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Hello to all my fellow H&J lovers! I'm putting out some feelers to see if there are any among you who are willing to help me out with a pipe dream of mine. You'll have to bare with me here as I lay out a few pieces before I get to the big questions. I'll apologize in advance for my long winded post, but I'm the wordy sort and getting me to zip it requires a strength beyond my means!

Just like a million other dreamers out there, I've had fantasies of writing short stories or even sweeping all of my thoughts into an actual novel. For all of my good intentions to see this thing through, I've been plagued with self doubt, lack of follow through and, I'll be honest, a good old fashioned fear of failure. I've got hundreds of characters living full, inspiring lives all locked in the dark recesses of my brain and I really need to evict them. That being said, I'm slowly herding them into little, pink, wrinkled brain pens to be branded and put to work. Unfortunately, I find that my knowledge base and my intent appear to be gazing at one another across the depths of a very wide chasm for the project I've been pecking at these past few weeks.

While I've had 30 years of horse experience to draw from, it has all been what I would refer to as "back yard horsemanship" meaning nothing formal. As a kid, I had a blast at local fun shows doing some gaming, pleasure, a little HUS, etc. When I grew up a bit, I was fortunate enough to be able to breed a few mares and raise my own foals (strictly for myself - not as a business) and train them as trail horses. Most of what I've learned and taught has been instinct or scavenged from the internet. It has served me well and my girls are happy, healthy, pleasant (most of the time - you know mares...) trail horses that suite me perfectly.

Here is the dilemma I face - I'm working with two main characters who have grown up in the professional world of horses and I think I'm way over my head. The first character was immersed in the QH world with a family who raised/trained reining & pleasure horses. The second character is a trainer with a pretty good grasp on both the English and Western side of the aisle. The third main character is a 4 y/o horse (of course!) with spotty history who is smart enough to be a huge problem when he being worked in a a way he doesn't prefer - being pushed toward reining - and blossoms when allowed to do what he seems destined for - jumping/eventing. He isn't the most pleasant animal, but both women see what he could be with the right guidance whereas the first main character's father who owns said horse, can not see past his initial demands of having the horse training, competing and breeding in the reining world.

~ Here is what I need ~

1. People who have trained reiners or jumpers to help me out with the ins and outs of starting a horse down that path. What exercises do you do? How do you start teaching the finer details to a young horse? How to do define success in that training? What are some of the technical terms you would need to see to find a scene believable? What makes a good jumper or reiner? Are there specific bloodlines or horses that come to mind when you envision a great competitor? Do you think it would be possible for a horse to excel at both of these careers or would the musculature of one interfere with success in the other? Would you find it believable that a horse could excel at both or is that too farfetched? I do not want to be one of those authors that creates a unicorn that can defy all natural laws, I just want a horse that draws a new perspective from an old man who is set in his ways.

2. People who show horses of all shapes and sizes to help me with the "politics of showing." What do you find makes a successful show horse? When showing, what sorts of relationships or rivalries have cropped up in your intimate circle or the broader circle of the show culture? What are the typical requirements of shows you attend - paperwork, certain tack regulations, behavioral standards for both horses & people? What do you think would be imperative to include in a scene at a horse show?

3. People who breed horses as a business to help me with the standards you set for your stock. What are your requirements for breeding stock? Do championships, points or financial winnings account for how you choose your stock or is it based more on bloodlines? Does temperament influence your choices? Would you keep a stallion who was perfect in every way, but an ass hat to handle? Other than poor breeding practices, what are some of the biggest pet peeves you would have when it comes to other breeders? What are some things you wish you could implement in your own circle of breeders or even just at your own farm?

4. People who love to read horse books to let me know what YOU look for in a book! What is the most important thing you want to get out of reading a book? Does a flawed character bother you or do you need that to make the story feel real to you? What is it that you want to hear most in a book that is centered around horses? Is there something you think is always overlooked or maybe even something that you find overused in the books you've read? If you've read a book on a subject you aren't that familiar with, does it bother you when the author uses words/phrases/objects that you've never heard of and if so, do you think that the book would be less effective if it used broader terms instead of more detailed descriptions?

In the art of full disclosure, it is also a love story between the two main characters - Violet, who in coming home after 13 years, is finally forced deal with the tragedy she has never stopped running from & Cadence, who lived a half life trying to be "normal."

Any help is much appreciated! You can either post here or send me a private message, but either way, I'm incredibly thankful for any help you guys can offer! I'm posting this on servers 1 & 2 to get a variety of perspectives.