To meet the case in which the horseman may chance to be leading his horse with the left hand and carrying his spear in the right, it would be good, we think, for every one to practise vaulting on to his seat from the right side also. In fact, he has nothing else to learn except to do with his right limbs what he has previously done with the left, and vice versa. And the reason we approve of this method of mounting is 8] that it enables the soldier at one and the same instant to get astride of his horse and to find himself prepared at all points, supposing he should have to enter the lists of battle on a sudden.

"Sullivan has found the transcendent in the horse."--"Sports Illustrated"
Winner of a 2004 Whiting Writers' Award
One evening late in his life, veteran sportswriter Mike Sullivan was asked by his son what he remembered best from his three decades in the press box. The answer came as a surprise. "I was at Secretariat's Derby, in '73. That was ... just beauty, you know?"
John Jeremiah Sullivan didn't know, not really-but he spent two years finding out, journeying from prehistoric caves to the Kentucky Derby in pursuit of what Edwin Muir called "our long-lost archaic companionship" with the horse. The result-winner of a" National Magazine" Award and named a Book of the Year by "The Economist" magazine-is an unprecedented look at Equus caballus, incorporating elements of memoir, reportage, and the picture gallery.
In the words of the "New York Review of Books," "Blood Horses" "reads like Moby-Dick as edited by F. Scott Fitzgerald . . . Sullivan is an original and greatly gifted writer."
"Wisdom that is both personal and universal . . . Brilliant"--"Chicago Tribune"
"A splendid account of [the] Triple Crown . . . In horses' beauty and power, and with their hint of danger even when schooled, Sullivan senses a restoration of what has been lost to us."--"The New York Times"
"As unconventionally lovely a book as you are likely to read for some time."--"The Arkansas Democrat Gazette"
"A clear picture of a highly specialized world . . . A gem of curiosity."--"The Associated Press"
"Sullivan subtly extends the theme of bloodlines to make this book as much about family as it is about horses . . . Its appeal isn't limited to the equine crowd."--"0Outside"
JohnJeremiah Sullivan is a writer-at-large for "GQ" and a contributing editor at "Harper's Magazine."

When the intrepid Isabella Bird landed in Hawaii in 1873, she discovered the islanders rode - everywhere - and the clergyman's daughter soon joined them. Having never ridden astride because of the English cultural taboo, Isabella was reluctant to cast aside her native equestrian traditions. When she did, the greatest female equestrian traveller of the Victorian age came to life. This classic account of thrilling equestrian adventure tells the story of one woman's discovery of both her own soul and the wide world beyond.

Equines are big business in this country, and that's not to be taken lightly, but as anyone who has spent much time around them knows, horses have a sense of themselves and refuse to be pigeon-holed, catalogued or otherwise restrained. When they are given their due as individual personalities, as they are in this book, an occasional startled giggle has to result. Calling on forty-plus years of experience, extensive research, and lots of trial-and-error, Joanne Friedman has put together a celebration of life with horses. A horseman's most important piece of equipment is a sense of humor, and Friedman liberally spices her advice with horse laughs. Whenever horses are called on to participate in human enlightenment, they do so with great enthusiasm and good humor. Meet the horses that populate Friedman's world, and your perception of life with horses will never be the same. Join Friedman and the horses of Gallant Hope Farm as they slog through mud season, experience Murphy's Law in full effect at a show, set up a (mostly) working farm, and learn about clicker training. Your perception of life with horses will never be the same.

The love of animals can touch our lives. Often we learn life's most valuable lessons from our four-legged friends. But sometimes that love is met with ruthless abuse, neglect and mistreatment. In this collection of uplifting stories for all ages, you will meet some remarkable horses who have lived through unthinkable pain and suffering, but because of some special "angels" who weren't afraid to get involved, have triumphed over the pain they endured to be given a "Second Chance."You will feel their pain and then celebrate their joy as they journey from abuse to the safety of loving hands and hearts. Their stories are nothing less than miracles, and their spirits are inspiring.

In the first horse book ever to be completely written and illustrated for kids by a kid, Kiki Osbourne connects with her reader. According to mentor Dr. Kathy Kelly, ..".as this book shows, Kiki was not content to educate herself. Through her articles, she reached out to others, wanting to share what knowledge she gained, so that everyone would enjoy the horses like she did." Enthusiastic young riders around the country can read a comprehensive, hands-on account of what it's like to grow up in a world full of horses. This book is spilling over with first hand accounts of topics ranging from Pony Club, to competitions and ribbons, grooming, and friends (two and four legged), caring for your tack, and winter rides in the woods. In short, this is a horse book for kids, which was written and illustrated by a kid...a young Kiki Osbourne (age 12 - 16) that you'll love no matter what your age. Today, Kiki (a graduate "A") trains people and horses for a living, and is also a competitive eventer. She gathered up fifty-one of her favorite Equispecial columns, weaved them together into a book that she's entitled "The Kiki Chronicles: An Equispecial Journey."

