In mid-April, Abriana Johnson, principal and founder of Black Unicorn Creative, was brainstorming new marketing ideas with her assistant. She had learned about “Buy a Horse Book Day,” an unofficial equestrian-themed national holiday established three years ago by Trafalgar Square Publishing in Vermont. Johnson thought maybe she should do a book giveaway from her self-published picture book series, “Cowgirl Camryn,” in conjunction with this year’s event.

From there, things escalated quickly.

“I have a friend [writer Sarah Maslin Nir] who has young adult horse books, and I wondered if she would want to contribute to the giveaway,” Johnson, 32, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, explained. “She was like, ‘Let me gather some people together.’ Within 10 minutes, I was in three group chats, and there were eight people, and I was like, ‘Whoa, OK, this is a thing now.’”

Just days later, Johnson found herself collaborating with several fellow equestrian authors to create the first-ever Ultimate Horse Book Library Giveaway. The new initiative will distribute to one lucky winner, and also one charitable organization of the winner’s choosing, a collection of over 40 author-signed, horse-themed books for equestrians of all ages. The winner will be drawn at random by Johnson on May 10, the official “Buy a Horse Book Day.”

“Within 48 hours, it went from an idea to a logistics call—for busy professionals, that’s unheard of,” Johnson said. “I could not have imagined all these authors would want to contribute to this, or that within two weeks, it would include 30 authors, a magazine, and 45 books.

“I wanted to capitalize off the energy from everyone,” she continued. “The initial five or six of us hopped on a call, we pulled it all together, and we introduced the charitable component. We wanted to extend the gift to an organization that serves black and brown youth, or underserved youth, and connect them with horses.”

Johnson, whose Black in the Saddle podcast spotlights the stories, impact and influence of Black equestrians on the industry, explained that the diverse collection of titles in the Ultimate Horse Book Library Giveaway ranges from her Cowgirl Camryn picture books to the more adult-themed work of photojournalist Ivan McClellan, who compiled “Eight Seconds: Black Cowboys in America.”

“It’s an opportunity to bridge the interests of an entire family,” Johnson said. “If they get this library, the kids get something they can read, the parents get something they can read. That could get a kid into lessons, when their parent was kind of fearful of that experience, because they were able to connect over reading about the animals we all know and love.”

“Within 48 hours, it went from an idea to a logistics call—for busy professionals, that’s unheard of. I could not have imagined all these authors would want to contribute to this, or that within two weeks, it would include 30 authors, a magazine, and 45 books.”

Abriana Johnson

Getting the books into the hands of youth who otherwise might not see themselves in equestrian-themed writing supports Johnson’s broader vision for the industry. Authors contributing to this year’s giveaway have compiled a list of relevant nonprofits for the winner to select from.

“It’s not necessarily the primary mission of Cowgirl Camryn, but it’s part of the impact that happens because of the increased representation in literature,” Johnson said. “We said, ‘let’s be very intentional about that, and offer that,’ and all of the authors were on board.”

Finding Your Place in the Community

When she was a child, Johnson took lessons on a “crotchety, old, gray lesson pony” that she remembers spending more time trying to get moving than anything else. Looking back, she realizes that riding such ponies is an equestrian “rite of passage,” but at the time, she simply felt like she had done something wrong.

“I just thought, ‘This can’t be the way,’ ” Johnson said. “Between that and being in an environment that didn’t necessarily let me know I wasn’t being punished, and that there is a next step and a progression, I decided maybe [riding] isn’t for me. So I stopped for a long time.”

It wasn’t until she was a teenager, and her cousin invited Johnson to join him on what she calls a “trail ride” outside of her family’s home in Chapel Hill, that she returned to the saddle and finally found her equestrian community.

“Anyone can come, but these trail rides are communities of primarily black and brown cowboys and cowgirls, in the middle of the woods,” Johnson explained. “He would invite us to those things, and then he also asked if he could put up a fence around our house, so his horses could stay there. Me and my little brother got to take care of them, and we thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.”

On her very first ride, Johnson’s horse went to take a drink from a puddle and slipped on the red clay base, falling in. The water was up to Johnson’s chest, and she could feel the edges of the puddle’s walls against her legs. 

“It was a skinny hole,” Johnson remembered with a laugh. “Everyone is yelling at me to jump off, but there was no jump off room. I remember making the decision, in my 16-year-old brain, that horses are suicidal. But then I thought, ‘He is trying to get out as much as I am.’ So I held onto him, and he pulled us out of the hole. Everyone was like, ‘yee-haw, she’s a cowgirl now.’

