Consignment

Healing Power of Horses Lessons from the Lakota Indians, Wendy Beth Baker

Wendy Beth Baker’s The Healing Power of Horses is devoted to the world’s greatest horsepeople, the Oglala Lakota Indians of Pine Ridge, South Dakota. She begins the book by sharing the philosophy of these great horse-loving people: “There are those who feel the sun rises and sets on the back of a horse, and no matter what obstacles life sets in their way, they never dismount.” The spirit and fortitude of the Lakota Indians inform Baker’s words as she describes how this once-nomadic tribe came to view the horse as sacred and assigned it great significance in their culture, religion, and lifestyle. The Indians who live on the Pine Ridge Reservation have grown spiritually and as a community through their relationship with their horses, and it is through this connection to the natural world that the power of healing and ultimately, health, flows.

With photography by Hope Vinitsky, The Healing Power of Horses tells the individual stories of over a dozen Lakota Indians and how horses have affected each of their lives. Baker was able to interview each of these inspiring individuals for inclusion in this book. The empowering stories told come from Wayne Waters, Marlin “Moon” Weston, Eugenio White Hawk, Wendell Yellow Bull, Aldeen Twiss, Phillip Jumping Eagle and Billy, Dale Vocu, Emma and Shelly Waters, Wilmer Mesteth, Vernell White Thunder, Pat Heathershaw, Lester Waters, and the Carlows. While the stories of each of these exceptional men and women are different, the common denominator in each is the horse’s transformative power to heal their minds, spirits, and bodies. These are stories of artists, athletes, and common noble folk, all of whom have struggled to overcome life’s many obstacles to thrive and become better people.

The author’s intention in this book, as she describes in the final section “The Future of the Lakota Horsepeople,” is to have her readers gain a better understanding of horses in Lakota culture while at the same time affording some of the Lakota people an opportunity to reconnect with their cultural identity. In reading this book, it is clear that the Lakota people have preserved the emotional power of their ancient culture and strength as a people by maintaining their connection to horses, animals that they deeply love. Fiercely loyal to the United States, the Lakota horsepeople are a strong, proud, and brave community who have much to teach all people about life and the pursuit of healing.

The Tao of Equus, Linda Kohanov

In The Tao of Equus, author Linda Kohanov intertwines the story of how she awakened to the spiritual presence of horses with compelling mythology, research, and personal anecdotes. The result is an extraordinary story of healing and communication that turns our conventional understanding of these amazing creatures upside down.

A horse trainer and equine-facilitated therapy practitioner, Kohanov first began exploring the horse human connection in the early 1990s. When her black mare, Rasa, became lame, Kohanov was plagued by a series of sinister dreams and premonitions. Finally, prompted by her dreams, she canceled a risky surgery to save Rasa’s potential career in competitive riding. To relate to the injured horse outside conventional equestrian pursuits, Kohanov immersed herself in the day-to-day activities of the herd. In the process, she discovered that horses are intensely emotional, intuitive, intelligent beings. They are true reflections of our deepest souls. Over time, she discovered their extraordinary ability to awaken intuition in humans, while mirroring the authentic feelings people try to hide, makes these animals powerful therapeutic teachers.

Horses Don’t Lie, Chris Irwin

Written by one of the original Horse Whisperers Horses Don’t Lie is the definitive guide to training horses and every horse trainer will welcome this method. After years of using his method to train horses Chris came to see that it could also be applied to human behaviour. As Chris points out: “A horse knows what you know.” The characteristics necessary for building good relationships with horses can be used to deepen our relationships with other people and to enrich our daily lives. Horses can teach us how to communicate with empathy and patience, not only with them but with each other. Humans, like dogs, are natural predators while horses are prey that evolved to band together in packs for protection. This results in two differing types of consciousness and for a human to think like prey teaches many things. It teaches the trust and honesty essential in building relationships, and not only in a relationship with a horse; while the sensitivity and awareness that characterises a horse’s perception of the world are qualities we could all use in our own lives. “Always think like a horse and not like a dog.” The real magic of horse whispering is what horses reveal to us about ourselves when we strive to understand their behaviour. Horses Don’t Lie will teach you about the connections we can make in our lives when we learn from horses.