I had the pleasure of interviewing Equestrian Author and Blogger Grace Olson recently about her upcoming book launch in June 2022.
I have been following Grace on Social Media for a while now, and her Blog posts are a Hilarious Twist on the reality of Loaning a Horse in the 21st Century.
Grace although not from a horsey background, did have a mother who adored horses, and therefore Grace and her sister had regular lessons from the age of 5. Grace remembers;
“Although as a family we were not well off, Mum always seemed to find the money for us to have riding lessons. I suppose this is where my love of horses comes from.”
Owning her own horse was always something that Grace dreamed of, but a busy adult life and Sports Massage Practice meant that Grace left horses and riding behind her for many years. However, following the birth of her daughter, Grace fell into the depths of depression, and this lead her back to horses as a way of getting out and about and doing something for herself again.
Grace started having regular riding lessons at a local Riding School, she recalls her Instructor saying; “You know, it would be a lot cheaper on you if you just got a horse on loan.” So Grace decided to look into it, and so she met the first Leading Horse from her book, a small Cob known as Monty.
“It was fabulous, although Monty didn’t know much he was very quiet, and all I had to do was to turn up and ride. So this gave me the perfect outlet, Monty got plenty of work and I enjoyed all the long hacks with him.”
However, eventually Monty was put up for sale, and at the time Grace couldn’t afford to buy him, which left her in search of another horse. Grace’s friend called her up to tell her there was a Mare at her livery yard, that needed someone to take her on loan. So Grace made arrangements to go over to the yard to try the mare to see if they were a good fit. Enter Stage Left, the Irish Sport Horse Mare, Poppy! . Grace recalls;
“When I first met Poppy she was a very scary horse, I still don’t know how I summoned up the courage to get on and ride her, but I am so glad I did. She has thought me so much along the way. She has gone from that Scary Mare I met that first day, to a Mare that is so chilled, that I can now sit up and ride while Making a Cup of Tea and Reading a book.”(laughs)
Grace’s journey with Poppy, lead her to start her Blog and write her book, The Yard, sharing all the crazy and funny moments that Loaning or Owning a horse in a livery yard can yield. Not only that, Grace’s journey and the healing that she experienced with her return to horses, inspired her to do further training as an Equine Facilitated Coach. Now as part of her business, Grace uses the Healing Power of Horses along with Meditation to help people with Terminal Illness. She Says;
“It is amazing how just being in the presence of horses helps my clients to relax and unwind, plus the horses seem to be aware of where a patient’s tumor is located, and will often put their nose right on the spot. ”
So when is the book, The Yard By Grace Olson, due to be launched?
“I will be sharing a stall at the Bramham Horse Trials in June, with the Artist Ruth Buchanan, who Designed my Book Cover, the stall will be situated next to the main arena. However, we have decided to launch the Book at my local Horse Rescue, Hope Pastures Horse Rescue Centre in Leeds. The date is scheduled for mid to late June 2022 and 10% of every book sold will go to help the Rescue. In fact I recently rescued a mare from Hope Pastures, her name is Belle, and she had the most Horrific Back Story, however, although I have only owned her a short time, she has already turned into A Cuddle on Four Legs!”(laughs)
So in the meantime how can Equestrians keep track of Grace Olson?
“Well they can follow the Blog, I have 10 Blog Posts free and when someone subscribes to my blog they can have another 10 posts free. This is a great way to give the reader a good idea of what the book is like before they even buy it.”
Will there be a sequel, a Book Two?
“Well hopefully yes, now Belle will have to have a starring Role.”
Well that’s it folks, you heard it straight from the Horse Lovers Mouth. We wish Grace all the best for the future with her book and if you would like to read some of Grace’s Hilarious Posts, you can find her at www.theyardbook.co.uk or on Facebook at The Yard by Grace Olson. We will certainly be looking forward to the Book Launch in June, so we will keep you posted.