Avoid mistakes when including horses in your fiction--learn how to write horses right
Horses For Writers is a must-have book for writers of fantasy, historical fiction of any sort, westerns, and any other work where horses make an appearance. Baldwin has created a work designed to aid writers in accurately portraying horses, horse terminology and horse activities. She includes anecdotes illustrating common writer errors, as well as stories that give a feel for what horses are really like.
I owned horses as a kid, was a horse nut, read everything I could find out about them, and have included them in my writing for years---and in this book I still discovered useful information about horses that I didn't know. Did you know a horse's color affects the durability of the horse? I didn't. That's just for starters. This book is spare, direct, and frequently funny, and every piece of information in it is something you can use immediately to make the horses in your books feel real and act real...and to save your book from being one of those quoted for idiocy on Horses In Fiction panels at writers' conferences. ---Holly Lisle
Table of Contents
- INTRODUCTION ........ 1
- CONNECTIONS ..... 1
- A QUICK GALLOP AROUND THE PADDOCK ..... 3
- CATCHING ..... 4
- WARM UP ..... 5
- GENDER PLUS ........ 7
- SEX ..... 7
- STALLIONS ..... 8
- Stallions and Sanity .. 9
- MARES ..... 10
- GELDINGS ..... 12
- Proud Cut .. 13
- Cryptorchid .. 13
- TERMS AT DIFFERENT AGES ..... 14
- Colt .. 14
- Filly .. 14
- Foal .. 14
- Suckling .. 14
- Weanling .. 14
- Yearling .. 15
- COLOR ........ 16
- BASIC COLORS ..... 17
- White .. 17
- Albino .. 18
- Bay .. 18
- Black .. 19
- Brown .. 20
- Chestnut .. 20
- Sorrel .. 21
- Gray .. 21
- Dun .. 22
- Roan .. 24
- Palominos .. 25
- Paint .. 25
- Appaloosa .. 26
- SIZE ........ 27
- GAITS ........ 28
- WALK ..... 28
- TROT ..... 29
- CANTER ..... 30
- OTHER GAITS ........ 32
- RUNNING WALK ..... 32
- PACE ..... 32
- RACK ..... 33
- FOX TROT ..... 33
- GALLOP ..... 34
- LOPE ..... 34
- RUN ..... 34
- HOW HORSES COMMUNICATE ........ 35
- VOCAL ..... 35
- BODY LANGUAGE ..... 35
- EARS ..... 37
- EYES ..... 38
- HEAD ..... 38
- NECK ..... 39
- PRESSURE ..... 39
- LEGS ..... 40
- TAILS ..... 40
- PARTS OF THE HORSE ........ 42
- WHERE THE FLANK REALLY IS ..... 42
- WHAT WE DO WITH HORSES ........ 44
- WORK ..... 44
- COMPETE ..... 44
- Racing .. 44
- Flat Racing ........ 45
- Harness Racing ........ 45
- Steeple Chasing ........ 46
- Endurance .. 46
- Showing .. 47
- Rodeos .. 47
- Playdays .. 48
- PLEASURE ..... 48
- Trail riding .. 48
- Hunting .. 49
- Dressage .. 49
- TRAINING ........ 50
- BOOKS ..... 52
- WEBSITES ..... 52
- BREEDS ........ 53
- MAKING MORE HORSES ........ 55
- BREEDING ..... 55
- FOALING ..... 56
- VICES ........ 58
- NATURAL VICES ..... 58
- Biting .. 58
- Kicking .. 59
- Bucking .. 59
- Rearing .. 60
- Bolting .. 61
- Shying .. 62
- Balking .. 62
- Laying Down .. 62
- YOU MADE 'EM VICES ..... 63
- Wood Chewing .. 63
- Cribbing/Wind Sucking .. 64
- Weaving .. 64
- Pacing or Stall Walking .. 64
- Digging .. 64
- Charging .. 65
- Crowding .. 65
- WHAT IS ALL THAT JUNK? ........ 67
- TACK ..... 67
- Bridle .. 67
- Bridle Parts .. 67
- Headstall ........ 67
- Bits ........ 67
- Snaffle bits ..... 68
- Curb bits ..... 68
- Spade Bits ..... 69
- Reins ........ 70
- HALTER .. 70
- LEAD ROPE .. 70
- SADDLES ..... 71
- English Saddles .. 71
- Western Saddles .. 72
- Australian Saddles .. 73
- Sidesaddle .. 74
- BLANKETS, RUGS, SHEETS, AND WRAPS ..... 74
- DRIVING ........ 76
- WEBSITES ........ 77
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR ........ 78
Elizabeth J. Baldwin is a writer and animal trainer who lives in Central Texas with her husband of 30+ years, 6 horses, 6 cats, 4 dogs and assorted wild life trying to move up to the good life.
She has stories in Shadow Dancers and Ghostly Tales From America's Haunted Jails
Ms. Baldwin may be contacted at:
 |
