YETTI IS IN CELESTIA EARNING HIS UNICORN HORN

I am grateful that "The Mist Trilogy" brings comfort to those who are grieving the loss of their beloved horse. I received this letter and photo from the head instructor at Promise Ranch in Franktown, Colorado. It is a PATH, Intl certified therapeutic riding center. They are mourning the loss of Yetti, who passed away this week at only 20 years of age.

 This picture is so precious. The young man in the photo is a former rider at Promise Ranch, Patrick, who passed almost 2 years ago. It gives me great peace to know that Yetti and Patrick are together again. I have a dear friend, Margi Evans, who wrote a trilogy of books: "Behind the Mist," "Mists of Darkness," and "The Rising Mist," in which the young rider and his horse pass and learn that horses pass to become unicorns and continue to live and are protectors of animals and humans in our world. I know that Yetti truly earned his Unicorn Horn and gallops in Celestia among the great and noble horses!

-Carol Crisp-

GREAT REVIEW BY VALLEY EQUESTRIAN NEWS

I am so excited to receive this wonderful review of In The Heart of a Mustang from the editor of Valley Equestrian News out of Minnesota. Other great news is that In the Heart of a Mustang has been selected by the Colorado Authors' League as one of just three finalists for their 2016 Young Adult Book Award! 

Everyone needs loyalty, love, and at times healing.

Lucky is the soul who finds all three

In the Heart of a Mustang.

A synopsis by author M. J. Evans followed by a review by Ley Bouchard, VEN Publisher

A boy is told that his father was a brave and virtuous man, a soldier who traded his life to save the lives of countless others. He was the man that Hunter needed to emulate. The only problem is the whole story is a lie, all of it. The truth, which Hunter discovers as he begins his sophomore year of high school, is that his father has actually spent the boy’s entire life in jail, paying his debt to society, but not mending his ways.

A wild mustang mare is rounded up by the BLM. The spring rains had been sparse, the forage on the plains even more so. The mare and her herd are rescued from certain starvation and placed for adoption. In a sandy corral at Promise Ranch, a home for troubled teenage boys, the boy and the mare meet. A weathered, old cowboy brings them together – a mentor for one, a trainer for the other.

The bond that forms between boy and horse becomes one that saves the lives of both.

Review by Ley Bouchard

      In the Heart of a Mustang, MJ Evans weaves a tale of two souls whose spirits meet and are irrevocably changed! Following the subtle nuances of the relationship, we understand how two animals of different species communicate, learn from one another, and those messages impact the lives of everyone around them.  Horse lovers or even one who has never experienced the love of an animal will find this page-turner unforgettable.

     I found In the Heart of the Mustang educational,  touching, poignant; I experienced complete verisimilitude, often wondering if it is a work of non-fiction.

     There are many lessons to be learned in reading In the Heart of a Mustang and each reader will apply their own significance to each one. I most enjoyed seeing through the eyes of the young protagonist, Hunter, how both characters, a wild mustang and a young boy, are able to interact and learn vitally important life lessons, by spending time together.

     The story of a boy and a horse may be geared to a young reader but is definitely a book for all audiences, horse lovers or not.  I found the reading sagacious, clever, and informing.

     I believe In the Heart of a Mustang to be a very important book.  Many people may wonder how places like Promise Ranch or Dakota Boys Ranch benefit people or youth. And it’s a hard thing to explain how working with a horse can be therapeutic. The reader will know and understand this concept upon completion of this fine book by M.J. Evans.

In the Heart of a Mustang may be found at www.dancinghorsepress.com or it is available wherever books are sold.

VALENTINO- 2011 PATH Intl. Therapeutic riding horse of the year!

Some people are born into the worst of circumstances, poverty, abuse or neglect. Yet some of those people manage to rise above it all and, not only survive but contribute a positive light to the world. Some horses do the same.

One such horse is Valentino.

Valentino is a beautiful Tenessee Walking Horse Cross whose first few years of live were terrible. He had been abandoned in a field as a yearling. For over a year, he was all alone and neglected in this pasture. Some kind neighbors fed him and, finally called a horse rescue organization.

Meanwhile, Therapeutic Animal Partners in Spring Hill, TN, needed some new horses for its center to help handicapped riders. Director Terri Knauer watched Valentino in a training session at the state horse fair and immediately felt something special. He was, not only the right size for a therapy horse, and young enough to be trained for their program, but there was just something special about him...perhaps she knew he would be able to empathize with is riders more than others. She adopted Valentino and started training him for EAAT (Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies.)

He became the perfect Therapy horse...the one they could always "go to" with any need. Not only is he quiet and intelligent but he is so very patient! (Don't we wish we all had such virtues-in Behind the Mist, Nick struggles to develop the unicorn virtue of patience.) In her nominating letter to Path, Intl, Terri Knauer mentioned that "He loves toys and games and sometimes breaks a tense moment by pickiing up a toy in his mouth to help a frustrated rider." Another example: "One child came to the center missing the horse she used to ride at another center. On being introduced, Valentino gently blew on her neck then dropped his head so they could look into each other’s eyes, and the two held each other’s gaze for half a minute. That moment bonded these two and gave this young girl the hope that she could find love, trust, confidence and companionship with another horse."


Yes, horses are truly amazing! He really loves working with the handicapped riders. It's as though he is trying to teach them that they, too, can overcome life's challenges and reach the stars.

Valentino is a star!

Tell me about the noble and great horse that you know. Write to me at:

mjevansbtm@gmail.com

or find me on the Behind the Mist Facebook page.

Don't forget to get Mists of Darkness-Book 2 of the Mist Trilogy on Amazon's Kindle store soon! I will let you know the day it comes out!!!