KnightBooks at Equine Affaire

New England horse enthusiasts are gearing up for our annual infusion of energy and inspiration at Equine Affaire in West Springfield, MA, starting November 10th. I love the chance to meet new friends and catch up with longtime acquaintances. In addition, there are all those great clinics to attend!  I look at the clinicians list through the lens of their their publications, as well as their areas of expertise. Many have DVDs or books that we carry in the store, and we look forward to seeing them in person.

New to Equine Affaire this year is Allan Hamilton, MD, author of Zen Mind, Zen Horse which I reviewed here last month. He will be speaking Thursday at 11 am in the Better Living Center, and 3 pm at the Demo Ring in Mallary. I’m on my second trip through his book, and recently checked his web site and videos. One, on the Power of Intention, really demonstrates the concepts he discusses in his book.

Dr Hamilton will be signing his books in our booth at 1 pm Thursday, between his talks.

We’re also delighted to catch Hollie McNeil for a couple of appearances at our booth: Friday at 2:30 and Saturday at 3:30. Her book, 40 Fundamentals of English Riding, includes a DVD illustrating each concept covered in the book. Take a look at the samples videos (the one on Straight vs Crooked is quite helpful) on the book’s website.

Other published clinicians include Jim Wofford, Craig Cameron, John Lyons, and Anne Kursinski (her excellent book, Anne Kursinski’s Riding & Jumping Clinic has just been reissued in paperback!). There are usually last minute additions as folks stop by our booth to share their new creations. I love surprises like that. And I love the energy of the show!

So much to do, so little time!

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Zen Mind, Zen Horse

Okay, I’ve become an evangelist for for this book.

Even if I hadn’t been drawn to the book because a brain surgeon chose to write about training horses, Robert M Miller’s Foreword to the book would have hooked me. In 1991, Dr Miller revolutionized thinking on foal handling with Imprint Training of the Newborn Foal , showing two generations of horse people a kinder way to train foals without trauma or confrontation. And yet, he credits Dr Hamilton with helping him understand the neuroscience behind the “whys” of Imprint Training’s effectiveness.

Zen Mind, Zen Horse - Allan J Hamilton, MD

Dr Hamilton’s path to horsemanship preceded his medical career, yet it is fascinating to see how his two vocations intersect, one totally rational and analytical, the other driven by intuitive communication and non-verbal response. He uses his expert knowledge of how the brain works to demonstrate the divergent roles of horse and human, prey and predator, right brain and left brain, non-verbal communicator and linguistically verbal beings. Clearly these dual paths in his life have led him to a more complete understanding of each; horses have given him insights into the struggles of his patients, and neuroscience has helped him better understand how humans must work with horses.

The book is part memoir, part foundation information on why “natural horsemanship” works, and part training manual that puts that understanding to work. He describes the body language, with which we humans most effectively communicate with horses, in terms of emotional energy, or chi, drawing on the philosophical  concepts of several ancient cultures. The idea of focusing energy to direct a horse enhances the image many of today’s successful trainers employ when they teach clinics on round pen and natural horsemanship work.

The training portion, encompassing two-thirds of the book, begins with initial gentling work on a lead or in the round pen, and works through the ground work necessary to assure a reliable mount for life, including accustoming the horse to tack and rider. But, even if you’ve got years of experience, or several books on training under your belt, these chapters will give you a deeper understanding of the process of horse training, and the relationship that we develop with horses.

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New to the Herd

We just added two new books to our shelves. The blog gives a chance to highlight them as they come in, instead of waiting until we put out an e-newsletter.

The first is The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation, by Elizabeth Letts. Many of us recall the book about Snowman, the marvelous showjumper of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Bought off a slaughter van for $80, Harry de Leyer trained and campaigned him against the best, all the way to Madison Square Gardens.

The Eighty-Dollar Champion, by Elizabeth Letts

Now Elizabeth Letts brings us an updated and detailed biography of the former plow horse and his Dutch immigrant rider and owner, in The Eighty Dollar Champion. Not unlike Seabiscuit’s effect on the nation, Snowman inspired all with his rise to stardom from humble beginnings. The story of Harry de Leyer, the “Flying Dutchman”, rivals that of Snowman, having emigrated to America following the Nazi occupation of Holland in World War II.

Letts gives us wonderful details of this twosome’s miraculous ride, including family photos and insights gleaned from interviews with de Leyer himself, as well as extensive research of media coverage from the period. While at times the storyline meanders on tangents, those side trips often add other interesting pieces of history — with forgotten images of a young George Morris, or background glimpses of the USET showjumping pantheon of horses and riders from the period. This is a book that will appeal to fans of Snowman, those wanting to relive a wonderful part of showjumping history, and anyone curious about that post-war period in the American horse world.

Team Roping 101, by Kayla Starnes

Our second new title is Team Roping 101: The Complete Sport from Header to Heeler, by Kayla Starnes. Nowadays, you’ll find me in the Maine woods and fields in an English saddle, or bareback… It’s been years since my barrel racing and cutting pony days as a teen, but I found myself wishing I could try the sport after reading this book.

