Tag: girls and horses

The Red Filly Continues

On By Carla ConorinoIn Arabian Horses, CC On Writing, Dreaming of Arabians, The Red FillyLeave a comment

It’s been a rough year, maybe two. I have done virtually no writing. A few months ago, I re-read the chapters of The Red Filly I had written so far and was not impressed…so, of course, my first instinct was to give up. Believing in oneself is one of the hardest things for many people to do. I’m aware that this is not the greatest blog post. It fails even at achieving mediocrity. But I’m writing, so there’s that.

I’ve struggled with this novel because it started out as a story that pays homage to books like, The Black Stallion by Walter Farley or For Love of a Horse by Patricia Leitch. At its heart it is still about the love for a horse and specifically an Arabian horse like in the books I mentioned above which helped inspire this story.

But a lot has happened since I was just a girl who loved horses, especially Arabian ones. Because of my life experiences this book has evolved and it’s still evolving. That also stopped me in my tracks. I’m not sure how the finished story will be received and that scares me. I spend way too much time worrying about what other people think. I have many flaws and that may be the biggest among them. So, because I am flawed, this story is as well.

The Red Filly continues…

Why Arabs, Indeed?!

On By Carla ConorinoIn Dreaming of Arabians, Dreams, Guest Blog Posts, Just Fun Horsey Stuff, The Black Stallion, The Jinny at Finmory Series1 Comment

I can so relate to this post! I too was horseless as a kid and read every horse centered book, I could get my hands on. I also watched many boring Westerns just to see the horses. I too fell in love with Arabian Horses because of books, but for me it was The Black Stallion Series. A kind elementary school librarian noticed I was always checking out horse books, so one day she took me by the hand and led me to The Black, who I am still in love with to this day! Librarians are the best!!! I came to the Jinny and Shantih books late in life and wish I had known about them early on. Jinny is definitely someone I would have related to!

For love of A BOok

The Island Stallion Races-First Edition

On By Carla ConorinoIn Arabian Horses, Dreams, Just Fun Horsey Stuff, Ruminations and Such, The Island Stallion1 Comment

This was gifted to me by my good friend, Sharon Miesen. It’s a first edition, printed in 1955. I love old books like this one. Love the way they smell, feel, and the way they make me feel. It’s books like this that remind me why I want to be a writer.

This book has seen a lot in its time. It’s been handled and read by many people over the years, mainly young girls most likely. Girls who dream of having their own wild Arabian stallion who loves them the way Flame loves Steve Duncan. I’ll bet this book has heard laughter, tears, and everything in between.

Books can take us to any time and place. Books like this helped me to continue to dream of possibilities in spite of the often-dark circumstances in which I found myself as a young girl. Hope truly is a powerful thing.

My very own Flame (gelding though). Dreams can come true!

Classic Arabian Horse Books

On By Carla ConorinoIn Arabian Horse History, Arabian Horses, Just Fun Horsey Stuff1 Comment

I haven’t posted in a while, so just wanted to check in with a quick just for fun post. I picked up these two books at a Half Price Books in Dallas and they are filled with cool Arabian horse history. I shall add them to my growing stack of Arabian horse books which one day I will read and post articles from things learned from said stack of books. Was that a run-on sentence? It seems kind of long. Run on sentences and misplaced, commas are among my greatest writing skills. 😀

Anyhoo…here are some pics from inside these books. Hope everyone is having an awesome Saturday! It’s a little chilly here in north Texas, so I’m reading and writing today. 🙂

The Black Stallion and the Shape-shifter by Steven Farley

On By Carla ConorinoIn Arabian Horses, Book Reviews, The Black StallionLeave a comment

So, I picked up this little lovely awhile back at Half Price Books and finally got around to reading it. It was a nice little find. It’s a first edition even.

As you all know, I have loved The Black Stallion series all my life, so I wasn’t sure about reading a story about the Black not written by Walter Farley. Well, it turns out his son, Steven, has taken up the mantle and handled it well. I loved this story! I’m partial to stories with a supernatural bent too, so I was enamored even more with this book.

Alec Ramsay and the Black head to Ireland so the stallion can exhibit his racing talents to a new audience. The Black is injured in the race, so Alec and his horse end up at a farm near the shore for recuperation. At first their visit is quiet and relaxing, but soon Alec begins to witness sights that can’t be easily explained. There is a long mystical history in this ancient place and Steven Farley has written the story in a believable way.

I really enjoyed this story because as always, a beautiful Arabian horse is at its center, but also a magical shapeshifting horse and lonely horse loving girl who Alec befriends and helps. These are all elements that I love, so I was very happy I came across this book. I highly recommend it to all lovers of horses and the mystical!

The Black Stallion and the Shape-shifter on Amazon

Cute Horsey Christmas Pics (Behind the Scenes)

On By Carla ConorinoIn Arabian Horses, Just Fun Horsey StuffLeave a comment

So, making these cute Christmas pics of horses is not as easy as one might think. A lot of bribing and coaxing is involved as you will see by the photos and videos below. I wish I had gotten a video of when Flame first walked into the stall and started snorting and stamping because he had never seen a window in the back of a stall before, but alas, I was not prepared.

I haven’t posted in a while so I’m warming back up with this little Christmas themed post. Hope you all enjoy! I hope everyone has the Happiest of Holidays!

Cowgirl and the Ghost Horse by Rae Rankin

On By Carla ConorinoIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

I loved this cute story and the illustrations by J-San! It’s a rhyming Halloween story that tells the tale of a little girl and lovely white ghost horse. It’s a magical tale that any young child would love! Well, not just young children, but anyone who has access to their inner child and especially those of us growing up in apartments and wishing a horse, ghost or otherwise would wander into the courtyard.

I highly recommend this story for young children or anyone who dreams of beautiful, wispy, ghost horses!

Check our Rae Rankin’s website and click the link below to purchase this book on Amazon.

Buy Cowgirl and the Ghost Horse on Amazon!

The Forgotten Horse by Elaine Heney

On By Carla ConorinoIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

Elaine Heney really knows how to tell a good horse story. This is the first book in her Connemara horse adventure series for kids and it does not disappoint! I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I’m especially drawn to it because the main character is not just a horse lover, but like many young girls who love horses she doesn’t come from a financial background where owning one is practical and she is bullied by the girls who take such things for granted.

I felt all the emotions reading this story and even shed tears a couple of times. Even though it could use a little more editing (for the record, I’m not the best at editing either, lol), I give it five stars because it is simply just a good story! I remember reading once that the television writer, Stephen J. Cannell, suffered with dyslexia as a child, but he was determined to be a writer and in college he had to find English teachers who would focus on his actual writing and not focus on misspelled words and such. He went on to create Emmy award winning television shows, Baretta being one of my favorites. My point here is that the story is the most important. I’d rather read a good story with a few grammatical issues then a boring story that’s grammatically perfect.

Again, I highly recommend this story and totally give it five stars!!!

Buy The Forgotten Horse on Amazon!