Zen and Horses: Lessons from a Year of Riding by Ingrid Soren. After a particularly nasty fall from my trusted older horse a few years ago, I picked up and read Soren¯s account of how she determined to overcome her fear of horses. Soren takes her reader through a year of lessons on various horses, the riding instructors and horsewomen she met, and the many horses who touched her life. This is a meditative book that seamlessly blends Soren's study of Zen Buddhism with her study of horsemanship, and her love for great literature.

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Product Description

"To become a good horseman, one needs to be bold, agile, and relaxed," wrote Udo Burger, the renowned equine veterinarian. Horse lovers will tell you that this is because these keen and magnificent animals respond powerfully to the subtlest body language. How you approach the horse is a reflection of how you approach the world. Think bold, agile, and relaxed.

In Zen and Horses, author Ingrid Soren shares the wealth of true-life lessons she learned as a beginning student of both horseback riding and Zen Buddhism. Looking to make a fresh start following the demise of a long-term relationship, she discovers a well of inner strength by overcoming her terror of horses, progressing slowly from inexperience in the saddle through frustration and humility to, eventually, exhilaration. "One great thing about riding," she writes, "is that it is a potent ego reducer."

Weaving her own vivid images of the English countryside with lines from Henry Miller, T. S. Eliot, Dogen, Buddha, and other writers and thinkers, Soren captures the essence of what captivates people so about horses-- physically, mentally, and spiritually. At the same time, she draws meaningful parallels between such concepts as being versus doing, the self versus the other, and endings and beginnings. Readers also come to know the personalities of Soren's many mounts-- Dulcie, PG, Rocky, Jade, Leo, and the others-- as each in turn becomes her Zen master.

Like Zen in the Art of Archery, published nearly 50 years earlier, Zen and Horses shows that the challenges we face are finally met when we trust in the moment and, with grace, let go.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #867103 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Review
"What a lovely book! Not only for those of us who know the special magic of time spent with horses, but for anyone navigating a journey of self-discovery and understanding."--Tami Hoag, best-selling author of Dust to Dust and champion amateur Grand Prix dressage rider

"It's so moving.... A very powerful read."--London Evening Standard

"For the horse rider, it is a book of constant recognition; you will find yourself nodding in agreement, smiling...."--Irish Examiner

"Amusing and enjoyable.... A fascinating take on overcoming fears."--Cambridgeshire Journal
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Review

From the Inside Flap
"To become a good horseman, one needs to be bold, agile, and relaxed," wrote Udo Burger, the renowned equine veterinarian. Horse lovers will tell you that this is because these keen and magnificent animals respond powerfully to the subtlest body language. How you approach the horse is a reflection of how you approach the world. Think bold, agile, and relaxed.

In Zen and Horses, author Ingrid Soren shares the wealth of true-life lessons she learned as a beginning student of both horseback riding and Zen Buddhism. Looking to make a fresh start following the demise of a long-term relationship, she discovers a well of inner strength by overcoming her terror of horses, progressing slowly from inexperience in the saddle through frustration and humility to, eventually, exhilaration. "One great thing about riding," she writes, "is that it is a potent ego reducer."

Weaving her own vivid images of the English countryside with lines from Henry Miller, T. S. Eliot, Dogen, Buddha, and other writers and thinkers, Soren captures the essence of what captivates people so about horses-- physically, mentally, and spiritually. At the same time, she draws meaningful parallels between such concepts as being versus doing, the self versus the other, and endings and beginnings. Readers also come to know the personalities of Soren's many mounts-- Dulcie, PG, Rocky, Jade, Leo, and the others-- as each in turn becomes her Zen master.

Like Zen in the Art of Archery, published nearly 50 years earlier, Zen and Horses shows that the challenges we face are finally met when we trust in the moment and, with grace, let go.

Ingrid Soren lives in a village in rural Suffolk, England, where she teaches yoga and Zen. She was educated in Cambridge and Paris, and has studied Eastern philosophies and practiced yoga for 20 years. She is currently working on her second book.

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Customer Reviews

Calming and wonderful
The cover photo and the title is what caught my eye. And we are a horse loving, horse riding family going back generations. And the book is small. A tad bigger than 5X7 but it is so full of wisdom. And until I read it I never had thought of the Zen aspect of horses. Their stillness and power and the way they just "are".

The way she speaks of Ducie and the other horses she rode, the reader feels like they are there almost as an eavesdropper or horse voyeur. In chapter four A Portion Of Genius I could almost smell the stables when she writes "several girls were mucking out the stables when I arrived. Piles of dirty straw littered the cobbles, and two horses were drinking from a stone trough at one end." And when she speaks of Johnny as being camp and how he was slight, dainty and balding in a lavender shirt and salmon pink carvat I had to chuckle thinking of a man this reminds me of.

Chapter Twelve Surrender and Trust was enchanting. The way she writes of Jade the horse and practicing her dressage and how animals (page 99) have much to teach us about acceptance and how riding is really a Zen like state of mind. Where you become one with the animal and the rest of the world seems to fade away.

How horse therapy with children as well as adults helps bridge the gap of fear into a world where this large animal that so many see as a power force can become the trusted friend that rather than hurt will instead with its rocking motion as you ride, will soothe and calm and take the fear away.

I am not going to tell anymore about the book because it is so special and I simply want you to read it and treasure it and be better for it.

A must read for students of riding and students of life
Ingrid Sorens' touching recount of her first years of riding is intelligent and insightful. I think it is fabulous that someone riding for such a relativley short period of time was able to come to the realization of allowing the horse to just be and not get in their way, the path to truly harmonious riding.
To read her descriptions is to be there. She is a vibrant writer who brings you into her space with masterful skill. You do not have to be searching for a book on riding(although all riders should read it) to find this one intriguing. It is a fabulous journey about living life, overcoming fears and an intimate exploraton of Zen philosophy. It has helped me refocus in my life. THANK YOU.
Horses or no, I will be looking forward greatly to her next release. Can't wait.

A must have
I bought this book to read about another person's journey learning to ride horse. I closed this book knowing and understanding myself and my riding much better. I would never have thought of me and my horse becoming like one skin. It is amazing how Ingred after such a short time riding, could feel her horse tense under her and even predict what her horse's next move would be...I've been riding for 2 years, and I still feel like I don't have a clue what's going on in my horses' minds. But, I know a lot more now, and I know how to improve my riding. It starts with letting the horse be itself. And "opening the tunnel"!