I am learning to ride again in my 40’s. As a tiny toddler I lived and breathed horses on the family’s cattle farm. Life took me away and into the city and that’s where I still am now.
I have ALWAYS been pulled back towards a country lifestyle and the unexplainable urge to not ride horses but build relationships with them.
Through the years I have gone on paid trail rides and been deeply dissatisfied, not realising why my expectations had not been met.
Now, I’m 43, single and my children have all grown and it’s time to learn more about who I am.
I have my first riding lesson coming up and I am wondering what book you would recommend I start with?
Thank you for sharing this well-considered list — I’ve come away with three new resources to explore.
I share your reflections on Dorrance’s writing. I initially found his work quite abstract, but revisiting it later in my own work with horses offered a great deal more clarity. I agree that Hunt’s interpretation made those philosophies more accessible, and I’ve personally found Brannaman’s books to build on Hunt’s work even further — each adding a layer of tangibility to the same tradition.
In that vein, I also thoroughly enjoyed The Art of Making a California-Style Vaquero Bridle Horse by Mike Bridges.
Bookshop.org is a way to buy new books from independent bookstores online. You can even choose the independent bookstore you want to buy it from, so they make money from the sale. There are often discounts, and buying on this site supports independent booksellers and therefore independent thought.
I am learning to ride again in my 40’s. As a tiny toddler I lived and breathed horses on the family’s cattle farm. Life took me away and into the city and that’s where I still am now.
I have ALWAYS been pulled back towards a country lifestyle and the unexplainable urge to not ride horses but build relationships with them.
Through the years I have gone on paid trail rides and been deeply dissatisfied, not realising why my expectations had not been met.
Now, I’m 43, single and my children have all grown and it’s time to learn more about who I am.
I have my first riding lesson coming up and I am wondering what book you would recommend I start with?
Thank you for sharing this well-considered list — I’ve come away with three new resources to explore.
I share your reflections on Dorrance’s writing. I initially found his work quite abstract, but revisiting it later in my own work with horses offered a great deal more clarity. I agree that Hunt’s interpretation made those philosophies more accessible, and I’ve personally found Brannaman’s books to build on Hunt’s work even further — each adding a layer of tangibility to the same tradition.
In that vein, I also thoroughly enjoyed The Art of Making a California-Style Vaquero Bridle Horse by Mike Bridges.
Happy riding!
Bookshop.org is a way to buy new books from independent bookstores online. You can even choose the independent bookstore you want to buy it from, so they make money from the sale. There are often discounts, and buying on this site supports independent booksellers and therefore independent thought.