EMPOWERED HORSES

Learning Their Way Through Independence, Self-confidence and Creative Play. By Imke Spilker, translated by Kristina McCormack. Hardcover, 200pp, RRP £22.50. JA Allen. Buy in NZ

August 3, 2009

"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.

ISBN: 0851319688

About the author:

As a child Imke Spilker was fascinated with horses, but the human-horse relationship always seemed to her to be too one-sided. It saddened her that happiness was not mutual - that the rider's good feelings usually came at the expense of the horse. 'Is there anything we can give horses in return for what they have given us?' This is the question that subsequently guided her life. Fifteen years ago, she founded the Communicative Horses Project, which allowed horses to have their say. The findings form the basis of this book.