This is a perpetual calendar of thought-provoking quotes that Cheryl has collected over the years in her quest for better horsemanship. Quotes are drawn from sources ranging from practising horsemen and horsewomen, to psychiatrists such as Viktor Frankl, sports figures like Tiger Woods, characters in novels, and even jokes and word puzzles. The author accompanies each quote with thoughts on how the quote relates to working with horses, including anecdotes from her own horse life as well as insights gleaned from horse clinics around the country. None are intended to be prescriptive, but instead to provide jumping off points for each reader to come up with her or his own thoughts on how the quote might apply to horsemanship and how it might better the reader's own understanding of and ability to be aware, to be mindful, to be in the moment. Horses are masters at mindfulness, experiencing their lives one moment at a time. They have a lot to teach humans if we are only willing to explore their world on their terms and expand our own awareness to better understand these gracious animals. Keep this book by your bedside or next to the place where you have your morning coffee for a daily dose of inspiration.

Jeff Wilson explores the diverse ways in which the Buddhist-derived practice of mindfulness meditation has been applied in American culture.

This marvelous book, borne of a unique collaboration between Dr. Allen Schoen—a world-renowned veterinarian and author—and trainer and competitor of many years Susan Gordon, introduces the 25 Principles of Compassionate Equitation. These Principles, conceived by Dr. Schoen and Gordon, are a set of developmental guidelines, encouraging a level of personal awareness that may be enacted not only through the reader's engagement with horses, but can be extended to all humans and sentient beings he or she encounters. The 25 Principles share stories and outline current, peer-reviewed studies that identify and support methods of training, handling, and caring for horses that constitute a safe, healthy, non-stressful, and pain-free environment. Through their Compassionate Equestrian program, the authors encourage all involved in the horse industry to approach training and handling with compassion and a willingness to alleviate suffering. By developing deeper compassion for their own horses, and subsequently, all equines, equestrians transcend their differences in breed preferences, riding disciplines, and training methodologies. This leads to the ability to empathize and connect more closely with the “global collective” of horses and horse people. In doing so, a worldwide community of compassionate equine practitioners and horse owners will emerge, which will not only benefit the horses: People involved with horses are found in many influential segments of society and have the potential to affect wide circles of friends, acquaintances, and co-workers from every walk of life. These are simple changes any horse person can make that can have a vast impact on the horse industry and society as a whole.

Many of us dream of being like Dr. Dolittle, able to speak joyfully with animals. Now you can bring that dream to life! In Mindful Partners: The Zen art and science of working with animals, Dr. Jenifer Zeligs takes you on a transformative journey to the deepest level of connection with animals. Dr. Zeligs combines breakthroughs in behavioral sciences with centuries of contemplative wisdom, guiding readers to see behavior as it fundamentally exists and how actions and reactions are born, practiced, and altered. She teaches the reader to use mindfulness to develop a special kind of partnership in which both parties share a mutually beneficial connection. The book is filled with intimate and amusing accounts of Dr. Zeligs’ 40-year history of partnerships across the animal kingdom—from improving the welfare of horses and dogs to filming wild whales using trained sea lions. It teaches you to partner with any animal to create a strong connection, establish interspecies communication, develop calm behavior, respond when things go wrong, reduce aggression, build confidence, overcome fears, and motivate without causing stress. This is an empowering guide to connecting with animals, drawing on the best of science, as well as traditions of inspirational wisdom.

With a passion for connecting with people, author Nikki Porter opens an honest and vulnerable conversation about the importance of clear and mindful communication in achieving healthy relationships and a happy life. In The Conscious Communicator, she uses her experience with horses to add insight to where miscommunications, unnecessary drama, and frustration originate. Porter discusses concepts used to train horses which focus on conscious, clear, and compassionate communication and applies them to all relationships. With a mix of research and honest, personal perspective, Porter encourages you to become more conscious of your communication with others by shining the light inward and allowing you to change your approach and perspective when interacting with people in all facets of life. Porter argues you must become conscious of your thoughts and emotions in order to take responsibility for how you communicate daily. The Conscious Communicator offers exercises that determine your communication strengths and weaknesses. It reminds you to live a life true to yourself by creating healthy boundaries and letting go of what doesn’t serve your growth and happiness. Along with the encouragement to become more mindful, she reassures you this isn’t a quest for perfection where you’ll never encounter an argument again, it’s a pursuit of creating and maintaining relationships which bring joy.

In an easy-to-read style, Cheryl Kimball provides a colorful, comprehensive, and entertaining account of horse history; equine history; lore; a breed guide; and the horse’s role in art and pop culture, myth, legend, and folklore. With all this and more, The Complete Horse has something for every horse lover. The light-hearted yet informative text is complemented by delightful illustrations, including photographs of different breeds. Also depicted are images of horses in pop culture, horses in ads, horse collectibles, and famous equines.