Have you always been interested in horses and when did you start writing and getting books published?
My answer to the first portion of your question would be a simple “no”. Horses were always in the background, during my early adulthood, as my youngest sister was enamored with horses and a simple and quick Christmas present would be a horse statuette purchased for her. But I paid very little attention as my interests were centered on the sea and all that swam in the salty waters of our Mother Ocean.

Eventually my love for the sea distilled down to an overwhelming compulsion to learn all that I could about our brothers, the whales and the dolphins. And while living in Hawaii, I was fortunate enough to be able to work with these marvelous creatures and the joys of bonding and partnering were first explored.

Later in life I met my wonderful wife, Terry, who always had a dream of developing a relationship with a horse of her own. And while we lived in Brazil, this magical union did occur and to this day, Apache and Terry are inseparable and were excellent role models for my first equine relationship. Sometimes, like a fine wine, things that take time and come to you over the years are rich and robust in their depth and clarity. That is how I feel my connection with horses came to be.

Now to the second part of your question, this is my first “book” project although I am not new to writing. In fact, “Straight from the Horse’s Heart” is a compilation of, not just short stories, but journal entries that I made over the course of several years.

Each entry, or story, was prompted by an emotional and stressful event from the crash of a space shuttle to the death of my parents and highlights how the horses reacted to these occurrences and in turn, how they touched my heart and soul. Many of these stories were shared on the internet with fellow horse rescuers at Lone Star Equine Rescue which is now aligned with Habitat for Horses. It was my hope that these captured moments in time would give to their reader’s faith, courage and fortitude in continuing their fight against equine abuse, neglect and slaughter.

It was not until I made a promise to a now deceased friend to “tell the story” that the idea of a book was conceived. So my wife and I set about to collect and compile what I had written and almost as if like magic, the book was born. It was the “natural” thing to do and we both felt driven to make it happen. One of the happiest days in my life was to see the book appear on the pages of Amazon.com and the first one was ordered off from my website www.rtfitch.com. I knew that my promise had been kept and that a long and lengthy journey had come to fruition.

The proceeds of ‘Straight from the Horse’s Heart’ go to Habitat for Horses; tell us about this organization?
Habitat for Horses is our nation’s largest all breed equine rescue and protection organization.  HfH is headquartered in Hitchcock Texas where we maintain a ranch and intake facility but the bulk of our rescued and rehabilitated horses are cared for in volunteer foster facilities (homes) in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Florida, the Carolinas and beyond.

The founder and President of HfH is Jerry Finch, a very caring and compassionate individual who is an accomplished author in his own right.  He is mentioned throughout our book and was the one who pressured me to put my feelings to paper.  I owe him a lot and consider him to be my very best friend.  The work of HfH is chronicled in our book and it encompasses everything from the rescue of one single abused horse to being the major driving horse rescue whose members waded through waist deep, snake and alligator infested waters to save horses that survived Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.  This is a very colorful and talented bunch of people.

HfH has managed, through the work of many dedicated volunteers, to reach the top 20 shelters in the US for ZooToo’s Million Dollar makeover.  On April 7th the top 10 shelters will be announced at the HSUS convention in Las Vegas and for the next 10 days the US public will vote for the number one shelter and recipient of the Million Dollar make over.  This is special as for the very first time there are 2 horse organizations in the top 20 and if we manage to make it to the top 10 we will be representing every single horse and horse owner in the United States.

No insult to dog and cat shelters but this will be the first time that the horse community will be represented on such a scale and we will need everyone’s help to win.  Please, stop by www.habitatforhorses.org to see how you can help to make this dream come true.  The positive impact that such a prize will have on the horses and the education of the public will be out of this world.

Do you do anything else with horses that generates an income?
No, in actuality this project is not a true money making venture, for our business, as the bulk of the proceeds go to HfH.  (The main intent is to get the message out.) Most of our horse related activities revolve around taking care of our adopted horses and volunteering for HfH.  It is our objective to give “to” the horses and not to take “from” them.  What they return to us is far more precious than anything money could buy.

How much of your day/week relates to horses?
As of late, with the advent of the ZooToo competition, several hours each day are dedicated to the horses, even while I am away at my paying job.  Such things as TV and going to the movies have been put on the back burner while we work the rescue issue.
Also, there is a lot of time spent marketing, updating, shipping, and answering questions related to the book.  It has only begun its journey and it takes a lot of cultivating and promoting to get the word out to the general public.
And, of course, we spend several hours each day taking care of our herd, playing with them and maintaining our property that makes up their home.

