Early on in my life I came to the conclusion that my spirituality was something uniquely and privately my own, something I could find deep within a small, quiet space in the very center of my being. Some people find that place through meditation or yoga or prayer. I find that place within me when I am on a horse.

These lines belong to Elena Estes, heroine of my novel, DARK HORSE. But the sentiment is something Elena and I share. Horses are my passion away from my work; my joy, refuge, therapy, salvation, and comfort.

After thirty years of trying various disciplines of equestrian sport, in 1999 I settled once and for all on dressage. The word is French, and literally means to train, which is what dressage riders do every day, all their lives. It is a sport of tremendous discipline and focus, with the ever unattainable goal of perfection in every movement, every step. Like ballet, the dance of horse and rider should appear elegant and effortless, while beneath the beauty is the kind of physical effort and strength required by Ashtanga yoga.

My first partner, D'Artagnon, and I made our debut as a team in the show ring in June 1999. In this photograph from September of that year D'Ar and I have just completed a prize-winning ride at the very prestigious Dressage at Devon show.

My current equine partner, Feliki, and I compete at the Grand Prix level of dressage, the highest level of competition in our sport. This photograph was taken as we won the Grand Prix at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby 2001. The movement we are performing is called the passage, a highly stylized, slow motion gait that requires great strength and talent on the part of the horse. Passage is Feliki's favorite movement.

D'Artagnon and Feliki, along with several other horses of mine, have cameo roles in DARK HORSE. To answer the inevitable question: no, I am not Elena. But I do agree with her when she says: "On the back of a horse I felt whole, complete, connected to that vital place in the very center of me . . . and the chaos within me found balance."