Horsemanship: Myth Magic and Mayhem (Paperback) by Sue Gardner, Holly Davis

Holly truly does get to the heart of the matter. This book delivers far more than you could imagine and way more than the title. No stone is left unturned whilst Holly shares with us her insights and her wealth of knowledge. Holly's philosophy is very grounded and based on positive ethical and practical ways to best understand and live in harmony with horses. Holly has the perfect web address Centaur Horsemanship because this is the ultimate goal. To truly have a Centaur Relationship. Holly is concerned with the heart and the soul of horsemanship that is the horse and human connection. She shares ways to get us to think outside the box (excuse the pun). We are asked to be mindful, really mindful! to consider our horses in ways that we might not have normally given ourselves time to consider let alone accomplish. Holly asks us to consider not only their innate needs but their unique personality and therefore their strengths and weakness as well as their desires. Each horse is motivated in a different way; do we truly know our horse and his needs outside of the fundamental food shelter and safety? Can we be an interesting and imaginative partner and friend, are we positively enhancing our horses natural gifts or simply frustrating them by not even recognising their strengths. The amount and depth of information Holly has shared in this book will benefit horses and humans everywhere. Much more than Myth Magic and Mayhem, Holly provides insightful information on why things go wrong (part of The Mayhem) and then shares how to put them right, whether that be transporting or working in liberty, ground skills and ridden (part of The Magic). When I say no stone is left un-turned I mean it, she seems to have covered huge areas including nutrition too! So, without wishing to take too much of the magic from the book I will summarise it in this one statement that Holly makes because it is such a powerful truth. "We have a choice; a choice to feel or not to feel the horse. When we deny ourselves and our horse this sacred connection, never can we expect to have the depth of trust and knowing that so many of us say we have been seeking"