Am currently starting a dream that I have had for a few years now. Starting a novel based on a mid twenties woman breaking into the Reining Horse scene with a romantic twist. Obviously with this novel the horses are going to play a huge part. So what is ok as far as using past bloodlines that actually existed? Is it ok to use horse's names that actually impacted the real reining world, or should I create a whole new world?
From what I'm understanding, you're trying a sort of historic-fiction-esque approach. I'm no expert on bloodlines of horses, or any animal for that matter, but when it comes down to real-name horses, you'll want to look for "gray areas" in the records, times and places where they wouldn't be recorded, before they became famous or well-known, for example. From there, you branch off your story, still in the same world, but maybe in a fictitious community. I'd be careful about the connection, though, mostly because the story should focus on your fictitious character, not the one that comes before (or maybe it should; after all, you're the one who knows how your book should read).
JP, I'll try explaining a little better because I'm still unsure. Say for instance my #1 horse needs to already have the bloodlines to make someone who knows reiners go "Wow!" I would say the horse is sired by Jacks Electric Spark, who is currently (true) #26 in the top 100 list of famous reining stallions. Or would it just be better to make up a name that's never been used. Does that make sense? Help any?
I'd say that would be fine, probably even the safer route. Again, I'm no expert on animals in modern-day settings, but by the sounds of it you shouldn't have a problem. If the reader knows his/her horses, then a real name would get them all the more interested in the book, especially if it's one they're both familiar with and one they favorite. You're making a smart move by choosing a name that isn't known by absolutely everyone, but with a name that's still within that boundary of amazing others without feasibly drawing media attention. If it were somewhere in the top 10, maybe even 25, then I'd be skeptical. But yes, that did help. Something around the 30th position should be safe, within the boundary of awe, but also within the boundary of believability. Good luck!
