Dakota Lee will be teaching kids how to write at the Barnes & Noble on May 30th from 11-Noon. She will be sellling and signing her new book Flash of Freedom. If you’ve read FOF come on out, if you haven’t read FOF come on out, invite your friends. Dakota will share the secrets to writing and finishing your own book. There will be Flash of Freedom face painting (if Barnes & Noble will allow it)!! Dakota looks forward to seeing all the Freedom Fans out there. She also wants to meet new readers, so invite your friends to this free event! She will be there from 11-Noon so try to come early to ask questions and visit with her. See you soon!

Dakota is on a mission in this episode, she searches NYC looking for one thing… horses, of course! Will she find any horses in the Big Apple? She travels to Rockefeller Center, Trinity Church, the Statue of Liberty and more. I couldn’t believe I spotted some spurs on a mounted police officercompletely bypassing the three trailers of horses to my left. I was completely awe struck at the NYPD Mounted officers I met, their extensive training, their impressive horse control, and their passion for horses. Horses in the big city…sure!
So many amazing places to visit in NYC
I can’t believe the amount of training needed for those horses to operate in one of the busiest cities in the world. With cars, honking, crowds, and steam vents in the street, it is amazing how these horses not only get around but actually serve and protect each day with the mounted police officers. Cheers to Officer Rob for sharing his hat, his trailer and horses with me and for being one of the coolest police officers ever.
Thanks for the mounted police patch.

Rockefeller Center, Statue of Liberty, visit site of National Treasure, be a tourist in New York, Trinity Church, ground zero

Stay tuned to Horsetalk with Dakota, The Apex Peak Fest Photos are coming soon…

So…why is New York called The Big Apple?

Did you know horses have FROGS? Dakota Lee shares with you the most important thing you should do when grooming your horse. Dakota sends a shout out to Lufkin Middle School and Roxboro School in this episode. Dakota is currently in NYC, stay tuned for some episodes from The BIG Apple!!! On her quest for horses in NYC, did she find any??? If you have a question you would like Dakota to answer, submit your question in the comment section. Also, if you enjoyed this episode, be first to comment! Dakota tries to reply to each comment, and really loves the very first ones. Dakota will be at the Apex Peak Fest in Apex, NC for a live book signing next to the Kids Stage this April, so mark your calendars.
Has Dakota visited your school? She wants to visit your classroom as an author in residence, so ask your teachers to view this site and contact her for your class right away!

Dakota celebrates her new book Flash of Freedom at Vintage Stables with a live taping of Horsetalk . We had a wonderful turn out and we had such a great time! Thank you to everyone for your support. Please, do leave your comments on the event, the book, etc.
Dakota’s next book signing event will be on May 2nd at the Apex Peak Fest in downtown Apex next to the kids stage. See you there.

Dakota Lee gets up close with her horse to show you what teeth floating is. Equine Dentistry is the fancy name for a horse dentist and in this episode Sonny-D gets his teeth ground down with a large power tool called a Rasp.  The molars on horses are continually growing.  This happens because horses are meant for eating grass all day every day.  Sometimes only the inside of the molars gets worn down, making the part of the teeth closer to a horses cheek very sharp.  Then it’s time for teeth floating!  DakotaLee.com

Dakota Lee wants to hear your comments on her newest book, Flash of Freedom. Click on the comment button and type away!Comments from one 5th grade class made the back cover of her book because what you think matters. Tell me what you love about it or even dislike about it. If you want more clarity, some background information on the characters, simply write your comments so I can answer your questions. Let’s make this the most interactive video blog on the internet. Send me your questions.

Dakota Lee, teen author of Flash of Freedom, tells it like it is about horse manure!  Be VERY glad this isn’t smell-a-vision!There are some very interesting facts about manure.  Where does all the  manure of a barn go?  In a muck heap!  Actually horses have a gross factor.  They will NOT step in a fresh pile of poop!  They won’t even eat grass that has been growing from a pile of manure. They can tell the difference!  Horses do not like the long, tall, skinny grass.  Another factoid about horses…when they get off of a trailer, they would have pooped in the trailer…it’s a stress thing.  Who knew?  Horses do NOT want you to know this factoid–they CAN walk, trot, canter AND POOP at the same time!  They use pooping as an excuse to slow down, stop, take a break, and poop.  What is amazing is that horse poop in the muck heap is dried and doesn’t stink anything like cat or dog poop.  I can actually pick it up and it doesn’t stick to my hands! Wow!  Hey, come help me muck out stalls in the barn.  You have to get the big piles and then you are not done.  All the little bits have to be cleaned out too!  It’s a long and hard and gross job.  Oh well!