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special bond humans and horses often share was something Anne thought would make for fascinating reading. And with that, the idea for Great Australian Horse Stories was birthed and Anne began her research. Anne’s background in journalism was more than useful as she began to gather stories, seeking out the hidden treasures in people’s lives. She prides herself on being able to interview people and draw out their stories and idiosyncrasies. “A lot of people think ‘Why me?’ They might have the most amazing stories, but most people are quite modest,” she says. Many of the people interviewed for Great Australian Horse Stories are from the Gippsland area in Victoria, where Anne herself lives. “It’s because I knew a lot of people there, and then they knew people, so the book grew from that. For example, the lady who lives across the road from me, her mother, Beth, grew up in the days when you rode a pony to school and parked it in the pony paddock next door. So I talked with her about that.” Further along the road from Anne’s home the Horse Workshop offers Equine Facilitated Learning, which encourages the interaction between horses and humans, an interaction that’s been found to benefit both people with disabilities, and those suffering from maladies such as depression or anger. “I’ve watched a session in progress,” she says, “and it was a really beautiful thing to see. So of course, I wrote about them and what they’re doing.” Infused with heart, wit and drama, Great Australian Horse Stories brings to life stories of horses from all over Australia. “It was just fantastic talking about horses with people for months on end,” Anne says smiling.
TOP: One of the Moroccan Barb stallions Anne met on her desert adventure beneath the High Atlas Mountains ABOVE: Anne’s exciting 2009 adventure in Morocco helped bring horses back into her life again. 42 | H O R S E V I B E S N O V / D E C 2 0 2 0
One of Anne’s own experiences with horses, which she holds close to her heart, was thanks to a Zouina Cheval riding trek. The tour included a week’s ride through the stony desert below the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco. At this point in her life, she hadn’t owned
