I got my first horse, Midnight Trumpeter ("Trumpet"), when I was nine, living in Novi, Michigan. He was a two year old Arabian/Standardbred black roan gelding with white stockings and a blaze. He came from a track where he was being trained as a trotter and was only green broke. My Dad and I saddle broke him together and my life on the trail began!

I love Arabians - they're the supermodels of the horse world, with their sculpted cheekbones, flared nostrils, slender necks and flamboyant tails.

I received a book, The Life, History and Magic of The Horse, as a gift from a family friend when I was eleven years old. (Thanks, Trish!) This excerpt comes from the book and has been treasured by me for years.

The Horse of the Koran

"When God created the horse, he said to the magnificent creature: "I have made thee unlike any other. All the treasures of the earth lie between thine eyes. Thou shalt cast mine enemies between thy hooves, but thou shalt carry my friends on thy back. This shall be the seat from which prayers rise unto me. Thou shalt find happiness all over the earth, and thou shalt be favored above all other creatures, for to thee shall accrue the love of the master of the earth. Thou shalt fly without wings and conquer without sword."

The KORAN (An English translation, London, 1880)