Bug's ears as we hack through the woods. The picture shows that winter is coming fast!
As winter approaches and the snow begins to fall, I find myself looking for inside things to keep me busy when I can’t ride. I love to cuddle up on the couch and watch a good, corny horse movie or read a good book. As horse lovers, we know that finding a horse movie or fictional horse book that is close to real life can be difficult. During college (I was an Equestrian Studies major), my friends and I would rent random horse movies and pick out all of the ridiculous things in them. For instance, at the end of Hidalgo, he totally turns him back out to the free range with his shoes on! Any horse person can tell you that is just not cool.
It has been brought to my attention by another eventing lover that a new fictional eventing book has hit the market. The book is called, A Stallion to Die For, and it was written by Judith Stanton. It is the first in a series of books, and it sounds pretty promising, if you like horse books with a romantic side. Dana Diemer, a friend of Judith’s, says that Judith happens to be one of Nate Chambers’ owners, and she put a lot of research into the book. It is available on Amazon for Kindle. The picture of the book shows what appears to be Allison Springer and Arthur on the cover. Here is the blurb from Amazon:
Top equestrian Lexy Imbriani comes to America to keep her fading Olympic hopes alive. Hamp Gambrell, the one man who matches her passion in the saddle as well as off, finds her a position in Southern Pines, North Carolina, historic home to many upper-level horses and riders in three-day eventing — the grueling Triathlon for horses.
At her wit’s end, she hopes to make a go of it with Bo, Hawks Nest Farm’s brilliant but troubled stallion. But then come the threats, accidents and escalating violence, putting her dream at even greater risk.
How to find out who’s trying to sabotage her — boarders? staff? family? Hamp? Digging deep into that death-defying courage she honed riding dangerous cross-country courses, Lexy must protect herself and her magnificent stallion and stop the killer who threatens to end their competing days forever.
This suspenseful Southern family saga belongs on your bookshelf along with the best of Dick Frances’ mysteries, Jilly Cooper’s RIDERS and JUMP, Jane Smiley’s HORSE HEAVEN, and Rita Mae Brown’s Sister Jane Foxhunting series. Horsemen and women will revel in Stanton’s authentically realized horses and action, and anyone else ever dreamed of having a horse will be fascinated by this insider’s look at loving and training these amazing athletes to compete fearlessly and fiercely at the highest level of Olympic three-day eventing.
