MAY 2022 THE RIDER /39 New Book: horse/man By Julia Merritt What happens when your entire


identity revolves around a way of life that is becoming obsolete? In the 1920s, as Canada progresses through the Industrial Revolution,


horses are still the rural engines of sur- vival. As a child Adam lives this reality on his family’s farm in the Ottawa Val- ley, planning to take over one day and have a family of his own. When his par- ents die during the Great Depression, nineteenyear-old Adam is disinherited in favour of his brother and is forced to move to the city to find work. Without a formal education his


choices are few, yet he finds a place to use his horsemanship skills in the dwin- dling forces of the Canadian cavalry based near Montreal. There he finds pride in being a mounted soldier and friendship with his fellow dragoons. But the cavalry units are mechanized by the beginning of World War Two, and when Adam is sent to Europe, he must aban- don his equine partners for trucks and tanks. In the catastrophic experience of war, he will lose everything once again. Broken in body and spirit, he re-


turns to Canada where he must confront the question of survival in a world that doesn’t seem to have a place for an in- jured soldier. Full of poetic reflections


on what it means to work with horses, horse/man is a powerful story about a man searching for dignity and connec- tion in the face of a rapidly shifting world.


Author Q & A


What inspired you to write and pub- lish horse/man? Horses were crucial in creating and


sustaining Western civilization until the end of World War II, and they continue to play a special role in bridging the di- vide between rural and urban, contem- porary and historical. horse/man was inspired by reflections on the growing disconnect between humans and their physical environment and wanting to explore the very real contributions that horse and human physical labour has contributed to the evolution of modern society.


What do you hope readers take away from your book? I hope that people celebrate the


depth of the relationships we create with non-human beings and places, and the impact they have on our lives. We are all connected to each other and recognizing these connections is an opportunity to engage with the beauty and complexity of our world.


Can you share anything from horse/man that isn’t in the synopsis? This isn’t a romantic or idyllic rep-


resentation of horses. It’s a drama of labour, representing struggles of class, mechanization, and urbanization. It fo- cuses on the sacrifices of humans and horses that were required in order to generate the kinds of progress that the Industrial Revolution demanded. And there are striking parallels to today’s world, in the shift from mechanical to the digital and the challenges that shift is creating in people’s lives. About The Author Julia Merritt has been captivated


by horses ever since she could see out of the car window. Then she grew up and became a public library CEO and certi-


Oh Happy Day


By Linda Glass Ward I have been closely observing Barn Swallows


and other birds at our farm and also occasionally at friends and neighbours for several years. Along with my observations, I have made copious notes, which have become lengthy documents on my computer. I have read and observed that paired swallows


will return to the same nest site and even use the same nest as in previous years. The young do not return to the natal site. Instead the young search for next year’s nest sites on their southward migration. This is nature’s way of preventing inbreeding. When we first built the riding arena on our


property I was not interested in encouraging birds to nest inside, especially pigeons. I left the big side doors closed for much of the spring time for that reason. As my interest in swallows deepened I tried to encourage nesting in the arena, and left the side doors open. Robins nested there, and pigeons too. For a couple of seasons we were lucky enough to have first one pair, then two pairs of Barn Swal- lows inside. I have written previously about these efforts in my article The Shelf That Works. There is room for many more than one or two


pairs of Barn Swallows. By the spring of 2020 I was ready with more than 100 shelves high in the trusses, directly below the strapping of the roof. If they were used, the nestlings’ heads would be in- sulated from the hot sun on the steel roofing. Since 2016 I have been hoping Barn Swal-


lows would notice my riding arena with its big open doors down both sides. I have been mystified as to why I cannot attract Barn and Cliff Swallows to my riding arena for these many years since it was built. Finally, last summer in 202,1 many Swallows


came through our property in late July while the pair that nested in our little barn were still feeding their four nestlings. As well as taking notes on our Barn Swallows, I made notes on the weather and many other birds that nest here on our hundred acres.


Here are some excerpts from my notes.


July 23 Friday; Our barn swallows were busy feeding their babes all day. At 5 PM a whole flock of about 15-20 came visiting, flying around the arena and landing on the roof and looking in the barn.


The parent birds stopped feeding at 7:50. At


about 8 PM a group of Barn Swallows flew over- head, maybe five or so.


July 25 Sunday; Every day things are almost the same. The birds are foraging and feeding the babes. A flock has been coming daily from elsewhere sev- eral times to visit. Our male Barn Swallow chal- lenged me when I got too close.


July 26 Monday; Two of our Barn Swallows had fledged. Other swallows and birds were enjoying our messy little pond and the surrounding trees. Then, several times during the afternoon and early evening a big flock of mixed swallows, mostly Barn Swallows, flew around here landing on the roof of the riding arena. At five o’clock they still


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barn swallows from else- where flying around here. In the evening five or ten did come through. Several birds including our four, flew in and out in the early evening.


July 28 Wednesday; I again had the big south door open and many new swallows have flown through. I hoped they were coming back in the spring to nest here. Many have seen it. By 7:50 PM all was quiet, our family gone.


would not go into the arena so I finally opened the big door on the south end and the first one flew in. Then a few more, and a few more, and a few more. Then they were flying in the big door and out the side doors. Finally, a dream come true! Probably 75 to 100 swallows found our building. And later, our babes were back in the nest, and one flew out again, but two remained. They sat on the edge till almost dark, rocking as if in a trance, till they snug- gled down for the night.


July 27 Tuesday; I left the big arena door open all day. I was expecting the same as the last few days,


What an exiting couple


of days; I have such hope for 2022. At the date of this writing it is still a very cold April 17 2022. I have not seen any swallows in Harriston Ontario yet. I will open the big south door every day in May of 2022! Please contact me on Facebook,


Linda Marie Glass Ward, or by tele- phone; (The barn Swallow Carpenter) 519 327-4541 for more information on how to help Barn, Cliff, Tree Swallows and other birds.


Your horse has given you a lifetime of love and it is hard to walk away when the time has come to say goodbye


Honouring the life of your horse.


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fied animal bodyworker. She lives in Ontario, Canada, with her thoroughbred horses and smooth collie dogs. This is her first novel. horse/man is available in paper-


back, hardcover and ebook formats. Visit www.juliamerritt.ca or email


julia.a.merritt@gmail.com


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