Welcome Dr. Mike!
Dr.
Michael Guerini is a horseman, author and scientist from Gilroy, California, USA.
From an early age he gained valuable experience working with his family to
train horses. To this day he continues to work with his family to develop a
whole horse relationship training and education program. On this journey, Dr.
Mike continues to learn from top Equine Clinicians in the United States and in
2007 he began to study Dressage. Dr. Mike specializes in helping the rider
and horse develop a lasting connection. Michael studies Dressage,
performance horses and teaches routinely on the merits of good horsemanship and
improving the relationship of the horse and rider.
Why write of horses?
My mom is
a horsewoman and she has always had horses around for me since I was born.
I rode my first horse at five years of age and continue riding to this
day. The first horse I rode was named “Feather” and he was a big
Appaloosa. His favorite speed was “Whoa” and so we stood around much of
the time but it was such a thrill to be able to “ride” a horse. Since
that time I have owned a number of horses. A Thoroughbred I received as a
gift in the 9th grade was the first horse I ever started under saddle
(with the help of my mom). I bred this mare and still own her baby –
Moonie. Moonie is now retired at the age of 24 but she is in the first
stall in the barn and greets me each morning. Reba and Charm are my current
riding horses. In 2011, Reba and Charm both had babies and so my new
foals are coming along. Liz and Foxi, my yearlings, take up much of my
time.
So to
answer why horses --- they are so much a part of my life it is just
natural. Barn time is the best time of the day.
What books have you
published?
I have
published five books and co-authored another book. All of my works are
electronic books at this time and released for multiple eReaders and in pdf
format. Three of my books are in the non-fiction Dr. Mike’s Horsemanship series. In
2002 I set out on a journey to become a horse
trainer/instructor/clinician. I attended many horsemanship clinics and in
2006 I taught my first Horsemanship clinic in Nebraska. I have published Dr. Mike’s Horsemanship Ground Steps to
Success, Dr. Mike’s Horsemanship
Responsive Riding and Dr. Mike’s
Horsemanship Riding Exercises.
In 2011,
I wrote and published my first fictional Veterinary Mystery – Old Towne: Beginnings. Growing up
I wanted to be a veterinarian but changed my course of study and obtained a
doctorate in veterinary molecular biology research. In Old Towne: Beginnings I merged the
worlds of veterinary medicine with research science and published a book that
was really fun for me to write. In some cases the book is a bit technical
but I really like how it turned out.
Never one
to shy away from following my heart, one night at the barn I sat with pen and
paper and started composing poems about my life around horses. I
published a short collection of ten poems entitled Of Horses & Life in 2012 as a result of that wonderful evening
at the barn. Most of these poems are stories of horses I have met along
the way of my horsemanship teaching career.
The
co-author work is about setting up a book blog and I worked on this with Saul
Tanpepper and Ken Howe, both of whom I know from my previous life as a full
time research scientist.
Where do you like to
write?
I like to
write in the evening and in the early morning. For my non-fiction
Horsemanship series I like to write during breaks at clinics when I have
learned something from a horse or rider I am teaching. I also like to sit
in the barn and write (although my computer does not like this so much).
How do you maintain
thoughts and ideas for your books?
I write
notes on scraps of paper, write outlines and keep a journal of ideas.
Since I teach Horsemanship clinics, I am always writing on 3 x 5 cards with
ideas and so when I work on my non-fiction books, I pull out the cards and put
together a plan. For my veterinary mystery fictional work I use a good
outline.
Any suggestions for
novice writers?
Join
different writer groups so that you can interact with others and learn about
the process. Always have an editor make sure you have decent grammar and
spelling in your book. Ask lots of questions of other writers and
remember to write about something you enjoy.
Who is your favorite
author?
Zane Grey
is my favorite author. Rogue River
Feud is one of my favorite stories. Next to Zane Grey I really enjoy
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and J. R. R. Tolkein.
I always
enjoy reading works by Tom Dorrance, Bill Dorrance, Jack Brainard, Charles
Wilhelm, and Eitan Beth-Halachmy when I want to read about Horsemanship
(non-fiction).
When I
want some good horse related fiction I recently found the works of MaryAnn
Myers, Lisa Wysocky and Natalie
Keller Reinert…all three of whom I enjoy reading.
Follow Dr. Mike…
Website: www.dunmovinranch.com
Twitter: dunmovinranch
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1 comment:
Very nice Gina McKnight, a very well covered and very useful article for many riders/equestrians everywhere.
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