I am also working on a second equine related book, this time it’s a novel.  So the bulk of our days are centered on horses and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Are you self published or did you go through a publisher?
There was an immense amount of time spent researching and brain-storming about which direction we should go.  Self-publishing, with a top of the line publisher, won out due to the following main considerations:
1.) Time in production – when we said go they moved forward.
2.) Control of content
3.) Maintaining legal rights to that content

These conditions were paramount in our decision as we did not want to wait nor did we want to give up our rights to the editing of the content.  We had a message to get out and we did not want it tampered with or delayed.

We, personally, paid for the PR work, editing, design and marketing and probably will never realize a return on that investment but it does not matter, the message is being told. We do have two brick and mortar publishing companies now standing in the wings, but we have not given into the pressure to sign a contract with them due to the loss of rights.  So we are hanging tough on this particular book.

If anyone would like help or information on how to become self-published I will be more than glad to give some insights gleaned from our personal experience.

Do you think that whether your horse book is fiction or non fiction bears on how easy it is to get published?
I don’t believe so as the bulk of the correspondence, that I have had, with publishing firms centers around prior work.  This makes it difficult to get started but once you are out there you begin to peek their interest.  Our work is considered non-fiction but there are portions that may stretch that definition depending on your depth of imagination.  As an author, I am granted the ability to apply a little dab of literary license.

Any advice for those interested in pursuing writing about their love of horses and turning it into an income?
My first bit of advice would be to approach your writing as a hobby and a tool in which you can express yourself versus being motivated to earn a living from your efforts.  If your talent and insights are polished enough you may mature into generating an additional income stream and maybe, ultimately, a full time income but none of that would ever happen over night.  In essence, don’t give up your day job nor subvert your message and style in an effort to make a fast buck.  It’s all about the message/story your heart is trying to tell, be true to yourself, first.

Is there anything else with horses you’d love to learn about or try?
Oh yes, my only fear is that I won’t live long enough to learn all that I want to learn.  It is my goal to continue to delve into the science and meta-physical aspects of equine behavior and communication.  Besides the spiritual and emotional aspects of bonding and partnering I hope to become adept at understanding even the pure and scientific principles behind the behavior that our equine cousins exhibit.

It is imperative, to me, to learn about their past, their history and evolution so that I can better understand the drivers that speak to our horses of today.  This topic interests me enough that I am enrolled in several university sponsored equine behavior courses.

I would also enjoy improving my skills as a competent rider and companion for my equine friends.  Good communication and partnering while in the saddle makes for an enjoyable trail ride and sharing session, one that both of us can look forward to.

Favorite horse memory?
There are many, from seeing the face of a little girl light up when she first adopts a formerly abused pony to pulling 5 horses out of a flooded field that had been underwater for 7 days after Hurricane Katrina.

But in reality, I guess my all time favorite would be to relive the day that my wife was surprised with her very best Christmas present, ever… her soul mate Apache.  I will never forget the joy that it gave me to ensure that my wife realized one of her lifelong dreams and to even have her parents there to witness it. (This was no small feat as we were living in Brazil at the time).  That day was the first day to the rest of my life with horses, both she and Apache have made the world a much better place to live, not only for me but for many, many other horses.

Future goals?
Easy question… a second book.  Already underway anxious to get it completed.  While I was in Manhattan filming my Blackberry commercial a producer came over and asked if I would be interested in writing a screenplay about the odyssey of bringing Apache back from Brazil.  All other writing projects were put on hold and although I know nothing about writing screenplays I began to chronicle the adventures of our horsey life in Brazil and the epic journey of Apache to our pastures in Texas… and the story continues.

But we are energized as the story is true, exciting, filled with love, death,international intrigue, espionage and triumph.  It’s the horse story of today and a remarkable one to tell.  So the adventures of the little rescued cart horse, a Mangalarga Marchador, and how he affected change to dozens of horses in the US is on tap next.  I am excited about its future release and anxious to get it into the hands of horse lovers around the world.

Best thing about your sport/profession?
I am not a sportsman nor do we compete with the horses, but if being a horse rescuer stands up to the test of being a profession then I have an answer for you.

The best thing about working on stopping equine abuse, neglect and slaughter is that when you go to bed at night you can be confident that you have made a difference with your life and for someone else’s.  If you just join a humane society and pay your dues you have made a difference.

