The Smart Woman's Guide to Midlife Horses: Finding Meaning, Magic and Mastery in the Second Half of Life

This book freed me from my expectations about being "as good as I used to be" and "affording horses on my retirement income."As a person with two disabling conditions who retired earlier than I meant to due to them, I had a lot of judgment and fear around horses... even the darling little mare I had acquired a few years ago.This book reminded me to look at "all the ways I can have horses in my life." By letting go of the expectations of what "having horses" looked like, I found lots of ways of "being a horsey person" ranging from connecting with other groups to volunteering to assist with fundraising for the Iberian Horse Rescue in Washington and the "Mustangs to the Rescue" in Oregon. Not having a lot of money - but having done some artwork over the past year - I started participating in benefit art shows (and donating prints to encourage donations of money to the rescue). That has been very rewarding.Best of all, as I took the pressure off, I began doing better with my little mare and hope to be able to ride her sometime this season despite my conditions. (I have taken up bike riding as a way to build the balance I need to get back on the horse.)The book really helps. (Check out one of the donation prints that raised $60 for Iberian Horse Rescue!) Thanks, Melinda, for the inspiration to "think outside the stall!"I began to have a lot of fun ground training my mare, found a spectacularly good boarding barn for her (at half the price I had been paying), began to take basic lessons now and again - and do expect to

I wish I could remember how I even stumbled across this book on Amazon...what I can tell you is that I'm awfully glad I bought it.First of all, this is very much a book written by a woman for women. It's a wonderful blend of feeling/circular thought processes with the very nuts-and-bolts practical - and that makes it my absolutely favorite kind of book.I loved that the author GOT horse hunger (it's had a hold on me from my earliest years, even though I've never actually owned my very own horse)...and also completely got realities like limitations on time and money. Finally, she got the fact that with my 40-year-old body...and the realization that I have people depending on my earning power...I have some fear issues I never used to have...and sensible advice for dealing with that. (I no longer want to just jump right onto a horse and ride. Sometimes it's enough just to groom a horse that really enjoys the attention.) :)Fact is, the whole book was chock-a-block full of good advice. I particularly loved the four-category Need versus Love formula for deciding where to splurge and where to pinch pennies at the end of chapter six. And as someone who's dreamed for years of moving somewhere comparatively rural (I live in an area of the country where it's expensive just to live...never mind board a horse), I SO appreciated the chapter on "Good horsekeeping" which talked about some of the realities that come with living in the country. (It's good to give dreams a good dose of reality before you leap!)Thanks, Melinda...for such a great addition to my library.

When I was a kid I read all the horsey books, although I never got that pony! Now that I am in my dotage, my love of horses has come raging back, and what is more interesting, is that it has done so with several friends as well. I stumbled on this book on Amazon, and bought if for a friend who is taking up riding again at age 65.I read it first (of course you must do that when buying a book as a gift, right?), and was so impressed by the author's undaunted quest to renew her relationship with horses. The book has quite a bit of reflection, as the title suggests, and while I am not usually crazy about that kind of text, this one is well done, tempered with humor, and the perfect read for women who are growing older and still excited about life, and about learning something new. I would even say that this aspect of the book is a great read for any woman, whether "horsey" or not.Much of the text does give lots of practical information about how to take care of a horse, especially for those who are new to the practice. I would recommend this to anyone who is thinking about getting or being with a horse, and to any woman who is looking for an inspirational read about stepping out on the path.

As a horsewoman who took a 20 year haitus from horses, this book is a welcome refresher. It is full of spot-on advice for the beginner who has no horse experience, or someone like me getting back into it. Being older and more brittle is a concern for me, and it was encouraging to find the author addressing those issues. It's a reference book that you can skip around and refer back to often. Well written. It covers not only the emotional aspects of horses, but the practical side like how to take care of them as well. Everything from tack and equipment, to costs, to boarding your horse, types of riding styles, fitness, feed, and much more. It is also a book to help a person decide if they want to only sample the horse world, or totally immerse themselves in it. Written primarily for women, I see that men can benefit from the wisdom and information in this book as well. Easy to read, and packed with useful data. I liked it so much that I purchased the E version for my tablet, so I can refer to it anywhere- except when I'm out on the trails!

It is probably very, very useful to someone who just suddenly decides to add horses to her life, in midlife. However, from reading the sample I thought it was going to be much more about the meaning of life and the magic of having horses in your life. It was more like an encyclopaedia of knowledge for the aspiring (American) horsewoman. Very thorough, but I ended up jumping chapters to try to find the bits I might relate to. I would recommend it to someone who really didn't have much idea how to go about having horses at midlife.

I have not actually had time to read this book but only leafed through it ! I am looking forward to actually sitting down and reading it properly as it looks a fun and engagingread.

This is the most inane, overblown, codswallop I have ever read in my life. It is an embarrassment to horse owners anywhere and an insult to smart women everywhere.

It was well organized to encourage and provide a wide range of information for an adult to begin or begin again, with horses.It had less about riding than I expected and more about the physical, social, emotional, management and financial issues involved with trying to fit a horse into our busy lives.

Ich bezweifle, dass es in Deutsch ein Buch gibt, dass sich dem Thema Pferdehaltung so vertieft annimmt. Es ist geradezu ein Lebenshilfe-Buch und bei weitem nicht nur für Frauen in der zweiten Lebenshälfte. Uneingeschränkt zu empfehlen!