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Author of the hilarious best-seller ‘From Nags to Numbnuts’ Daniel Skinner (better known as Skint Dressage Daddy), has put pen to paper again with his humorous take on life with horses. With his horse mad family knee deep in expensive shavings, numerous blingy bridles and horse rugs that could clothe all the Queen’s horses, Stable Condition: How To Stay Sane With Horse People is a must-read for equestrian lovers and their long suffering family and friends. Horse owner Gilly recently reviewed this book for Haynet and gave us her thoughts: “With the gloomy winter months ahead, us horse owners need a laugh so I was more than happy to read Stable Condition and give it my review. Being a horse owner for many years, I totally could see the issues from my husband’s point of view and sympathised with the author’s views, although I have to fund my own horse… The book gave an honest insight into horse ownership in a humourous way and there were many times that I laughed out loud reading the book! The book would appeal to teenagers and adults who own or have owned horses in the past. It is also a good read for the family members too and to sympathise with the trials and tribulations horse ownership can bring. Overall I really enjoyed reading Stable Condition and would definitely recommend the book.“ So to get you through the next few wintery months of horse ownership, why not delve into Skint Dressage Daddy’s world and laugh at this fantastic but bonkers hobby that we all love! To purchase visit Amazon or Skint Dressage Daddy

My therapy journey with my animals by Hannah Russell Waking up every morning and walking down the yard towards the fields where the ponies, sheep, chickens, bunnies, and guinea pigs are, means I’m met with a lot of animal noises. Baas from the sheep, whinnies for the horses and clucking from the hens, it’s always a lovely feeling to wake up to that someone who wants to see you and greet you for their breakfast. For many years animals have been used for therapy but more so in the last year. Many of us have come to realise how much our animals mean to us and how much comfort they can provide on the darkest days. During lockdown around the world, we found enjoyment from going on walks with our dogs, riding our ponies, sitting with the rabbits, feeding the chickens and the rest.  Animals have so much personality and character and can offer us endless enjoyment. If you talk to them, they will talk to you in their own way, and you will get to know each other creating a partnership that lasts a lifetime. I’ve come to understand how much animals can do for us and how important it is to listen to them, they are the greatest teachers. I first began to understand this when ‘Little Alf’ my 28-inch miniature Shetland came to live with me in 2012. I was at a lull of what the future held at 16 years old and was undergoing a year off college after having treatment for an injury. I didn’t have much to do during the daytime so spent my days with Alf, he was there every day when nobody else was. He needed care and attention and at such a young age he provided me with so much enjoyment due to his cheeky character, which lead to me to start a blog about him. This gave me a new focus and increased my motivation to do something new, at that point in my life I was experiencing high levels of stress. With Little Alf by my side, things got better one step at a time. During the last year, I’ve become more open about how animals are great for therapy. In the last 12 months I had an operation for Sarcoma cancer and underwent treatment with radiotherapy. Once I began to feel a lot better, I got two ‘Valais’ black nose sheep which I have always wanted and they have kept me busy for the last 6 months. I never knew how much personality sheep had and they’ve spent endless hours entertaining me in the field. You certainly can’t feel low when they are licking your face or asking for a cuddle! Animals never fail to brighten our days or cheer us up when we need them. I spend a lot of my time clicker training the ponies as well as the sheep which allows me to understand their behaviour and communicate with them. I find it in a way that allows me to speak to them. Paddy my 14hh pony is a rescue pony, he is blind in his left eye was very shy and withdrawn when he came to live with me. He was nervous about noises around him, but through clicker training, patience, and time we’ve created a great level of trust and understanding. by Hannah Russell Visit: https://www.hannahrussellauthor.co.uk/

