You know, I've written a lot about horse shows and the adventurous, romantic people who make them exciting. While I may wish that my stories were appropriate for all ages, sometimes, they're not. Maybe that's because they can't be; not when you're writing about some of the highly-charged characters that thrive in the stratosphere of the glamorous horse world! Let's find out why reporters raise an eyebrow or two when they look behind-the-scenes at the weekend get-aways for horse lovers that we affectionately call "horse" shows!

   I don't know about you, but I'm a "lifer" when it comes to horses. I was raised around stables that bred, raised and trained for the show ring. Ever since I was a kid, I loved the risk, the crowd and the drama. I loved the competition, the challenge of outwitting other barns -- and I definitely loved the showmanship. Diplomacy didn't always come easy, nor patience. But I worked on those things. Even though (sometimes) it felt like a full-time job.

   Horse shows were my circus and my theater, complete with their version of directors, producers and stars. I looked forward to my weekend excursions and I was treated well by the horse show crowd. I was treated like a grown up, privy to their conversations, their gossip and scandalous ideas that would curl the hair of kids back home. It didn't take long for me to figure out that the quality of your horse had something to do with the level of acceptance you enjoyed (or parties you were excluded from sometimes) but that was OK with me. Just like the entertainer Star Jones when she was recently fired from the popular TV show (The View) on which she appeared for nine years, I accepted such things as "business." It seemed natural: the better your horsemanship, the greater your acceptance was into higher echelons of the game; I also accepted an unwritten code that there were limits to such acceptance. If your horse was tooooo good, WATCH OUT!

   Being a people-watcher, my knowledge of relationships (and their many varieties) took shape at horse shows, too. Certainly, I wasn't going to learn nearly as much in the sheltered farming community where I grew up and, needless to say, my school teachers soon found out about my expanding knowledge. I still remember my English teacher squirming in her seat as she flipped through the steamy pages of my first attempt at a novel. I had used a few words not encouraged in polite church society and I guess I knew them pretty well. I not only knew the words, but I could describe what I was talking about in great detail! It wasn't long before I was on a "watch list" among the teachers . . . but that didn't keep some of the biggest publishing houses in the country from sending me contracts. And it didn't keep David Merrick, the Broadway producer, from striking up a long-term correspondence with me, either. I was ready for the big time! Of course, back then, anyone who knew me could tell you this kid was ready for the big time from the minute he was born.

   I wanted to quit school and get on with my life. I wanted to get on with the show!

   Needless to say, it didn't turn out that way. I can't tell you the number of spiritual advisors and counselors I was taken to before Mom and Dad finally decided to "go with the flow" and let their son follow his own mind. Not only did they encourage me to "find myself" in this mixed-up world, but Dad also gave me some of the best advice anyone ever could share -- and I took it to heart. He said: "Take twenty years and try everything you really want to do. Live it up and go as far as you can. Then, you write about it, Ron."  Other Dads were pushing their sons in football. Mine said, Follow your heart and tell us about it. In return, I was asked to finish school. It was the best advice -- and the most loving -- anyone could give to a sixteen-year-old boy and I promised. Those publishers would just have to hold their contracts and wait for the next Harold Robbins to finish school and grow up, I decided.

    Was it the right decision? I don't know. The market was right for steamy novels, but "steam" is always best when it warms us from head to toe. When it comes to "sizzle," I think the public is wiser today than ever. I think readers (and viewers) have discovered that "sizzle" is part of life . . . but not all of it. Like a special color in a painting, it is brightened by all the other colors of the composition.

    There I go, talking like an artist again. Well, blame it on horse shows because that's where I really learned about how to draw and paint natural colors (OK, OK, they're not always natural. But, we're not supposed to talk about that, right?). I learned that colors are a blend of far more than we might, at first glance, imagine. Opportunities, too, weren't always what they seemed to be at first glance, but, like a painting or a novel, I learned that it's up to us to help them along. You have to get out there. You have to jump into life and do things like actually going to horse shows, not just endlessly preparing for them. You have to keep busy, trying to get somewhere in what you love. If you can do that, I've discovered, "something" (call it a bright energy, if you like) takes over. It surrounds you. People can "see" it. They can sense it. And they are attracted to it.

    Horse shows make it possible for us to get ahead in a way that other things just can't. If some of my novels are for grown ups, well, that's because grown ups, not kids, are the movers and shakers of the horse show world, and I guess that's how it will always be.

   When it comes to horses, nothing else can link you up with such a broad network of people who care about the same things you do, or give you such friendships that will last a lifetime. Maybe horse lovers aren't all saints. Maybe we fight and gossip and rip each other apart when somebody's back is turned. But, after a while, these things lose their importance. Why does that happen? It happens because no matter what language we speak, what religion we take to heart, or what politics we follow, nothing else can stir our souls -- nothing can break down the walls that divide us -- like our passion for beautiful horses showing the world what they can be. Sizzle? There's plenty of "sizzle" in the world. Just go to a horse show and look behind the scenes!  

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HEVENER FARMS
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Figurines, paintings, and stories by author/artist Ron Hevener are collected by animal lovers everywhere. Visitors to Hevener's studio can see the dogs, horses and wildlife that inspire novels like Fate of the Stallion, The Blue Ribbon and High Stakes. Shop at Hevener Farms for collectible figurines and watercolors of your favorite animals!

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