With the Triple Crown centering the attention of thoroughbred aficionados, a few authors and publishers are making hay of Buy a Horse Book Day, a May 10 celebration invented in 2019 by Trafalgar Square Books and Heels Down equestrian magazine. Author-publisher Abriana Johnson, the North Carolina-based creator of a series of Cowgirl Camryn picture books, has put her own spin on the promotion this year by creating an Ultimate Horse Library Giveaway plus a benefit for Black and brown equestrians.
Open until May 9, the contest is free to enter, and the winner receives a set of 47 autographed books, courtesy of 30 participating authors. The giveaway developed from conversations between Johnson and Once Upon a Horse series author Sarah Maslin Nir, who bonded over their mutual love of horses. “I have a podcast platform called Black in the Saddle,” Johnson said, and Maslin Nir discovered the show while doing research for The Jockey and Her Horse, a middle grade novel based on the life of Black female jockey Cheryl White, co-written by White’s brother, Raymond White Jr.
Maslin Nir reached out to Johnson, and the two began to correspond. “I did some cultural competency reading on her book, and we became fast friends, doing events at GallopNYC and bonding over being an author,” Johnson said.
When Johnson suggested a Buy a Horse Book Day giveaway, Maslin Nir was all in. She contacted her literary network, and “I woke up to being in a group text with, like, 10 people,” Johnson said. “I reached out to a few friends who are also authors, we put together a montage of diverse books, and then we introduced the giveaway component.”
To connect readers, authors, and nonprofits, Johnson will ask the winner of the Ultimate Horse Library to choose one equine organization to receive a matching bundle of horse books for their members. Johnson’s list of organizations includes 11 nonprofits serving Black and brown youth, among them the Philadelphia Urban Riding Academy, Detroit Horsepower, Compton Jr. Posse, Oklahoma Cowboys Foundation, Ebony Horsewomen, Team Scott Equestrian Foundation, and City Ranch in Baltimore.
Authors contributing signed books include some who write for general audiences, including Geraldine Brooks (Horse) and Ivan McClellan (Eight Seconds: Black Cowboys in America). Children’s creators, in addition to Johnson herself, include Maslin Nir, Susan Friedland (Marguerite, Misty, and Me), Kathy Simmers (Jump the Moon), and Clip-Clop Chronicles author Angelica Witherspoon-Casanova.
Johnson, who loves introducing young audiences to her miniature horse, Encore, is interested in more than reading and authorship. She wants to connect underserved youth to horses and riding, through experiential learning and empathy. “We have to change our expectation of what we can learn” from horses, Johnson said. The former animal science student and agritourism entrepreneur builds an ethical concern for animals into her author events and workshops.
“I recently did a festival with our county library system that brought in more than 450 people, and I sold out of all of my books,” Johnson told PW. Part of the attraction was a chance to meet her pony, Encore. “When you can get kids to meet a mini horse, you release the fear of the giant animal,” she said. “If kids haven’t been around a horse before, the transition to then meeting larger horses feels less scary.” (Johnson keeps Encore comfortable too, even letting him wear tiny Converse sneakers, sourced from Build-a-Bear Workshop, when he needs to walk on slippery tile floors.)
Johnson believes that representation in horsey environments is especially important for Black and brown kids, who may not feel welcome in equestrian facilities, but want to ride and simply meet horses. Cowgirl Camryn readers and podcast listeners get familiarized not only with ponies but with a lifelong pursuit. “One mom was like, ‘We listen to your podcast on the way to the barn,’ ” Johnson said. “ ‘No one at the barn looks like her, but the stories show her someone doing what they love.’ ”
