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

Mary D. Midkiff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 26, 2002

From a renowned horsewoman and gifted storyteller comes this groundbreaking new book that explores a powerful relationship like no other: the magical kinship between women and horses.

Drawing from myth and literature, the author’s own experiences, and interviews with countless women, 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, 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, helped us learn to solve problems, and set our creativity free.

From the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer to the fiction of Jane Austen to folktales from around the world, She Flies Without Wings uses great literature and myth to encompass a wide spectrum of beliefs and perspectives–and creates a true celebration of speed, air, and the spectacular animal that connects us with both.

Filled with the 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 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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Delta (February 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385335008
• ISBN-13: 978-0385335003
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.7 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Horses

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Customer Reviews

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

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

This review is from: She Flies Without Wings: How Horses Touch a Woman's Soul (Paperback)

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!

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a wonderful read, October 31, 2001

By 

Kathleen Kocunik (Aurora, IL USA) - See all my reviews

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.