Write Horses Right-Trust

These are the show notes from TRUST:

Rarely did the historical horse have a trainer intent on cultivating trust. Horsemen wanted obedience and submission. Empathy with a horse was not considered manly. It took too much time to train a horse. It was much faster to break him. Most people lacked the knowledge, or mindset to train gently. They trained out of need and learned by observation.

Horses had a job. They to plowed fields, pulled wagons, and carried the family.

The title is cowboy—not horse boy. While some cowboys loved their horses, their expertise was in directing a herd of bovines. On larger ranches, a cowboy would have a string of a dozen horses called a remuda. And in the 19th century, many big ranches wouldn't hire married men.

When a horse is fearful or threatened, his first instinct is to run. He's a prey animal and history has shown his biggest predator is man. If the horse cannot runaway, he will fight for his freedom. Just like a person, how hard he fights depends on the will of the animal.

Only the tough fighter lasts in the wild. Sometimes the fighter spirit lives in a domestic horse, like Eskador, the horse in my story, Remember Not.

Frequently, when a person encounters a scared or angry horse that they cannot break, either fear or ego takes over. That's when abuse occurs in the effort to force the horse to submit.

How can you use this information in your writing?

What if a Union General's daughter's horse spooks, then runs away with her and crosses into Southern territory? And what if there she meets and falls in love with a Confederate soldier? Want more stories and tips about writing horses? Then join me at BarbaraEllinFox.com. 

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