Empowered Horses: Learning Their Way Through Independence, Self-Confidence, and Creative Play [Hardcover]

Imke Spilker (Author), Kristina McCormack (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2009

With illuminating text, this study explains why it is necessary for riders to carefully build a relationship that eliminates the traditional rider-as-oppressor dynamic and instead empowers the horse to behave as an individual. To begin achieving this relationship, riders learn to transform a horse’s work space into “free space” by giving their horse choices; by understanding how horses live and prefer to spend their time; by observing, sensing, and reflecting with the horse; and by using visual language to win the horse’s friendship. The result is a surprising dialogue with the horse that yields an indomitable partnership—unparalleled improvement in the horse’s attitude, health, balance, and movement, as well as mutual enjoyment of what was once the often dull, frustrating grind of daily training lessons.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[An] opportunity for real hands-on practice with your equine companion. This is a book you should read with a highlighter in hand. If a horse could write a book, it would look something like this."  —Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar

"This incredible book, beautifully translated, takes the reader to places few have found. Informative, insightful, inspiring, enlightening, uplifting, and even entertaining, this delightful book is a joy, and a must have!  —Natural Horse

About the Author

Imke Spilker is a professional linguist who studied language sciences at the University of Heidelberg. Always in search of the truth of the horse behind the great words of human beings, she immersed herself in the works of the old Masters of equitation.  Fifteen years ago, Spilker found four-legged teachers who answered these questions --  under saddle and in the pasture.  With these horses she founded the "Communicative Horses Project " (www.kommunikativepferde.de).  In this project horses have the say.  The horses learn to "whisper" to human beings, while humans learn how to listen to their horses and come into a true conversation with them.  The book, "Empowering Horses to Learn Their Way," evolved from the work of “Communicative Horses." Spilker lives in Stegen, Germany.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books; 1 edition (May 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570764131
• ISBN-13: 978-1570764134
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #657,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW--the book your horse wants you to read., May 18, 2009

By 

Alene Sibley (Cape Cod, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Empowered Horses: Learning Their Way Through Independence, Self-Confidence, and Creative Play (Hardcover)

There is not another horse book on the market which offers the education, and world, contained in Empowered Horses. I want to get this review right, because many things have changed for me directly, and only, as a result of reading this book. Having begun to apply its contents with my horse has caused a transformation that is real and exciting; there has emerged a common language between horses and me to which I'd been deaf and blind before--I can very honestly say my horse is greatly relieved. Everything, everything, has changed for my horse, simply because this one book shattered previous notions and given me enlightenment and tools. I must interrupt myself here and say that I am incredibly, deeply grateful to Imke Spilker for managing to share her knowledge and philosophies--and those of her horses--with the rest of us through her writing. And thank you SO MUCH to Kris McCormack for translating this book, quite beautifully, so that it is available to English readers like me.

Like many people, I have been on a long journey to improve my relationship to my horse. Long ago I'd progressed away from conventional training and been enamored with many of the more "natural" methods of training and communication, and over time had witnessed dramatic improvements in how my horse and I worked together. One later favorite was Hempfling's "Dancing with Horses," also translated by McCormack. I have also been a follower of the radically different equine philosophies and sciences introduced by Alexander Nevzorov. I think of myself as very humane, and I'd have described myself as deeply connected to my horse's inner nature. Then I read Imke Spilker's book (first in manuscript form of the translation) and lights went on all over the place. Every now and again in life something comes along that creates an awakening, defining a clear "before" and "after." Before, I wanted my horse to understand me and my desires, and whenever he did we'd work together harmoniously. Now (after), I have learned to better understand my horse--to even WISH to understand my horse, and by appreciating his intellect and following his lead, we actually are in harmony--in a way which could never have been possible "before" in such a one-sided relationship. My horse, who I'd always known is smart, is SO much smarter than I knew; he is also compassionate, happy and fun, full of ideas and lessons for me on how he wants to work his body, on what games are meaningful to him. The reward is that my beloved "friend" (slave) has become my beloved friend (truly). Along with this, my horse--being given the chance to help show me how to improve his training--is displaying for me what his body is capable of. His movements are prouder, rounder and more athletic than anything he has expressed in the past, and we work together in pure delight. It is CRAZY that, after 14 years with this one animal, I am finally discovering him. He's been there the whole time, just waiting for me to be able to see.

