Best selling author Tami Hoag is a writer and rider who enjoys a dual life at the top of the literary and dressage world. Hoag’s life as a writer of suspense novels has landed her on the New York Times bestselling list 15 times – a remarkable feat that includes her most recent release, Deeper Than The Dead. Hoag’s life as a rider is equally grand, and she recently made the switch from adult amateur grand prix rider to professional grand prix rider.

Hoag thrilled fans — especially riders of all disciplines — with her books Dark Horse and Alibi Man, set amid the glamour of the international horse show world. Her newest novel, Deeper Than The Dead, begins with four children running through the woods and literally falling upon the body of a murder victim. Following the discovery, the search is on for a serial killer who may turn out to be the father of one of those children.

Set in 1985 in an idyllic California college town, the investigation is headed by hotshot young detective Tony Mendez, and joined by one of the FBI’s pioneers of criminal profiling, still a fledgling science at the time. Also drawn into the investigation is the children’s fifth grade teacher, Anne Navarre, who must protect her students and at the same time try to delve through family secrets that run Deeper Than The Dead.

While Hoag spends her days typing away at a keyboard, she also takes time out of her schedule to pursue her riding career, a career that began as a child on the back of a Shetland Pony named Dan. Hoag grew up in a non-horse family, but that didn’t stop her from dreaming of some day having a pony of her own. “I asked my parents for a pony every chance I got,” Hoag recalls.

Hoag’s dream became a reality when her family bought her a Shetland Pony named Dan, a pony that became Hoag’s best friend and constant companion. “Dan was a wise old soul, and would never do anything he believed was beyond my capability as a rider,” Hoag said. “For the first year I had him, he would NOT canter. No matter how I tried to coax him, irritate him, beg him, bribe him, he absolutely would not canter — until I became a better rider with better balance and was in no danger of just falling off.”

Hoag didn’t own a saddle for Dan at first, but that didn’t deter the girl who would grow up to become a best selling novelist. “I did have a cart and I learned to hitch Dan up myself and drove him all over town. I drove him in parades and hung advertising for local businesses on my cart, which earned me money to save up for a new saddle,” Hoag said, laughing as she remembered her goal of buying a saddle. “When I had saved up almost a hundred dollars — a fortune to a nine-year-old — I became obsessed with the idea of the new saddle. My oldest brother was getting married around that time, and one weekend my mother was going to go shopping with his fiancé to look for a dress. When I overheard them planning to go to a bridal shop, I got all excited and asked, ‘Do you think they might have saddles, too?’ Typical horse-crazy little girl, that was all I could think about.”

While Hoag now competes at the top of the dressage world, she still has fond memories of her first pony and says she owes a debt of gratitude to Dan for helping her shape her into the rider she is today. “Dan taught me responsibility, compassion and sportsmanship,” Hoag said.

Fond memories of Dan sparked Hoag’s desire to continue riding, and in 1999 Hoag started training with Betsy Steiner, competing her first dressage horse, a handsome chestnut gelding named D’Artagnon. Eleven years later she is still training with Steiner, focusing now on her 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding Rush Hour 4 and her 11-year-old Westfalen gelding Fhilosopher.

Hoag is excited about Fhilosopher and his grand prix potential. “He is a very elegant horse with a tremendous amount of charisma and talent, and will be a great addition to my show string,” she said, adding that she is also pleased to switch her riding status to that of a professional. “I feel good about my change of status. Even though I make my living as a writer, not a rider, I have always approached my riding in a very professional way.”

Hoag and Rush Hour 4 are already in the show ring, competing at the grand prix level. The duo got off to a solid start during the 2009 Florida winter circuit, with scores in the 60’s at both the Palm Beach Derby and Zada Cup competitions. “He’s green, but he’s gaining confidence every time out,” Hoag said. “I can ask a little more of him with every test.”

Hoag also continues to enjoy her grand prix mare Feliki, who may be retired from the show ring but is still insisting on her time in the spotlight. At age 23, the Dutch mare is just as spirited as ever and can still outwork every horse in the barn. Well-known equine artist Terri Miller, recently captured Feliki’s fire in a near-life-sized portrait that now hangs in Hoag’s Los Angeles home. In February of 2010, Feliki showed she still hard her winning form when Hoag competed the mare in the Dressage Under The Stars competition at the Players Club in Wellington. Thanks to a stunning piaffe and passage tour, along with an incredible line of one-tempis, Hoag and Feliki gave a bestselling ride that landed them in the winner’s circle during the star-studded event. Someone apparently forgot to tell Feliki that she had retired!