This lyrical book is a love letter to Ashdown Forest after a forty-year affair. Wry, funny, moving and vivid, this memoir chronicles the life of the author and the ten square miles of country he calls his Kingdom. This book is as good as a brisk walk in the woods on an autumn day. Written with love and passion it is a hymn to landscape and freedom. It is a close and deep observation of the writer’s adopted country the fabled Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, England, (the home of Winnie the Pooh) where he has lived and ridden for the past forty years. His gift is the ability to take you deep into the landscapes that make this place resonate in his heart: its streams, woods, heathlands. You meet its literary residents A.A, Milne, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Ezra Pound and W.B. Yeats. You get beneath its skin among the networks of fungi that allow the trees to speak. You taste its foods, meet its locals both the living and the ghosts, and see its huge importance during the plague year 20-21 through the pandemic lockdowns. His passion for horses shines through these pages and his writing is, as he himself says, a form of ‘moving meditation’. He takes you under the soil of this place and he leaves a soft glow on the landscape when he is gone. The 22 essays in the book are small narrative jewels of landscape, horses, friendship, and a search for belonging – what it means to feel part of a place, having lost the one he was born to in South Africa’s Cape. In him Ashdown has found a new voice. Having read this book you will see the forest through his eyes as a place of magic. This is nature writing at its best, echoing that of Roger Deacon and Robert Macfarlane. The author, Julian Roup says of this book: “After the best part of a year in lockdown thanks to Covid-19 it became clear to me as never before how much I owed to the place that has been my home for 40 years – Ashdown Forest in East Sussex – and to my horses who have carried me across its green miles. The forest and the horses have brought me health and peace and contentment when in fact life offered just the opposite. The pandemic truly brought it home to me how important nature is to our wellbeing. So this book is a thank you to the Forest and to the horses, particularly my newest horse, Callum, the big chestnut Irish Sports Horse who has been my salvation during this plague year.” The book is illustrated by the talented East Grinstead artist & horsewoman Abbie Hart. Purchase your copy today via Amazon

Author: Anna Sewell Review by Samantha Hobden Publication: 2019 by Palazzo Editions Limited Illustrated by Christian Birmingham Even if the love of horses does not run through your veins, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell is an incredibly well known story told emotionally through the eyes of this beautiful horse that everyone has heard of. With over fifty million copies sold, Black Beauty is one of the best selling books of all time. Author Anna Sewell composed the novel in the last years of her life where she remained housebound. Thankfully she lived to see her novel become a success upon publication but sadly passed away only five months later. However, she would never be able to realise how loved and cherished her story of Black Beauty would become. First published in 1877, there has been numerous books, films and tv series telling Black Beauty’s story through the generations. I was invited to review the latest edition of Black Beauty with its enchanting illustrations by Christian Birmingham. I had read the book many decades ago in my childhood and remember well the tv series back in the seventies which I loved. When the book arrived, turning the pages of this charming hardback edition immediately transported me back to Victorian times which the story is based. Spoken through Black Beauty’s eyes, the story is incredibly emotional depicting the trials and tribulations of this amazing horses life. You feel very much in the body of Beauty with his feelings of love and despair which come across so well in Anna Sewell’s writing. From the first chapter enjoying life in lush spring meadows with his mother, you follow this horse through his entire life being passed from home to home and sold to owners who loved him or those that simply used him as a workhorse. Being a horse lover, you cannot help but feel sad and troubled recounting neglect and hardship the horse’s experience in the hands of abusive owners. It is, however, written with understanding and consideration giving a true account of the time. A horse living in the Victorian era had a life which was purely working hard for their master. Those living a life leisurely at grass and ridden for light enjoyment was a privilege for very few horses of that time. Thankfully there are moments of complete compassion in Black Beauty’s life with owners that loved him with all their hearts. Following this loyal and majestic horses life and the times shared with other equine characters, Black Beauty is a very inspiring and warming read. This latest edition of Black Beauty is a book for life and it has been a real joy to read this equestrian story again. I absolutely loved the charming illustrations which complement the story in the modern age but also depicts completely