You’ve just recently released your newest book, Liberty Biscuit, but besides being an author, you and your husband founded Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary. Can you tell us how Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary started?
I chronicle this in more detail in my first book: The Horses of Proud Spirit. But briefly, Jim and I earned our living as professional firefighters/medics in a large city. A job which could be, at times, a stressful way to earn a living no matter how much you love it. In an effort to simplify our lives on our days off, we decided to move out to the country. We bought a home on five acres, and everyone around us had a horse. I was not a horse person, but I became intrigued with the idea of getting one. After a few months of looking, I bought an “Off The Track Thoroughbred.” A mare who could not have been a worse match for the novice I was back then. I actually never really rode her because she was too much for me to handle. But I didn’t blame the horse. I made the decision to keep her, commit to her for the rest of her life. She was older and had already been shuffled around like a piece of furniture. In my search for a more suitable horse for my level of inexperience, going from barn to barn looking at horses for sale, I saw a lot of neglect, mistreatment and even abuse. That was my inspiration for creating a sanctuary for at risk horses.
Because you have no paid staff and have enormous bills to pay for hay, vet, equine dentistry and more, when did the idea of writing books to help fund Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary come about?
As horses began coming to us, I would write down their stories; where they came from, the situations we found them in, how we managed to get custody of them – that sort of thing. I never planned on doing anything with what I’d written. Getting them published never even dawned on me. One day I shared the stories with a close friend. After she read them she said, “You need to find a publisher. These stories need to be turned into a book.”
Each of your books is inspired in some way by the animals you care for. Can you share how an idea, or horse, develops into a book?
Well, really, I’m just telling their stories. My first three books are nonfiction, true stories about the sanctuary. This new book, LIBERTY BISCUIT, is fiction and it’s intended for ages 8 and up (but adults are loving it). The story was inspired by two real-life donkeys who came to the sanctuary. They came from different states, different situations of neglect. One arrived on the Fourth of July. We named him Liberty. The other was completely feral and we lured him into the trailer with biscuits. We named him – you guessed it – Biscuit. The moment those two met, they bonded deeply and were absolutely full of mischief. I combined their personalities to create the donkey in Liberty Biscuit.
I read the story about Journey, the mustang, that illustrates the kindness of one of your donors. Can you talk about his story?
Like too many Mustangs living in herds on our nation’s protected lands, Journey was wrongfully (and brutally) rounded up by the BLM. Ripped away from his home and his family, he had a difficult time adjusting to domestication. As a result, he was bounced around from one owner to another. Until he finally wound up with someone who understood he would never be “broken.” Unfortunately, returning him to his home was impossible, as the BLM had decimated his family. But this good person contacted us about allowing him to join our herd. And another good person absorbed the cost of trailering him half-way across the country to Proud Spirit where he would live in peace and freedom.
Is it true that PBS did a story about you and Jim and 300 plus horses who have entered your lives in some way. What happened when they came to Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary?
Yes, it’s true! In 2004 PBS came out to the sanctuary with a crew and filmed a full length documentary about Proud Spirit. It was an interesting experience, all rigged up with microphones and being followed around with cameras. We had fun, but I was also glad when the week of filming was over! The producers cited our program as “exemplary” and a “model for other rescue organizations.” The special aired nationwide. And it even won an Emmy.
Where can people learn more about your sanctuary or buy one (or all!) of your books, The Horses of Proud Spirit, Hoof Prints – More Stories of Proud Spirit and your newest book Liberty Biscuit.
There’s a third book in the sanctuary series: The Dogs of Proud Spirit. All my books are available wherever books are sold. Anywhere. I’m a fan of supporting small businesses. If you have a bookstore near you, they can get them in, if they don’t already stock them. The same with Liberty Biscuit. Any store can get it in. LB can also be purchased directly from my publisher (they’re a small business, too. And they have free shipping). www.horseandriderbooks.com
