My article "Detecting Icelandic Horses Origins" Cited Again

My article "Dectecting Icelandic Horse Origins" was cited in another article "Spotted phenotypes in horses lost attractiveness in Middle Ages" by Wutke, S., et al.  in Scientific Reports 6:38548 · December 2016  .  Here's a link:

 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311500236_Spotted_phenotypes_in_horses_lost_attractiveness_in_the_Middle_Ages

My "Riding with Theodore Roosevelt" article published in Equus April 2018

I am so excited.  My copy just arrived in the mail.  To quote myself:

"Many of Roosevelt’s writings are sprinkled with insights into his approach to training horses and his observations about the value of riding, and I was struck by how “modern” his methods seemed to be, even by current standards. The term “natural horsemanship” may not have become prominent until the 1980s, but some of the roots of the methodology extend all the way back to Xenophon in the fourth century B.C., and probably beyond. Here’s a selection of Roosevelt’s observations and insights---drawn, unless otherwise noted, from Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography ---that still have some resonance in modern times."

The editors of Equus are wonderful to work with and illustrated the article with lots of photos of Roosevelt and his horses.  I have subscribed to Equus for years to read about the latest in equine medical treatment, behavioral research, and historical studies.  I highly recommend this magazine.

And I would like to point out that this is the second time my horse Blessi has been mentioned in Equus in the past six months.

Conan Interviews Author Erik Larson

Conan O'Brien is more known for his nightly talk shows and comedy routines. But he has has an interest in serious writing, especially in the years between the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era (1880 to 1920).   Conan periodically films interviews with non-fiction authors that he loves in a series he calls "Serious Jibber Jabber."  In this video, he interviews one of my favorite authors Erik Larson, who wrote The Devil in the White City, Dead Wake, In the Garden of Beasts, Isaac's Storm, and Thunderstruck--all excellent examples of how to create tension and drama in works of history.  

For those of you interested in Larson's writing methods, you can skip to minute 40 of the recording.  Larson researches a topic in depth for about 2 years.   Eventually he reaches a point at which his research is not complete but he feels he has to start writing the book.  The book, like a baby, is ready to come out now.  He typically writes one page a day--just one--and leaves a sentence or paragraph uncompleted--a tip he obtained from Grahaem Greene.  Conan points out the Ernest Hemingway in A Moveable Feast also suggested this approach to authors. 

I am off to check out more serious jibber-jabber with Conan.