As a kid who loved horses more than anything, the closest I could get to a real horse were model horses.  I had shelves loaded with horses – over 100 as I recall – in my room. My favorites were the Breyer horses.  They were so realistic and as close as I could get to the real thing.

I recently became that child again when I attended Breyerfest at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY.  I was excited to go and introduce new readers to Jump the Moon. What I didn’t anticipate was the childlike wonder that came with being immersed in the world of Breyer. There were horses everywhere – real horses and model horses! There were horse lovers and collectors. There were the Breyer models that I cherished as a child and more model horses than I ever knew existed. There were people who owned horses and people who didn’t. But everyone there LOVED horses. These were my people.

I asked the kids who came to my booth, “Is this your first Breyerfest?”  “Yes,” they nodded enthusiastically with their eyes wide.  “Mine too!” I responded. Right then we were contemporaries.

I asked another, “Do you have a pony? What’s his name? I always wished I could have a pony when I was a kid. Do you know how lucky you are?”  That was usually answered with a big smile. Of course, they did.

There were kids like me who wanted a pony more than anything, but couldn’t have one. I told them, “We couldn’t afford a pony when I was a kid.  But as soon as I got my first job, I bought my first horse. If you really want one, you’ll have one.” I wanted them to dream big and know that it’s possible.

There was the lady from Florida who owned a cattle ranch. It was her first Breyerfest too. She found the model she wanted. She was so excited. She said, “I feel like I’m 10 years old again!” “I know!” I responded.

Of course, I met fans of Jump the Moon. One dad told me his daughter wanted him to read it to her every night. Every night the story brought tears to his eyes. Then he proudly showed me pictures of all her ribbons.  A girl told me she knew the book. Her teacher read it to her ninth grade class. Another said her teacher read it to her fourth grade class – love those teachers! One mom yelled, “We love your book!” as she raced by to get to one of the workshops. I was always humbled when they asked for a picture with the author. I’m so happy that people are enjoying the story.

I found lots of new fans too. But I found a piece of myself there that I didn’t think existed anymore. For those three days I got to be a kid again. It was a magical time, surrounded by magnificent horses of every breed, size and discipline and people who love them.  What a wonderful world! I can’t wait to go again next year!