Earlier this spring, Nancy Shulins sent me a review copy of her memoir, Falling for Eli: How I lost Heart, Then Gained Hope, Through the Love of a Singular Horse. Shulins, a gifted Associated Press correspondent, had followed a successful career path. But, exiting her thirties, she was surrounded by other people’s children and none of her own. Years of fertility treatment brought only disappointment and feelings of inadequacy, despite a lovely home and a loving husband.

Falling for Eli, Nancy Shulins

Enter horses. Turning to riding as a diversion, she stumbled into a fulfilling alternative with the arrival of an off the track Thoroughbred she named Eli. What follows is a delightful account of one more woman who took up horseback riding at midlife, totally unprepared for the new standard of dressage barn life, so unlike her brief childhood encounters of pony rides and trail rides.

A well-written tale, readers will empathize with Shulins as she discovers each new horse’s character, abilities and faults; you will cry with her over the loss of her first mount to founder; and smile as you watch Eli work his way into her heart.

It’s a ways off yet, but Nancy plans to join us at Equine Affaire, November 8th-11th, for a book signing. We hope you can join us for that. (You can order before then and we’ll ask Nancy to sign a book for you and send it if you can’t be there.)

Head-turning Violet

So I’ve been walking out along side roads and land reserves to enjoy this perfect weather while I put some mileage on Violet, a lovely old blue roan appy who joined our herd last fall. We’re just getting acquainted, she and I, and she seems to appreciate her leisure pace after several years as a camp horse. She’s discovered a softer hand at the reins of her bitless bridle, but those hands and weight aids also expect her to respond when she is addressed. It’s always fun to watch older horses as they assess this new life they’ve entered.

There are few horses in the immediate neighborhood, and the locals take note when we ride by. There’s that nostalgia factor – once a realtor pointed us out to prospective buyers: I can only imagine the conversation. This spring, Violet is turning many heads. To seasoned horse people she’s fairly unremarkable, but to my neighbors, she’s a beautiful vision. I’ll admit it, I enjoy the ride, especially in this season of promise, but the smiles, waves and people slowing their vehicles as they pass all add to the delight of a spring ride.

It didn’t surprise me that the book didn’t have many takers. We find it difficult to make an honest assessment of our abilities. The overconfident beginner is unaware of how much she doesn’t know, and the more experienced rider realizes that she is only beginning a lifelong journey toward ever greater understanding.

I just picked up the new softcover reissue of Udo Bürger’s Way to Perfect Horsemanship, and was reminded of how true his thoughts still ring, even fifty years after its initial publication. Take, for example, this thought from the book:

Horsemanship is not a complicated skill in the mind of those who fail to understand its complexity, but riders who have studied it seriously for years may regret the passing of that time in their life when they imagined that they could ride.

When it comes to assessing how we’re doing, he asks us to be candid about our goals: are we aiming for the art or the sport of dressage? And he’s a realist about the need for both. Without those practicing the art, a whole tradition will be lost. But without those who bend their training to the demands of the sport, there will be no market for well bred horses – or skilled riders – to continue the art. And for those who lack the time, desire, money or aptitude for competitive sport or the art of riding, he does not diminish the value and pleasure of an afternoon spent in nature with a competent horse! Yet, here is a lovely passage, an image many of us aspire to, and perhaps have even achieved at one time or another:

Complete harmony between horse and rider can be said to exist when the trot is so comfortable that rising is for the rider an unnecessary expenditure of energy, when the reins can be safely surrendered completely at the gallop; when the horse can be ridden confidently either between hands and legs or without reins, with the sole aids of seat and legs. Complete harmony is the whole essence of the art of dressage and it is unfortunate that it cannot be better rewarded in dressage competitions.

Substitute reining, jumping, or any number of activities we can do with our horses. Isn’t this the goal we seek? Isn’t this the step we hope to find again and again on this journey?

I discovered early on that 800 pounds of rudeness was a challenge, in some ways beyond my fifty-odd years of horse experience. It’s one thing to raise and train a foal from birth (been there, done that), and it’s quite another to take on this dynamo. We are blessed with a Texas horseman, transplanted here to Maine, who took the filly in tow, taught her manners, trailer loading, leading and few other skills essential to survival in a horse-human environment.

