No comments about Just Horses Daily Calendar (Just).

5 comments about One Good Horse.

1. Author Groneberg's spare, beautiful, prose could make you weep in its honest simplicity. He takes the reader on the most intimate of journeys into his heart, his soul, and his mind. His struggles to come to grips with the ordinariness of his life while still daring to reach for extraordinary that he dreams of, is brillantly woven into stories of the past and the present, the human and the equine. Rarely does a memoir touch my soul as this one has. Reading this felt like a privilege. I was enriched in so many ways. I am grateful for the gift od Tom Groneberg.



2. Mr. Groneberg knows the West and takes us there instantly. His characters struggle, live, relate, disengage, and escape just like those anywhere else, but here things move differently. Our hero's method of dealing with, or avoiding, the difficulties of human relationships is through focusing his efforts and passion on the process of training an unbroken horse. As the complex stories unravel, the dusty trail becomes clearer and the beauty of human fragility shines through.



3. One Good Horse picks up Tom's life where he is still in Montana working various ranch jobs to support his budding family. Dealing with all of the complications in his life, Tom decides that what he really needs is a horse. This is not to be an ordinary horse that belonged to another, Tom wants to buy an un-broke horse and go through the process of training him; not the old time approach of jumping on his back and breaking him but rather through kindness and teaching the horse what he needs to do without stress and confrontation. Concurrently Tom also chronicles the life of the horse as it eventually becomes part of the Groneberg family. For me, one of the things that makes this book special is the interjection of segments of Teddy Blue Abbott's wonderful book, We Pointed Them North. Teddy's colorful account of his cattle drive from Texas to Montana is beautifully woven in with Tom's own experiences and surprisingly transcends the century that divides the two literary works. I strongly recommend that anyone interested in the west (past and present alike) give this book a read - I believe you will thoroughly enjoy it.



4. "Remember that life is not always fair, but it is good. Success is measured by the size of your heart," Tom Groneberg writes in his elegiac nonfiction followup to his successful memoir, The Secret Life of Cowboys. This time out, Mr. Groneberg writes of the eponymous equine, Blue, interspersing his tale of searching for that horse with his tales as husband and father to three young sons. In the process, he acquits himself not just as an extraordinary writer, but as an extraordinary father as well.



5. Tom Groneberg's One Good Horse presents several characters from disparate times and influences. Several stories emerge, and are woven in, out and around the authors desire to buy, break and train one good horse. Initially, the books cast of characters seem unrelated as they move in and out of the story. But ever so masterfully this author breathes each one to life, and a common theme begins to coalesce and shimmer. Within each characters circumstance, sandwiched between all things ordinary, life folds tiny, subtle cataclysms that alter perceptions and expectations mercilessly for good or ill. The author opens a window into his own soul and humbly invites us to pause to wonder at the blessings and the disappointments of our naive and so often narrow expectations of life and its most precious commodity: time well spent; time purposefully spent. In this earthy book I can almost smell the hay and grass and hear the horses snort and breathe as I recognize life's brevity and beauty in the colors of the Montanta Sky. Just as in his book, The Secret Life of Cowboys, Tom Groneberg's transparency and gentle vulnerability in sharing his desires, his moments of bliss or epiphany and more often than not - his heartache and disappointment were a genuine delight.

No comments about Ride with Your Mind - Masterclass: Illustrated Guide to Right Brain Riding.

1 comments about The Horse Poster Book.

1. Especially loved the ones of my favorite breeds. I checked this book out of the library and decided that I must, must, must get one for myself.
   
   There are a few I'm going to frame.
   
   I also loved the information on the back. I found out a lot of interesting facts that I didn't know. For instance: the Bashkir Curly horses are used as horses of course, but they also provide milk for a special drink made in Russia (I think that's the country) and also
   for the meat they provide for human consumption.
   
   I know that's an "eeeewwwww" topic here amongst us horse crazy folks. I couldn't eat old Dobbin, but as I said it was interesting to know.

2 comments about The Way of the Horse: How to See the World Through His Eyes (Howell Equestrian Library).

1. Of all the books that I have read (a lot) since I got back into riding, this is the one that was most worth the money. The explanations of horse behavior, the reasons and what the response of the human should be are written in such a special way that isn't clinical or condescending to the reader. The beautiful photos are an added bonus to an already worthwhile book.



2. I reccomend this book to every one, it has stunning pictures, and correct information. I think this book was worth every penny and it answerd questions many horse people have. I have reccomended this book to all my horsey friends and they have all reccomended it to thier friends, with all of them coming back with the same answer, 'WHAT A GREAT BOOK!!! ' You have to have this book if you're a horseman!!

2 comments about Horse Sense: How to Develop Your Horse's Intelligence.