Hamilton documents the journey of a family and their horse from the time she was a six-month-old filly to her being named National Champion Mare. Vividly written and illustrated with 142 photos of Arabians, Appaloosas, Saddlebreds, Shetlands and Welsh ponies. (Animals/Pets)

A bestseller for 25 years, now updated for the 1990s, this perennial classic is packed with photographs and sound, practical advice on every aspect of horses, horse care, and horsemanship.

B & W photographs throughout


From the Hardcover edition.

The human love affair with horses is an ancient and far-reaching one. Moving effortlessly from history to literature, from science to sport, from anecdote to personal experience, Lawrence Scanlan sets out to discover the essence of our powerful, almost mystical attraction to this noble creature. Scanlan covers a wide territory: from the mythic horses of cultures long past to the real-life whisperers of today, to the timeless wild mustangs still roaming the Great Plains.

As he touches on each aspect of the equine-human bond, Scanlan makes perfect sense of "horse fever" -- that curious affliction that has been known to strike both the seasoned professional and the rider who has galloped only in his or her dreams. Written in lyrical prose with wit, humor, and an eye for drama, meticulously researched and complemented by fifty compelling black-and-white photographs, Wild About Horses addresses our need to know everything we can about the horse.

A great many equestrian travelers could say they were inspired to take to the saddle because of the exploits of someone who rode before them. However John Beard is the only horseback traveler whose journey can be directly linked to the influence of the famous Buffalo Bill Cody. Beard determined as a child that he wanted to see the Wild West from the back of a horse after a visit to Cody s legendary Wild West show. Yet it was to be more than sixty years after seeing the flamboyant American showman before Beard, and his wife Lulu, finally mounted their dreams. Setting off on a matched pair of horses, Black Diamond and Black Fairy, the Beards left to discover the long cherished equestrian quest of the author s youth. Their mission in 1948 was to ride the length of the Old Oregon Trail. What followed was a 2,500 mile odyssey from Oregon to Missouri through a vast sea of weariness, thirst, hunger, hardship, and danger as the aged equestrians rode down the trail of their pioneer forefathers. Amply illustrated with photographs, Saddles East is more than a mere tale of adventure, it is the romantic story of two pilgrims of the sunrise riding back into the morning of their youth, hunting for America s yesterday with everything they own on the backs of their faithful horses.

Equestrian stories are full of adventures, adversities, dangers and drama. Yet the curious story of William Holt and his cart horse, Trigger, is one of the most inspiring equestrian travel tales ever told. After rescuing the gelding from slaughter, and then nursing him back to health, the 67-year-old Holt and his horse set out in 1964 on an incredible 9,000 mile, non-stop journey through western Europe. Holt never ranked himself above his mount. The resultant trip saw them sleeping out in the rough without a tent for more than 400 nights. Together they faced great hardships, suffering through storms, floods and whirlwinds. At one point in their travels the ageing gypsies were even marooned on a ledge and nearly drowned by the raging sea. Because of these shared dangers, Holt and Trigger maintained a legendary bond that touched people s hearts. An Italian princess had jewels set in one of Trigger s old shoes. When they rode into London the likeable duo were guests of the Queen of England. Amply illustrated with photographs and drawings by the author, Ride a White Horse remains the classic equestrian tale of a man and his beloved horse who embarked together on an extraordinary adventure.

Ella Maillart was the adventurous Swiss woman who made her name as an intrepid explorer and one of the most remarkable woman travelers of the early twentieth century. An amazing sports woman, she first represented her country as the only woman competitor at the 1924 Paris Olympics in the single-handed boat-sailing contest, then later raced for Switzerland as a member of the international ski team. Yet these outdoor activities only developed Maillart s insatiable curiosity to travel east, leaving behind the confines of her early life in Geneva in search of the perfect life that she was instinctively seeking. Her later adventures took her across many continents and various oceans. Maillart sailed the Mediterranean in a yawl, traveled with famed travel English travel writer Peter Fleming from Peking to Kashmir, explored Tibet with a half-wild tiger-cat in search of spiritual enlightenment, and finally drove 4,000 miles from war-torn Europe to the fabled Khyber Pass in a battered Ford car. Yet her solo journey through Central Asia in the early 1930s was considered to be a highlight of her adventure-filled life. Setting off from the Tien Shan mountains of Mongolia, Maillart rode horses and camels to the far away walls of fabled Bokhara. Turkestan Solo is her vivid account of this wonderful, mysterious and dangerous portion of the world, complete with its Kirghiz eagle hunters, lurking Soviet secret police, and the timeless nomads that still inhabited the desolate steppes of Central Asia. If any book can give its reader the ability to look back in time, this one does, written as it was by one of the world s foremost female equestrian explorers. Amply illustrated, it remains a timeless adventure classic.