Victorian times. The detail in the drawings is a delight with a mix of colour and pencil illustrations. The colour images I felt particularly drawn to and would make amazing prints. To have them all housed in this top quality book telling this classic story is a gem. Every bookshelf should have a copy of Black Beauty and this latest edition would make a lovely gift for any horse lover or in fact anybody that is a fan of classic novels. This book would also be a great introduction to the younger generation too, who have not read the story or actually heard of Black Beauty. I urge you to add this book to your collection as a keepsake, to then hand down to ensure this beautiful story will continue to be told. To purchase a copy, please visit Amazon Image credits: Haynet

Author: Charlie Mackesy Reviewer: Nikki Goldup Published by Ebury Press, 2019 This week was marked with International Kindness Day, a day to carry out acts of kindness, take a small ‘pause for kindness’ and value its importance.  With this poignantly in my mind, I took a few hours out of my usual work schedule for some ‘self-kindness’ – a coffee, some music and a peaceful read of the newly published, debut tome by artist Charlie Mackesy. I am confident most Haynet readers will be familiar with Charlie’s work. Encouraged by his friends to publish his illustrations on Instagram, his following has grown to legendary proportions, which continues to be a surprise to this modest and exceptionally talented artist.  Charlie’s book focuses on four main characters, the boy, the fox, the mole and my personal favourite, the horse.  In his prologue Charlie introduces the characters and how he sees them, inviting the reader to make their own interpretations as they view the book through their own lens.  The boy, a lonely soul, in the wild, meets the mole who quietly becomes his wandering companion. Next to join them, the fox. The mole has to learn to trust the fox, a quiet character, wary of life as he has been betrayed many times. Finally comes the horse, the largest animal, but the gentlest. Each character brings their own histories, philosophies and temperaments to the scenes that unfold. As Charlie comments, he can see himself in each animal and asks if the reader can too. If you were expecting a story, to read from beginning to end, you would be mistaken, this is a book of moments placed on each page, beautifully illustrated with thought provoking captions in Charlie’s beautiful inky, handwritten script. However, the moments come together as one, with the four companions travelling and making sense of their and one another’s worlds as they look outwards to the nature around them.  Charlie’s illustrations are sublime, his mark-making and intuitive use of pen and ink, interspersed with spurges of colour show a real understanding of animal form and create an almost theatrical vignette on the page. The majestic beauty of nature unfurling across the pages but rendered with such humble materials. Smudges, coffee cup marks and ink drips all joining together to provide authentic, considered and knowledgable interpretations of the characters.  The book itself is presented beautifully, with a superior binding, endpapers and sketchbook quality paper. The whole production is considered and feels value for money. It is a publication to be treasured and reminds me of some of the books I was given as a child, and still cherish today. In this disposable, online world to own something you can hold, thumb through and re-visit is a delight.  This is a book for reflection, to read when times are good, when you need strength and when it’s hard to make sense of our hectic lives. Is a book to remind the reader that gratitude can sometimes be the answer, as can friendship, love and kindness. Lessons for us all, and produced in a humble and selfless way.  The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse, the four friends sharing their lives through the work of one very talented artist and writer, although as Charlie explains in his prologue ‘It’s surprising that I’ve made a book because I’m not very good at reading them. The truth is I need pictures, they are like islands, places to get to in a sea of words.’ As a fellow artist I concur, and thank Charlie for the gift he has been able to share with us, writer or artist, this is one publication that I will continue to read and enjoy.  To purchase a copy, please visit Amazon

