Mindful Horsemanship: Daily Inspirations for Better Communications with Your Horse
When author Cheryl Kimball became interested in horses after a decade hiatus, she had no idea she would stumble upon a way of working with horses that would consume her thoughts. In the years since, she has accumulated four horses and attended dozens of clinics to learn about how to be more aware in both her handling and riding in order to refine her relationships with her horses. Over time, everything she read or heard seemed to relate back to horses. Mindful Horsemanship is a perpetual calendar of thought-provoking quotes that Cheryl has collected over the years in her quest for better horsemanship. Quotes are drawn from sources ranging from practicing horsemen and horsewomen, to psychiatrists such as Viktor Frankl, sports figures like Tiger Woods, characters in novels, and even jokes and word puzzles. The author accompanies each quote with thoughts on how the quote relates to working with horses, including anecdotes from her own horse life as well as insights gleaned from horse clinics around the country. None are intended to be prescriptive, but instead to provide jumping off points for each reader to come up with her or his own thoughts on how the quote might apply to horsemanship and how it might better the reader’s own understanding of and ability to be aware, to be mindful, to be in the moment. Horses are masters at mindfulness, experiencing their lives one moment at a time. They have a lot to teach humans if we are only willing to explore their world on their terms and expand our own awareness to better understand these gracious animals. Keep Mindful Horesmanship by your bedside or next to the place where you have your morning coffee for a daily dose of inspiration.