The Island Horse (11 page)

Author's Note

If you went back in time to when this story is set, in the early 1800s, you would not have had the pleasure of meeting Ellie or her father or Sarah. All the characters in
The Island Horse
are invented. They came from my imagination. However, the characters did grow out of real places and real situations, and I have based many of the details in my story on historical fact. Take Sable Island itself. This magical place actually exists. Look at any detailed map of Canada and you can pick out the tiny crescent-shaped island lying about 160 kilometers (100 miles) off the coast of Nova Scotia.

It really is mostly sand and vegetation. There is only one tree on the whole island. And the island does grow and shrink in size over time. Storms, tides, currents and waves shift and shape its edges. As I write this, the island is approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) long and about 1.5 kilometers (one mile) at its widest. But if you checked today, its measurements might be different.

And what a dangerous place it was for ships. Sable Island sits on a rich fishing ground and near a major shipping route. But it is often covered in fog, it is frequently hit by storms and there are unpredictable currents surrounding it. In the past, navigational tools were not always good enough to help sailors safely make their way around this treacherous location. That is why there were many, many shipwrecks near the island. In fact, there have been more than 350 recorded shipwrecks there since 1583. The island deserved its nickname, the Graveyard of the Atlantic.

Also, there really was a lifesaving station on Sable Island. The first one was built there in 1801. Crews of men came to live and work on the island. They looked for shipwrecks during storms or foggy weather. They tried to rescue any survivors who were aboard. They also searched for shipwreck survivors who had come ashore. It was a hard life. But over time, the men began bringing their families to live on the island. For example, the first superintendent, who arrived on Sable Island in 1801, brought with him his wife, his children and several staff members.

So it is likely that if a man such as Ellie's father got a job on Sable Island, he would have brought his daughter along with him as well. It would have taken them more than one day to sail to Sable Island from Halifax, but they would certainly have traveled there on the supply ship. And yes, a shore rescuer would have patrolled the coastline on the back of a Sable Island horse, since it is also true that wild horses have lived on this Canadian island for hundreds of years.

How did they get there? No one knows for certain, but the first horses probably arrived in the early 1700s. They were domestic or tame. Some say they were shipwrecked there. Others say they were shipped from the mainland to the island because it was a place where they could graze freely. However, over time the horses returned to being wild, living a natural life and moving in small herds.

Just as in this story, some of the wild horses were regularly rounded up and sold in Halifax once or twice a year. This happened for decades, well up until the 1950s. Usually they were used for pulling wagons or riding. Then, in 1960, a federal government department thought the horses were starving. It decided to remove them all from the island and auction them off for dog food or glue. Shocked Canadians, including many children, wrote letters to Prime Minister John Diefenbaker to protest. Shortly afterward, a law was enacted to protect the wild horses.

And now there are other laws, too, to protect the island and its horses. For example, no one can go there without written permission. No one can feed or interfere with the horses. Although scientists and researchers come to study the island's unique wildlife and fragile habitat, no one lives on the island anymore. There are also hopes that, one day soon, this island may become a national wildlife preserve or park.

Since I was a child, I have loved horses. And since I first read about Sable Island, this special home to wild horses, I have dreamed about setting a story there. When Ellie spoke to me in my imagination one day, it was time to create my own Island Horse world, made of fact, fiction and dreams. I am so happy to have shared it with you!

About the Author

As a child,
SUSAN HUGHES
was horse crazy. She read every book about horses she could get her hands on, took riding lessons and even created an equestrian newsletter with a friend.
The Saddle and Bridle Club
magazine contained stories and articles about horses and was sold for five cents a copy. Now, Susan is the award-winning author of a variety of books for young readers, including
Case Closed?, Virginia, No Girls Allowed
and
Earth to Audrey.
She lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her family.