In the year 2000, equestrian cartoonist Jean Abernethy made a decision. She turned loose the generic horses she’d been drawing since 1981, sketched a goofy horse whose eyes met in the middle and his feet were too big. She named him Fergus. Jean stuffed him into a fax machine and dialed a friend in the UK. Fergus rolled out the friend’s fax machine in England announcing that he’d rather travel by satellite than horse trailer.
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In these 20 years, Fergus has appeared in many print publications. Since his introduction on Facebook, he’s grown an audience of over 330,000 social media followers.
As 2020 closes, Jean Abernethy and Trafalgar Square Books celebrate Fergus’s 20th anniversary by launching their fifth Fergus book: “It’s Been 20 Years Fergus (and you’re still spooking at that thing?)”
Within 140 pages of fun, and hundreds of hilarious full color illustrations, you’ll learn about Jean’s journey with Fergus, from his creation to the present. You’ll see your favorite support characters, like Hughie the Clydesdale, Grace the pony, Clevis the mule, Pierce the Unicorn, among others. You’ll also meet new characters in comics not yet published in previous books or social media.
“It’s Been 20 Years Fergus” is available directly from Trafalgar Square Books (horseandriderbooks.com) at this link and also available through Amazon, and independent retailers.
About the Author
Jean Abernethy grew up on a small family farm in Ontario, Canada where she learned early on to explore her world on horseback. She pursued a college education in Equine Studies, then earned her art degree at Ontario College of Art and Design University in Toronto, majoring in illustration. Jean’s artwork has graced horse books and publications for over 30 years. Jean has written and illustrated five books featuring Fergus and his friends.
Awards
- 2018 Western Writers of America, Spur Award, category: Storyteller/Illustrated children’s book.
- 2019 Equus Film & Arts Fest, category: Young Reader
- 2019 American Horse Publications, category: Editorial Illustration
Learn more at www.fergusthehorse.com.
