About
I was seven when I decided I was going to be an equestrian. We lived in the suburbs in New Jersey and we didn't even have a dog because he ran away and Mom said we weren't getting another one. I read every horse book in my elementary school's library (we didn't have kindles waaay back then.) When I was ten, I had two riding lessons. Then, thank God, we moved to a dilapidated farmhouse and my mother's mother's cousin's daughter gave us an appaloosa and a Shetland pony. They were old and ugly, but I loved them. I have spent many years being an Equestrian, mostly that means shoveling manure and getting my arm yanked out by unruly beasts. The moments of communication, those few rides where it all came together and the joy of touching a warm, furry horse made all the hard, hard, (did I say hard?) work worth it. I can't imagine living without horses, ever. I only have five now, but I still ride my near black Swedish Warmblood, Valentin in shows. He is nothing like Windsong, but my daughter's mare is. Beautiful, talented, rarely gets a score below sixty, but the poor thing is convinced horse chomping demons are lurking everywhere, and I mean everywhere. I am enjoying sharing my stories, I have been told for years that I should write. My friends were probably trying to get me to stop talking about my horse escapades. I do have other conversational topics such as the weather, and ....
A Penny for Your Thoughts
Description
<p>Have you ever loved, been loved, been confused about love, or suffered from loss of love? All these feelings have been captured and shared in the words of heartfelt poems, compiled over many years by a former teacher and award-winning author.</p><p>Sherrill S. Cannon now shares her thoughts in this book of feelings. "As a teacher, I used poetry to help counsel many troubled teens and friends, and have continued this pattern throughout the years."</p><p>There are three sections in her book: Heads, Spinning, and Tails ... (Love & Loss: Coin Toss?). The variety of lyrical poetry forms include free verse, blank verse, haiku, and sonnets. Some poems are simply plays on words.</p><p><strong>A Sign</strong></p><p>In the depths of my winter</p><p>I heard a small bird -</p><p>Braving the cold,</p><p>Bringing the word.</p><p>He gave my heart hope</p><p>As I heard him sing -</p><p>Three little notes</p><p>Promising spring.</p><p>Sherrill S. Cannon, a former teacher and grandmother of 10, is the author of nine acclaimed rhymed children's stories that have received 48 national and international book awards between 2011 and 2017. Also a playwright with seven published plays for elementary school children, her works have been performed internationally in over 20 countries. Most of her children's books try to teach something, such as good manners and caring for others. Married for 57 years, she and her spouse are now retired, live in Pennsylvania, and travel in their RV from coast to coast, spending time with their children and grandchildren.</p><p><strong>Publisher's website: </strong> http: //sbprabooks.com/SherrillSCannon</p><p> </p>
Story Behind The Book
I will often tell my students that if performing dressage was easy, everyone would be doing it. The unique combination of nervous animal and nervous rider can make for some very interesting performance issues. Each rider/horse team requires special handling. At a horse show just last weekend, I had to coach a twelve year old on how to throw her weight onto her rearing horse’s neck to keep from tumbling over backwards. Hmm, that sounds like a familiar scenario with Windsong. The horse is talented and beautiful but has his own breaking point. The challenge and the addiction of working past the bad behavior and turning in a good test at a show is what keeps us horse enthusiasts coming back for more hair raising excitement. The feeling of coming down the centerline to your final halt, knowing that you overcame a difficult movement and may have scored the best that you ever have is tough to match. And when your horse swells under you with pride in his effort, you promise to work even harder and do what it takes to continue to show again and again.
I do not consider myself a thrill seeker, but when a non-horsey friend asks, “How did your event go?” and I describe the highlights of the show day with my students often standing and acting out portions of the story, I realize that my job is on the thrilling side. If I had a nickel for eveytime I slid back into my seat after such a delivery, and the listener shook their head and said, “You should write a book.” I would have financed my retirement by now. I do enjoy telling my stories, and a lot of the horse events in the book are true and have happened. And I will tell you that behind the scenes at an equestrian event is full of excitement. But be careful, if you aren’t already addicted to the thrill of riding a horse, you may become addicted if you try it!
