carrying forward the legaCY OF HORSES
The Writing Theme
If Horses Could Speak What Would They Say?
This year’s writing theme is inspired by the song Voice of Truth and the guiding question: If horses could speak, what would they say?
Young writers are invited to imagine the voice of a horse — what it might say about the world, about humans, about kindness, courage, truth, or trust.
Horses are known for their sensitivity, honesty, and ability to reflect what they sense. Through writing, children are encouraged to listen closely, imagine deeply, and give voice to what is often unheard.
Stories may be fictional or reflective. No prior experience with horses is required — curiosity, empathy, and imagination are all that’s needed.
Writing gives young people a safe and creative way to explore big ideas in a gentle way. When children imagine the voice of a horse, an animal, or the natural world, they often discover truths about themselves — about fairness, belonging, courage, and care for others. These stories remind us that listening is a form of learning, and that even quiet voices carry wisdom worth hearing.
How This Supports Learning
• Encourages reflective and expressive writing
• Builds empathy and emotional intelligence
• Supports character education and values-based learning
• Welcomes diverse voices and perspectives
• Suitable for classrooms, homeschoolers, and individual writers
Educators & caregivers:
This theme can be integrated into language arts, social studies, environmental learning, or character education without the need for special materials or virtual platforms.
Listening For The Voice Of Truth
The Voice of Truth Children’s Writing Competition invites young writers to slow down and listen — not just with their ears, but with their hearts.
Inspired by the song Voice of Truth, this year’s theme explores what happens when we pause long enough to hear what is often missed: the quiet voice of animals, the wisdom of nature, the honesty of children, and the inner voice that guides us toward kindness and courage.
Horses are especially attuned to presence and truth. They respond not to words, but to intention, presence, and emotion. Through writing, children are encouraged to reflect on these qualities and imagine what a horse — or the natural world — might teach us about respect, unity, resilience, and compassion.
This is not about writing perfectly. It is about listening deeply, thinking thoughtfully, and expressing truth in one’s own voice.
The competition is designed to support literacy, emotional awareness, ethical reflection, and creative confidence — whether a child writes independently or as part of a classroom experience...
A Living Example: How Music and Writing Come Together
STRONGER
Before Voice of Truth, there was Stronger — a music and storytelling project that brought together horses, youth voices, and creative expression in a powerful way.
Stronger showed how music can become a platform for young writers to be heard, offering a real-world example of how creativity, compassion, and courage can move from the page into the world. The project helped ignite the idea of combining music, horses, and children’s writing — a foundation that continues to guide the Voice of Truth Children’s Writing Competition today.
To see how this concept came to life through music and youth voices, click the link below.
A Growing Body of Children’s Work
The Voice for the Horse writing initiative has grown into a published collection of children’s e-books — each one shaped by young voices who listened closely, imagined freely, and wrote with heart. These stories emerged not from instruction, but from invitation: an open question that asked children to pause, reflect, and speak truth in their own words.
Across these pages, children explore what horses, animals, and the natural world might say about kindness, courage, belonging, loss, and care for one another. Some stories are gentle, others brave or playful, but all carry the unmistakable honesty that comes when children are trusted to express what they sense and feel.
What makes these works remarkable is not perfection, but presence. The writing reflects how literacy grows when imagination is honored — when children are encouraged to listen deeply, think thoughtfully, and discover confidence through self-expression. Each book stands as both a creative achievement and a moment in a child’s learning journey.
Together, these e-books form a shared legacy created by children — a living record of creativity, literacy, and compassion in action. They show what this project already produces, and what becomes possible as the Voice of Truth Children’s Writing Competition opens to young writers in 2027 and beyond.
