B E T W E E N the
lines
by Laurie Berglie
The Latest from Susan Friedland Strands of Hope: How to Grieve the Loss of a Horse $13.99 paperback / $5.99 Kindle
Unbridled Creativity: 101 Writing Exercises for the Horse Lover $12.99 paperback only
I am officially dubbing Susan Friedland the “Queen of Equestrian NonFiction.” Two years after publishing her best-seller, Horses Adored & Men Endured, A Memoir of Falling and Getting Back Up, Susan has brought two new non-fiction reads to our bookshelves. The first is Strands of Hope: How to Grieve the Loss of a Horse. Admittedly, few will want to have to read this book, but, sadly, all of us will at some point. After Susan lost her heart horse, DC, she realized that the sense of loss she was feeling was different than that of losing a dog or cat. For whatever reason, horse owners experience a different type of grief, and Susan quickly realized there were no real resources to help her overcome her current struggles. So, she created one. She started by writing the blog post, “How to Grieve the Loss of a Horse in 10 Not-So-Easy Steps.” When it became one of her most popular posts, Susan knew there was a true need for grieving horse owners. In Strands of Hope, Susan shares advice and stories to help you heal. She will show you how to write an equine eulogy to share with those who also knew and loved your horse. She shares ideas to creatively commemorate by building shadow boxes with photos and horse show ribbons, planting a tree in his or her honor, and making donations to a worthy rescue in your horse’s name.
Throughout this book are a variety of interviews with equestrians who have also experienced the loss of a horse, ranging from losing a foal to saying goodbye to a childhood pony. Hopefully by reading the stories of others, you will feel connected in your shared sense of grief and feel less alone as you walk through this difficult chapter of life. Strands of Hope received a 2020 Winnie Award from the Equus Film & Arts Festival. And now we’ll move on to Susan’s most recent book, one that is a bit more fun and light-hearted, Unbridled Creativity: 101 Writing Exercises for the Horse Lover. With more than 20 years of classroom experience as a teacher, Susan has merged education’s best practices for writing instruction with horsey themes for your journaling pleasure. The book is organized so the prompts generally start out simple and grow in complexity. But you don’t need to go in order! Skip ahead, jump back and forth – it doesn’t matter. Just put pen to paper to hone your writing skills and nurture your creativity. Who knows, maybe this book will lead you to becoming the next equestrian author featured in Horse & Style! Both books can be purchased directly from Susan’s website, saddleseekshorse.com, or Amazon.
2021 volume 1 ·
23
