My Books Have Issues

I'm an author specializing in clean and wholesome contemporary romance and romantic suspense, set in equestrian environments. This year I finished publishing my series, For Love & Horses. Each book in the series deals with an actual issue, or issues, in the horse industry.

Remember Not’s issues
Book 1, Remember Not, deals with horse abuse. In Eskador’s case, the abuse is the result of an ego driven man (common in the horse world) exploiting a talented horse without giving him the sound foundation in training and conditioning that would have enhanced his abilities. We see this happen in all parts of the equestrian world, when greedy, unskilled, and untalented people want to make a name for themselves.

Why would an animal which is so much more powerful than a human, have spent thousands of years willingly working for humankind? Horses are rarely born mean. People make them mean. Horses are generous and forgiving. I know that from personal experience. They have a servant’s heart and have carried our burdens for a very long time. And ignorant people have abused horses for as long as they have helped us. Way too often, when a horse doesn’t or can't do what a person wants, or when he is old and ‘used up’, people label him worthless and he’s dumped. Rylie found Eskador waiting to go to slaughter in Mexico. Many American horses cross the border to slaughter houses in Canada and Mexico.

God made horses with a warrior spirit and a zest for life that translates into magnificence in their bold, beautiful presence. There is nothing more gorgeous than a free horse prancing with his tail thrown into the air while he snorts at his surroundings. Through selective breeding, man has reduced most breeds to placid burden bearers. However, certain equestrian venues, such as dressage, or Arabian Halter classes, or Saddlebreds, try to force the horse to reproduce what God gave him in his natural state. It can’t be done. Man can never train, condition, or coerce a horse to be what he is in his natural glory. Trying to reproduce this is a hamster wheel of poor practice and repetition.

Some breeds have kept the warrior spirit which can be seen in their fire, boldness, intelligence, and beauty. Every now and then a breeder manipulates breed qualities to where they create an animal that surpasses their own courage and intelligence and the animal ends up abused. I can’t tell you how often I have seen horses who were so much smarter and more sensitive than their handlers. This happened to Eskador. Erique bred horses so well, he exceeded his own ability to work with them. Eskador paid the price.

Where the Wild Ones Roam has issues, too
Greed and ignorance play a huge roll in Where the Wild Ones Roam, too. Ranchers, gas companies, and mineral miners want the wild horses off the millions of acres that were allotted to them through the 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act. This bill was passed largely due to work by Wild Horse Annie (Thelma Johnson) in the ‘50s when she saw wild horses shot, tortured, and hauled off to the slaughterhouse. Before this act, airplanes ran horse herds over cliffs. "Sportsmen" in airplanes hunted horses with rifles. When Kennel Ration came out with a recipe for real meat dog food, they ground up wild horses and any unwanted horses, and put them into cans.

Then the 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act declared, “wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; that they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people; and that these horses and burros are fast disappearing from the American scene. It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and to accomplish this they are to be considered in the area where presently found, as an integral part of the natural system of the public lands.”

The Secretary of the Interior was charged with care and management of the horses through the Bureau of Land Management- the real BLM.

The BLM has thoroughly abused the responsibility that was placed on their shoulders. They have blamed the wild horses for most woes on the lands they live on and are exceedingly inhumane to during roundup, shipping, and containment. Where the Wild Ones Roam was born out of this conflict and I tell it through Kristi’s nurturing heart, and her passions for photography and horses.

The secondary issue in Where the Wild Ones Roam is the steadfastness of the Mustangs when they are treated kindly and are well trained, life Kristis Horse, Frog and Monty’s horse. Like my horse, Reno.

What’s There to Love has its own issues
There are so many issues needing attention in the Thoroughbred industry. One issue is racing Thoroughbred babies. A horse is not mature until he is 4-5 old. They train horses for the Kentucky Derby when they are 1 1/2 to 2 years old. These babies may race when they are two-years old, an age when their hocks and knees are still developing, and their upper leg bones, femur, and shoulders may not be fully developed. Here is a chart that describes how a horse develops.

In 2022, Churchill Downs (Home of the Kentucky Derby) suspended racing after 12 horses died. The same year, Saratoga, the largest track in New York state underwent investigated after 13 horses died during racing and training. Considering the average horse doesn’t race past the age of 4 or 5 years old, we can assume most of the deaths were youngsters. Many deaths and life altering injuries occur during training, before the horse even makes it to a race.

This is what Lizzie means when she tells Chad that if the public really knew how many horses died from racing, their industry would be in even bigger trouble.

Lizzie believes that a Kentucky Derby trophy isn’t worth risking the lives of horses, so she lets Crete know her farm will not race babies.

She knows racing babies is only part of the problem. Racing stables and investors want the largest horses with the hottest pedigrees. Her research has shown that the practice of breeding for large horses with the hottest pedigrees has not only put more stress on young bones but it has narrowed the gene pool weakening the breed. Lizzie wants to change this and her first step is Maizee.

And wow! Those are just the issues with the horses. What until you read about the heroine’s and heroes issues.

Thanks for reading,
Barbara
BarbaraEllinFox.com