Is there nothing better than a slice of cake on a plate dotted with hearts? Probably not! Thanks to Emma Bridgewater, our breakfast, lunches, dinners, treats and tea are made happier served with a piece of her world famous pottery. My “addiction” to Emma Bridgewater pottery started around twelve years ago. I was killing time browsing around a gift shop before I had to pick my husband up from an appointment. I came across shelves full of pottery and kitchenware adorned with hearts, dots and the now famous word design ‘Toast & Marmalade”. It just looked so cheery and endearing making aligned shelves of traditional Portmeirion and Denby look a touch lacklustre. I decided to buy the Toast & Marmalade biscuit tin which looked just at home brightening up my kitchen. From that day on, treating myself to mugs, plates and anything with these lovely designs became a passion. My dresser soon become festooned with a mix match look with no formality at all. But that is what I loved. Among my Emma Bridgewater pieces, sat much loved heirlooms, cards from friends, books and bills to pay but all sitting very relaxed alongside each other. My cupboards heaved with Emma Bridgewater mugs and plates and after inheriting a family heirloom of another dresser when I lost my lovely mum, this became packed with hearts and dotty artefacts too! Emma Bridgewater pottery is also loved by many friends of mine, which has been great for gift buying over the years. I don’t know many people who would not be cheered by a personalised heart mug or a pink pansy vase filled with flowers. A very best friend of mine chatted last year about how a trip to Stoke on Trent to visit the Emma Bridgewater factory would be a fantastic thing to do, especially celebrating the fact we were both heading towards our half centuries. So last week in the balmy September sun, we travelled north to the UK pottery capital. We arrived at the cast iron gates to the Emma Bridgewater factory which was a delightful Victorian building on the banks of Caldon Canal. We had booked the experience day which kicked off in the morning with the factory tour. From the offset, our guide Rosetta was enthusiastic and friendly, showing genuine love for the company she worked for. As we walked through the bright and colourful working areas, the potters and painters were very happy to stop and chat with us explaining the process from start to finish, which I found fascinating. Machinery was decorated in famous EB designs and union jack bunting took away the darkness industrial areas can sometimes feel. Their skill and dedication to this brand were all too clear to see and drinking out of my mugs again has brought a whole new appreciation now knowing the ten processes it takes to get to a finished product. The kiln room was baking hot where thousands of pieces of pottery ware were all lined up to be “cooked”. Quality control was at its best with the tiniest of defects being thrown back in the recycling bins. The company ethos is very eco-friendly with everything being reused like sponges from the stamps as filling. We were treated to seeing new designs, limited edition prints and Christmas products that were just being shipped out to hit the high street and online shelves. I loved the painting room as it felt a very calm and relaxing place to work. However, please do not think sponging hearts and stars on to mugs and plates is an easy feat! As I discovered later in the design studio painting my own piece, my patience would have resulted in a bucket load of clay in the recycling bin…The designs have set patterns and numbers, so the painters were wearing headphones to aid concentration and keep the second’s pile to a minimum. We also learned that on the base of the pottery the year it was produced is depicted with a picture backstamp. This changes every year and you can refer to their archive to see how old your piece of Emma Bridgewater pottery is. With the tour concluded we headed to the Emma Bridgewater café which was cleverly designed with a farmhouse kitchen feel with mismatched crockery and a polka dot Aga. The cream tea was amazing and I couldn’t finish the Eton Mess and three bits of cake which is of unheard for me. It was a delicious spread but don’t worry I made light work of the sandwiches and cream scones washed down with tea from, of course, a large EB teapot. With an hour spare, we headed to the factory shop with its organised line upon line of pottery and homeware. All reduced and cheaper than you would buy normally. The main shop was full of current and latest designs. My favourite had to be the new Game Bird collection which would look just at home in any countryside kitchen. With a long train journey ahead, they were happy to parcel our shopping home which made the assault on my purse an even bigger one! The final part of the Emma Bridgewater experience was a few hours spent designing and painting your own piece of pottery. From eggs cups to large serving bowls, you were given free rein to paint and sponge to your heart’s delight. I decided on a large dog bowl and after some tips from a talented member of staff, I armed myself with sponge stamps and bottles of paint. Let me tell you now, I will never look at a sponged heart or star on a piece again with other than complete admiration that it has not blotted or doubled in size! It was so difficult to get right… And actually I discovered that I am very heavy-handed and have limited