What does the world s most famous equestrian explorer do when he comes home to England after making a 10,000 mile ride from Argentina to Washington, DC? He writes a best-selling book about his adventures, Tschiffely s Ride, then sets off on a new horse to explore rural 1930s Britain. Through the ancient New Forest, over the lonely mountains of Wales, and across the rugged landscape of Scotland, the renowned author investigated the nooks and crannies of this island kingdom. Mounted on his gentle Cob mare, Violet, Tschiffely details the last roving adventure of its kind. Bridle Paths is a final poetic look at a now-vanished Britain, as it was before the advent of suburbia changed it forever. This superb book is amply illustrated with Tschiffely s own pencil drawings. As a bonus, it includes a special appendix listing the equipment used by the mounted traveler, as well as detailed sketches of the method he used to pack his horse. No equestrian travel collection is complete without this classic tale.

Wilfred Skrede was nineteen in 1941 when the Nazis occupied his homeland of Norway. Determined to reach a training camp of the free Norwegian Air Force located in Toronto, Canada, the daring young man set off across Russia, Siberia, China, Turkestan and India before finally reaching his destination in far away North America, more than one year later. After the war Skrede wrote about this amazing journey describing in Across the Roof of the World how he made his way along the tracks of Genghis Khan s hordes, followed the silk caravans from China, crossed the high mountains of Central Asia, and miraculously made his way to freedom. Yet the liberty he sought demanded a high price. Being a Norwegian refugee, he was frequently arrested by various police forces who threatened him with deportation back to his Nazi-occupied homeland, and in communist controlled Sinkiang the young adventurer had his back cracked by a wild truck driver. His most perilous challenge however came when he was forced to ride horseback over the infamous 16,000 foot high Mintaka Pass, a hideous bit of trail known for killing horses and riders alike. The resultant story, told with fortitude, humor and resilience, is thus populated by a host of colorful characters, including famed English mountaineer Eric Shipton, and Tenzing, the Sherpa who went on to conquer Mount Everest. Amply illustrated, Across the Roof of the World is an epic equestrian travel tale laced with unforgettable excitement.

In Horses Don't Lie, Chris Irwin, one of the most successful horse whisperers in North America, shows us that horses have much to teach us about ourselves when we strive to understand their behavior. Based on more than twenty years of working with, training, and observing horses, Irwin explains why trust and honesty are essential elements in building relationships with horses, and why the sensitivity and awareness that characterize a horse's perception of the world are qualities we can use to enrich our own lives. "A horse knows what you know," Irwin reminds us, and in Horses Don't Lie his message is clear: Horses have a great deal to teach us about how to communicate with empathy and patience--not only with them, but also with each other.

A Publication of the Texas Folklore Society.

Here for the first time is a digest of known information about the stallions whose descendants appear in the early volumes of the American Quarter Horse Association studbook. Robert M. Denhardt, a former officer in the American Quarter Horse Association, spent many years tracking down the bloodlines of the foundation sires, their pedigrees, and highlights of their careers. The result is a brief but comprehensive alphabetical listing of the stallions that made the Quarter Horse one of the most exciting and popular breeds of horses in the Americas today.

The fabled King Ranch of South Texas was renowned for its breed of horses, the King Ranch Quarter Horses. Here is the complete story of the ranch and its horses, how they were bred, and what they have achieved. We meet the Old Sorrel, the horse without a name who became the foundation stallion of the ranch Quarter Horses. The King Ranch produced winning show horses (Hired Hand, Anita Chica, Peppy) and race horses (Miss Princess, Nobody's Friend) and, above all, top-quality cow horses famed for their levelheadedness and ability to work in close partnership with their riders. Today they and their descendants are working cattle and winning competitions worldwide. For those who love Quarter Horses, and especially for those who own a Quarter Horse descended from the King Ranch and wish to know its history, this book will be a treasured volume.

Mary Twelveponies applies her lifetime of experience with horses to giving the colt a good start in its first two years. She addresses such basic issues as equipping the colt, gaining his trust, training and control, saddling, and more.