Begin and Begin Again: The Bright Optimism of Reinventing Life with Horses

by Denny Emerson

Overview

An exciting follow-up from the bestselling author of How Good Riders Get Good and Know Better to Do Better.

We all start somewhere with horses. As a toddler on a pony. As a teenager with friends who ride. As an adult who always loved horses, but life just got in the way…until now.

Some of us start over. We sell our horses to go to school, to have careers or babies (or both). We decide to quit dressage and start reining. We fall off…and get back on.

There are all sorts of beginning places, and they can be for the first time or after a “gap.” They can mean you are beginning, or your horse is. They can mean you barely got started, or you started badly. Renowned horseman Denny Emerson knows all about the importance of these beginnings. Through an impressive career in the saddle that spans decades, he has worked with all different breeds, competed at the top international levels of eventing and endurance, lost horses and found new ones, taught young riders and adult amateurs, traded Western tack for English and back again, been injured…only to rehab, climb back in the saddle, and start over.

In his third book, Emerson once again masterfully intertwines his entertaining reflections from a life embedded in the equestrian world with serious philosophical questions faced by the industry today and practical advice honed by his immense experience. Readers will discover:

• How to make your beginning with horses easier…and how to make it harder.

• How having the right horse versus having the wrong horse can affect a beginning…or mean you should begin again.

• The importance of a team (family, friends, trainers, coaches) you trust and rely upon.

• Ways to identify how you learn, see, hear, and feel, and how to apply that knowledge with horses.

• The need for knowing how far you want to go and how much are you willing to give up to go there.

With inspirational stories of beginning and beginning again from top equestrians, as well as personal reflections from “regular” horse people around the world, these pages promise to inspire a start or a change, and provide a roadmap we all can follow, whatever our ambitions. Emerson reassures us that it doesn’t matter where your beginning point is—start where you are. And, even better, there is a do-over button—you just have to decide to push it. This book is for every horse person who continues to dream of something else or something more, and just needs someone to say: “Begin.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646010400
Publisher:	Trafalgar Square
Publication date:	03/01/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	740,077
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Denny Emerson has ridden thousands of horses over many thousands of miles in all kinds of horse sports. He has been president of the US Eventing Association (USEA) and the Green Mountain Horse Association (GMHA), and a vice-president of the US Equestrian Team (USET). He has been inducted into three Halls of Fame: the USEA Hall of Fame, the Vermont Academy Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Dartmouth College Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2000, he was named “One of the 50 Most Influential Horsemen of the 20th Century” by The Chronicle of the Horse. He is also the author of How Good Riders Get Good and Know Better to Do Better.

Denny Emerson has ridden thousands of horses over many thousands of miles in all kinds of horse sports. He has been president of the US Eventing Association (USEA) and the Green Mountain Horse Association (GMHA), and a vice-president of the US Equestrian Team (USET). He has been inducted into three Halls of Fame: the USEA Hall of Fame, the Vermont Academy Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Dartmouth College Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2000, he was named “One of the 50 Most Influential Horsemen of the 20th Century” by The Chronicle of the Horse. He is also the author of How Good Riders Get Good and Know Better to Do Better.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

1 Begin for the First Time 5

2 Begin to Appreciate the Here and Now 23

3 Begin a Different Discipline or Activity 37

4 Begin Facing Down Your Fears 63

5 Begin to Educate Yourself 79

6 Begin to Accept Change 87

7 Begin to Train with Intention 103

8 Begin to Try the Impossible 139

9 Begin Your Bucket List 167

10 Begin to Embrace What Still Could Be 197

Index 205

Editorial Reviews

Denny Emerson’s Begin and Begin Again is the book I’ve been waiting for him to write.One of our most accomplished competitive equestrians has a broad and compassionate view of the role that horses can play in all the phases of our lives, and assures us that most of us will invent and reinvent our relationship with horses throughout our lives. Beautifully illustrated with photos, interspersed with inspiring stories of re-riders who have stepped away and gone back to a life with horses, and filled with practical tips, this is a book that every horse person will want to purchase, put on the most treasured book shelf, and refer to again and again.” —Elizabeth Letts, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of The Ride of Her Life and The Eighty-Dollar Champion

“Denny has done it again! His latest book Begin and Begin Again is chock full of the wisdom and wit that we’ve all come to expect from our national treasure Denny Emerson.The sidebars ‘Stories from Riders’ assure the regular rider they are on the right path and the in-depth competition journeys provide a behind the scenes look at competition at the highest level. I highly recommend this book to riders of all ages and riding abilities!” —Sally Batton, President and Founder of Athletic Equestrian League and author of The Athletic Equestrian

“Emerson intertwines philosophy with anecdotes, and the book features sidebars with stories from professionals and amateurs alike about beginnings on their equestrian journeys. ... While the lessons are centered around horses, most can be applied to other aspects of life—from creating an environment conducive to learning to knowing when it’s best to walk away and begin again.” —UnTacked magazine

From the Publisher