patience! Although my family would probably wholeheartedly agree. After two hours, my masterpiece was completed and ready for firing. I am certain that the design team will be giving me a call to invite me to work for them in my dream job.. or perhaps not. I am looking forward to receiving my hand designed bowl and hope my three terriers appreciate the hard work involved when they drink out of it. With our weary legs, we headed back to the train station on the long journey back home but with smiles on our faces looking back on a very enjoyable day. I cannot recommend enough a trip to the Emma Bridgewater Factory and the “experience” package is exceptionally good value. So if you are a fan, I urge you to put this trip on your bucket list. I definitely will make a visit again, if only it is to improve my sponging technique! by Samantha Hobden http://www.socialtails.co.uk Emma Bridgewater began in 1984, when Emma was working in London soon after leaving university. One day, she was hunting for a birthday present for her Mum. When nothing appealed she decided that she wanted to start making china herself in a colourful, mismatched style. A casual conversation with a friend about her new business venture pointed her in the direction of Stoke-on-Trent, the home of pottery. And so, Emma Bridgewater, the classic modern pottery brand, was born. Over the last three decades, the designs have kept to the spirit of Emma’s original, inspirational moment and the necessity of getting the thought and design absolutely right.  Emma Bridgewater believes everyday kitchen china sits right at the heart of our lives, and that each cup, bowl, jug, and plate holds personal stories, reflecting shared moments, particularly when we eat and drink together. In recent years, Emma Bridgewater has expanded beyond pottery. You can now enjoy their designs on glass, tins, picnicware, stationery, wallpaper and fabrics, as well as their own collection of candles and home fragrances. The conversation Emma had in her head with her mother back in 1984 goes on. Only now we can enjoy these designs and this very British iconic pottery too. Please visit: https://www.emmabridgewater.co.uk/

With the nights drawing in and golden leaves falling, autumn is showing its arrival. Weekends will be soon wrapping up in front of the fire, cooking hearty dinners while the weather beats against the door. Autumn brings a rich source of seasonal inspiration for our homes. Earthy colours in pattern and texture, natural woods and country inspired animal accessories together with displays of natural foliage, all give our homes a countryside feel. Here are our five favourite accessories that we feel you need to have in your countryside home this autumn: Birds leaving our shores and migrating south is a first sign of the autumn months approaching. This beautiful and unusual wall-hanging has seven painted metal birds against a simple copper-circle sun. With its calm and autumn and winter tones, this would look fantastic in any country home. £89 – Graham & Green You can never have too many cushions! We love this inquisitive red fox on this distinct forest green knitted cushion by Sophie Allport. Cosy to cuddle up to especially through the autumn months, this cushion compliments any chair, sofa or bed. £48 – Sophie Allport We are huge Emma Bridgewater fans here at Haynet and we simply love their new Pheasant Feather & Game Bird range. As nature begins its season of earthy tones, this gorgeous oval platter would look simply fantastic at any time of the year on an oak dining table. £115 – Emma Bridgewater This solid wood Acorn Jar looks not only great on a kitchen or living room shelf but are handy in keeping things in such as tea bags or matches for the home fire. These lidded acorn jars come in two sizes which can be paired together to create a very countryside look! £14.85 – More Handles How much better would autumn chilly nights be wrapped up in this gorgeous tartan blanket? It is perfectly named as the tartan’s colours are reminiscent of autumnal leaves with deep burgundy, burnt oranges and golden yellows. These recycled wool blankets are 70% recycled wool, 30% mixed fibres from material that would otherwise end up in landfills, so a great eco-friendly choice. From £40 – The Tartan Blanket Co Haynet also LOVES:

