This month’s blog hop at Equus Education focuses on Equine Learning.  I wanted to share about the best lesson that I learned regarding horses at the age of 16.

Firstly, I must say that I’ve always been horse obsessed.  I’ve always wanted a horse – and my parents blessed me with one for my 14th birthday – and I’ve always wanted to make a living doing something with horses.

It wasn’t until I was 16 years of age and I was able to study horses at school that I came across my first opposition to the idea.  My careers teacher at school didn’t want me to do the course.  The first student to do it the year prior had failed due to lack of interest and I was to be the second student to do the course (it was new to our school curriculum).  He also felt that:

“Horses are a phase all girls go through; you’ll grow out of it when you discover boys.”

Perhaps true for some, but not all!  My mother went in to bat for me and I got to do the course – and was the top student academically!  I’ve learned that horses are an addiction and even in the sight of opposition, you need to persist if they are your dream – in whatever manner that may be.

Want a career with horses?  Check out Equus Education where I have explored over 160 equine careers, different courses and travel options!

This post is a part of the Horse Travels blog hop over at Equus Education. The question to be answered is – If you could travel anywhere in the world for something horse related, where would it be and what would you do?

I am a huge fan of the thoroughbred breed. Although I am not a racing fanatic, I love this particular breed and am thankful to the racing industry for all of the work and experienced I have gained with horses. I think thoroughbreds are very versatile and can succeed over a myriad of horse disciplines and sports, not just racing.

I first studied horses after high school focusing on a diploma of horse studies (breeding). This course focused on thoroughbreds as North East Victoria is full of thoroughbred studs and it is an industry where you can easily pick up work if you’re keen and have skills.

As I was studying, a friend and I developed a desire to head to the United States to see the three legs of the Triple Crown and to attend some yearling sales in Keeneland. So my horse travel goal would be to head over to the States and attend the Derby, Belmont and Preakness as well as some yearling sales. I’d love to check out Kentucky and see if the image of it portrayed in horse stories (like the Thoroughbred series by Joanna Campbell) are true to form.

What’s your horse travel dream? Take part in the blog hop and post on your blog!

Here’s the fourth excerpt from my new novel B and B.  If you missed the previous post, you can check it out here.

The pair worked quickly to help their clients dismount. Some part time staff members were on hand to take the horses away and cool them down and brush them off before the afternoon feeding.
Ben turned away from handing over his mount to one of the staff and nearly jumped when he found the young woman still in the yard.
“Did you forget something?” he asked automatically, looking to see if the horse she had ridden was still handy.
“Oh, no! I’ve got everything, thank you. We’re all going into town for a drink before we head back home and I thought you might like to join us,” she invited cheerfully.
Ben questioned if he really did need to work on his people skills. He couldn’t for the life of him think of anything he’d said or done to give her the impression he would gladly join them for a little more socialising. He scratched the back of his head, unsure what to say.
“Oh… thanks for the invitation…”
“But we’ve got quite a bit of work to do with these horses before we’re finished for the day,” Jake cut in smoothly, saving Ben.
The young woman nodded in understanding.
“The horses definitely need to come first. They were great today and we had a lot of fun riding. Thank you two again, we’ll be back!” she stated cheerfully, turning on her heel to join her friends.
Ben let out a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding. Jake slapped him on the back before walking off to tend to his horse. Ben didn’t miss his laugh as he said, “you’re welcome, my friend!”

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So! This is the end of the first chapter; I hope it has whet your appetite!
Or maybe I should say, kindled your appetite! This current work in progress that I’ve titled B and B will be available on Kindle for purchase I hope by the end of this year. Stay tuned here on HorseCountryBook.com for updates, more excerpts and a cover reveal!