From winning one of the equine industry’s most prestigious world championships as a young schoolteacher to opening new doors for importing horses from Communist-run Poland, Sheila broke through glass ceilings and paved new paths that, over time, made her one of the most adored trailblazers in the equine world.

 

These stories – personally written by her before she passed away – are a collection of her most poignant memories. Like all trendsetters, the journey is, oftentimes, filled with fear, self-doubt, and loss.

 

Sheila’s enchanting storytelling – one of her most beloved attributes – transports the reader directly into every scene in a way that only she could do. You’ll feel the pangs of struggle alongside our heroine. You’ll also laugh often, feeling the joys, the triumphs, and the reconciliations throughout her incredible journey. Most of all, you will see a canvas of truth life off each page that speaks to the formidable combination of courage, conviction, humour, and grace for leading the ultimate life of fulfilment and purpose.

 

Bonus materials include never seen before handwritten poems and letters between Sheila and her parents as well as handwritten documents, personal photographs and much more.

 

Sheila Agnes Varian was one of the world’s most accomplished breeders of Arabian horses, an icon in the Vaquero tradition, and a member of the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. She passed away in 2016 at 78 years of age. Her six-decade breeding and training programme, Varian Arabians, remains in full operation in Arroyo Grande, California.

 

Paperback, 154pp240.