| Author: | Jim MacLachlan | ISBN: | 9780463884751 |
| Publisher: | Jim MacLachlan | Publication: | June 1, 2018 |
| Imprint: | Smashwords Edition | Language: | English |
| Author: | Jim MacLachlan |
| ISBN: | 9780463884751 |
| Publisher: | Jim MacLachlan |
| Publication: | June 1, 2018 |
| Imprint: | Smashwords Edition |
| Language: | English |
I'm a farmer and horseman with a life-long love of fiction, but all too often it’s obvious that an author has relied on movies for their information about horses and farms. Hollywood has dubbed in the sounds of squealing car wheels on gravel roads and they tend to handle horses and farms even more poorly. Books rely on my knowledge and imagination, so these errors are far more glaring.
Horses aren’t cars with hooves. It bothers me when questing heroes spend their downtime whetting their daggers to a finer edge, but don’t pay any attention to their horse and tack, the most expensive, complex, and problematic pieces of equipment they have. The horse has a personality and can make the journey a joy or pure hell.
Not every farmer is a dumb peasant. They’re as diverse in character as any other group, although most are inured to hard work and are mechanically inclined. They have to solve a lot of problems on their own that city or suburban folks never encounter or think about. I hope to make some of these clear. Even if you don’t give them a starring role, they deserve more consideration than the caricatures used by so many.
I wrote this to give authors some insight into the intimate details of horses and life on a farm so that they can write better for me. I've tried to be completely honest. Some of what I’ll relate is gross, explicit, and may even horrify you, but it is part of everyday life for horsemen and other farmers that I know. Many of the anecdotes happened while I was writing this, so you’ll get to know my family, and our animals, especially the horses. I've also provided a lot of hyperlinks to safe sites where you can gather more information and other viewpoints rather than going into boring detail.
I'm a farmer and horseman with a life-long love of fiction, but all too often it’s obvious that an author has relied on movies for their information about horses and farms. Hollywood has dubbed in the sounds of squealing car wheels on gravel roads and they tend to handle horses and farms even more poorly. Books rely on my knowledge and imagination, so these errors are far more glaring.
Horses aren’t cars with hooves. It bothers me when questing heroes spend their downtime whetting their daggers to a finer edge, but don’t pay any attention to their horse and tack, the most expensive, complex, and problematic pieces of equipment they have. The horse has a personality and can make the journey a joy or pure hell.
Not every farmer is a dumb peasant. They’re as diverse in character as any other group, although most are inured to hard work and are mechanically inclined. They have to solve a lot of problems on their own that city or suburban folks never encounter or think about. I hope to make some of these clear. Even if you don’t give them a starring role, they deserve more consideration than the caricatures used by so many.
I wrote this to give authors some insight into the intimate details of horses and life on a farm so that they can write better for me. I've tried to be completely honest. Some of what I’ll relate is gross, explicit, and may even horrify you, but it is part of everyday life for horsemen and other farmers that I know. Many of the anecdotes happened while I was writing this, so you’ll get to know my family, and our animals, especially the horses. I've also provided a lot of hyperlinks to safe sites where you can gather more information and other viewpoints rather than going into boring detail.