If you make telephone calls or volunteer to sit at a booth and pass out pamphlets you are special.  If you foster, volunteer at the ranch or stuff envelopes you have touched someone.  If you desire to stop the pain, increase awareness and act as an agent to improve conditions for the horses, you are experiencing some of the best and richest moments in life.

Everything that you do for the horses IS the best thing about this profession/career.  Thanks to all the volunteers everywhere who give their time, their money and the simple sincerity of their love… you are making a difference.  May the Force of the Horse ® be with you!

“You know you’re a horse person when… on rainy days, you organize the tack room, not the house.”

Tags: equine novel, horse writing, horse book, horse non fiction, horse fiction, R.T. Fitch

I stumbled across the site of Tena Bastian, author and clinician and contacted her to see if she’d be able to answer some questions with regards to her published works that are advertised on the site.  She willingly obliged, giving a bit more of an insight into the possibilities that can arise from writing works regarding horses.

Have you always been interested in horses and when did you start writing and getting books published? Do you do anything else with horses that generates an income?
When I was a child, a tornado destroyed our house and my dad took us to a riding stable to distract us from the chaos. That is when I met my first horse and have loved them ever since. I have always written stories and poetry for as long as I can remember.

The Foal Is The Goal was published in 2005. That was my first real “hit”. I have shown, we breed and ship semen and artificially inseminate, I present seminars and clinics on horses.

How much of your day/week relates to horses?
Most of it. We also own a dog boarding kennel so my time is split between those two things and writing.

Are you self published or did you go through a publisher? Do you think that whether your horse book is fiction or non fiction bears on how easy it is to get published?
I have two publishers, nothing self published yet. I have five fiction novels that I have written. They are horse related. Non fiction is easier to get published.

Any advice for those interested in pursuing writing about their love of horses and turning it into an income?
It is a tough economy and they say to write about what you know so get to know all you can about the subject.

Is there anything else with horses you’d love to learn about or try?
Everything as the opportunity presents itself. Nothing in particular comes to mind.

Favourite horse memory?
Foals being born in the early morning. Walking outside and noticing that the sun has come up. Going team penning with a gelding named Teddy.

You can access Teddy’s story for free. An audio version is available on my website at www.tenabastian.com on the books page.

Future goals?
Surviving the economy. Working more with a gelding named Hootie come spring.

Best thing about your sport/profession?
It’s all good. Concentrating on the horses and less on the politics.

“To many, the words love, hope and dreams are synonymous with horses.”

tag: equine novel, horse writing, horse book, horse non fiction, horse fiction, tena bastian

I got an email not too long ago alerting me to the fact that someone had left a comment on the post, Hippotherapy.  That someone just happened to be an Occupational Therapist who has been involved in Hippotherapy for the past couple of years.  Barbara Smith kindly took the time to answer some questions regarding this unique form of therapy with horses.

Have you always been interested in horses and when did you start out in Hippotherapy? What is it exactly that you do?
I have always liked horses but did not have a lot of exposure to them since I grew up in New York City. I have been an occupational therapist for over 30 years mostly working in schools. Three years ago I went to a presentation by Temple Grandin.
She is a well known lecturer in the therapy field and talks about how her autism helps her to understand an animal’s perspective. She has a Ph.D. in Animal Science and designs cattle equipment.
I was inspired by her to learn about hippotherapy since I love being outdoors, getting exercise and working with children on the autism spectrum.
I use the horse as a treatment tool to work on goals such as increasing balance, strength, communication and motor skills. I love to design activities that help them process sensory information and use their hands during functional activities.

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
I only work two days a week at the hippotherapy farm. I also do home-care work where I help elderly people with low vision. In addition, I am finishing up revisions to a book about how parents can help their children to develop hand skills. It will be published by Therapro, Inc.
Of course, maintaining a website, two blogs and Youtube videos about my work is another job. But I find these projects fun and rewarding.

In this field of occupational therapy is it possible for someone to be a full time professional, earning a livable income?
Absolutely. Salaries vary according to work setting and what part of the country or world you live in but an occupational therapist can earn $40,000- $80,000 dollars a year.
I believe that the highest salaries are in long term care and hospital settings. I have been working in pediatrics where the salaries are on the lower end of the scale (in the U.S.).