Feliki isn’t the only mare Hoag has owned that enjoyed the spotlight. Her late mare, Coco Channel, also enjoyed a big audience and Hoag said she enjoyed every minute of their partnership. Sadly, Coco Channel was humanely eunthanized from a devastating spinal cord injury that occurred in a freak accident during the summer of 2007.

Steiner, who helped Hoag find Coco Channel in Germany, and the rest of the equestrian community mourned Hoag’s loss with the passing of Coco Channel. Thankfully, Hoag has beautiful memories of the mare she called a “lady and a special one.”

“Every day with Coco was a joy. She could be very exuberant, and expressed herself with a sudden squeal and by springing with all four feet straight up off the ground — usually when I had her on the buckle!  When she landed, I would gather the reins, scold her a little, and she would walk on with the sweetest look on her face, as if she hadn’t done a thing wrong,” Hoag said.

Hoag said Coco had never done a freestyle when she got her and at first had reservations about it. When the music was added, Coco seemed to “get it” and Hoag counts riding their freestyle as a highlight of her show career with Coco.

“But my favorite memories will always be of our Pas De Deux with Betsy and Feliki (my other grand prix mare) at the Challenge of the Americas,” Hoag said. “Coco loved nothing more than the spotlight and a big audience — and Feliki is the same. It was such a blast to go out on that field and really let her shine. She was in her glory with a standing ovation.”

While Hoag endured the pain of the death of her beloved mare, at one point she also faced the possibility of not riding again. “Several years ago I was thrown from a sale horse and broke my back in five places. While I was recuperating, I didn’t know if I would ever be able to ride again, and certainly didn’t know if I would be able to ride at the Grand Prix level,” Hoag said.

Hoag discovered that it wasn’t the excitement of competition, or the thrill of winning a big class, that she would have missed if the accident had kept her from getting back in the saddle. “What I would have missed the most would have been the partnership,” she said. “The day-in-day-out work with a horse that builds an understanding and trust between you.”

While Hoag’s readers have come to trust in her for delivering spine tingling novels, riders have also come to rely on Hoag for her faith in the equestrian companies that sponsor her. “I’m fortunate to be in a position that enables me to recommend products I truly believe in,” Hoag said. “I want the best for my horses, and for all horses. That’s what it’s all about, after all. The reason we’re all involved in this sport in the first place: The love of horses.”

Hoag is sponsored by Moxie Equestrian, a company that keeps her riding in style with clothing and other products for horse and rider, featuring the latest in high tech and eco-friendly fabrics. Hoag also endorses MDC Intelligent Stirrups for their safety and for their adjustable design, which reduces stress on the rider’s joints. Other sponsors include Pasture Vac, which ensures that Hoag’s horse’s have clean green paddocks for turnout, and MacKinnon Ice Horse products that provide excellent and convenient cold therapy for after workout care.

Hoag has also contributed to some of the research and development of the VitalWrap hot/cold compression therapy system from VitalWear for both horse and rider. And Ramard’s line of joint and health supplements keep Hoag’s horses—and her own joints—happy and healthy. In addition, Hoag serves as an Ambassador for Trilogy Dressage Saddles, her favorite saddle to ride in. She also endorses the products, and is on the Advisory Board, for Draper Equine Therapy, makers of therapeutic products for horses and riders.

Despite being busy with her horses, Hoag will continue to keep her literary fans on the edge of their seats with her thrilling and heart-stopping murder mysteries. In fact, she is already working on a sequel to Deeper Than The Dead. So how does Hoag delve into the strange world of crime and suspense? “Like most crime writers I have a library full of reference books on law enforcement, crime scene procedures, the minds of serial killers, and so forth. But by far my favorite method of research is hands on. I try to interview people who actually do the jobs I write about, which is always fun and interesting,” Hoag said.

In keeping with her love of hands-on research, Hoag bid on and won the chance to be “Sheriff for a Day” while attended the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center’s 23^rd Annual Auction. Hoag says it’s no mystery why she wants to hit the town with the sheriff: she is doing research for a new book.

“I sometimes write books set in Palm Beach County, and this is a great opportunity to see what’s new in the sheriff’s office in terms of technology and organization,” Hoag said, adding that she will ride around town with Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric L. Bradshaw. “There’s nothing like hands-on research. I always learn something, and often pick up some unexpected detail that will later prove important in a book. Over the years, I have done a lot of hands-on research with various law enforcement agencies — from Homicide detectives to sex crimes detectives to the FBI.”

So what’s in the works for the dressage world’s leading crime writer? Hoag said more riding and more writing, of course. Although she has been a rider far longer that she has been a writer, Hoag plans on keeping both at the top of her list for many years to come. For more information on Hoag, or to see a list of her novels, visit her website at www.tamihoag.com