tell her two best friends? Their dismay at Veronica’s recent purchase makes her question if they will respond in the same way to her news.

As the Pony Club progresses, the girls find that Veronica’s thoughtlessness continues. In fact, her lack of care for safety and riding rules results in a young colt being free from Pine Hollow and in danger. As Carole, Lisa and Stevie pull together to rescue Samson, they find that they need to get a few things off their chest. Things that relate to Carole’s father helping in the Pony Club and Lisa getting a horse. Horse Wise is a great look into the value of Pony Clubs and covers a lot of basic horse knowledge for horse riders and owners. It is another enjoyable read by Bonnie Bryant.

Author: Bonnie Bryant
Fiction – pre and early teenage years.
In My Library? Definitely is.
Want it? Get it now on Amazon.

Alpha Horse Leadership Training for Humans

June 23, 2017 by Christine Meunier Leave a Comment

Recently I was able to download a copy of the non-fiction horse book Take the Reins! 7 Secrets to Inspired Leadership by Shari Jaeger. Any horse book that is able to provide principles to help you be a better person is worth the read in my opinion! As Shari explores the concepts in her book, she makes reference to Alpha Horse Leadership Training for Humans.

I was amazed to read in the book that she left a well respected, high paying position to jump in the deep end and start her own business. It has resulted in what is now described as a ‘world-class program to empower your leadership and intuition’.

Knowing that she left a successful position to pursue a growing idea that involved using horses to help people, I did a search online for Shari’s leadership business. I love that she focuses on business strategy but also makes use of horses to guide individuals.

Alpha Horse Leadership Training for Humans ™

Shari utilises horses in her equine assisted coaching program to help individuals discover their most effective leadership style and then act on this. They use the horses to demonstrate their management capabilities, which they can then go and use in the workplace. In her book, Shari provides examples of events that have occurred in these horse coaching sessions. The results for individuals has helped them to recognise their true approaches to other people. And from here, they then discover what needs adjusting to get the result they desire.

Shari combines business strategy with emotional and also social intelligence to help people achieve the results they desire. As it says on Shari’s business site:

“The workshops use experienced horses for enhanced learning and ground-truthing the exercises. No horse experience is necessary, all activities are conducted unmounted in an indoor arena.”

This course can help the individual. But it is also able to be utilised by whole teams within a particular business. If you have a passion for working with horses and a background with managing people, then the idea of working at an equine facilitated learning property may appeal to you. Perhaps it’s a position you can aim for in the future of your career?

Color My Horse by Bev Pettersen

Color My Horse

Equine Non Profits Network

Equine Non Profits in North Carolina

The Muleteer as a Horse Career

The Muleteer

Horse Wise (Saddle Club #11) by Bonnie Bryant

Alpha Horse Leadership Training for Humans

Alpha Horse Leadership Training for Humans ™

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