What are the general steps taken to be able to provide such a service to clients?
Occupational therapists need to earn a Master’s Degree and also take a test to become a registered therapist. We then apply for state licensure and national certification.
Information is available at the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA.ORG).
Since I chose to work in the hippotherapy setting, I decided to earn additional certification by taking courses at the American Hippotherapy Association. Some jobs require this, others do not. There is a great deal of information and resources about hippotherapy on my web site: Horseot.com

Any advice for those interested in pursuing this line of work?
If you have a horse background it will be much easier to go into one of the professions that involve working with horses and people with disabilities.
Therapeutic riding instructors also work with disabled individuals teaching them riding skills. However, only physical, occupational and speech therapists do hippotherapy – that is doing therapy using the horse as a treatment tool to achieve therapeutic goals.
Someone interested in this line of work would have to attend a university program and continue with further training to learn about hippotherapy. But I want to add, that the thing I love the most about switching to this line of work is that the families and children are so appreciative and happy. I used to work in the schools where all parties were frustrated with the child’s struggles to succeed academically.
If a child simply sits on top of the moving horse – he or she is working hard and will be working toward goals while having fun.

Is there anything else with horses you’d love to learn about or try?
I have taken lessons to learn how to ride and vault. I want to do this again in the warmer weather. I know that the more I understand about horses and how it feels to ride and do different movements, the better I can deliver my services. It is also a lot of fun to learn these new skills at my age (over fifty years).

Favourite horse memory?
I briefly cantered. I find it challenging enough to trot but was very proud of myself when I got the horse to canter and didn’t fall off.

Future goals?
I am looking forward to having my current book project completed and then marketing. I love to write articles and give presentations, so marketing will be fun.
I feel that my book will help parents to choose the activities and toys that will help their children to learn. As a result of this early stimulation children will develop the hand and visual perceptual skills they need to read and write.
I have joined Toastmaster’s International this year. This organization helps its members to learn public speaking skills. Its a lot of fun and I plan on earning many blue ribbons!

Best thing about your sport/profession?
I enjoy thinking of creative ways to help children learn and I love to make something of value out of nothing.
I have written a whole book about designing therapeutic activities out of recycling items such as plastic laundry bottles. The book is called The Recycling Occupational Therapist published by Pro-ed. Inc.

“Where would a rider be without a horse?”

Tag: hippotherapy, physical therapy, equine therapy, riding for the disabled, occupational therapy

I absolutely love reading Global Horse Culture as it’s always interesting and different and often gives me ideas for blog posts.  The writer of this unique blog also has a rather unique equine related business.  Ona Kiser, Equine Videographer kindly took the time to answer some questions about this service she offers to clients.

Have you always been interested in horses and when did you start out in Equine Videography? What is it exactly that you do?
I videotape horses for clients. Most of my work is shooting and editing sales videos or covering clinics. People who attend clinics often want a video of the lesson to study, especially if they are a preparing for competition.

Sometimes I do more creative projects, such as highlights from an event, mini-documentaries about a person’s favorite horse or a child’s weekend at a show, or other mementos.

Those are my favorite projects to work on, because of the creative part – telling a story based on the hours of footage I’ve shot, or setting the piece to music. I’ve also done some DVD series for trainers who want to reach a larger market. Those are complex but very fun to work on.

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
Between the care and training of my own horses, my video work, and my horse blog, probably 70%!

In this field is it possible for someone to be a full time professional, earning a livable income?
It could be possible, if you live in an area with a lot of high-end horse breeders, people showing competitively, etc. and you produce a good quality product.

It might be necessary to hire some support staff to really make it a full time business. I’ve always preferred working alone, and therefore I can’t cover larger events like shows, where there are things going on in more than one ring at a time. There are videographers who cover the big shows and have a truck with all the editing equipment right there, and a crew of half a dozen people shooting all day long, and you can pick up your DVD right on the spot.

I prefer to pursue the creative projects. They are expensive and time consuming, but so rewarding for me personally. I’ve been doing this for nearly 10 years, and it has always been a part time business.

What are the general steps taken to be able to provide such a service to clients?
You have to develop the skills to operate the camera well, and to edit well. There is significant investment in equipment. I use Sony DV cameras and Final Cut Pro on a Mac computer to do my work.

I also have microphones, tripods and other equipment for the shoots, and printer for labeling the DVDs.

I go through large quantities of DVDs, tapes and printer ink! I taught myself all of the shooting and editing skills. I studied film, I read books on editing and shooting aimed at the documentary filmmaker, and I went to many film festivals and seminars, looking at the way people frame the shots and tell stories.

