The REAL Arrow
Meet the REAL Arrow 🐴
The horse behind Beneath a Broken Sky
If you've read Beneath a Broken Sky, then you already know Arrow.
He's Hadley's horse. Her safe place. Her best friend. And one of the hardest things she has to leave behind when her entire world changes.
But here's something you might not know...
Arrow is real.
And his story is pretty special.
The Birthday Gift That Wasn't Exactly What We Expected
Arrow came into our lives as a birthday gift for my daughter.
When we bought him, we were told he was seven years old. He seemed like he was going to be the perfect next horse for her, and we were so excited for everything they were going to do together.
There was just one tiny problem.
Arrow wasn't seven.
In fact...
He wasn't even four. 😂
So, needless to say, the horse we thought we were bringing home and the horse we actually brought home were two very different things.
Instead of an experienced seven-year-old, we suddenly had a very young horse who still had a whole lot of growing, learning, and figuring-out-the-world left to do.
And so began the adventure that is Arrow.
It Hasn't Always Been Easy
Their story hasn't been one of those picture-perfect horse stories where everything magically falls into place.
There have been setbacks.
There have been illnesses.
There have been frustrating rides, scary moments, vet visits, tears, disappointments, and seasons where it felt like they were taking one step forward and three steps backward.
And this year especially has probably been one of the hardest years my daughter has experienced as an equestrian.
There have been moments when I'm sure quitting would have been easier.
But she didn't.
She kept showing up.
She kept riding.
She kept learning.
And most importantly, she kept loving Arrow—even when loving the sport wasn't particularly easy.
As her mom, I've watched her become a completely different rider through all of it.
She's tougher.
She's more patient.
She's more confident.
And she's learned something that I think every horse girl eventually discovers:
Sometimes the horse who teaches you the most isn't the easy one.
Sometimes it's the one who makes you work for it.
And Now... They're Back in the Show Ring
After everything these two have been through, Arrow is finally healthy, happy, and back in the show ring with my daughter.
And watching them out there together means so much more now than I think it ever could have before.
Because I know what it took to get there.
I know about the hard days nobody saw.
The rides that didn't go well.
The tears.
The frustration.
The setbacks.
The moments of wondering whether they would ever get to this point.
So when I see my daughter walk into that ring on Arrow now, I'm not looking for a blue ribbon.
I'm looking at how far they've come.
And I couldn't be prouder of either of them.
So... How Did Arrow End Up in Beneath a Broken Sky?
When I started writing Hadley, I knew immediately that she was a horse girl.
And if you've ever loved a horse, you know they're never just a horse.
They're part of your routine.
Part of your identity.
Part of your heart.
So when Hadley's world begins falling apart and she's forced to leave everything she knows behind, I wanted there to be one goodbye that represented everything she was losing.
That became Arrow.
And I didn't have to invent him.
I already knew him.
The fictional Arrow is inspired by the very real horse standing in our pasture—the goofy, complicated, sometimes frustrating, incredibly lovable horse my daughter has refused to give up on.
That made Hadley's goodbye to Arrow especially emotional for me to write.
Because while Beneath a Broken Sky is fiction, that kind of love isn't.
Maybe That's Why He Belongs in the Story
There is something beautifully fitting about Arrow being part of a story about hope.
Because his real-life story has required a lot of it.
Things didn't turn out exactly how we expected when we brought him home.
The journey hasn't been easy.
There have been plenty of moments we never would have chosen.
But watching my daughter and Arrow now reminds me that the hardest parts of a story aren't always the end of it.
Sometimes they're just the chapters that make everything that comes later mean a little more.
And if you happen to see Arrow mentioned in one of my books again someday, now you'll know...
There's a very real horse behind the name.
And there's a pretty incredible girl behind the inspiration, too. 🤍
— Taylor A.
P.S. If you've read Beneath a Broken Sky, I'd love to know: Did knowing Arrow is real make Hadley's goodbye to him hit a little differently?
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