MEMBERSHIP

How can I join Girls Horse Club?
It's free and easy, simply click on "Join the Club" above. Once you're a member you'll be added to the mailing list for the Girls Horse Club free monthly newsletter.

What can I do here at GirlsHorseClub.com?
Read below to learn about some of the activities, or browse around and explore for yourself.

How do I log in at GirlsHorseClub.com?
You don't. All the features and activities at Girls Horse Club are open to everyone. You don't need to register and no log in is required.

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THE LOFT BOOK CLUB & BLOG

What is the Loft Book Club?
The Book Club is a section in the Loft for girls who love to read and write horse stories and poetry. All content is written by members -- girls just like you! Some are real (non-fiction), others are not (fiction, fantasy, mystery & adventure).

What is the Blog?
The Girls Horse Club blog is similar to an online magazine, with articles, information, activities and events that are relevant to our audience of young (and not-so-young) horse girls. Click here to read the blog FAQs.

Do I have to write the story/blog myself or can I submit something written by another author?
Stories must be written by you (the entrant) and rights must belong to you. We do not accept submissions where any part of the story is taken from another author.

How do I submit a story for the Loft Book Club or Blog?
The Book Club Rules & Writer's Guidelines explain everything you need to know about writing and submitting a story.

When I click "Submit my story" nothing happens -- help!?
If you are having trouble submitting a story, check to see what Internet browser you're using. GirlsHorseClub.com is best viewed in Firefox (Windows PC or Macintosh) or Internet Explorer (Windows PC). If you're not sure what Internet browser you have, ask an adult to help.

What happens once I've submitted a story or blog?
When your creation arrives on our server, it's reviewed to be sure it follows the Book Club Rules & Writer's Guidelines. If it meets our publishing standards, the blog, story or poem is edited to fix spelling, grammar or puncuation errors, then published to the Book Club or the Blog. Check the Blog Publishing Calendar for status.

Will I be notified if my submission is published?
No. Unfortunately we don't have the resources to respond to all the submissions we receive. Hopefully one day we'll add a feature that lets you check the status of your submission.

How long will it take for my submission to get published?
Timing varies depending on the quantity of submissions received, but generally stories/blogs are published within 2-3 weeks of submission (sometimes more quickly). We review each story to be sure it's appropriate for girls of all ages and edit to correct spelling or grammar. You can improve your chance of getting published by editing your story or asking a friend or family member to help. Once a story or blog is edited, it's added to the Publishing Calendar on the Blog sidebar.

It's been several days and my story hasn't been published. Why?
If you've read the Book Club Rules & Writer's Guidelines you know we don't publish every story and blog we receive. We want you to submit your very best. We receive a lot of submissions and don't have the resources to offer feedback on why something is or isn't published. Here are some of the top reasons why a story may not get published:

• The topic/theme may have been interesting, but the content was insufficient or incomplete. This is most common with blog submissions, where articles need to have enough content to be interesting, informative, and credible.
• We don't publish incomplete stories. If you're submitting a chapter story be sure to put 'THE END' on the final chapter so we know it's complete.
• Although we encourage people to read other stories for inspiration, occasionally we receive something that's very similar to another story, poem or blog. The more unique your submission is, the more likely it will be published.
• Part of the free service we provide is copyediting. That involves correcting spelling, punctuation and grammar without changing the voice and substance of your story. The Book Club Rules & Writer's Guidelines request that you make an attempt to do this yourself and ask others for feedback before submitting your story. Occasionally we receive submissions with so many spelling and grammar errors it's clear the author hasn't bothered to read the rules.

I'm writing a story that has chapters. How should I submit it to the Book Club?
The story submission form has an area to enter the title. Please include the chapter number with the title (for example, My Story: Chapter 1). Send each chapter separately. It's not necessary to send all chapters at once -- you can send each one as you write it, but be aware that we won't consider your story for publication until it's incomplete. Read the Book Club Rules & Writer's Guidelines for more info.

Does Girls Horse Club make money from our stories?
No. Currently Girls Horse Club is free to all members and visitors. We make a bit of money from ads and products sold through our catalog. That income doesn't begin to cover the cost that goes into creating, hosting, and maintaining Girls Horse Club. We will never sell your stories or use them outside GirlsHorseClub.com without your permission.

