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She Flies Without Wings: How Horses Touch a Woman's Soul [Hardcover]

Mary D. Midkiff (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)


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Book Description

April 10, 2001
Women have always ridden to be free. They doffed their skirts and straddled horses to ride into the Crusades. They masqueraded as men to explore and tame the Old West. Women have been riding horses into myth and fable for a long as they have sought physical and spiritual liberation.

She Flies Without Wings is the first book to explore and exalt the magical kinship between women and horses. Written by an internationally recognized horse-woman, examining all stages of woman's life, She Flies Without Wings draws myth and literature, the author's personal experiences and interviews with countless women, to celebrate this unique, powerful, and joyous relationship.

When a horse beckons us from across a pasture, he summons us into a magical world. And whether we do our riding on a secluded chaparral or in the freedom of our fantasies, this remarkable book draws us into the realm.

Here we learn, through women's deeply personal stories, how horses enrich our lives and connect us to nature — making us readers of rhythm and invisible signs, teaching us what an unconditional relationship means, helping us harness our youthful sexuality, sharing the "horsepower" we need to reach our dreams.

And here we see how, for thousands of years, the deep kinship between women and horses has connected us to our most intimate feelings of delight, provided us with insights into how to make decisions and solve problems, and set us astride the natural world. It has set our creativity free.

From the poetry of Geoffry Chaucer to the classic writings of Beryl Markham, from the compelling fiction of Jane Austen to the respectful horse songs of Native Americans and folk tales from around the world, She Flies Without Wings draws from great literature and myth to encompass a broad spectrum of beliefs and perspectives — and creates a true celebration of speed and air, and the spectacular animal that connects us with both.

Filled with moving lessons — about sensuality, commitment, power, nurturance, and spirituality — women riders have known for centuries, written with a loving hand by an expert equestrian,She Flies Without Wings is an eloquent paean to a pairing that has enlivened history, inspired literature, and continues to enchant us all.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Although author and longtime equestrian Mary Midkiff once presented a straightforward book on women and horses (Fitness, Performance and the Female Equestrian), she now explores the more ethereal terrain of this compelling feminine attraction. "Women and horse have always been drawn to one another," Midkiff writes. "They rode together in Greek myth and Celtic poem, Native American legend and Wild West folktales.... Women and horses emerge in life and literature as a huge tribe of spiritual sisters." (In fact, more than one million girls and women are involved in horse-related activities in the U.S. alone.)

Midkiff spent years researching this exquisitely written book that loosely mirrors the arc of a women's life. Using her life story as the backdrop, Midkiff shows how horses nurture feminine development. For example, the freedom to roam the earth on horseback liberates the dreams and ambitions of a young girl. Or how an affinity with horses can help awaken a teenager's emerging sensuality. And when women reach full adulthood, horses help women stay compassionate and spiritually grounded. This is a highly recommended book for older teens (15 and up) and women who value the equestrian relationship as much as the riding. --Gail Hudson

From Booklist

In a book that is part autobiography, part social and natural history, and part literary work, Midkiff views the special bond between horses and women. There are few girls who have not longed for a horse, drawn horses, or pretended to be one, but unlike the author, few women are able to enjoy a lifetime's association with horses. Born into a family whose business was connected to the Kentucky thoroughbred world, she inherited her grandfather's special affinity with the animal. By telling the story of her own connections and interposing it with those of other women from the past and present, she finds universality in the emotional and psychic bond that exists between the two species. The passages of poetry and prose borrowed from literary works set the tone and enhance the book's 12-part structure. Horsewomen, or women who long to be horsewomen, will thoroughly enjoy this book. Danise Hoover
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Delacorte Press (April 10, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385334990
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385334990
  • Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #946,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews
5 star:
 (12)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars You Will Fly Too, July 14, 2001
By 
Janie Lester (Coconut Creek, Fl United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: She Flies Without Wings: How Horses Touch a Woman's Soul (Hardcover)
In reading "She Flies Without Wings", being a horselover, and owner, and a woman, the author did a wonderful job in descriptions and feelings. I kept reading paragraphs over and over again, as it is like poetry. Very poetic, very true in relating to our magnificant, graceful, powerful, beasts. I do not want to part with my book, so I have ordered this book for my horseloving women friends. It is a book one can read over and over again, and still enjoy. I envy the first time one reads "She Flies Without Wings,"; I was flying and without wings! Janie Lester
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book!, February 19, 2005
By 
Horses (Northeast, Ohio) - See all my reviews
I loved this book, and yes, I am a horsewoman! However, thus said, I don't think a person has to be a horsewoman to enjoy this book thoroughly. It is very insightful, it deals with many issues and topics dear to women, it makes one think. It is a very good read. I found myself not wanting it to end; loved reading about Theo's progress, and about her and the author's bonding. As an owner of more than 20 show horses and school horses in my lifetime, not to mention the 100 or so racehorses I have trained - now retired and "totally dedicated" to a Morgan mare with a "former" attitude, I could relate to every aspect of the author's encounters with Theo. I'm married, have children, grandchildren, a full life... but it would be life with a void without horses. This book is indeed about how horses touch a woman's soul. As a horsewoman and author, I give this book two-thumbs up!
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17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars a wonderful read, October 31, 2001
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This review is from: She Flies Without Wings: How Horses Touch a Woman's Soul (Hardcover)
This was a truly delightful read. I have also read Midkiff's Fitness Performance and the Female Equestrian (also a good book to read), but this book really explores the connection between women and horses. It is obvious that she really loves horses. A good book to curl up with.
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First Sentence:
When I was six, I was a horse. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
female equestrian, red mare
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Sea Star, Adele von Rust, Beryl Markham, Black Comet, Carrie Lynn, Isabella Bird, Margaret Watters, Marguerite Henry, Marlena Deborah, Morgan Llewelyn, New Jersey, Orphan of Chincoteague, Wendy Wonderful
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