Can I recommend this book highly enough? Never. Imke combines intelligence, sensitivity and wisdom into a text that is more revealing with each reading. And all the while we the readers are free to make up our own minds and do with the information as we will--it is a rare equine author who does not preach, condescend, or try to control or self-promote on some level. Imke manages to teach by sharing and guide by example, and releases us into our own intelligence and desire to figure out what it all can mean to us and our horses. And PS: you will fall in love with many of our equine guides in the book, as if you've grown to know them personally. The book is educational, profound and endearing to boot--do not hesitate to purchase a copy for yourself. The happily ever "after" will blow your mind.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creating a Best Friend Forever, June 16, 2009

By 

C. A. Jones (Cool, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Empowered Horses: Learning Their Way Through Independence, Self-Confidence, and Creative Play (Hardcover)

Do you have a BFF (Best Friend Forever)? When you share time with your BFF, do you take charge and always decide where to go, what to do and when to do it? Would you even want to be someone's BFF if they treated you like many people treat their horses? Observing horses from a distance, we are captivated by their beauty, spirit and freedom of expression as they frolic in the pasture. So why is it that when we get up close, we try to physically dominate and subdue their innate spirit in an attempt to get them to submit to our will? Our actions are not always overt. Often we don't realize that we are slowly repressing their personality and creating a robotic, submissive creature nearly unrecognizable from the and wild and provocatively free spirit that captured our imagination when we first met.

Imke Spilker's "Empowered Horses" illustrates through both words and photographs a completely different approach to "being" with horses. The flavor, intent and flow of this book is so consistently smooth and every photo and each topic illustrates the point the author is trying to make and the attitude she would have us adopt when we are interacting with our horses. It is one big "learn by example" approach toward building a new, more mutually satisfying relationship with our horses. A relationship where horses have a say in what we are doing and how we are doing it when we spend time together.

The serendipitous bonus for me in this book is the discussion of collection and how necessary and perhaps critical the horse's self-expression and exuberance is to exploring and developing collection in the most natural way possible. Thank you Imke Spilker, for revealing this approach and thank you Kris McCormack for your wonderfully sensitive translation. I have every intention of using this material to help me create a relationship where my horses and I can truly be best friends forever.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book your horse would like you to read..., April 19, 2009

By 

K. Mccormack (New Paltz, New York) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Empowered Horses: Learning Their Way Through Independence, Self-Confidence, and Creative Play (Hardcover)

Since I'm the person who translated this book from German into English you might consider me hopelessly biased. And you'd be right. I think this is an extraordinary book. I've read it a total of 5 or 6 times, in two languages, and I still have not gotten everything there is to get from it. I doubt I'll ever get it all, no matter how many more times I read it. "Empowered Horses" is that rich. I was not hired to translate this book; I read it, loved it, felt it had to be available in English, and took it upon myself to translate it, long before I ever had a commitment from a publisher.

The market is flooded with many books about working with horses. Nearly all of these books concern themselves with how we can better use the horse, how we can get him to do more amazing things for us, how we can make him more compliant to our "requests," more obedient to our demands. Even the books that purport to tell us how to "whisper" to our horses are, at root, just teaching us another method for imposing our will -- albeit in a "softer" voice.

"Empowered Horses" is different. You could say it is a handbook for a revolution in the horse-human relationship. There's no mention at all of any technique or "trick" for getting a horse to do what we want him to do. On the contrary, the book begins by issuing an invitation -- an invitation to enter the world of horses and see things from their perspective: "There is an entryway. Once you go through it, you will never again be able to distance yourself from the concerns of horses. You will no longer be deaf to their language. You will no longer be unreceptive to their feelings. It is up to you to take this step. We invite you into the world of horses...."

If we accept this invitation and open our hearts and minds to what the horses have to teach us, we find ourselves re-examining everything we thought we knew about these intelligent, creative, and supremely kind beings -- and re-evaluating everything we do with (and to) them.... and how we do it. We learn what it means for a horse to be empowered, and how we can help him become that way. We learn how important it is to free the horses in our lives from our unceasing demands, desires, and expectations. We learn to listen to them so that a real conversation, a real dialog can take place. We begin using our power in their behalf, for their well being. We learn how to develop a relationship with horses based in freedom, equality, and mutual understanding -- in short, we learn how to form a true friendship, with all that implies.

And that's just for starters. There is much more to be learned from this book. Just for example, it contains the best explanation of collection I have ever read, not only of the biomechanics, but particularly of the emotional and spiritual dimensions. There is fascinating information on the many forms of communication, and on how emotions (our own and our horses') are manifested in posture and movement. And so on...

The back covers of both German editions,and this English one, too, have the "slogan": "The book that every horse would give his rider." That's not hyperbole; that's truth in advertising. This book really is the one your horse would give you if he could.