Book Review by Becky Wren from Country Bumpkin Chic Published by Coronet Like many folk for 5 days of the week, I drive home listening to the northern dulcet tones of DJ Sara Cox on Radio 2 during my evening commute home, after a busy day at work. So, it was a pleasure to read her memoir ‘Till the Cows Come Home’ about her childhood growing up in Lancashire countryside, a far cry from the bright lights of London town and being on the airwaves. Without revealing my age, I remember the days when Sara had her big break on The Girlie Show back in the 90s and coined the phrase ‘ladette’. Anyone else remembers that? The memoir must have been a real trip down memory lane for Sara or ‘Sarah’ as she was born. It was only a printing error on her modelling cards that by mistake renamed her the Sara we’ve come to love and know on the radio and TV. The 41 short chapters are filled with wonderful stories reminiscing about growing up on a farm in a village on the outskirts of Bolton and she beautifully brings them back to life in her whimsical way with her Lancashire tone seeping through the words on the page. Some of the anecdotes certainly left me chuckling on several occasions. The early years describe stories of joining her dad at cattle markets, accompanying him in the lorry pretending to be a big girl, as well as being teased at school for the waft of manure from the farm being smelt in the school playground. Certainly, a moment when you’d want the ground to open up and swallow you whole. Daredevil tales of jumping off hay bales to impress her older siblings Yvonne, Dot, David & Robert – which I’m sure anyone who grew up in the countryside can relate to. It certainly brought back memories for me of cavorting around at Pony Club camp when the adults were out of sight! Sara’s pony Gus has a leading role in the early years with lots of fun riding antics and of course, a broken bone resulting in a trip to the hospital – we’ve all been there. Whilst the teen years are a mix of angst including sad tales of mean girl bullies at school, resulting in Sara choosing the lads to be her gang to hang out with, along with fun tales of her daring dress sense combo of fishnets and Dr Martens as well as heading into Manchester for the cool music scene. The late teens see Sara becoming more adventurous visiting her sister in Paris and the moment when a shop assistant asked if the lanky lass from Bolton had ever considered becoming a model. Sara shares the warts and all side to modelling life from overcrowded castings shoots that take four hours to travel to, living with other models in bunkbed apartments and cockroach infested fridges. As well as the fun side, meeting her best friend Claire and consuming copious amounts of soju kettles in South Korea which eventually resulted in her international modelling career being cut short. Although if it hadn’t been for the second stint in South Korea ending early that she wouldn’t have been in the right place for a presenting gig that would change her life – The Girlie Show. Throughout Sara’s childhood, family is key, and even though her parents split up at a young age, her love for her mum and dad is as strong as ever. It’s interesting to read how growing up she deemed herself a daddy’s girl, but by the end of the book, it was her mum who is the consistent rock and always there to pick her up at the airport or speak to at the end of the phone. Till the Cows Come Home is a very relatable read by Sara Cox, maybe not the modelling stories, but the rural upbringing, through to the mean girls at school – they’re at every school! A light-hearted read perfect for slow Sunday morning starts, train commutes and lounging by the pool on holiday. To purchase Till The Cows Come Home visit Amazon

An e-Book Review This spring, some of the best loved but out of print and rare pony books galloped into the modern day for the very first time, when they were re-released as eBooks. Publisher Jane Badger Books wanted to breath new life into classic tales for horse and pony lovers everywhere to enjoy.  Equestrian bloggers Martine and Wendy were fortunate to review The Horse From Black Loch and Dream of Fair Horses by Patricia Leitch and give their thoughts on these lovely re-released classics: When I was a child, most of my book-reading was done courtesy of our local library. Unfortunately, they never had a great selection of pony books in the junior section… they had all of the Swallows and Amazons books, Enid Blyton’s series etc, but apart from Black Beauty, very little for a horse mad girl.  As a result, I was limited in my access to pony books as a child.  Pocket money and birthday money was spent on pony books, of course, but somehow I never really got into Patricia Leitch, although I did have A Pony of Our Own and Jacky Jumps to the Top.  Patricia’s much-loved series about Jinny and her Arabian mare Shantih passed me by when I was the “right” age for them; perhaps I was already hooked on the Pullein-Thompson sisters and was saving my pennies for their works. I did read a couple of the Jinny books later on, when I was in Uni I think, and I enjoyed them but did not devour them as I would have ten years earlier. But when Samantha Hobden of Haynet put out a call for book review volunteers for a couple of Patricia Leitch books, her name rang a major bell in my head and I jumped at the chance. I had a choice of Dream of Fair Horses or the Horse From Black Loch and I opted for Dream of Fair Horses. Being Irish, I thought it was to do with buying an amazing horse at a horse fair. How wrong was I? I soon found out when I read the blurb on Amazon! ‘In all my life, I had never seen anything as beautiful as this grey pony … ‘Gill Caridia and her family are on the move. Gill’s father writes the sort of book that literary papers love, but which few people actually buy. And then he writes a detective story that sells so well he buys back the house in the countryside where he grew up. It means change for all the children, but for Gill it means the chance to find horses, and not just horses but to ride at Wembley. But Gill learns that no dream comes without cost. This passionate and vivid story, which takes Gill from the age of 11 to 13, looks at what it really means to own something. I downloaded my copy and got stuck in.  