Empowered Horses: Learning Their Way Through Independence, Self Confidence and Creative Play by Imke Spilker
Product Description
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.
200pgs H 2009 About the Author
Imke Spilker is the founder of the Communicative Horses Project. She is the author of Communicative Horses.
Reviews
"[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
"Shatter preconceived ideas of how riding and training horses should or must be, and open your mind to a whole new way of interacting with your horses ... This book follows the author's observations of the behaviour of horses on her Communicative Horses Project and in their interactions with their people. There are plenty of pictures showing what's happening and interpretations of what is going on. How people can help horses to "be" horses, and how people can learn to listen to them, is the main theme. There is a lot of reading in this book, and I started it with much enthusiasm. After all, who does not want to improve their equine relationships? However, to me, it really did not "get going" until around the 80-page mark, by which time I was finding it rather hard going. It may be best to tackle this book chapter by chapter, and in one bite at a time. Many real-life events and happenings with horses are recalled and anlaysed by the author, and many facets of human and horse "being" are explored. In the project and as portrayed in the book, horses are allowed to be themselves. How can horsemen and women tune in to this? The question is answered throughout the book." -- Horsetalk New Zealand
200pgs H 2009 About the Author
Imke Spilker is the founder of the Communicative Horses Project. She is the author of Communicative Horses.
Reviews
"[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
"Shatter preconceived ideas of how riding and training horses should or must be, and open your mind to a whole new way of interacting with your horses ... This book follows the author's observations of the behaviour of horses on her Communicative Horses Project and in their interactions with their people. There are plenty of pictures showing what's happening and interpretations of what is going on. How people can help horses to "be" horses, and how people can learn to listen to them, is the main theme. There is a lot of reading in this book, and I started it with much enthusiasm. After all, who does not want to improve their equine relationships? However, to me, it really did not "get going" until around the 80-page mark, by which time I was finding it rather hard going. It may be best to tackle this book chapter by chapter, and in one bite at a time. Many real-life events and happenings with horses are recalled and anlaysed by the author, and many facets of human and horse "being" are explored. In the project and as portrayed in the book, horses are allowed to be themselves. How can horsemen and women tune in to this? The question is answered throughout the book." -- Horsetalk New Zealand
