HAPPY HALLOWEEN HORSE STYLE!

Last summer I was invited to sign books (specifically Behind the Mist) at a horse camp because the theme was fantasy and the director was giving each camper a copy of Behind the Mist. So, for fun, I decided to dress Jazz (the star of Behind the Mist) up as a unicorn and sign books from his back. It was really fun and he looked gorgeous!

So, in honor of Halloween, I decided to search out photos of creative costumes for horses. Here are some of my favorites!

Aren't people creative and aren't horses patient with us?  Since standard poodles are my favorite dogs (they really aren't dogs, they are in a class by themselves!) I had to put in two pictures of poodles. I adored those 3 little kings! And Harry Potter is great! 

 I also discovered that there is a company that makes horse costumes so you don't even have to be creative. Here is their website: http://www.thehorsetailor.com/costumes-catalog.html

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

And remember: Don't work your horse...dance with your horse...play with your horse...have fun with your horse!

Read The Mist Trilogy: Autographed copies available here:  www.behindthemist.com

HERE I AM IN THE LAND OF THE HANOVERIANS!

Here I am, actually, really, honestly, in the Land of the Hanoverians. Yes, I am in Germany, visiting my son and his family. Chris is assigned to Grafenwoehr Army Post in Bavaria, the southern end of Germany. He is a dentist for the post here in this beautiful place!

Anyone who has been reading my blog knows that I love my hanoverian, Jazz (show name: Love That Jazz.) I love him so much I made him the star of The Mist Trilogy!  It so happens that Germany is the home of the hanoverian breed! Hanoverians are a warmblood breed that originated in Germany. They were developed under the direction of George II, King of England and Elector of Hanover. By the end of the 18th century, the hanoverian had become a high-class coach horse. 

Adjustments in the breed were made after WWI to make the horse better for riding yet still strong enough for farm work. After WWII, when the demand for sport horses boomed, the breed was adapted again. Thoroughbreds were used to refine the breed, with an occasional Anglo-Arabrian or Trekehner Stallion thrown into the mix. 

Today, Hanoverians are popular in the Olympic Games and other English Riding Style events and competitions.

 In the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, three hanoverian geldings, Elvis VA, Bonaparte and Satchmo, made up the gold winning team!

The Hanoverian Breeder's Association has worked hard to keep up the quality of the breed with rigorous grading of breeding stock and careful record keeping. I have a more complete pedigree of my horse than I do of myself! Jazz is registered with the American Hanoverian Society. This is the brand that is on his left hind quarter:

The hanoverian is strong and robust but also known for its willing and trainable nature. Chestnut, Bay (Jazz is a very dark bay,) black and gray are the approved colors. No buckskin, palomino or cremello nor those with too much white are allowed to be registered. They range in height from 15.3 to 17.2 hands (Jazz is 17 hands.)

Of course, Jazz is my favorite Hanoverian, but more famous than my sweet boy is Brentina. I wrote a blog post about her when she was retired. You can read it here:
http://themisttrilogy.blogspot.de/2010/11/dressage-great-brentina.html
I had the privilege of meeting Debbie McDonald. She is my height. That's why she looks so tiny on her 16.2 hand Brentina!

Throughout the year, people come to Germany to search for their DREAM HORSE! (I was lucky to find my dream horse on dreamhorse.com ) One of the most famous sales of Hanoverians is at Verden in the northwest corner of Germany, close to Hanover. October is the time for this sale. This year's Elite Sport Horse auction is Oct. 10 and 11th! I will be so close! I will be in Berlin at that time. I don't think I'll be able to talk my husband and son into taking me over there, however!!!

YEAH FOR JAZZ-THE STAR OF THE MIST TRILOGY!

Saturday, Sept. 20th, Jazz and I competed in the Rocky Mountain Dressage Society Championships in the Level III class. Jazz was wonderful and we were excited to place third. Now it is back to work to get even better and work toward next year's show season!

Here is a picture of my wonderful husband of 42 years who always supports my horse addiction. He is the ultimate "Horse Husband!"

With show season over, it's time to read. If you need a good book, read Behind the Mist, Mists of Darkness or The Rising Mist from The Mist Trilogy, or North Mystic. They are all 
available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and everywhere else. But the Best place is on the website where you can get the books autographed!
Click here: www.mjevansbooks.com

GETTING READY FOR THE RMDS CHAMPIONSHIPS

I haven't had much time to write since I am getting ready for the Rocky Mountain Dressage Championships. I ride in the Level III championship class on Saturday the 20th. My ride time is at 2:56 p.m. Happily, we are supposed to get a break in the heat by then. I hope so. It is so hard to ride a forward ride when Jazz is hot and tired. I will give him a rest on Friday. I will scribe for a judge in the morning then come home and ride Jazz quietly around the neighborhood. Saturday morning I will bathe him and braid his mane. He doesn't like baths very well! He is quite good about standing still while I braid him, however.

Yesterday's lesson with my trainer, Grant Schneidman went really well. Grant told me a great joke:
"How do you make a small fortune with horses?.......Start with a large fortune!"