My old mare Lor helped her overcome many of her worries about the bears and dinosaurs lurking in the pasture. A resident gelding informed her that there was a herd pecking order, and she was not at the top. So now she knew how to say Please and Thank you in horse as well as human.

This past year training has progressed slowly, due to many of the usual excuses. “Carmina” is well mannered in the barn, has been backed and is polite to her attending humans, from farrier and vet to non-horsey husband who occasionally has barn duty. We’ve backed her, lunged her, ponied her, and taught her lots of verbal and visual (body language) cues. But did I mention those fifty-plus years in the horse world? I don’t bounce so well now, and I’m more cautious about that first ride outside the barn area.

Okay. Decision time.  I just bit the bullet and ordered a roundpen. It’s that or send her off at a similar cost to let someone else have the pleasure of those first mounted lessons. I’ll keep you posted!

All of which leads back to the bookstore. I rooted out a selection of books on ground training, since that’s what’s in my immediate future. It was fun to compare and contrast them with a definite purpose in mind, as I start this new stage of discovery. Perhaps the topic piques your interest? If so, check out Ground Work & Play under Staff Recommendations on the web site. Let me know what you think, and if you’d add other titles to the list.

How do you keep yourself and your horse on schedule so you’re ready for your first show, big trail ride, Pony Club rating, or maybe a major clinic with that special trainer?  Tell us in a comment, or email us, and you may win a free calendar for your effort (in addition to giving other readers another great suggestion)!

And for everyone, whether you send a suggestion or not, we are closing out this year’s calendars at the store, and have listed them at half price or better. We still have a good cross-section, so this is the time to grab one or two at bargain prices.

New USPC Manual of Horsemanship for Ds

Now, nearly twenty years later, Pony Club has revised the first volume, the D Manual, Basics for Beginners. It has a cleaner, easy-to-read font and page layout, fresh photos of active Pony Clubbers, and some changes to the content that invite any beginner, not just youngsters already in Pony Club, to join in learning. Instead of introducing the Basic Riding on the Flat chapter as the required D1 Level skills, the chapter introduction summarizes what those skills are– no mention of Levels.

It makes perfect sense to be inclusive rather than exclusive. Besides, Pony Club levels have evolved as the demographics and interests of its members have changed over time; yet the skills young riders must master remain the same, and the manual can address them regardless of the Level label.

In addition to rearranging the manual so, for instance, all jumping is discussed in one chapter instead of divided by rating Levels, the book introduces some vital new topics like land use and conservation. Susan Harris’s delightful and informative drawings still remain a big part of the manual, and the new photos by Shelley Mann capture the Pony Club environment beautifully.

This new edition of the United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship for Ds gets a lot of things right, and should be a solid reference for all aspects of riding and horse management, whether it’s for a pony or a horse, a young Pony Clubber or a new adult rider. It will stand solidly next to its more established European cousins as the book to turn to for answers.

A new study reports that in recent decades, nature “has increasingly taken a back seat in award-winning children’s picture books–and suggests this sobering trend is consistent with a growing isolation from the natural world,” Science Codex wrote.

A group of researchers, led by University of Nebraska-Lincoln sociology professor emeritus J. Allen Williams Jr., reviewed Caldecott Medal winners and honor books from the award’s inception in 1938 through 2008. They looked for depictions of natural environments, built environments or something in between, as well as whether animals–wild, domesticated or with human qualities–were in the pictures.

The results indicated a gradual decline “in illustrations of natural environments and animals, as well as humans’ interactions with both. Meanwhile, images of built environments became much more common,” according to Science Codex.

“I am concerned that this lack of contact may result in caring less about the natural world, less empathy for what is happening to other species and less understanding of many significant environmental problems,” Williams said.

So, next time you take a young friend to the bookstore – browse our store or virtual web shelves – take a look at the great nature and animal stories we still carry. Remember the Billy and Blaze books? Or how about Misty of Chincoteague? In fact, for horselovers, there are many recent titles still hitting the scene, from picture books like Maxine Kumin’s Oh, Harry! to Jane Smiley’s new series for teens, starting with The Georges and the Jewels.

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!

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.

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!