Authors Alicia Stephens Martin and Fran Severn have given this much thought and will discuss that topic at the Maryland Horse Library and Education Center on Monday, June 23. The presentation starts at 4 p.m. and is free to the public. Reservations are recommended.

Recognizing there comes a time in most riders’ lives about the advisability of spending time in the saddle — whether due to health concerns, fitness, or outside obligations — both Martin and Severn have addressed the issue themselves and offer tips and advice to those reaching the same point in their own lives.

Severn, author of Riders of a Certain Age: Your Guide to Loving Horses Mid-Life and Beyond and numerous other titles, including Creating Your Journey and The Riders of a Certain Age Book of Barn Hacks, has had her work appear in many publications, including Horse Illustrated, USDF Connection, The Trail Rider and Western Horseman. Her vast experiences as a freelance writer/broadcaster include covering the Kentucky Derby, Royal Ascot, shipping horses to the Olympics, riding on Civil War battlefields, and the chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede.

Award-winning novelist Alicia Stephens Martin has most recently released The Silver Cowgirls and The Silver Cowgirls Ride Again, created in the hopes of inspiring others to follow their heart, no matter their age or diversity. The series has won three prestigious awards: the 2024 Winnie Award, FeatherQuill Award and a BookFest Silver Award for Women’s Fiction.

Martin, who lost her husband at 46, returned to college to obtain a bachelor’s degree in creative writing. During this time, her daughter was a champion equestrian — Martin drove the trailer and wrote. Her articles have since been published in PA Equestrian, East Coast Equestrian, On The Bit and The Plaid magazine, and her debut novel, Spurred to Justice, was released in 2018, the first of her mystery trilogy.

The two authors will be available for book signings after the presentation.