Rory Gould Review’s “Sky Watch” by Emma Hudelson

Under Saddle and Spirit: Emma Hudelson’s “Sky Watch”
by Rory Gould

Sky Watch: Chasing an American Saddlebred Story by Emma Hudelson tracks the narrative of the wild birth and remarkable life of Sky Watch, one of the most well-known names in Saddlebred showbiz. Ever since he was foaled in 1977, the young up-and-coming electrifying stallion had a winning air about him, which resulted in him taking home the prize for 4 five gaited open World’s Grand Championships and 5 stallion World’s Grand Championships. Sky Watch stands as an in-depth account of a showhorse like no other, written by a woman who has been deeply inspired by his existence.

Spanning much of the Midwest, in a true memoirist’s style, Hudelson paints the biographical picture of her own life, her daughter’s birth, and Sky Watch’s success alongside the lives of riders Mitchell Clark and Michele Macfarlane in such a way that makes it impossible not to root for all of them in tandem. She does so while also highlighting all the necessary research, communal ethics, and relevant statistics needed to both commentate on equestrian sports and recount the life of a horse that shook the American Saddlebred community. 

Emma gives an audience who previously might not have known or cared about American Saddlebreds a glimpse into a world only someone as dedicated as she can explain. There’s simply  no other way to communicate how intrinsic, natural, and inspiring Hudelson’s deeply personal  connection to horses is than to quote her experience riding one of Sky Watch’s descendants in  her last chapter, “Let the Horse Lead the Way.” There, she says, “We pointed straight for the opposite wall, heads up, and marched. One, two. One, two. My fingers tingled. My spine crackled. A sun was burning in the center of my chest.” Throughout her life, Emma has been no stranger to hardship, which she expands upon by detailing the experiences she has had with self-harm, assault, and overdose. Naturally, the only thing that seemed to be able to draw her back from the edge of her teenage depression was her connection to Saddlebreds.  

With the publication of any book, the author is expected to have a certain love for the topic they’re writing about. Emma is unique in the sense that her purpose and soul seem to be so intertwined with horses that she cannot exist without them, even if that means riding while pregnant or bringing her six-month-old up on the back of her mare in the hopes that her daughter, Fern, might help sustain the uncertain future of Saddlebreds.

Through writing Sky Watch:  Chasing an American Saddlebred Story, Emma reckons with the fact that the community she holds so close to her heart is entangled with a brutal history; it’s strapped into the stirrups of Confederate soldiers. Amidst a recollection of Sky Watch’s successes, (spanning 11 years and 14  chapters), Emma gracefully sheds light on the classist faults and racist foundations of the Saddlebred community – effectively condemning them where they need to be condemned – while also finding a place to speak up about her own mental health and engage with feminist themes such as motherhood.   

In her epilogue, Emma Hudelson says, “To ride an American Saddlebred is to trot with  God.” And even though she describes only horses as “portals to an otherworldly place…outside of time,” her braided narrative tracing Sky Watch’s accomplishments and her own upbringing as a self-proclaimed horse girl can be seen doing similar work. With the recent publication of her first full-length book, Emma has cracked open her own kind of portal into a world of profound emotional connection between both horses and humans alike.

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“Sky Watch: Chasing an American Saddlebred Story“ is available now, from The University Press of Kentucky

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