November 26, 2024 (Mead, CO) — Have a horse-loving kiddo on your Christmas shopping list? Check out the new children’s book, Power of the Pony (https://www.whole-picture.com/ponypowers), by equine journalist and photographer Heidi Nyland Melocco (co-authored with her daughter, Savannah). The book is a photographic tour of all things pony: the barn, arena, and show grounds. Children ages three to nine will find out what it’s like to have a pony at home. Read the fun and touching rhyme that tells about feed and care, grooming, riding practice, and gaining confidence for a horse show. Plus, the story points out how ponies and horses teach important character-building skills like persistence, connection and sharing. Then the younger author adds facts about ponies and discusses horse ownership from her youthful perspective. The book is a keepsake for all in the horse industry and is great to share with anyone who wants to introduce horses and ponies to a new generation of riders. Choose from eBook, paperback or hardback editions. Order now to get your copies in time for holiday gift giving.
BLACK FRIDAY COUPON CODE:
Use the code to save 25%: PonyPowersLaunch
Note that the code is case-sensitive
Hardback:
https://store.bookbaby.com/book/powerofthepony?format=hardcover
Paperback:
https://store.bookbaby.com/book/poweroftheponypaperback
eBook:
https://store.bookbaby.com/book/powerofthepony?format=ebook
Power of the Pony:
This photographic book details what it is like to care for and ride a pony. Join in on a young girl’s farm as she shares what she loves most about having a pony to ride. Have fun with a pony as you also learn important traits by feeding, grooming, and riding. Your connection to a pony teaches important life skills such as dedication, sharing, caring, and love. Join in on the adventure with a heartfelt rhyming story, and then reread the pages for notes from the young rider and facts about ponies! Written by Heidi and Savannah Melocco, the photos in the book feature their horse property and their amazing pony, Romeo. Heidi has written books for Western Horseman including several of the Legends series. She’s also the author of Goodnight’s Guide to Great Trail Riding with Julie Goodnight. Heidi’s award-winning photographs have been featured on the covers of Horse Illustrated, Young Rider, The Trail Rider, The Certified Horsemanship Instructor Manual, and Hitch Up & Go, The Expert Guide to Horse Trailers & Safe Trailering. For this newest book, Heidi and Savannah teamed up to show others what it’s like to have a pony at home and to make sure others know that learning to ride a horse is not out of reach.
Genre: CHILDREN’S NONFICTION
Subgenre: Animals / Horses
Age Range (years):3 – 9
Language: English
Pages: 52
eBook ISBN: 9798350983487
Hardcover ISBN: 9798350983470
Paperback ISBN: 9798350984378
About the Authors:
Heidi Nyland Melocco holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Ohio Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in journalism from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University with a concentration in magazine and photo editing. At the latter, she was named Master’s Student of the Year. Her stories and photographs are seen regularly in many equine publications, including Horse Illustrated and Young Rider. Melocco is an author of Western Horseman’s Understanding Lameness, Western Horseman’s Legends 6 and 9, and Goodnight’s Guide to Great Trail Riding, and she’s a contributing photographer for the Certified Horsemanship Association’s Instructor Manual, Hitch Up & Go, The Revolution in Horsemanship by Rick Lamb and Robert Miller, DVM; and Breed for Success by Rene Riley and Honi Roberts. Melocco’s photos have won awards from the Equine Photographer’s Network and an AIM Award. Melocco holds first-prize awards from American Horse Publications for training stories and equine photography. She has had more than 35 magazine cover photos. Melocco continues to write about and photograph horses and also works in video broadcasting. She directed and produced a popular RFD-TV show for more than 10 years. Melocco stays up to speed with social media and has grown accounts to reach and engage with hundreds of thousands of fans. She is currently the director of Horse Trails of America and served on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Horse Council. She has presented social media seminars at the PATHi and CHA International Conferences. She started riding Ponies of the Americas at age 5 at Smiley R Ranch in Hilliard, Ohio, with Janet Hedman and the W. E. Richardson family. In college, she was president and later assistant coach of the Ohio Wesleyan University Equestrian Team, coached by world-champion-earning trainer Terry Myers. Keeping active as a rider and riding instructor, Melocco began studying Brain Gym—an international program based on whole-brain and active learning. As a 4-H advisor, she used the simple movements to help horseback riding students relax and achieve their goals in the saddle. Melocco became a registered instructor with PATHi, helping to combine horse knowledge and therapeutic experience with horsemanship training. Melocco has presented demos at Equine Affaire and at the Path International and National Youth Horse Council Annual Conferences. She taught at the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center in Longmont, Colorado. Melocco resides on her small-acreage horse property with her husband, Jared; daughter Savannah; AQHA gelding, Golden H Mister T; pony, Romeo; dogs Henry and Rosie, and three orange barn kitties known as the “Porch Patrol.” She is thrilled to announce her new children’s book, Power of the Pony.
Savannah Melocco loves to write. She takes great care of her pony, Romeo, who she has had since age two. Savannah shows her dogs in 4H and dances on her studio’s competitive team. She has earned top honors for animals and her photography at the Colorado State Fair. She lives on a farm in Mead, Colorado, with her parents and their horses, dogs, and cats.
Media Contact:
Heidi Nyland Melocco
heidi@whole-picture.com