Equine affection is everywhere in the Eirenic Verses. Whether that’s Uileac meeting his beloved palomino Erix in 9 Years Yearning or Orrinir’s terrible horse Bannain causing the inciting event in Pride Before a Fall, it’s impossible not to notice the many horses that populate the series.

But why have I created a series that’s so focused on these hoofed characters? Let’s take a look.

I am an unabashed horse girl.

There. I said it.

One of the highlights of my childhood was going to horseback summer camp through the local community college. I loved spending time with the animals, and I still remember my glee when my parents scraped up enough money for pink cowgirl boots. We couldn’t afford regular riding lessons, making that time all the more precious to me.

After those summer camps ended, I would find opportunities to hang out with horses whenever I could, sporadic as that was. Whether it was begging a friend to let me watch them ride, badgering my grandparents to take me to a neighbor’s horse farm, or even dating someone because they had Horse Access, I was kind of addicted. The rarity of these events just made them all the more enticing to me.

During my BA degree at University of Illinois-Chicago, I didn’t have the time or money to drive out to Lake County for lessons. Instead, I’d head over to Water Tower Place and stare at the carriage horses for a while. If we went on vacation to anywhere with trail rides, I’d demand to go. I even went to a show at the Noble Horse Theater for more horse time.

It was only in 2024 that I finally took up horseback riding again. I’d already started writing the series, so I told myself that this was research! I needed to accurately depict horses and horseback riding!

…. Yeah that’s a lie. I just love horses. Though I will admit that the time I spend riding does add verisimilitude.

I go once a week to my local stable for lessons. This time is so important to me that I dedicated the second book in the series to my previous lesson horse, Truly, who was essential to my growth as a rider.

When I’m not riding, I’m watching videos of horse trainers, inhaling silly Instagram videos of horse antics, and reading horseback riding guides. In addition to all the other stuff I do, like rock climbing.

Now I regularly ride a blind horse, Stevie, who has upped my game even more. More about her in a few minutes.

Horses, while common in fantasy series, are often underutilized.

There are few things more frustrating than when writers clearly don’t know what they’re talking about. This goes doubly so for horseback riding, given that it’s so important to me.

Many fantasy writers discuss horses more like they are furry cars than actual animals who have feelings and needs. For example, I once beta read a story where the writer had the main character riding a horse and then immediately start walking through a gate on foot. The horse seemed to disappear with no further thought, like they’d parked a car and left it there.

This is, of course, not how horses work. These big furry beasts have an annoying tendency to wander off and get into trouble when you leave them alone. If you left their saddle and bridle on, they could get the stirrups or reins caught on something and seriously hurt themselves.

Plus, if you’ve been riding them for a whole day, they need food and water. They need to have their hooves picked. They need their tack removed and their fur brushed. They need somewhere warm and safe to rest.

So, in my books, you see the characters grooming the horses after every ride. Even when the horses are off-screen, you remember they’re there because the characters will go to feed the horses or muck their stalls.

Uileac runs the stirrups up when finished riding Erix because they use a similar saddle to our world’s English saddle. That’s my discipline, so I’m more familiar and comfortable with this saddle type.

I also have them remove the horse’s bit to graze. This is possible with most bridles, but usually unnecessary. Why did I add this detail? Mostly to show the characters’ care for their animals, making them a little more comfortable while eating.

Though my books are fantasy, I want the world to feel real, and I want to utilize every element I include to its fullest extent. While some readers may find these scenes boring, I hope they’ll appreciate the sense of realism it brings to the books.

Demonstrating the bond between horse and rider is important to me.

I really dislike when people write fantasy stories where the humans don’t care about their horses and know nothing about them.

The above picture is Stevie, my current lesson horse. As you can see from the little label on her stall, she is mostly blind, though she can differentiate between light and dark to some extent.

I’m one of the few students at my stable who is allowed to ride her because she needs extra love and attention. Stevie needs to trust her rider, and she needs them to trust her, too. As her rider, you are her eyes; lose focus and you may crash her right into a wall. Working with her simply would not be possible if you don’t care about the horse-human bond.

Before I was allowed access to her, I had to prove that I was willing to build rapport with the horse I was assigned. Sometimes, this means choosing not to spend my lesson time riding, but instead giving baths, or doing groundwork, or even cleaning tack.

In fact, my favorite part of horseback riding lessons isn’t actually being atop a huge animal: it’s grooming them. In that moment, the horse is the whole focus; I lavish love on them and make sure they are comfortable. By giving unselfishly of my time and attention, I help the horse understand that I will alway prioritize their needs over my wants.

The horse-human bond is not some new-age thing, either. Throughout history, humans have grown immensely attached to their horses because they are an expensive investment.

In feudal Japan, only samurai were allowed to ride on horseback; Mongolians show their wealth through their horse herds. For a medieval farmer, owning a horse meant job security because they could plow the fields or haul a cart to market. Not everyone could afford one, and those that could would do everything possible to keep that horse in good health.

