Rita Orr, Meaford Library's C.E.O., telephoned to ask if any of the members of the Sunnyside Beach Ladies' Book Club might want to hear a reading from author, Barbara Kingscote, who was passing through Meaford.
The informal evening would begin at 6:30 pm September 20 in the comfortable upstairs lounge at the Library.
Rita was contacting members of all local book clubs to attend, with the goal of bringing in more authors in future months as an extension of the Library's public service.
Kingscote's book, Ride the Rising Wind - One Woman's Journey across Canada, chronicled her 16-month journey to the Pacific Ocean, four thousand miles from Mascouche, Quebec, her home town. The petite, white-haired grandmother read many excerpts from her book, and those of us who did not know horses marvelled at the stamina and loving personality of the little black mare called Zazy, who transported her throughout the long, often arduous journey.
The ride developed from an unforeseen series of events, Kingscote said. At 18, she was academically ready to register in veterinary college, but needed certification that she could handle livestock with competence. While pausing during her search for a summer job, she visited friends of a friend on their subsistence farm North of Montreal. They invited her to stay and persuaded a local dairy farmer to hire her.
"Charlie Dobson's small mare took me to work daily at the farm. In four months, I had my certification and a home with the Dobsons, who later on decided to move to the Pacific Coast. Zazy's future was at stake, because Charlie would not sell the horse and could not take her."
The author said she would ride Zazy to the coast. Charlie gave her his mare and her parents encouraged her to "follow her own star." Her parents "did the footwork" that led to the mailing of her completed application for her entry into the Ontario Veterinary College, where she would later be the only girl in her class. Kingscote and Zazy were off on their amazing journey in May 1949.
What followed was a test of strength and courage for horse and rider, a time of discovering the beauty of Canada after never having seen "what was on the other side of Mt. Royal". Meaford was among the towns she visited. "Hartley Lamb of Meaford kept me from camping outdoors to protect me from a wildcat that had the cattle spooked. I took a hot bath there and shared lots of laughter."
The author, and Zazy, were welcome everywhere, with oats for the horse and food and often a bed for Barbara. The horse and rider bonded beautifully, each sensing the other's fears, needs and joy.
For 16 months, the duo relied on the kindness of strangers and the "basic decency of Canadians."
When they started the journey, Barbara carried $100, a notebook, three maps, a camera, camping gear, an oat bag, a rifle and her mother's salmon sandwiches. By the time they reached the West Coast of British Columbia, they carried only the note book and oat bag- all else had been shipped home to ease the load on the horse.
"I knew very little at first about what I would learn from the journey, and when and I would reach my epiphany. I finally knew that whatever I needed in life, it would be there somewhere. My journey into personal freedom was fulfilled by our final 500 mile trip, freed of baggage and tack."
They reached the Coast in August 1950 and Kingscote immediately entered the five-year program at the Ontario Veternary College, from which she was graduated in 1955.
The Zazy horses spanned three generations. "They graced my life for 40 years," says the 79-year-old author. "They heartened my children and many a child who needed a special friend."
Ride the Rising Wind is available at Meaford Library.