Man is that true!

Okay, wish me luck!

Another note: The championships are being held at the Colorado Horse Park in Parker, Colorado. This is a fabulous horse show facility and I have loved showing there for many years. Sadly, it is now for sale and the only people who are putting up offers are developers that want to turn it in to more houses!!! If that happens, we will loose the best facility around. If you have a bunch of money, please come buy it and save it for the horse shows!!!

MY READERS ARE ARTISTS, TOO!

The best part about being an author is getting letters from my readers. It makes all the lonely hours in my study sitting in front of a computer worth it. And for a social creature such as myself, that is saying a lot! Now, take it one step further and think how much I LOVE getting art work from my readers! WOW! I just received this fabulous drawing from Kylie. Kylie has read all of my books and has sent me some wonderful letters as well as visited with me at book signings. Here is the picture she just sent me. It's amazing!

Don't forget about the give away of THREE FREE copies of The Rising Mist on Goodreads.com. You must enter by September 25th for a chance to win!

GOOD LUCK!

 

 

    Goodreads Book Giveaway

 

   

       

   

   

     

          The Rising Mist

     

     

          by M.J. Evans

     

     

         

            Giveaway ends September 25, 2014.

         

         

            See the giveaway details

            at Goodreads.

         

     

   

   

      Enter to win

THE PONIES OF CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND

The Rising Mist was released a week ago! One of the chapters is about Nick and his unicorn, Lazari, as they are sent to help the Ponies of Chincoteague when they are herded from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island off the coast of Virginia. In the book, I write about the history of the ponies and about this event. I decided to write a blog post about it as well. When I was young, my favorite books were the horse stories by Marguerite Henry. One of these was titled Misty of Chincoteague. That is where I first learned about his annual pony swim.

This year's pony swim was held on Wednesday, July 30th. It was the 89th time that the herd of approximately 150 ponies from Assateague Island have been herded across the channel to Chincoteague Island in order for the foals to be auctioned off. The purpose of the auction is to keep the herd from getting too large and to raise funds for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department. The Fire Department uses some of those funds to provide veterinary services to the ponies during the year.

The ponies are herded into the water at "Slack Tide." This is the time between high and low tides when there is no current. Because it lasts for 30 minutes, the ponies have a much easier time swimming the channel. Local fishermen line the channel to guide the ponies in their swim. The time can vary...anytime between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The annual event has become a week long festival that draws thousands of visitors. The first foal to reach the shore is named King or Queen Neptune and is given away at a raffle. The other foals are auctioned off to the highest bidder. Approximately 55 foals are auctioned off each year.

My heart aches at the thought of these sweet foals being taken from their mothers and home but I'm sure the buyers love them and take good care of them. At least I certainly hope they do!

The adult ponies were herded back across the channel on Sunday, August 1st to spend the rest of the year foraging on the grasses of Assoteague Island.

In The Rising Mist, Nick and Lazari help a struggling foal reach its mother in the depth of the channel and save a fisherman who has fallen from his boat. You will love reading this new book!

 The Rising Mist is available on Amazon by clicking here:
 http://www.amazon.com/The-Rising-Mist-Final-Trilogy/dp/1626529418/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409266239&sr=8-1&keywords=The+rising+Mist

 or AUTOGRAPHED from its website. Click here:
 http://www.themisttrilogy.com

EXCITING NEWS! Goodreads.com has a giveaway of three copies of THE RISING MIST. Click here to enter:

 
 

    Goodreads Book Giveaway
 

   

       
   

   

     

          The Rising Mist
     
     

          by M.J. Evans
     

     

         
            Giveaway ends September 25, 2014.
         
         
            See the giveaway details
            at Goodreads.
         
     
   
   

      Enter to win

ANOTHER GIVE AWAY!

Dena at the Blog: Batchofbooks.com did a wonderful spotlight on The Mist Trilogy. At the end she is offering a drawing for a free copy of  The Rising Mist. You can see the spotlight here:
http://www.batchofbooks.com/2014/08/spotlight-and-giveaway-for-rising-mist.html
 or you can go directly to her raffle here:/ZWQ1MmRjOWVhYTdmZDM5MjRjNjU3YTFjYTU3OTE3OjY5/
This drawing is for your choice of an ebook OR an autographed copy of the print book. The print book is to be released on August 19th so the drawing is set for that day.

One part of The Rising Mist that you are really going to love reading is the account of Nick and Lazari and Bethany and Shema's efforts to rescue the Lipizzan Stallions from Vienna that have been kidnapped and held for ransom. As you can guess, the kidnappers know nothing about how to care for horses. They are not concerned about the welfare of these magnificent animals. Their only concern is getting money. Had the fairies not seen the kidnapping taking place and sent the Legion of the Unicorn to help them, the horses all would have died. I included a lot of interesting history about the spanish riding school in those chapters that you will have fun reading.

Go to the spotlight and enter the drawing to win a FREE copy of The Rising Mist!