The 2021 Heels Down Spark Awards aims to highlight creative individuals making their mark in the equestrian industry.
The winners will be selected by a panel of expert judges (75%) and a public vote in the Heels Down Spark, our daily equestrian newsletter (25%). The judges have weighed in. Now it’s your turn.
The writing category is open to bloggers and writers on any platform. Meet the finalists here. And don’t forget to cast your vote on Friday, July 23, in the Heels Down Spark. Subscribe now.
Heather Wallace
About Heather: ” I stepped away from horses as a teen due to anxiety and regretted it ever since. Now I’m back but things are a little different. I’m a mother, I’m less flexible, and I’m a lot more nervous. The biggest difference? I’m following my passion despite lacking confidence. Join me as I talk about all those things we think but don’t say out loud.”
About her work: “I write about confidence, overcoming self-doubt and following my passion. The Timid Rider is very much a personal journey describing my not-very private thoughts and fears as well as educational posts to motivate and inspire others. I write to not only ease my anxiety but to show others that they are not alone.
I am the award-winning author of non-fiction titles “Confessions of a Timid Rider”, which details my insights about being an anxiety-ridden but passionate horse lover and “Girl Forward: A Tale of One Woman’s Unlikely Adventure in Mongolia”. My blog, The Timid Rider, chronicles my journey as a returning adult equestrian with a lot more curves and a lot more determination.”
How horses inspire her: “Horses have always been a part of my life, even if I didn’t own one until I was in my 40’s. When I was a child I dreamed of one day having a pony. When I was a teen I competed and pushed myself so hard that I began to have serious anxiety and panic attacks to be the best. I walked away for over a decade. Yet, when I had my first daughter I had been dreaming of horses (literally riding them in my dreams) and knew I needed to get over my fear and start riding again. I took lessons, I made adult friends at the barn, I learned as a working student, and began a new career revolving around horses. My husband does not understand my passion but I can’t imagine my life any other way. Some of my favorite moments are sitting in the paddock, surrounded by a grazing herd, and learning to quiet my anxious mind. I want to be the best person I can be, for my horses and the horses I encounter. More, I’m an introvert but watching the herd behavior has inspired me to become more social and more, to embrace a community of women who share my passion and support each other.”
Read her submitted work here, here and here. Find more of her writing at The Timid Rider.
Rebecca Nadge
About Rebecca: “I’m a journalist located in Victoria but have previously worked in outback Australia and country New Zealand. Prior to working in media I evented at the 2* level and worked racehorses for several years. I still ride and love to bring equestrian stories to a mainstream audience whenever possible.”
About her work: “My first two submissions work range from an in-depth news articles to a feature story, both published in mainstream media. Both these stories revolve around country race meetings, which were once a huge part of a community’s social calendar but are now becoming harder to operate. I wanted to highlight the challenges in my first piece and in the second, bring a first hand experience of entering a race that typically was not understood by the general public. In the third submission, I had an idea while riding to parody one of my favourite poems. The words came as I was riding and I wrote it down as soon as I unsaddled to keep it raw.”
How horses inspire her: “When I was studying for exams in high school I found no better way to gather my thoughts than while I was trail riding through the hills. Now as an adult I find working with horses helps me forget my day to day worries and helps me to focus on the here and now.”
Read her submitted work here, here and here. Find more of her writing here.
Sian Griffiths
About Sian: “I live in Ogden, Utah, where I teach creative writing at Weber State University and read short story submissions as part of the editorial teams at Barrelhouse and American Short Fiction. I write fiction (long and short), poetry, and creative nonfiction, much of which has been inspired and fed by my love for horses and equestrian sports. My work has appeared in a number of prestigious literary publications, including The Georgia Review, Prairie Schooner, Cincinnati Review, American Short Fiction, and Booth among others, and I have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize on four occasions. I am the author of the novels “Borrowed Horses” (semi-finalist for the VCU Cabell Award) and “Scrapple” and the short fiction chapbook “The Heart Keeps Faulty Time”. Currently, I am finishing my third novel, which centers on an eventer-turned-dressage rider who is competing in the Mongol Derby.”
About her work: “To say my work varies is an understatement. Just as I write in all literary genres, my work within those genres is wide-ranging in its focus. I think, perhaps, what holds it together is a love of language and lyricism as well as a fundamental desire to explore the complexity of human characters.”
How horses inspire her: “I wanted to ride from the moment I knew what a horse was, and when my mother realized that the pony at the top of my Santa letter was just going to keep heading my wish list, she put me in riding lessons. I continued lessons through my tweens and teens and bought my first horse, a fifteen-year-old Thoroughbred named Killian, after I graduated college and started my first job. In 1999-2000, I worked for one year in the US Equestrian Team’s development office, helping to raise money to send the team to Sydney, before deciding that I had to give my other passion, writing, equal attention. I took Killian to Athens, Georgia, where I earned a Masters and then PhD in creative writing.
I have to admit, at first, I was nervous to write about horses. After all, in popular culture, English tack has become shorthand for ‘snooty and rich.’ Writers must write their passions, though, and I soon realized that it was incumbent on me to write the equestrian world as I knew it, full of passionate, tough-as-nails riders who give their time, their money, and quite literally their blood, sweat, and tears to this sport. I’m constantly working to do justice to the amazing and varied people I’ve met along the way, not to mention the amazing horses.”
Read her submitted work here, here and here. Find more of her writing here.
Karla Parsons
About Karla: “I’m a 45-year-old mum, wife & slightly rubbish Eventer. I work in the NHS as a radiographer. I started my blog because I didn’t feel like there was a place for me in the shiny world of social media & wondered if others felt this way. I hope to support my fellow equestrians & tell people it’s ok to be a little different.”
About her work: “My writing is quirky, yet still relatable. Yes, there is some swearing…but this appears to make it resound more with the reader.”
How horses inspire her: “I was the typical pony mad, but pony less kid growing up. I dreamt of owning a horse & eventing. The love of horses is in my blood, it fires me up & makes me want to be the best version of me, that I can be. Horses are everything to m
Read her submitted work here, here and here. Find more of her writing here.
Subscribe to the Spark to learn more about our finalists all week and to cast your vote on Friday.