Any advice for those interested in pursuing this line of work?
If you think this interests you, get a small consumer DV camera and a simple app like iMovie for your computer, and start making little stories. Find things to tape in your neighborhood.

Watch wildlife documentaries and see how they film the animals from a distance and up close. Watch good quality movies or documentaries about horses, and see how the camera is being used. Read some books on editing and shooting, so you really understand how to use the camera and how to put together what you shoot.

When you have some good samples put together, then you can show them to people and try to drum up some business.

The video that got me my first job was a video of cows. A woman saw it and said she’d grown up with cows, and never seen anyone notice the interesting things cows do – the fact that I had that attention to movement and expression caught her eye, and she asked me to tape her new foal.

Is there anything else with horses you’d love to learn about or try?
I love to ride, and if there’s one thing I’d love to learn it’s working cattle! That seems like a really challenging and interesting thing to do. I’m learning mounted games now, something I wish I’d learned as a kid. That’s a ton of fun, and also quite difficult, especially at my age!

Favourite horse memory?
Hmm. There are so many! I always have a soft spot for the first horse I ever took lessons on. Her name was Katie, and she was so kind and gentle, and I was a timid little kid. Of course, I also remember the time she kicked me, the time I fell off, and the time she ran away with me!!!

Future goals?
I am working on writing now. The blog has gotten me excited about doing some longer articles and even a book. I want to do more traveling, too, to continue learning about horse culture and equestrian sports in all parts of the world.

Best thing about your sport/profession?
I love the “zen” quality of working with video. For me it’s like making a collage, except with moving pictures instead of still pictures. I am so focused when I shoot and when I edit. It’s a wonderful creative process, and a rather solitary pursuit, and I really enjoy it.

“To err is human, to whinney equine.” – Cheryl Farner

Tag: equine videography, global horse culture, ona kiser, equine related business, horse business, observation of horses

Fortissimo Freestyles was set up by the dressage rider and classically trained musician, Melissa Widdis.  After being shown her site by mum, I emailed to see if Melissa would be able to answer some questions about her amazing career choice.  The answers she kindly sent and you can find below.

For those of you attending Equitana over the next few days, you can find Melissa Widdis of Fortissimo Freestyles in the education area of Equitana at the showgrounds.

Have you always been interested in horses and how did Fortissimo Freestyles come about? Was it something you foresaw as an income possibility?
From the time I knew what a horse was I was interested in horses.

Fortissimo Freestyles came about through the black horse Aria who is on my web site. I was competing with him in a team event which required freestyles for each team member and as the only musician on the team I thought I’d have a go at it… then I was hooked.

I didn’t consider it as an income possibility. Not full time anyway.

How much of your day/week is hands on with horses?
Every day with my own horses and every day with clients horses but mainly through a video or dvd with clients.

In this field is it possible for someone to be a full time professional, earning a livable income?
It depends what you mean by “livable income”. I work full time but as my business is only in it’s infancy I have done a lot of work for free (especially this year with the Olympics and Equitana) so it’s hard to get a guage on what my actual income would be and what people are prepared to pay.

In Europe and the US, designers make a killing because people have to ride a freestyle to qualify whereas in Australia people have to qualify to ride a freestyle.

What are the general steps taken to be able to provide such a service to others for freestyle events? Is there a large demand for this type of work?
I help people design their choreography which they then film and send to me. We then select the music which I edit around the horses movements.

As far as demand it’s really an unknown quantity. I don’t think I have been in the business long enough to answer that but freestyles events are definitely increasing in popularity. As people are now becoming more savvy with technology a lot of people have a go at doing their own music.

Any advice for those interested in pursuing this line of work?
You need excellent people skills and you need to be prepared to really put yourself out there. People in the dressage fraternity expect the best not just in relation to the final product but with customer service also.

Is there anything else with horses you’d love to learn about or try?
Yes I’d love to learn more about intuitive horseman/womanship so we can train in a more harmonious way rather than saying “do it or else.”

The more I can learn in any aspect relating to horses the better.

Favourite horse memory?
Sneaking out my bedroom window as a kid to ride my horse bareback in the moonlight… she was a very special horse!

Future goals?
To be the best in my industry and to get to PSG on my mare before she retires then ride her baby onto Grand Prix.

Best thing about your sport/profession?
The endless pursuit for perfection… same as music really

“DRESSAGE, n.: the passionate pursuit of perfection by the obsessively imperfect.”

Tag: freestyle dressage, equine music, dressage test, fortissimo freestyles