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Read Black Beauty Online – Chapter 25. Reuben Smith

Black horse in a green field

Chapter 25. Reuben Smith

Now I must say a little about Reuben Smith, who was left in charge of the stables when York went to London. No one more thoroughly understood his business than he did, and when he was all right there could not be a more faithful or valuable man. He was gentle and very clever in his management of horses, and could doctor them almost as well as a farrier, for he had lived two years with a veterinary surgeon. He was a first-rate driver; he could take a four-in-hand or a tandem as easily as a pair. He was a handsome man, a good scholar, and had very pleasant manners. I believe everybody liked him; certainly the horses did. The only wonder was that he should be in an under situation and not in the place of a head coachman like York; but he had one great fault and that was the love of drink.
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Ground Manners. A Novel – Book Review

This handy review is curtesy of Carol M. Upton, who works with a number of amazing animal authors & media artists.

Ground Manners. A Novel“Learning that horses were butchered for meat left many people feeling raw and lied to, like suddenly finding out that your neighbour had barbecued your retriever or microwaved your cat. Like so many others, Yanne was clearly unaware that, whether for meat or other reasons, horses were slaughtered at all.” ~ Part Three, Chapter Four, p. 116

Slaughter, Erosion & Heritage

Ground Manners. A Novel is an innovative synthesis of adventure, romance and animal advocacy. Cynthia D’Errico has produced a compelling tale based on true stories about Canada’s horse slaughter industry, the dangers of continuing to ignore coastline erosion, and which features an especially intriguing thread on how le Canadien became both Quebec’s heritage breed and the National Horse of Canada.
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Ragwort – A Horse’s Worst Enemy?

Recently we’ve been posting episodes of The Horse Show with Rick Lamb & are loving the wide variety of equestrian themes he has to share. Today however we wanted to share something a little different, something that concerns the well-being of your animals.

Toxic Plants

We’ve got a whole section dedicated to plants that are toxic to your horse & we cover a different one in more depth every week. Sadly horses can’t eat a pretty large variety of plants out there (everything from hydrangea to Rubber plants to Oak trees can make them sick).
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Writer or Author – Horse Jobs

man writing at a desk

Along with horse artist, this is probably one of the dreamier horse jobs out there. The nature of the job requires that horse writers have a great deal of flexibility and independence. While a love of horses is a strong element in this type of work, it isn’t all you need to be successful.

What You Need

Obviously to be a great horse writer or author you need to be able to write. Whether you are a science fiction fiction writer or a more serious scientific research and journal publisher, you need to have an affinity for words. Beyond a way with words, writers must also possess strong editing and image selection skills as well as the ability to market themselves and their writing.
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Read Black Beauty Online – Chapter 24. The Lady Anne, or a Runaway Horse

Black horse in a green field

Chapter 24. The Lady Anne, or a Runaway Horse

Early in the spring, Lord Wexmire and part of his family went up to London, and took York with them. I and Ginger and some other horses were left at home for use, and the head groom was left in charge.

The Lady Harriet, who remained at the hall, was a great invalid, and never went out in the carriage, and the Lady Anne preferred riding on horseback with her brother or cousins. She was a perfect horsewoman, and as gay and gentle as she was beautiful. She chose me for her horse, and named me “Black Auster”. I enjoyed these rides very much in the clear cold air, sometimes with Ginger, sometimes with Lizzie. This Lizzie was a bright bay mare, almost thoroughbred, and a great favorite with the gentlemen, on account of her fine action and lively spirit; but Ginger, who knew more of her than I did, told me she was rather nervous.
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Equestrian Feet – Horse Gift Ideas

GiftIt’s getting very close to the big day, so we’re sharing gift ideas every day until time runs out (you still might have a chance). So far we’ve shared ideas for everything from shoes to lipstick. Today we’ve got some more horses to wear, this time on your feet.

Horse Shoes

Surprisingly there appears to be a lot of equestrian influence in the shoe making world & we were able to find a wide variety of fun shoes & boots to share. Whether you are looking for a good driving shoe, a fun rain boot or something sexy to show off those lovely riding legs.
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Random Equine – Horse Gift Ideas

GiftIt’s getting really close to the big day, so we’re sharing gift ideas every day until time runs out. So far we’ve shared ideas for everything from shoes to lipstick. Today we are moving on from the closet & looking for something interesting.

A Little of Everything

Many of today’s ideas defy categorization, so we’ve lumped them together. Whether you like crafts, camping, drawing or just riding in general. We’ve searched the web high & low to bring you the coolest, strangest, most notable horse gift ideas we can find.

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Equestrian Accessories – Horse Gift Ideas

GiftIt’s getting really close to the big day, so we are sharing gift ideas every day until time runs out. So far we’ve shared ideas for everything from shoes to lipstick. Today we are sticking with apparel again, but moving in a different direction, today it’s all about accesorizing!

It’s the Bits That Count

It my go without saying that often an accessory or two is all of the horse most people can stomach when it comes to fashion. Good thing there are so many cute equine accessories out there to choose from. 😉 We’ve gone & collected everything horse we can find – and it’s not too late to do your shopping. Great stocking stuffers, great gifts or just looks great on you!
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Going Casual Equine Clothing – Horse Gift Ideas

GiftIt’s getting really close to the big day, so we are sharing equine gift ideas every day until time runs out. So far we’ve shared ideas for everything from shoes to lipstick. Today we are sticking with apparel again, we just can’t resist all of these beautiful horse inspired clothes!

Casual Horse

We’ve already shared some of the horse tees we like best & were pleasantly surprised to find a whole lot more equine casual wear. Although we like the fancy stuff too, horse people are laid back by nature & appreciate a horsey good take on casual clothing. Many of these items are perfect for actually riding & that’s why we love them.
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Going Fancy Equine Clothing – Horse Gift Ideas

GiftIt’s starting to get close to the big day so we are sharing horsey gift ideas every day. We’ve shared ideas for everything from shoes to lipstick to Ornaments. Today we are re-visiting apparel, one of those dangerous areas to add a little horse – but we love to live on the edge!

High End Horse Style

We’ve already shared some fav tops, tees & dresses – believe it or not we found more, loads more to share. So here goes, we’ve done the shopping for you so all you have to do is point & click. Today’s list is full of fun & fabulous ideas for when you feel like dressing it up a little.
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