Obsessed with Horses

For as long as I can remember, I dreamed of owning a horse. When I was ten, I tried to persuade (no, beg) my parents to buy one. Convinced that our backyard was big enough for one (it was not) I tried and I tried to find a way to make it work. In the meantime, I would ride my bike down hills, eyes closed (please don’t try this at home) pretending that I was on horseback!

The town library was exhausted by my requests for every horse book ever written. Every book with a horse character, from Black Beauty to King of the Wind was read more than once. And I watched every western, every Mr. Ed episode and any show that even briefly had a horse on the screen. Just looking at horses was a joy. Yes. Clearly it was an obsession.

Learning to ride was a large expense where I grew up, and it wasn’t until I was in my adolescence that my parents finally conceded (or rather caved) to my pleading, allowing me to take my first lesson. That first moment in a saddle was a joy that to this day still makes me smile.

Years later as a young adult, I took up riding again. But the lessons at a different stable took another direction. In a collaborative concept, before I even mounted, I had to groom and saddle my steed. And after the lesson, I had to muck out the stalls. This brilliant concept, taking part in the whole process, brought the connection between horse and rider to a whole new level.

While writing Elke’s Magic, I drew upon my own personal memories to depict the scenes when Elke teaches Meg and Sam how to ride. I knew how much it had meant to me back then, and I hoped that the characters’ first experiences would echo my own. I don’t own horses, and haven’t ridden in ages. But over the years I have managed to sneak several horse characters into my books. And so I have come full circle. I started out reading about horses. Now I write about them!