I can see that there will be a certain faction of the horse establishment that will have a problemwith this book because it really delves into the arenas of new age, eastern philosophy, psychology and emotion.However, if you can in any way keep a fraction of an open mind, then you might just find there is something to begained.

I heard someone say recently that horses spend their time together doing two things:
Horses spend time together doing nothing
Horses spend time together doing something

The Zen Connection With Horses covers both those things.

However, if you are going to make the most of this book then I suggest you suspend any doubt or disbelief and firmlykeep an open mind.

Over the last 15 years or so we have seen a lot of eastern-influenced philosophies, techniques, methods andlifestyles pervade modern society – think yoga, Qi Gung, Chinese Medicine, Pilates, Buddha statues and stone gardensof tranquillity. Some are very legitimate and worthwhile practices (even my vet does yoga), some are marketinggimmicks aimed squarely at people’s need for ‘meaning’. If you can get your head around those (the good stuff) thenyou’d be on the path to taking this book home and working through it with your horse.

It makes sense in a way that this book has come along at this time and place. And all those things I mentioned abovelaid the ground work for taking this kind of connectivity to our horses.

I believe in a deeper connection with animals. They just make my life better. They make me a better person. Recentlyhowever, I have been struggling with conflict – not with my animals but with other humans – and it occurred to methat if I was able to work through conflict with my horses then surely I could do it in my human relationships aswell. Oddly enough, a week later and Zen Connection With Horses author Jenny Pearce sends me her first article forpublication on HorseYard titled Conflict And How We Deal With Our Horses!

The Zen Connection With Horses is not about training your horse. Think of it like this, if the ground work we do innatural horsemanship is the foundation of all the riding techniques and training we do, then the Zen Connection WithHorses is the foundation before we get to the ground work. It is about forming a connection and a willingness towork together.

I know this book is possibly going to spark a bit of derision and debate. On one hand I have had Horse Rescueoperators talking about seeing horses at the abattoir cry, on the other, one of Australia’s senior vets deriding theowner of those comments because, scientifically speaking, horses don’t cry. In the context of the situation I saidto the vet what did it matter who was right if ultimately each person’s beliefs or thoughts helped the animal? Thisis the kind of debate that will be sparked by Zen Connection With Horses but the point is, what does it matter ifpeople try Jenny’s methods? They will be spending quality time with their horse!

I’ve tried a couple of the book’s exercises and I got a response. It’s a journey I look forward to continuing.

The Zen Connection With Horses comes with a handy cd with audio MP3’s that you can load on your MP3 player and takedown the paddock with you.

I say, give it a go, what have you got to lose?

The Zen Connection With Horses is available from BooksWith Spirit.

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