Profile: Jean Abernethy, the woman behind Fergus the Horse
In the fall of 2019, I pitched this 1400-word article to Arabian Horse Life editor Stephanie Ruff as a profile piece. Illustrator and storyteller Jean Abernethy and I are members of American Horse Publications (AHP), a professional organization that promotes, supports, and rewards excellence in equine media. We met at its annual conference in 2019, which made it easy to reach out to Jean, who lives just outside Toronto.
Stephanie gave me the assignment in March 2020, to appear in Arabian Horse Life‘s issue three for June/July. I contacted Jean to gauge her interest. We had just entered the initial pandemic no-travel lockdown so promoting her latest Fergus book was going to take some creative ways – this could certainly be one. We started with a number of general questions by emails, she replied to in writing, then we talked on the phone to fine-tune. I reached out to Jean’s book editor, Trafalgar Books, and to Monty Roberts, the original horse whisperer himself, whom Jean had worked with as an illustrator for one of his early publications. Both sets of reflective comments are included in the article.
I gathered photos and copyright permissions for all images and submitted all to Stephanie and AHL graphic designer Liz Billota by the deadline.
Click on the PDF icon to read the entire piece.
Until issue 3 for June/July 2020, the award-winning Arabian Horse Life magazine was the official magazine of the Arabian Horse Association; a bi-monthly publication about Arabian horses and the people who love them. The AHA Board decided to pull the plug. This article appears in its final issue.
Arabian Horse Life has stories, infographics, editorial, and features about:
- People who express their love for the breed in all ways
- Feature products utilized in AHA member barns and facilities
- Training tips for hands-on amateurs
- Profiles of individuals who are moving the breed forward
- Inspiring horses and their stories
- Highlights from AHA national shows and rides
- AHA programs rewarding and recognizing member involvement
- AHA highlights and open events that show off the diversity of the Arabian breed
- Stories of the romantic and fascinating history of the Arabian breed…and much more!
All 16,500+ AHA members received the print issue of the magazine free as part of a paid AHA membership. The magazine was also available for non-members for a subscription fee of $40/year.