Born in West Virginia but raised in Indiana, I came from a family environment that always loved and appreciated animal life and considered them a gift to be grateful for, to care for, and to value. In particular, I grew up favoring dogs and horses. I remember, as a small child walking to town with Mom one day, seeing a sign on an old panel truck that read 'Will trade a horse for a cow'. That's the only time that I ever wanted a cow. As it turned out, though, later in life after marrying, we had many cows, but still no horses. We dairy farmed. Horses were to come later and with them, an intriguing new mission for me. But how did I happen to write this little nature story?