Hannah Gale starts volunteering at a horse stable because she needs a place to escape. Her father has returned from the Iraq war as an amputee with posttraumatic stress disorder, and his nightmares rock the household. At the stable, Hannah comes to love Jack, Super Dee, and Indy; helps bring a rescued mare back from the brink; and witnesses the birth of the filly who steals her heart. Hannah learns more than she ever imagined about horse training, abuse, and rescues, as well as her own capacity for hope. Physical therapy with horses could be the answer to her fatherÕs prayers, if only she can get him to try.
A smart, funny memoir exploring the evolution of a man and his relationship with his daughters as they grow up in the grips of the equestrian life. When Chad Oldfather found himself the parent of a toddler who, out of nowhere, became obsessed with horses, he had no idea what awaited. With his younger daughters similarly afflicted, Oldfather was soon enmeshed in the consuming subculture of barns, riding, and horse shows, learning not just about the animals that so inexplicably drew his girls, but also about the people and personalities that populated the spaces around them. A book for parents, whatever their children's interests, and for equestrians, who know what it's like “on the inside” (but maybe not what it's like on the outside, looking in), A Man Walks into a Barn is a wise, witty, and, at times, critical look at both the light and dark sides of youth sports, and equestrianism in particular. Readers find themselves rooting for Oldfather as he struggles to be the best dad he can, supporting a child's dreams in the face of long odds and extraordinary expenses. He writes about his parenting choices and the strange world he finds himself in with humor and honesty, critically examining riding's high cost and the inaccessibility and inequality that results. Aware of the flaws and dangers of youth athletics, as well as the benefits, he strives to protect his girls while supporting their ambitions the best ways he knows how. Filled with the joys, heartbreaks, and life lessons that come from training, competition, and time in the company of horses, this is mostly a book about family, and the strong bonds that can form when parent and child join hands and pursue a passion together.
From his first time riding as a child, Shatner has felt a deep love for horses. He shares his joy-- with children, veterans, those with disabilities, and many more-- through the annual Hollywood Charity Horse Show. Here, he speaks from the heart about the effect horses have had on his life and on the lives of others. The anecdotes are paired with classic horse stories, including retellings of the Pegasus myth and the feats of the most famous war horses throughout history. Celebrate the connection between humans and horses-- and the power, courage, mindfulness, and healing that they can inspire in us.
An eye-opening book leading equestrians into a brave new horse world, where we train horses their way, not ours. For years, Andrea Kutsch filled stadiums with spectators as she demonstrated remarkable transformations in “problem horses” using the Natural Horsemanship training methods she'd learned from leaders in the field. But something was bothering her—a feeling that had been with her since her childhood days, watching Icelandics in a field and coming up through a traditional German riding system. Despite the strides made in improving the horse's well-being through the worldwide adoption of Natural Horsemanship techniques, she knew that the methods were still missing something. They still trained horses looking at every situation from the human perspective and were dependent on a trainer's natural feel. This meant that, for the horse, there was stress involved in the training process. In addition, positive results gained by a professional often couldn't be replicated by a horse's owner; what the horse learned from one person wouldn't transfer to others. Kutsch set out to find the next stage in the evolution of horse training. She studied the results of methods she used with thousands of young horses at The Lewitz Stud in Neustadt--Glewe, Germany, the renowned farm owned by European champion Paul Schockemöhle. This provided the basis for what she calls Evidence-Based Equine CommunicationTM (EBEC), a means of reading the horse and understanding the world from his point of view. Here she introduces EBEC and how it can take our relationship with horses and their ability to perform as our partners to a whole new level. Inside find: Myth-busting popular assumptions related to typical gestures made by the horse, such as “licking and chewing” and “lowering the head.” Explanation of how ethograms can be used to map out equine body language and help us attain a clearer sense of the horse's true perspective. Discussion of how the horse's physical and psychological needs must be met in order for him to learn, including what those needs are. Exploration of the difference between inter- and intra-species communication. Introduction to a new reward-and-punishment model that looks at operant conditioning from the horse's point of view. Identification of the need for non-violent communication on the part of the trainer as well as the training skills she must have when working with a horse, and what these light look like not from our perspective, but the horse's. Certain to provide ideas for improving every interaction with horses, whatever your experience or discipline, From the Horse1s Point of View is a conversation-starter for all those looking to take their horsemanship to a whole new level.
In Think Like a Horse, veteran “horse whisperer” and leadership expert Grant Golliher applies his hard-won horse sense to teach invaluable lessons anyone can use to live a fuller, more successful life. Grant Golliher is what some would call a “horse whisperer,” able to get a wild horse to calmly accept a saddle and a rider without the use of force. Through training thousands of horses, many traumatized or abused, Golliher was able to learn essential lessons about communication, boundaries, fairness, trust, and respect—lessons that apply not just to horses but to humans as well. It’s why celebrities, Fortune 500 executives, professional coaches, supreme court justices, and even ordinary families from around the world flock to his Wyoming ranch every year to take part in what one CEO called “the most transformational experience I have ever encountered.” Horse whispering may sound like magic, but as Grant explains in Think Like a Horse, it’s not really all that mysterious. The lessons he shares are as fundamental and ageless as the relationship between horses, the people who ride them, and the beauty of the West. In fact, it’s an approach that anyone can learn, and should learn, in order to better understand our common humanity, overcome trauma, foster more fulfilled relationships, and unlock untapped potential in virtually every aspect of our lives. All you have to do is think like a horse.
Horse Speak is not a training method or technique—it is a practical system for “listening” and “talking” to horses in their language, instead of expecting them to comprehend ours. Horse Speak can be used by anyone who works with horses, whether riding instructor, colt starter, recreational rider, or avid competitor. It promises improved understanding of what a horse is telling you, and provides simple replies you can use to tell him that you “hear” him, you “get it,” and you have ideas you want to share with him, too. The result? Time with your horse will be full of what horse trainer and equine-assisted learning instructor Sharon Wilsie of Wilsie Way Horsemanship calls Conversations, and soon the all-too-common misunderstandings that occur between horse and human will evolve into civil discussions with positive and progressive results! Learn Horse Speak in 12 easy steps; understand equine communication via breath and body language; and discover the Four Gs of Horse Speak: Greeting, Going Somewhere, Grooming, and Gone. Practice regulating your intensity, and sample dozens of ready-made Conversations with your horse, as step-by-step templates and instructional color photographs walk you through the eye-opening process of communicating on a whole new level.
For his birthday, Roy's friends give him a saddle and some very specific instructions:1. Find a horse. 2. Enjoy the ride!Roy has never met a horse, but he's game to try: A snake tells him to look for a creature withlegs. A crab has six legs, but he's too unfriendly to be a horse. A friendly chameleon smiles atRoy, but horses don't change colour....What's a horseless cowboy to do?This hilarious picture book perfectly demonstrates the process by which children (and scientists!)understand our world--and the silliness that will make them laugh out loud.