1. Although this is not normally the kind of horse and/or riding book that I read, I'm glad that I made my way through the entire three book series. Since I've finished them I've put into practice that what I picked up and have seen a difference in the relationship that I have with my riding partner. There's something to be said for age and experience especially when it comes from someone with "horse sense".



2. If you've read Henry's previous books, you have to read Horse Sense. His adventures continue and find maturity in his final work. After paying his dues and struggling with his redeemed misfits such as the indomitable "Cork Beg," Henry finally gets to realize some of his dreams as a trainer and competetor. I wasn't ready for this book to end.

   I strongly suggest the reader progress through Henry's work in sequential order; Talking With Horses, Thinking With Horses and Horse Sense. By doing so the reader can enjoy the greater adventure in chronological sequence and fully enjoy the colorful characters, both human and equine, that Henry brings to life in his work.

   Henry Blake is probably my most recommended author for horse enthusiasts and home horse trainers to read.

3 comments about Heartbeat for Horses.

1. There isn't much that can be added to the first two reviews except to note that this book contains a rare display of sidesaddle. As a sidesaddle enthusiast I am always looking for any instance of promotion or documentation of this discipline. Leafing through this book, you will find a chapter which begins with a picture of an elementary school-aged child in a white lace-trimmed burgundy dress. Your first thought will be that it must be some kind of special occasion, but you will then notice that there is no stirrup nor rider's leg on the off side. Further in the chapter Demari catches the entire group riding. These little girls are all evenly matched in their frilly dresses, travelling at a high rate of speed, perfectly balanced, and completely comfortable in their sidesaddles. How I wish I had grown up like this!



2. 
   This book is a horse lover's dream, especially if you are a horse crazy girl like I was. Laura Chester's exceptional prose melds gloriously with Donna DeMari's breathtaking photography of horses and the girls who ride them. As an added bonus, Chester included quotes from poets and writers who revere horses. I was pleased to find excerpts from favorite books and writers of my horse-loving youth -- Marguerite Henry, James Herriot, Anna Sewell -- and poetic paeans by Lyn Lifshin and Ted Hughes, to name only a few.
   
   This excerpt from "My Life With Horses" by Chester sets the book's tone ideally:
   
   "We loped through the fields, our pajama pants blowing. With moonlight tipped on the horse's manes and our blonde hair, we were ghost riders, flashing primeval, almost weightless on our invisible saddles. It seemed mysteriously right to be riding, forbidden, and the horses too were casting their spells."
   
   "Yearlings in the Pasture" by Lyn Lifshin captures the spirit and joy of horses, and why humans love them:
   
   no responsibility, just play
   in the grass in a rose wind,
   a butterfly wind. Before
   harnesses, before shoes....
   
   There are too many fine stories and poems in this book to cover in a review. And unfortunately, I can't reproduce the photographs that accompany each poem and story. DeMari's work is sensual perfection, memorializing both horse and rider. My compliments to Chester and DeMari. The result of their collaboration is delightful and beautiful. I enthusiastically recommend this book for readers of all ages.



3. Compiled and co-edited by Laura Chester and Donna DeMari, "Heartbeat For Horses" is a compilation of impressive photographs combined engaging commentaries about girls and horses. The quotations and commentaries are drawn from forty-two writers that range from Chief Buffalo Cjhild Long Lance, to E. E. Cummings, to Charles Dickens, to James Herriot, to D.H. Lawrence, to Theodore Roosevelt. A very special blending of image and text, "Heartbeat For Horses" is particularly recommended reading for equine enthusiasts in general, any girl or woman who feels a special affection for the horse in particular.

1 comments about Complete Horse: : Complete Guide Of Riding,Horse Care And....

1. I think this book is good for kids and adults that want to learn about horses. I tells alot of good information about horses. I is a great book for kids or adults that a new with horses.

2 comments about Whisper This... Not to your horse, to yourself.

1. Sit back with a cold one and get ready to laugh and learn. Smokie Brannaman takes you on a "no nonsense" ride that ends with the reader feeling a true appreciation for the content of the book as well as a fondness for its author. This is a must read for anyone and everyone who owns or is considering the purchase of a horse. Do yourself (and your horse) a real favor--read this one, re-read it, then read it again. It just might save you from getting hurt, getting disappointed, or getting taken to the cleaner by a less-than-honest horse seller. "Have I got a horse for you!" Weigh it all against what Brannaman has to say--you won't be sorry.



2. I liked this book because it not only addressed those that would like to own a horse, but those that already do. The book very frankly tells you what you need to do, and what you don't need to do when caring for your horse. It also tells us that we may or may not be cut out for what is necessary to properly care for and own a horse. This information is presented without all the fluff and political correctness that is usually found in other guides that are sponsored by corporations looking to sell you their products. This book is straightforward, no beating around the bush, just the way I would want it told to me.

No comments about Horse Sense (Little Western, 7).