McFie

A young horse named Sheba ended up with me. Being inexperienced I had no idea of what I was doing. I always had a passion to entertain people. My lazy brumby, certainly not a Ferrari of the horse world, really didn’t have it. Sheba bucked me off and I ended up in hospital. The doctors said I was lucky to be alive. Persistence proved Sheba, like me, was born to entertain.

I believe she was given to me by God, and children adored her. Families came to see this unusual performing horse doing a bow for anyone who wanted to ride her. At a church gathering at Henley Beach, when it was time to break bread, Sheba decided to eat the whole loaf.

Sheba’s spirit lives on to this day demonstrating her ability to bring joy to many people.

“It’s not what we did that made us special, it was Sheba’s relationship with people that made her special.”

“Kerry has the uncanny gift of connecting with a horse and winning their trust. To train her horse to perform so many tricks and movements, her dedication and presentation is world-class. I have seen shows and rodeos including the Las Vegas’ Biggest Rodeo and the Calgary Stampede, and Kerry fits into this calibre of entertainment and expertise. I highly recommend this book of stories and pictures of her beloved Sheba.” ~ Johnny Mac

Johnny Mac had a national TV show, running for 3 years with his horse Pancho on Channel 7 Adelaide. He was awarded an OAM for his contribution to country music in 2012, and still performs on TV and radio.

“I would just like to say a Very Big Thank you for your beautiful book. What a very Special Journey you had with Sheba. I can’t believe you managed to gain so much knowledge in such a very short period of time considering we grew up without the internet access we have today. What an amazing time for you. Something I only ever dreamed about and still do. I prefer to give my horses every opportunity to do what they do so they will offer me their best like I know you did for Sheba. We were on the way to Naracoorte when I finished your book. The tears were rolling down my face and I daren’t breathe in case I was caught crying!!! I understand your love for such an amazing horse who taught you so much. Thank you again.” ~ Carol Holland, trainer in dressage horses

“Kerry developed an unbelievably strong bond with her horse, Sheba. In fact, so strong that she found herself in some dark places when Sheba passed. She had a very strong understanding with Sheba which enabled her to conduct demonstrations at a very high equitation level and physical movement. She largely worked alone developing her own innovative methods to train Sheba while listening to people who guided her. At their peak, Kerry and Sheba would keep an audience spellbound with their performance and their marvelous bond. Her patient approach when training Sheba was very apparent responding with full trust in Kerry. This is a warts and all interesting story about Kerry divulging problems living with dyslexia and the pain of losing her best friend, Sheba.” ~ Sandra and Ian Pickett R.D.A.T. (Honours) Dip.T. Retired Agriculture Scientist Cert.Voc.Ed. Retired Horse Industry Trainer

“A truly heart-warming account of a girl’s dream realised*. A story of rare intimacy between an ordinary horse and rider that became extraordinary as together they touched countless lives.”* ~ Rev Dr Phil Carr, OAM