If you’ve ever considered trying team roping, this book is sure to get you started on the right foot. Endorsed by the US Team Roping Championships, the governing body of the team roping sport, it is a careful introduction to everything involved, from how to select a rope (and what varieties are available), to roping technique and horsemanship skills.

When you attend a competition — a great way to learn more about the sport — you’ll already understand the principles and rules, so you won’t stand out as a greenhorn. There is advice — well-illustrated — regarding choice and fitting of tack, roping exercises from the ground and mounted, and training for your horse. Clinton Anderson contributes his methods of fine-tuning a horse’s soft response to rider cues. And of course there is sound advice on how to prepare for competition. There’s a lot of work behind the successful runs of a roping team, and Starnes has not only filled in all the blanks, she makes you want to give it a try!

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Gremlins at work again

Well, we sent our first e-newsletter with our new software today. If you didn’t receive a copy, please do sign up for future issues in the Subscribe to Our Newsletter fields on this page. We send newsletters about once a month, usually to let you know about special offers or to review recent arrivals on our store shelves (our “herd” in the bookstore).

We understand some of you were unable to click through to the books listed in the newsletter, and instead arrived at a blank page in the Shopping area of our site. I’m not sure which gremlin did it, but an easy solution is to copy and paste the book’s item code into the Search Field on the left of the Shopping page. Your book will magically appear (at least, it did for me!).

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Passage in the Herd

Young Lor showing in hand

There was a transition in our barn herd this week. Lor had come to us a dozen years ago, semi-retired, no longer the prize show pony, past her brood mare era, and recovering from a bad suspensory injury. We rode her lightly the first few years, but her primary role was as companion — for whomever needed a friend in the barn.

She seldom drew attention, but she became everyone’s favorite pony. With a rider, she willingly ventured wherever we asked. Yet, in our wooded Maine pastures, she was at first timid without a herd buddy leading the way.  When I rode out on my mare, I would leave hay for Lor by the gate.  Routine was critical for her, and  she quickly learned that hay-by-the-gate meant we would return. She’d walk to that pile, and wait quietly until we returned. (Yvonne Barteau helped unlock Lor’s personality for me with her book, Ride the Right Horse.)

Lor showing as side-saddle mount

Lor comforted horses and read people’s thoughts. She knew other horses dare not bully her so long as one of us was near: she trusted us to protect her, and the herd knew it. When we weren’t there, she agilely evaded aggressive horses and, well into her twenties, jumped gates if she felt trapped.

In her final years, she took on the upbringing of my young Welsh Cob, who saw lions behind every bush, and heard dragons roaring in every new sound. Once, when I dropped a dumpster lid with a clang, I saw the filly bolt in fear, and race across the pasture to Lor, who looked up calmly and then resumed grazing. The filly stayed close, snitching hay from Lor.

It was hard to say goodbye to Lor. Other horses in our barn have had quiet or tragic endings over the years, but always there was a clear time to let go. It was different with Lor. She was warm and caring to the end, always, even on that last morning, her bass nicker when I came to feed, and her hearty appetite. But Cushings had caused dramatic weight loss, and winter is coming…  One morning a week ago,  she came in three-legged lame with an abscessed hoof. I’ve dealt with abscesses, drawn them out and worked with our farrier to heal them. But.   No.   This time I poulticed her, got her sound, then called the vet.

Lor as new surrogate "mom"

I’m not alone in having to face this time of decision in our horses’ lives. That doesn’t make it any easier. But this lovely Connemara leaves wonderful memories and lasting lessons. When the excavator rumbled into the pasture this week, I stood by my young Cob’s stall as she wheeled,  trembled and stared wide-eyed. Gradually she settled, alternately listening to my reassurances and nuzzling the swatch of Lor’s tail hung in her stall. When the excavator passed by her stall again, she stood stoically alert, and able to handle that dragon with aplomb.

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Dressage 4 Kids

Well, we’ll christen our new blog with news of our first trip this summer. On Friday, July 8th, we’ll be taking the book trailer to Saugerties, New York, HITS on the Hudson show grounds, for Lendon Gray’s Youth Dressage Festival. This is a delightful show; it is infused with warmth, courtesy, helpfulness and just generally, a sense of cooperation rather than competition.

The participants, dressage riders up to the age of 21, have been preparing for the event all year. It isn’t a question of just getting qualifying scores in  earlier dressage rides. They have assigned reading (that’s where Knight Equestrian Books comes in), as well as the opportunity to attend special clinics and workshops with leading figures in the horse industry, all toward the goal of becoming better all-around equestrians.

Once on the show grounds, the learning continues, as top name judges and trainers take time to work with D4K participants, in schooling classes, warm-up rings and in the barns. It is an inspiring weekend, and a delight to participate in, even as an adult at the fringes of the activity.

Check their web site at Dressage4Kids.com for more information. See you there!

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