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JUDGE FOR YOURSELF

What is Judge for Yourself?
Judge for Yourself is a monthly competition with finalists chosen by Girls Horse Club staff from Loft Book Club stories published during the previous month. Members may vote for their favorite(s) up to once per day throughout the month.

How can I enter my story in the Judge for Yourself contest?
Judge For Yourself finalists are chosen by our staff based on overall quality and originality. Only finished stories will be considered, so if you're writing a multi-chapter story please make sure it's clear when the story is complete. See the Book Club Rules & Writer's Guidelines for tips about writing a good story.

What do I get if my story wins?
Winning stories receive a special ribbon graphic and are showcased in the Featured Stories section of the Loft Book Club the following month.

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PERFECT HORSE

What is Perfect Horse?
Perfect Horse is an activity that allows you to create a virtual horse by choosing a breed then setting characteristics and personality traits. Once created, you can email yourself (and friends) a link to visit your Perfect Horse at any time.

Why haven't I received the email with a link to view my Perfect Horse?
If you never received the email from , you may have entered your email address incorrectly. It's also possible your email program has a SPAM blocker. Be sure your email is entered correctly and that your email program will accept messages from .

I got the email with a link to view my Perfect Horse, but when I click the link nothing happens or it just takes me to the Perfect Horse "Choose a Breed" screen. What's up with this?
Once you've received the email with a link to your Perfect Horse, either click on the link or cut and paste it into your browser. The link will take you to Perfect Horse and a pop-up window should appear with the Perfect Horse you created. If you only see the Perfect Horse "Choose a Breed" screen, it means your browser is set to block pop-ups. To fix this, follow the instructions below for your browser:

Internet Explorer PC: Under the Tools menu, select Internet Options then click on the Privacy tab. Uncheck "Block pop-up windows" or click on Settings and add www.GirlsHorseClub.com to the list of Allowed Sites.
Firefox PC: Under the Tools menu, select Options then click on the Content tab. Uncheck "Block pop-up windows" or click on Allowed Sites and add www.GirlsHorseClub.com.
Firefox Mac: Under the Firefox menu, select Preferences then click on the Content tab. Uncheck "Block pop-up windows" or click on Allowed Sites and add www.GirlsHorseClub.com.
Safari Mac: Under the Safari menu, select Preferences then click on the Security tab. Uncheck "Block pop-up windows."

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THE STABLES

What are the Stables and who are the Int*l Horses?
The Stables are an area of the site that features some of the horse characters created by horse girls. We call them Int*l (international) Horses because horses (and horse-loving girls) are all over the world, and through the stories of these horses we hope to expose you to the many interesting horse breeds, people, and cultures across the globe.

Are the horses in The Stables real?
Technically? No. Destiny, Shahar and the other horses are "virtual horses" -- figments of our imagination. If you're a girl who loves horses, you've imagined the perfect horse. Maybe you're lucky enough to own the perfect horse. In either case, our fictional horses represent all the perfect horses around the world.

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THE CATALOG

What's the Catalog?
The Catalog is a marketplace where you can learn about and purchase horse-related products -- books & magazines, games, Girls Horse Club gear, and posters. The catalog also has a Freebies section with free games, and wallpapers. We earn a *very* small commission from sales that originate from Girls Horse Club.

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ADVERTISING

Why is there advertising on some pages of GirlsHorseClub.com?
It costs real money to create and maintain a virtual barn, so to help offset costs there are ads on some of the pages. Before we added advertising, we polled our members -- 84% said they could live with ads if Girls Horse Club is free. Only 2% said they would rather pay than see ads, the remaining 14% didn't have an opinion.

Does Girls Horse Club accept sponsors?
Absolutely! The right sponsors can help our virtual barn flourish while connecting with a large, targeted audience of horse girls around the world. Please contact us about sponsorship options and rates.

Who should I contact about a link or banner exchange?
Please use our contact form to send a link to your site and let us know what you have in mind. We'll follow-up as soon as possible.

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