Royalty would show off their horses by building grand stables that were more like ballrooms. Check out the Versailles stables to see what I mean.

So it makes no sense for fantasy characters to treat horses like mere objects when so much of their livelihood depends on them. Spend long enough with an animal, and you will know their likes and dislikes; you will come to care for them because they are essential to your well-being.

This, to an avowed horse girl, is something worth celebrating in my work.

Every horse in my books is clearly loved. They all have different personalities, which often match their owners. Uileac and Erix are both driven and fiercely loyal, so they work well together.

Personality mismatches between horse and rider become plot points, like Orrinir’s utter exasperation with his mischievous Bannain. The growing bond between the two of them shows character growth while adding minor conflicts that provide a bit of comic relief.

Horse temperaments determine their vocations.

This is Lucy, a pinto I met during a trail ride in West Virginia.

Even though we only spent about three hours together, Lucy made an indelible impression on me because she was incredibly athletic yet also a bit ornery. She could force her way up very steep inclines, hock-deep in mud, without a single care in the world, then abruptly stop and grab a snack from the nearby bushes.

Having been ridden by so many different people, Lucy didn’t pay much mind to my gestures; she knew the route by heart and didn’t need my input for the most part. As long as I didn’t rip the bit out of her mouth or kick her right in the ribs, I was basically invisible to her.

This is very different than Truly, who is sensitive to every small movement a rider makes. The slightest touch on her side can make her go, while the lightest pull on the bit will make her stop. Truly may turn in a circle or even sidestep if you gesture wrong because, as a school horse, she has been trained to focus 100% on what her rider is doing. She’s a lot like Uileac’s horse Erix, who is partly based on her.

Stevie is similar to but spookier than Truly because of her blindness. She needs her rider’s full attention at all times to keep her safe, and she is entirely attuned to not just their movements but their mental and physiological state. One time, I drank too much Red Bull before a lesson so my heart rate was elevated, and Stevie was panicky the whole time.

I have now stopped using caffeine on Mondays so Stevie is more comfortable. You can understand how much of a sacrifice that is.

While we often think of horse vocations based on breeds, every horse will have a temperament suited to different work. Lucy, being so laid-back and independent, is perfect for trail riding, but she wouldn’t do great as a barrel racer, which requires greater connection between horse and rider. Truly and Stevie are draft crosses who are perfect for riding lessons but would be terrible for trail rides because they don’t suffer oblivious people.

Understanding this is what helps authors craft realistic horses that are better suited for their roles. For example, Erix is an excellent warhorse because she’s so devoted to Uileac; she’ll do anything to protect her human, even if it means putting herself in danger.

In later parts of the series, we see that Bannain has become a cart horse. He excels in this role because other horses keep him in line. Our boy is a herd follower, not a leader.

Bremish culture is based around Mongolia, famous for its horses.

Since I love horses so much, it only made sense to make Breme love horses too. And what better way to do that than to reflect a similarly horse-crazy culture in our own world?

This is particularly true when it comes to the Bremish Cavalry. While in medieval Europe, the cavalry was more about shock and awe, Asian cavalries were devastatingly effective. In Mongolia, cavalries would surround and exhaust footsoldiers; they would also use a method where they pretended to retreat before turning around and encompassing the opposing side, leading to mass confusion.

Mongolian archers could shoot left, right, backwards and forwards, just like the Bremish cavalry. Even their target practice was different, using swinging leather balls or large boards dragged by other horses.

Also they look super badass. So there’s that.

I designed the topography of Breme around the Mongolian steppes, but with the choke point of the Rimuk Pass. In this way, the Bremish Cavalry serves a bit like the Japanese cavalry, where samurai would herd enemy soldiers into a small area and execute them.

Having a more concentrated area means that soldiers do not need to switch mounts as they would in feudal Mongolia, where battles could span a huge expanse. Mongolian soldiers could have as many as 20 different horses they took with them to battle, leading to hours-long skirmishes. This creates a blend between the two different Asian battle styles, but still makes the cavalry more effective than in medieval Europe.

Lastly, the Bremish love of horses is reflect in the Feast of the Horse, which is based on the Mongolian festival of Naadam. During Naadam, celebrants enjoy parades, archery competitions, races, and more, just like in Pride Before a Fall.

I hope my readers will enjoy the equine focus as much as I do.

There are have been a few detractors of my approach, of course. One reader complained that I used too many ‘weird horse terms,’ like “palomino” and “gelding,” and they didn’t want to have to look these things up because they don’t care.

But that’s fine. Not every book will appeal to every person. If you don’t like horses, you won’t like my series, and you don’t have to read it.

Those that do love the bond between horse and rider will hopefully enjoy my characterization of the many lovable animals that appear in The Eirenic Verses, each with their own quirks and flaws.