Customer Reviews

Zen and Horses: Lessons from a Year of Riding

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The cover photo and the title is what caught my eye. And we are a horse loving, horse riding family going back generations. And the book is small. A tad bigger than 5X7 but it is so full of wisdom. And until I read it I never had thought of the Zen aspect of horses. Their stillness and power and the way they just "are".

The way she speaks of Ducie and the other horses she rode, the reader feels like they are there almost as an eavesdropper or horse voyeur. In chapter four A Portion Of Genius I could almost smell the stables when she writes "several girls were mucking out the stables when I arrived. Piles of dirty straw littered the cobbles, and two horses were drinking from a stone trough at one end." And when she speaks of Johnny as being camp and how he was slight, dainty and balding in a lavender shirt and salmon pink carvat I had to chuckle thinking of a man this reminds me of.

Chapter Twelve Surrender and Trust was enchanting. The way she writes of Jade the horse and practicing her dressage and how animals (page 99) have much to teach us about acceptance and how riding is really a Zen like state of mind. Where you become one with the animal and the rest of the world seems to fade away.

How horse therapy with children as well as adults helps bridge the gap of fear into a world where this large animal that so many see as a power force can become the trusted friend that rather than hurt will instead with its rocking motion as you ride, will soothe and calm and take the fear away.

I am not going to tell anymore about the book because it is so special and I simply want you to read it and treasure it and be better for it.

Ingrid Sorens' touching recount of her first years of riding is intelligent and insightful. I think it is fabulous that someone riding for such a relativley short period of time was able to come to the realization of allowing the horse to just be and not get in their way, the path to truly harmonious riding.
To read her descriptions is to be there. She is a vibrant writer who brings you into her space with masterful skill. You do not have to be searching for a book on riding(although all riders should read it) to find this one intriguing. It is a fabulous journey about living life, overcoming fears and an intimate exploraton of Zen philosophy. It has helped me refocus in my life. THANK YOU.
Horses or no, I will be looking forward greatly to her next release. Can't wait.

I bought this book to read about another person's journey learning to ride horse. I closed this book knowing and understanding myself and my riding much better. I would never have thought of me and my horse becoming like one skin. It is amazing how Ingred after such a short time riding, could feel her horse tense under her and even predict what her horse's next move would be...I've been riding for 2 years, and I still feel like I don't have a clue what's going on in my horses' minds. But, I know a lot more now, and I know how to improve my riding. It starts with letting the horse be itself. And "opening the tunnel"!

This is an excellent book! People who ride horses would be missing out by not reading it. For those who don't ride, it's still a wonderful and beautifully written story. It's not only about horses, it's about life.

I bought this book for my girlfriend to read on the plane travelling back from Canada, only, I read it before ariving home. It opens your eyes to both the fear and joy of riding horses to the learning process itself. It has made me more aware of how to teach people as well as what I should expect learning new things, something I hate doing, but must. Buy this book to help you learn to ride, buy it to help you learn, buy it.

I always knew there could be an amazing bond between horses and women and this insiteful, inspiring and wonderfully sensative book proves the bond is real. Great reading for the horse lover and for animal lovers and the women who love them!