Customer Reviews

A Life with Horses: Spirit of the Work

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I recieved this book yesterday, and I have not been able to put it down yet. I find myself reading through the pages and then flipping back and forth to view these amazing pictures again and again. Mark and Kathleen are masters at the work and I am hoping that I will one day be able to participate in one of these clinics. I have always felt like they do about the gentleness of training and building a trusted relationship with my horse, and when I read one of Mark's books for the first time last year, I was hooked. I have read them all... What a treasure this book is.. It is now my offical "coffee table" book...

You don't have to be a Rashid fan to enjoy this book, though you're likely to read some of his work after you've finished it. Kathleen Lindley does a bang-up job of chronicling a year on the road with Rashid and her own training and clinician experiences. There is a great deal to learn about horses, and this book offers some wonderful insights into why certain methods are more successful than others. Pair any of Rashid's works with something by Temple Grandin, and you've got a top-notch animal behavior and training course at your fingertips.

I am a big fan of Mark Rashid. I love his laid-back style and the way he tells a story. He is humble and modest and always seems willing to learn new ideas. I was excited to read this book. I couldn't wait to see photos to go along with the wonderful stories he has to tell. I was disappointed. The photos, while artistic, I guess, had little meaning for me. Of all the places Mark has been, the people he must have met and the horses he must have interacted with, the last thing I was expecting to see was a close-up of a body brush or the tooling on his saddle. The photos and accompanying descriptions made Mark sound full of himself. I think the photos have a "you had to be there" kind of quality. They weren't nearly as meaningful as the authors made them out to be. As I said, I am a big fan of Mark's. Buy his other books, but take this one out of the library.

I loved the photos! The stories add a depth. I learned new things about horses.

The book concept is wonderful - Mark and Kathleen do a nice job of expressing thier views of the wonderful photos that Kathleen took. The print was too small - even with my reading glasses, it was difficult for me to read.

This book is so endearing. Rashid is not about showboating like many of the men work in the world of horses. His quiet way with horses speaks for it's self.

I love Mark Rashid's books... this one is another great addition to my collection.

A Life With Horses: Spirit of the work is a lovely book to spend a few moments with. This book lets me feel my horses when I am far from them.

Grace