Straight away, I noticed something that I’d also noticed on a recent re-read of My Friend Flicka.  There’s a whole lot of grown-up stuff going on behind the horse-mad kid story that I had missed as a youngster – Ken’s mother’s sadness in Flicka, for example.  In the case of Dream of Fair Horses, what struck me was how dysfunctional Gill’s family was.  Would I have spotted that as a teenager?  I’m not sure.  Maybe I would have just thought that they were cool and quirky. There is the father, who lives in his own world of literary art and interfaces badly with the real world.  Doubtlessly he loves his children, but he is ill-equipped to raise a family.  This is more than hinted at in the first two paragraphs : “We were going to put down roots, we had tinkled on tin feet for too long” and “when Marc was one we moved to Hallows Noon and we lived there for nearly two years which is a record for our family.  Until Hallows Noon, we had never stayed anywhere for more than a year.” The mother is the practical one, who tries to hold everything together, feeding and clothing her family from practically nothing.  The eldest brother, Ninian, “struggling to be himself” is actually trapped in the rôle of father figure. He reuibuilds and repairs their home, gives Gill sage and timely advice throughout the book, and supports his siblings in their dreams, all the while dreaming of University for himself.  The next brother, Torquil, escapes his family life by becoming “lost in a world of bugs” while the next in line, Francesca, dreams of being a singer but is “cursed with tone deafness” – yet she makes friends easily through her willingness to go on stage and perform. The two younger girls are extras to the story but they maintain the theme of children struggling to cope. One has learned to be self-sufficient and to integrate herself into each new  community she faces by joining Brownies or whatever club is available and the other is easily bullied by her peers and struggles in school. The last child, Marcus the baby, “merely existed” but is in fact the reason for the move which starts this story. So on the surface, we have the classic tale, “pony-mad, pony-less girl meets pony, girl falls in love with pony, girl gets to ride pony and wins big competition” as the main story line and, behind it, we have the story of a family under pressure. The horse and riding knowledge in the book is impeccable; the interpersonal relationships are well-crafted. Gill’s slow-growing friendship with the disfigured old man who owns the beautiful grey pony is utterly believable yet, again, things are hinted at.  How did his son die?  What caused the scars on his face?  Leitch clearly had a back-story in her head for this character, and for his unpleasant daughter-in-law. Although Gill’s father has occasional fatherly moments – when he catches Gill alone in the middle of a lake in a leaky old rowboat, for example! one wonders will he ever face his responsibilities as a parent, or will he remain lost in his world of words forever. The eldest brother continues in his role as father-figure throughout the story in a way that left me pitying him for missing out on his childhood, but respecting him as a person.  His words to Gill after a very disappointing first visit to the local riding school really struck me.  It’s not up to you to judge. If you don’t like it, leave it. Get what you want. Don’t go around trying to change other people. They don’t want to be changed. They are really enjoying themselves and the sooner you learn this, the easier life’ll be for you. You’ve got to get what you want and let them get on with it. Gill takes her brother’s advice and does indeed get what she wants through a process of luck (being in the right place at the right time), pluck and dedication. But, as the pony story unfolds in its predictable way, you are aware of her family disintegrating in the background, leaving Gill facing a difficult choice towards the end of the book. I’m not going to give away any more.  Suffice to say, this is not a pink, fluffy, rainbows and butterflies ponies book; this is a very real tale of someone putting in all the hard graft and succeeding against the odds.  