I have been sorting through my books to cut down on the clutter. It’s been a bigger job than I anticipated. It’s hard trying to decide what horse books to keep and what to donate. Just when I decide to give away a book to someone who might benefit from reading it, a little voice in my head tells me that I might want to read it again someday to remind myself of the gems between its covers that helped shape my thinking and understanding of horses.
I picked up my old, worn copy of True Unity by Tom Dorrance and immediately put it on the top of the “must keep” pile. It’s not an easy book to read, but just about every page offers a gem worth reading and thinking about.
I was about to discard another bundle when a copy of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry fell on the floor. In my opinion, it is the best horse book ever written that was never intended for horse people. It went on top of the Tom Dorrance book. Both are remarkable books and have had a huge impact on my horsemanship.
I proceeded to sort through my collection. Some were valuable classics by past masters, and some by relatively unknown trainers and riders. I tried to be brutal and ended with a much smaller pile of “must keep” books than of “find a new home” books.
What books would you would keep. What writing most influenced your horsemanship and your riding? What books would you tell a younger you that you must read and study?