“I’m sobbing, crying my eyes out, and everyone came around me and supported me,” she continued. “It was the complete opposite of my first riding experience. When we got back, they’re telling my parents, ‘she’s a natural.’ ”

From that point on, Johnson was hooked, and she came to relish “careening through the woods with no rules or reservations.” When it came time for college, she studied animal science with a focus on equine studies at North Carolina State. Later, she earned a master’s degree in health sciences from the University of Florida, emphasizing “one health,” an approach to health management which emphasizes the interconnectedness of humans, non-human animals, and the environment. Johnson never imagined her career would turn toward brand management and related creative endeavors.

“No one told me this was an option for me, growing up,” Johnson said. “My background is in veterinary medicine, and I was headed to vet school. Then I realized, creativity shows up so much for me and is a source of fulfillment. And vet school wasn’t necessarily going to let me live in that reality.”

She considers her two main creative endeavors—Black in the Saddle and Cowgirl Camryn—to be a synergistic partnership. 

“It’s something for the kids, and then as they get older, or as parents are getting engaged, they can hear the stories on the podcast,” Johnson said. “I have over 85 interviews of regular people and their experience in the industry. It’s all about, ‘this is what I was able to overcome, the challenges, to do this thing I have committed to.’ You get to see how many different ways people that look like you are expressing themselves.”

The first book in the Cowgirl Camryn series, “Cowgirl Camryn and the Crazy Hair Day,” was published in 2019. It was followed by “Cowgirl Camryn and The Great Escape and A to Z with Cowgirl Camryn,” and the fourth installment, “Cowgirl Camryn and the Funky Fleece Fiasco,” is scheduled for release later this year. Johnson writes and illustrates each book herself, and she has used the brand to launch an educational and outreach platform to enhance children’s lives.

“Cowgirl Camryn offers this opportunity to bring out the social-emotional learning for kids in a way that connects them to agriculture,” Johnson said. “It connects them to the farm. We [as horse people] know all the things that come up for us at the farm, in the most mundane situations, the things we learn. But a lot of kids don’t have access to that.

“Cowgirl Camryn is part of an effort to increase reading interest, as well as connecting those dots,” she continued. “I want to evolve that into experiences and workshops.”

To that end, Johnson and her miniature horse, Encore—who is also a character in the books—travel to schools, libraries and other outreach opportunities to meet adoring fans. Johnson even has a special “mini” van set up to get Encore to his engagements.

“He is so good with the kids, and it’s a great first horse experience for everyone,” Johnson said. “I know there is an information gap, and an opportunity gap. He just really helps with bridging that gap. When you create an experience, a safe space, for people to share and engage, no matter what they look like, one can lead to the other. 

“When you are able to create experiences for people to see themselves—that is something they never forget,” she continued. “That’s what I’m trying to do.”

It Just Takes A Spark

Although she initially was blown away by the enthusiastic response fellow authors had to the giveaway concept, Johnson believes the project is just a spark of something bigger to come.

“Everyone was excited to be a part of it, and to be connected to different horse authors,” Johnson said. “It’s a mix between indie and traditionally published authors, and that also doesn’t happen often, whatever the reasons. None of that mattered, because at the end of the day, we’re sharing horse stories that all kind of serve the same goal.

“It’s absolutely important, no matter who gets the book bundle, for people to see the breadth of possibility and experience in this industry,” she continued. “For me, if I get one kid interested in horses, interested in the horse industry, interested in any career that supports the equestrian industry—that is enough. And I think a lot of the other authors would agree.”

Those interested can sign up for the free drawing here. Everyone who enters will receive an author guide detailing the titles included in the giveaway, as well as links to find the books for sale. Johnson hopes even those entrants who don’t win will be inspired to track down some of the books.

“One of the biggest things I’ve learned from this entire process is that from the smallest interest, it only takes a spark,” Johnson said. “That is something that resonates with all of us as equestrians. We tend to remember what that spark was for us, and this bundle will ignite a spark in someone else.”

Johnson intends to make the giveaway an annual event.

“We can continue to build on this, and so next year, maybe it will be 100 books,” Johnson said. “This is serving as a spark, the spark we know we’ve all experienced. The spark is a gift that we can give to other people.”