Monica Bretherton

Born in England, I settled on a career as an artist or writer at the age of four. On my eighth birthday, I packed my suitcase and emigrated to America, with a stuffed lion as a bribe from my parents.

I briefly considered becoming a zookeeper (while under the influence of Gerald Durrell), then an animal behaviorist (like Jane Goodall, except focusing on wild horses), but decided I didn't have the discipline to be a scientist and ended up with an BFA instead. The closest I have ever come toa serious job was a stint in the trenches on Wall Street, where my knowledgeof primate behavior came in handy.

To buy my first horse, Jupiter, my babysitting earnings were not enough. I had to syndicate him - I sold his mane, tail and forelock, to my parents for $50, including unlimited rights to his byproducts.

Many years later, after moving to Seattle, I acquired a second horse by equally suspect means. I had to move fast to keep a step ahead of him. I fell in love with learning about horses again, and started The Inside Poop, an online newsletter that connected me with horse people in the region. From Akhal-Tekes to Mustangs, cowboy horse sense to classical dressage, draft hitches to virtual ponies, the Pacific Northwest is so rich in equine culture that I can only sample what is out there.