Bonnie Marlewski-Probert

I started writing after owning my own horse farm in my 20’s. I was forever frustrated that I could only work with a small number of riders per day. One day, I was at a large horse show with my clients and students who were showing and having a great time. While standing at the rail watching a little girl riding her pony around the course, she fell off and rather than her trainer or her mother encouraging her to proceed, the trainer screamed at the top of her lungs, berating the child for having embarrassed the trainer in front of all these people. That was the moment when it dawned on me that the way I taught my students was 180 different than the way others did it. My students were winning blue ribbons all day long and having the time of their life while others were terrified of their trainers and being yelled at. My frustration over only being able to work with a small number of students grew after that day and eventually led to me writing how-to magazine articles for major horse magazines. I realized that by writing articles for horse publications, I could reach hundreds of thousands of riders through my writing. That realization led to syndicated columns, book deals, how-to videos, speaking engagements and many opportunities outside of the horse world. And it all started the day I watched that little girl come off her pony on a hunt course.

My desk reflects how my brain works. It is usually difficult to tell what color the wood is on my desk because every square inch is covered in papers and books. I am forever working on dozens of projects at the same time. While some would find that problematic, I appreciate the idea that my brain can juggle dozens of projects at the same time which ensures I will never be bored!