Learn how to cultivate and hone that winning edge.

Have you ever dreamed of taking your horsemanship to the next level; have you ever left the arena thinking you could have done better – or wondering why you didn’t? International author, horse riding champion and judge Joanne Verikios shares her years of expertise and experience in this insightful book. Winning Horsemanship will show you how to achieve the success you desire and deserve. Learn how to master yourself, your horse and the secrets of winning!

You will discover:
– How to double your enjoyment of your horse… in and out of the arena
– Tips and secrets of successful ring craft used by top trainers and riders
– How to avoid painful, costly mistakes that can hold you back – or get you hurt
– The psychology of confidence (and how to share it with your horse)
– How simple changes in what you think can change the way your horse behaves
– 7 proven steps to prepare your horse for any competition
– Subtle ways to take control and say goodbye to poor performance forever

Have more fun with your horse.

Hello book lovers! Today is a day where I will be writing another author spotlight for a well-accomplished author whose work I have loved. As you know book lovers I love learning about authors and the inspiration behind their work, it fascinates me and adds to the depth of the book because the reader will be able to better understand it. That is how the author spotlights were created because I soon discovered that you lovely readers ALSO love learning about author’s, so I am excited to tell you a little bit more about author Joanne Verikios whose book Winning Horsemanship entertained me from beginning to end. I personally would recommend this book to all of those that love Equestrian books but really the book can be read by anybody as it is flawlessly written and highly enjoyable. With today’s author spotlight for Joanne Verikios, a biography of the author and an interview between us both will be shared, and I hope that you book lovers enjoy reading it! To kick this off here is an author bio about the wonderful Joanne Verikios!

Joanne Verikios is an accomplished author, trusted health and lifestyle consultant, experienced horse breeder and trainer, award-winning athlete, and successful real estate investor.
 
Having received her first pony at the age of nine, Joanne’s earliest ambition in life was to be a bareback horse rider in a circus.  Although she never ran off to join the circus, after working her way through the Pony Club ranks, she earned the qualification of Pony Club instructor at the age of sixteen.  One of the many highlights of her early riding career was being a member of the Downs Pony Club team that won the Duke of Edinburgh Pony Club Games Championship in 1972.
 
While working at the Australian Public Service, Joanne qualified for an Australian Owner Trainer Permit to train and race Thoroughbreds.  She also pursued her love of horses by founding the Highborn Warmblood Stud, where she was Stud Manager for sixteen years.  The horses Joanne bred went on to win both under saddle and in breed classes, including Royal Show Championships.  They included the stallion, Highborn Powerlifter, who passed Colt Selection and Performance Testing with flying colours.

Now, how wonderful does Joanne Verikios sound?! The author is a truly exceptional writer and I hope that you lovely readers have a read of the author’s work because you will not regret it! Please see below an interview between us both, I hope that you enjoy the author’s answers to my questions, they are incredible and provide some great advice too!

Could you please tell us readers about your book and what inspired you to write your book?

I have loved horses all my life. Sharing my understanding of their ways and needs with other horse lovers is my way of giving back for every neigh, whinny, nuzzle and exhilarating ride. I write for people like me – mad about horses, passionate about becoming better owners/riders/trainers/breeders and keen to learn as much as they possibly can. Winning Horsemanship, A Judge’s Secrets And Tips For Your Success, was my first book. It is part memoir, part education and part self help. I was inspired to put fingers to keyboard while I was travelling around Australia on a horse judging tour some years ago. I could empathise with those competitors whose performance fell short of their hopes or expectations. Their struggles and near-misses made me realise (a) that there was a knowledge and experience gap; and (b) that I had a contribution to make by writing down some of the secrets and tips I had learned the hard way!

What would your advice be for aspiring writers?

Write as much as you can. Practice does get you closer to being able to express what you want to convey. When I started my book, I was full of doubts about who would want to read it, whether I had enough to say to fill a whole book, not to mention a range of other groundless fears and insecurities! Luckily I received plenty of support and encouragement from my publisher, family and friends to get out of my own way, adopt the Nike Principal and just do it!

In your opinion, what is the most important thing about a book? 

Great question – no-one has ever asked me that before. I would say a book has to be readable and intrinsically interesting, with a bonus if it is entertaining. After all, if the language or style of a book make it hard to read, people are unlikely to persist with it for long. The author’s efforts are then wasted and their message lost. On the other hand, if a book is easy to read, engaging and accessible, there is a far greater likelihood not only that it will be finished, but that it will be re-read. I am humbly thrilled that more than one person has described Winning Horsemanship as inspiring and a page turner.

What is your writing process like?

My writing process is definitely not linear! I begin with a list of the key things I want the reader to learn. Then I set about fleshing them out with a series of chapters. Then I write chunks of the chapters in any order that takes my fancy, along with writing down passages of random inspiration, to be fitted in somewhere or re-purposed later.

Do you have a set schedule for writing, or do you only write when you feel inspired?

When I set out to write my book, I gave myself a year to do it and made a deal with myself that I would write for five minutes a day, every day. Anybody can do that, right? So it was an easy discipline to adopt and soon it became a habit. What I found was that sometimes my five minutes really was just five minutes, but sometimes it stretched into five effortless hours! The other thing I discovered was that writing in chapter order was not the best approach for me, so I wrote what came easily at the time, saved the files, arranged and re-arranged all my material, and then filled in the gaps. The gap filling was the hard part, because it necessarily came more from a place of logic (work) and less from a place of flow (inspiration).

Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?

I read all the time, and usually have two or three books on the go in different areas of the house. Studying Russian at University introduced me to the great Russian and Soviet writers like Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Bulgakov and Solzhenitsyn. At an early age I somehow discovered and fell in love with the gentle humour of an American author called James Thurber. More recently, the author who most impressed me, but alas is no longer with us, was Stieg Larsson, a Swedish journalist and writer. And in the equine genre, I have the deepest respect for the English novelist, Anna Sewell. I also read a lot of non-fiction. The books I found most helpful to me as an author were “Turning Pro” and “The War Of Art” by Steven Pressfield.

What message do you want readers to take away from your book?

Firstly, my hope is that readers will understand that, while winning can be represented by tangible symbols like ribbons and medals; having a beautiful, harmonious relationship with your horse is in itself winning, whether you compete or not. Secondly, I want them to realise that such a relationship stems from becoming a better human being. In other words, to paraphrase Jim Rohn, we must work harder on ourselves than we do on our horses. Navigating a path through the equestrian world can be very confusing. There is so much information and it’s hard to know what to believe and who to trust. I want to touch my readers’ minds and encourage them to become lifelong students, to consider different methods and points of view, and then to think and decide for themselves. In other words, I want them to be true to their own inner compass. This applies to many more areas of life than horsemanship!

Lastly, when can we readers expect to read more wonderful books from you?  

Currently I am collecting interviews for a compilation book featuring horsewomen from around the globe. I also have a novel that is calling to me, but I haven’t put a time frame on either of them yet.

Its official book lovers, I am obsessed with Joanne Verikios! If you have liked what you have read about the author and are interested in learning more about Joanne Verikios, then please do have a browse of the links below and be sure to have a read of the preview too! You will not regret it.

Goodbye for now book lovers,

Amazon U.S. – Amazon U.K. – Goodreads

Joanne Verikios: Website – Online Store – Blog – Hoof Picks – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – LinkedIn – Amazon Author Page – Goodreads Author Page