Bücher zum Wohl von Mensch und Pferd​

A Heart for Horses​

A Heart for Horses will inspire and guide horse lovers on the journey of creating a true partnership with their horse. Working with horses in a way that they become true partners requires skills long-forgotten in today’s fast-paced world.

Good old cowboy wisdom blended with a personal development component gives horse lovers useful tips and new perspectives about drawing on qualities from within. Each of the over 40 short topics include an inspirational photo, quote and personal experience.

This journey is transformational for both people and horses and will result in a beautiful and rewarding partnership that nourishes both heart and soul.

CHF 29.60 paperback ISBN 978-3-9524795-9-9 (159 pages)
CHF 9.60 ebook ISBN 978-3-9524795-8-2

Book Excerpt - Approach

„In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we often get to the barn, eager to see our horse, and walk toward it with halter in hand, ready to do something. In doing so, we forget to ask permission to enter the horse’s space and are surprised when it walks away instead of toward us. If we had slowed down, mentally and physically, taken the time to observe its body language and changed our approach accordingly, then the horse would have had no reason to walk away.

Here’s how you can approach your horse in a way that builds curiosity and often will draw your horse toward you. I learned this from Linda Kohanov. Mindfully approaching your horse means noticing when your horse’s body language changes in response to your presence and responding accordingly. Body language changes in your horse will be ear movements and posture shifts resulting from a mild increase in stress as the horse’s autonomic nervous system notices there’s something new in the environment, in this case a human walking over to it. This is called a “proximity response.” When you see this proximity response and learn to respond accordingly with a “rock back and sigh”, it will naturally draw your horse to you. From a polyvagal informed perspective, the rock back and sigh stimulates the ventral vagal complex in mammals that encourages relaxation and social connection. Unrestrained horses will walk away from people who are holding their breath, and are attracted to people as they audibly exhale with a long, relaxed outbreath.

Here is how you can use this approach with your horse, whether it’s in the box, outdoor paddock or on the pasture. First center yourself with even inbreaths and outbreaths before walking toward your horse….“

Reviews

Marina Parris takes the idea of a holistic approach to a deeper level. This book speaks to the heart as well as the mind, body and spirit, offering soulful yet still practical advice for treating horses as true partners on this journey we call life.
Marina may have found her way to horses later in life, but she arrived with an open heart and, in doing so, allowed the magical world of equines to transform her. When the exchange between horse and human comes from compassion, a deep relationship becomes possible. This happens, Marina tells us, when we are open to seeing things from the horse’s perspective and willing to reflect on our own behavior.

I was delighted to read Marina's concise text, enjoying the clear progression through her philosophy and techniques, impressed with her practical advice and consistent dedication to educating horse people of all levels. This outstanding book covers everything, from mindfulness and awareness of equine behavior to the details of handling and training of horses ridden under saddle and those that are not, perhaps used solely in equine-facilitated learning.
Wow! A Heart for Horses explains simply, practically and warmly what all horse owners and lovers need to know and do in order to develop a fruitful partnership with their horse. Filled with beautiful photos, profound quotes, practical wisdom and genuine care for both horse and human, your book not only informed and inspired me to better understand how to interact with horses, it also caused me to think about and shed light on how I interact with people and what I bring to every human relationship and engagement. Thank you, Marina, for sharing in a compelling and easy-to-read way these many valuable gems that you have learned through study, experience and reflection.
I am reading it and loving the insights that you share in your book, Marina! I also love the photos that so perfectly and beautifully add to your message! Thank you for composing this book!
Your book is beautiful! I truly enjoy reading it and the pictures are so full of emotions and a perfect match to your words. Congratulations my friend!