Nicholas Evans.
 

Vale Nicholas Evans, author of ‘The Horse Whisper’

By Equestrian Life

Author Nicholas Evans, who wrote The Horse Whisperer, has died following a heart attack at the age of 72, his representatives have confirmed.

Englishman Evans, who had studied law at Oxford, was a journalist, scriptwriter and TV producer. He was encouraged to try his hand at fiction by director David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia, Dr Zhivago) about whom he was making a documentary. In 1993 he met a blacksmith in the far south-west of England who told him about horse whisperers – Evans went to work on his first novel.

While researching, he spent weeks in America learning from three exponents of natural horsemanship – Ray Hunt, Tom Dorrance and Buck Brannaman. He said later: “The one who truly inspired me was Buck. His skill, understanding and gentle, loving heart have parted the clouds for countless troubled creatures. He’s the Zen master of the horse world.”

‘The Horse Whisper’, 1995.

Published in 1995, The Horse Whisperer sold 15 million copies around the world and has been translated into 40 languages.

Robert Redford bought the rights to the book before it was published and turned it into a hit movie – released in 1998 – making $187 million at the box office.

Evans' other works include The Brave, The Loop, The Divide and The Smoke Jumper.

Nicholas Evans is survived by his wife Charlotte, and four children, Finlay, Lauren, Max and Harry. Equestrian Life’s thoughts are with his family and friends.

READ THE LATEST NEWS ARTICLES HERE