Mark Rashid, Margrit Coates & Sally Swift
Everyone has writers/books that have made the most impression on you and that have influenced you in one way or another in the way of training horses. I would like to share the top 3 of books that have positively influenced me and therefore also the Horsefulness Training System. By now these books have turned yellow and I know them inside out, but I still open them regularly. I then read a paragraph or a page, or with the books of Mark Rashid, I read them completely from start to finish!
Here they are:
No. 1 is without any doubt… MARK RASHID
Years ago, when I received his book “Considering the horse” as a present, I didn’t read it in one go once, but 4 times! This guy writes in such a delightful way! It is reading that is both relaxed and informative, and you can pick it up and read it over and over again. You get never sick of it (at least, not me), and each time you learn something new.
“Considering the horse” was the first book I read about horse training that made me emotional by the way Mark Rashid writes. Among other things he talks about the mistakes he made and his own learning process, something that is very recognisable. Through the true stories you learn important lessons that you can use directly in practice with your own horse.
The way I interact and work with horses is strongly influenced by his first book (and all others that followed), and I gained more self-confidence in sharing my belief that horses INDEED can think, can argue, DO have and show emotions and feelings, and that they are more than “instinctive” animals. His idea about “passive leadership” is also something that can be found in the Horsefulness philosophy. He writes about this in his book “Horses never lie”
No. 2: Margrit Coates
Margrit Coates was for me the reason to really do something with healing energy. She writes about telepathic contact with animals and how you can heal with your hands. After reading the book: “Hands on Healing for Pets” I started to experiment with the effect of touching and laying on of hands with people and animals, but namely with horses.
What seems very airy fairy or superstitious for a lot of people, and where I felt sceptical myself too in the beginning, seemed a beautiful way to help horses and to let a connection arise! I started to read other books on healing and studied the power of touch and what physical, chemical and energetic processes arise when you touch.
Now I still use touching and laying on of hands to help my horses (with stress, pain, agitation, …) or to create connections. Thanks to Margrit Coates’ book, that came my way, this has become a very important aspect in my life ánd my handling/training of horses
No. 3: Sally Swift
Sally Swift’s book “Centered Riding” was that book for me that allowed me to learn about a complete different way of riding, a way where feeling and connection is most important.
Riding with soft eyes, grounding yourself on your horse, deep breathing, visualisations, ….
Nobody told me anything about this before reading her book at the age of 18… This book was therefore the eye-opener and the starter to delve into a “different”, more “natural” way of riding horses than what I had learned up to then. Still highly recommendable!
These are my Top 3 books/writers that have influenced my personal development and because of that also the Horsefulness Training System.
I’m looking forward to hear your Top 3! Put them in the comments below
