When you love horses you probably started to do so from a very young age.

In my case it all began when I was maybe eight years old. Like every other little girl I read everything about horses - I even started to write a girl-and her-pony-novel myself when I was about ten years old. Shortly after that I had to stop overnight because one of my cousins fell of her horse and was hurt terribly: My mother and all her sisters decided to never let any of us go back in the saddle.

But I never lost that passion. So when my stepdaughter started to take lessons I joined her. Quickly adapting my old fascination and thanks to a gifted trainer I had my own horse within two years - a complicated thoroughbred mare that used to race.

Completlely challenged by her nervous behaviour I would probably haven give her up soon - but a wonderful guy named Hans who was working the stables and taking care of all the horses there introduced me to a complete new world - speaking a special language and therefore treading animals quite differently. He helped me connect with "Quntett", understanding her fears and helping her - and me! - to overcome all obsticles.

Only when I started to read Nicholas Evan´s "Horsewhisperer" some years later I realized that Hans was one of those people.

Reading Nicholas Evans´ obituariy at the "New York Times" I remembered what a wonderful world opened up to me through Hans and how I managed to have a fullfilling easy going relationship with my horse.

Thank you for that, guys.