News & Reviews

“Horses of the Country, An Homage delivers on so many levels. It is a thoroughly enjoyable read and chronicles our past in a very effective manner. It would make a worthy addition to anyone’s personal library. I give this literary gem two hooves up.”

Way Back Times April/May/June Vol. 27 2022 Page 29

Heavy horses steaming in the fields light trotting to mill or market blacksmiths and veterinarians are all pages Horses of the Country An Homage. The book is full of folklore and arcane horse information, such as peddlers buying horsehair for stuffing chairs and buggy seats, horse collars, and for packing under the floorboards of dance halls to make springy dancing surfaces." Thousand Islands Life, Volume 17, Issue 11, November 2022

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"Horses of the Country has arrived and what a beautiful book it is. I shall enjoy reading it. Already it is connecting with some of my work as I browse it. In my forthcoming book, I write about horses and their value in the labour exchange between neighbours for such things as threshing and their work on the treadmill and horsepower etc. From both a professional and personal perspective I will enjoy your book."

C. A. Wilson, PhD, F.R.S.C. / Redelmeier Professor In Rural History / Department of History / College of Arts, University of Guelph.

Harness Ornaments Added Flash to our Rural Past:
“Horsemen have always had a liking for “a bit of fancy” on their horses’ harness. Essential on farms, in towns and for transportation on the open roads, horses were “more sacred that the kids” and proud horsemen decorated them with shining brass that flashed in the sun.”

Way Back Times Issue 150 April/May/June Vol. 27 2022 Page 28

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Horse Folk Art:
“Horses once so significant in the life and affections of people were commonly the topic of artistic expression.”

Way Back Times Issue 151 July/August/September Vol. 27 2022 Page 28

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An Interview with Author Claudia Smith

With a storyteller’s love and flair for detail, vintage photographs, plenty of hard-to-get oral history, and her familiarity with horses, Claudia has spun a colourful and charming “horse blanket” of a book, sure to please both those who are knowledgeable about horses and those who are merely curious about them.

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Praise for Claudia’s barn book:

• “Barns – A Reflection of Changing Times preserves a wealth of barn history for generations to come.”
• “One of the best things about this book is the attention to detail – the painstaking efforts that the author put into ‘getting it right’ – easily understandable to the reader.”
• “Your book is a page turner and so timely as more and more of our beautiful old barns are disappearing. Country drives will never be the same again.”