Barn Dance: Nickers, brays, bleats, howls, and quacks: Tales from the herd.

by Anna Blake

What can a parrot teach you about horses? Have you ever thought your pickup truck was the perfect purse? Does a donkey exist with more scruples than Edgar Rice Burro? How did a Welsh Corgi get the name of Preacher Man? What should you do when the Grandfather Horse steals your goat? And when a neglected horse comes to the farm for fostering, who is it that really gets rescued?


You’ll find answers to these questions—and much more—in Barn Dance, a collection of essays on horse-play, donkey ethics, and the fine art of mucking, from a small Colorado horse farm. Blake weaves her love of animals into tales you’ll want to read again and again. She has gained life lessons from seasons of caring for and learning from her diverse assortment of animals. Blake’s humor, compassion, and kindness shine through every page.

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 9, 2016

About the author

I’m an animal advocate, award-winning author, solo RV traveler, old-school feminist, dog companion, unabashed lover of sunsets, and professional horse trainer/clinician. I’m sixty-nine years old. I’ve done just about everything and done it well. No longer auditioning.

My books include:

Stable Relation, A memoir of one woman’s spirited journey home.
Relaxed & Forward: Relationship advice from your horse.
Barn Dance, Nickers, brays, bleats, howls, and quacks: Tales from the herd.
Horse Prayers, Poems from the prairie.
Going Steady, More relationship advice from your horse.
Horse. Woman. Poems from our lives.
Undomesticated Women: Anecdotal Evidence from the Road

I was born in Cavalier County, North Dakota, in 1954, the youngest daughter in a farm family. Now I live at Infinity Farm, on the flat, windy, treeless prairie of Colorado with a herd of reprobates, raconteurs, and our moral compass, Edgar Rice Burro. Previously, I was a self-employed goldsmith, showing one-of-a-kind artwork in galleries from coast to coast. My Denver studio and gallery was shared with generations of good dogs.

Early writing included a few screenplays, one of which was produced independently, and articles for several periodicals. Every Friday since 2010, I have posted an unconventional and popular blog about life on the farm and horse training. My unique perspective combines Calming Signals and Affirmative Training for a special method of understanding, training, and respecting animals.

Thank you for stopping by.

Reviews

[Jayne Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Remember what horses have always meant to you and feel your heart warm, as your shoulders soften. Then say thank you, just like your mother taught you."

Like a good movie, Anna's memoir of her life with her barn family at Infinity Farm ran me through the full gamut of emotions. I alternated between sad and happy tears as her stories were sometimes poignant, sometimes beautifully reflective, sometimes inspirational, sometimes mournful, always instructional on how to be the best care giver of our fur friends as humanly possible. The hopeful hellos when she brings home a rescue, a few inevitable sad goodbyes, since we humans for whatever reason have longer lifespans than our dearly adored animal friends. She handles it all with incredible insight into how we can deal with this rollercoaster we are all on called Life. Thanks for the Dance, Anna.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done Anna. Irreverent, loving and delightful book.

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of essays, apparently collected over a span of several years. They are each very short, and usually present rather poetic observations of Blake's farm animals (goats, donkeys, horses, dogs), and her relationship with them. Many of her essays are casual and chatty, as if you were catching up with her at the local feed store. Some are actually quite perceptive, capturing small lessons from the behaviors of the animals. A few draw insightful parallels between the aging animals and Blake's own struggles with age-related infirmity.

I enjoyed enough of the essays to keep reading to the end, but I really wished for more of a distillation, a sense that these essays were taking me somewhere, that Blake was building toward some revealed wisdom. But they were more like old black and white photos with no writing on the back lying loose in a box - often more puzzling than delightful.

[Deb Odom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful, inspiring, and a thump on the head sometimes. If you enjoy animals, our natural
world and the shared intertwined lives we have, then you will enjoy this book.....and all of Anna Blake's books.


Anna is a wordcrafter…...she takes you places with her imagery, and inspires you feel more, and think more. She'll thump you on the head once in a while, too, usually while she's making you smile. She's just that way.


Anna Blake

[Nancy Gerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Anna Blake at her humorous best once again, as she was with her other great book, Stable Relations. Anna’s writings greatly inspired me while working on my own animal-themed memoir. I highly recommend reading any of her books. Fun & poignant they are!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of Anna Blake's writing. Her blog is always highly entertaining. This latest book is a compilation of some of her best blog posts. A very enjoyable read!

[Lynn Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving heart, warm hands


Courage to release when nothing else can be done for any animal in such pain. How many times did your heart break, Anna?

[Reetie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book 20 stars if you’d let me.