For 100 years, the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy races have been the world's most dangerous organized sporting event. As one of thirty thousand fans who attended the annual spectacle, Mark Gardiner harbored no illusions about his own skill or bravery. He was, however, an avid motorcyclist for whom the race represented a boyhood dream. He went home, quit his job, sold everything he owned, and returned to the Island to race there himself. Riding Man is the account of an Everyman, struggling to qualify for -- and survive -- the TT races. If you're a dreamer, the lesson in this book is that the pursuit of any worthwhile goal involves risks, rewards and, almost inevitably some regrets. If you're not a dreamer, the lesson is more important: the deepest regrets are always over risks not taken.
A reissue of Pam Munoz Ryan's bestselling backlist with a distinctive new author treatment.In this fast-paced, courageous, and inspiring story, readers adventure with Charlotte Parkhurst as she first finds work as a stable hand, becomes a famous stage-coach driver (performing brave feats and outwitting bandits), finds love as a woman but later resumes her identity as a man after the loss of a baby and the tragic death of her husband, and ultimately settles out west on the farm she'd dreamed of having since childhood. It wasn't until after her death that anyone discovered she was a woman.
Years ago, Lama Nicholas Packards mother unexpectedly died after a routine medical procedure. Left stunned and confused, Packard vowed to unearth the truth as to why her life ended so abruptly. As he embarked on a decades-long journey throughout India, China, Tibet, and Bhutan, Packard came to realize how Westerners have been led down a dark path lined with assumed truths and falsehoods. Through this process, he discovered a painful truth we are living a lie. In an enlightening social and philosophical commentary that challenges the truths surrounding Western mentality, Packard delivers what he learned while answering fundamental questions of existence that explore why modern man is becoming more physically, mentally, and socially ill and spiritually adrift with each passing day. While sharing perspectives from great ancient thinkers and the wisdom of their time, Packard explains how our soul has been undermined by the western perception of truth and reality, and how our meaning and purpose of life has been obscured by materialism, artificiality, and dualistic thinking. Very much akin to the epic churn that happens at the end and dawn of every new age, empire and way of being, this book is truly very transformative and the person who reaches the end of it would be very different from the one at the beginning.
Riding Home:The Power of Horses to Heal, Horse Nation's must read book of 2016, is the first and only book to scientifically and experientially explain why horses have the extraordinary ability to emotionally transform the lives of thousands of men, women and children, whether they are horse lovers, or suffering from deep psychological wounds. It is a book for anyone who wants to experience the joy, wonder, self-awareness and peace of mind that comes from creating a horse/human relationship, and it puts forth and clarifies the principles of today's Natural Horsemanship (or what was once referred to as "Horse Whispering") Everyone knows someone who needs help: a husband, a wife, a partner, a child, a friend, a troubled teenager, a war veteran with PTSD, someone with autism, an addiction, anyone in emotional pain or who has lost their way. Riding Home provides riveting examples of how Equine Therapy has become one of today's most effective cutting-edge methods of healing. Horses help us discover hidden parts of ourselves, whether we're seven or seventy. They model relationships that demonstrate acceptance, kindness, honesty, tolerance, patience, justice, compassion, and forgiveness. Horses cause all of us to become better people, better parents, better partners, and better friends. A horse can be our greatest teacher, for horses have no egos, they never lie, they're never wrong and they manifest unparalleled compassion. It is this amazing power of horses to heal and teach us about ourselves that is accessible to anyone and found in the pages of Tim Hayes's Riding Home. The information and lists of therapeutic and non-therapeutic equine programs, which are contained in the book, are also available at the book's website.
Out of print for more than 20 years, this classic book on equitation introduces and explains the art of riding. Updated with all new color photography of contemporary riders and horses, it includes details on training the rider, schooling the horse, cross-country riding, dressage exercises, and jumping techniques. It expertly provides a wealth of practical knowledge and experience and concisely lays down rules and guidelines that are as applicable today as when the book was written more than 70 years ago. Beginners and experts alike will find the instructions easy to follow and will benefit from the essential theoretical background provided here but so often overlooked in modern riding.
Secret Service agent John Barletta recounts the experiences he had while protecting President Ronald Reagan, sharing the insight he gained into Reagan's life during the long horse rides they would take at Reagan's California ranch.
Widely known for her innovative teaching philosophy stressing body awareness, the value of "soft eyes," proper breathing, centering, and balance, Sally Swift has been a pioneering riding instructor for half a century. In book form for the first time, her methods enable horse and rider to achieve harmony, working together naturally, without pain. Unlike traditional teachers, Sally Swift does not believe in forced training techniques that cause stiff bodies and tense riding. Instead, through the use of vivid, unusual, and highly creative images that transcend mechanics ("Pretend you're a spruce tree; the roots grow down from your center as the trunk grows up"), plus a thorough knowledge of human and equine anatomy, this wise and inspiring teacher enables the conscientious equestrian to reassess habitual responses, in order to ride in natural positions, break through frustrating plateaus, and achieve ever-rising goals with comfort, vitality, and precision. Precise illustrations and photographs never before used in riding books explain anatomy and image work to give mind and body new and relaxed approaches to the inner process of riding. Centered Riding is for those with little experience all the way up to world class.
After three years of traipsing across Europe with her lovesick, widowed mother, Nell Bray has finally found her way to Oxford University. There she has befriended the beautiful Imogen and the charming Midge. When the three girls decide to accept an invitation by their male classmates to join a reading party in the country during vacation - accompanied by a dashing philosophy don with a reputation for stirring up trouble - they go against what is quickly becoming the obsolete conventions of the nineteenth-century. Once they arrive in the country, they are greeted by the unpleasant fact that their host has been accused of murder when a local boy is missing. Rather than return home, however, the six students and their mentor decide to put down their books and put their intellectual prowess to the test by solving the mystery. This combination of mystery and learning - with some college crushes and loves along the way - makes Dead Man Riding Gillian Linscott's best mystery to date.
"Alice M. Hayes' 'The Horsewoman: A Practical Guide to Side-Saddle Riding, 2nd. Ed,' thoughtfully edited by M. Horace Hayes, is an invaluable resource for equestrian enthusiasts. Hayes' expertise in the art of side-saddle riding is masterfully conveyed, providing readers with practical guidance and insights for both novice and experienced riders. The addition of M. Horace Hayes' editing further enhances the comprehensive nature of the guide, making it an essential read for those interested in the world of horseback riding."