But winning isn’t everything – life goes on after the trophy has been proudly placed in the cabinet… Would I recommend this book? 100%. No matter what age you are, if you’ve the slightest interest in horses, I think you’ll enjoy it. I zipped back onto Amazon once I’d finished Dream of Fair Horses and bought The Horse from Black Loch, also by Patricia Leitch.  I haven’t managed to read it yet – I got side tracked by another series which Amazon offered me.  I think you can expect a few more Equestrian Reads Review soon. For more horsey reads, check out Jane Badger’s website. She’s currently resuscitating many classic horse and pony favourites. Haynet wrote a piece about her plans here. You’ll find Dream of Fair Horses and The Horse From Black Loch if you search on Amazon.com. Hopefully there will be more old favourites following soon. Review by Martine Greenlee from Tales of Provence I grew up on a healthy diet of horse books, everything I could get my hands on to read. In particular, I loved Patricia Leitch as I felt her books were much more contemporary than others that were available at the time and are still relevant to later generations. So it was with great excitement that I heard that some of Patricia’s books were on the list of horse books to be republished in e-book format by Jane Badger Books. The Horse from Black Loch follows the story of Kay and her cousins who are spending the summer together in Scotland. Surrounded by stunning scenery, colourful characters and a mystical atmosphere, it has all the essential requirements of a great horse adventure book: mystery, intrigue, adventure, chases on horseback, jeopardy and of course what every horse girl dreams of, the chance to connect with a magnificent horse. When the safety of the Black horse is threatened, can Kay and Jamie save it is time? You will have to read it to find out. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading more republished titles. Review by Wendy Wainwright of Thunderhooves & Sparkle Horse. Please visit Amazon to purchase a copy.

Book Review – Louise Broderick Published by Trafalgar Square Many Brave Fools is a strange mix. The book compares the author’s efforts to learn to ride with her dependency on her addict husband. While I ended up wishing the book focused solely on either, the story as a whole it does work. The parts of the book which discuss Conley’s relationship and its breakdown are linked to her efforts to learn to ride. However, it was the parts of the book, pertaining to Conley’s attraction to horses and her initial riding experience, which I enjoyed the most. It is unusual for someone to learn to ride as an adult. Conley decided to start at 42, despite never having any experience of horses in the past. It is learning to ride, battling her fear and mastering the skill that gave her back the confidence she had lost during her relationship. The challenge of learning to ride, while presumably just as difficult for a child, is rarely described to us. Using often humorous language Conley writes about that challenge. Despite being terrified she was compelled to travel from the heart of Dublin, via bus and foot to the stables where she took her lessons. This in itself shows how determined she was, and how, like most of us with horses, was utterly hooked and would do anything for that equestrian fix. Riding teaches us to just be, do too much and everything becomes stressed and awkward. Conley took the lessons she learned from riding and used them to help her with her toxic relationship. During the course of the book Conley goes from being a novice rider, who has never been on a horse before, to one who is competent enough to jump a course of fences. Often, experienced riders will automatically adjust to their horse’s moods and personality, but for an outsider this is a whole new area to get used to. We do it without thinking, but for an experienced rider it is fascinating to read Conely’s experiences, learning to adjust to each horse. Her determination not only to ride, but to ride the difficult horses, the ones she was afraid of, and to keep getting back on after falling, which shows the side of her personality which perhaps made her stick with her addict husband long after most of us would have called it quits. The book discusses learning to ride, right from the beginning, how it feels for a complete novice. It makes wonderful reading to see how the author develops her skills and become a competent rider. The book is beautifully written. I felt I was with Conley every step of the way, experienced her delight at her equestrian achievement and her pride at having ridded herself of her co-dependency on her husband. Horses help in so many ways, and that this experience could make such a change in her life is a wonderful testament to both her dedication to riding and to the wonderful horses who continue to fascinate us all. To purchase a copy of Many Brave Fools please visit Quiller Publishing