Customer Reviews

The Soul of a Horse: Life Lessons from the Herd

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is about Joe Camps's journey with his horses. This is not a book for you if you don't believe in natural horsemanship. I bought my horse a year ago and I struggled with building my opinion on different things like weather she should wear shoes or not, etc... This book helped me confirm that the natural way is the way to go :)

Reading The Soul of a Horse is an intimate look into the spirit of a horse and what truly makes him do what he does. Joe Camp takes the reader into the soul of his beloved Cash and through Cash's experiences (read and probable) explains clearly and concisely exactly how his friend sees the world and why he acts and reacts as he does. Joe explains how to get the most of the human-horse relatinship through love, understanding, and logic.

I recommend this book to anyone who has ever had or hopes to have a horse or any animal. It's an amazing journey that leads Joe not only to discover the soul of a horse but untimately to find new depths in his own spirit and life. I will be re-reading The Soul of a Horse many, many times.

Gail MacMillan, Bathurst, New Brunswick, author of Ceilidh's Quest and Biography of a Beagle

I had the terrific luck to see an advance copy of this book and I'm in awe. The Soul of a Horse is a wonderful read, a great story, and not just for horsey folks. I cannot find the words so I'm quoting below two professionals with whom I agree.

Joe Camp is a natural when it comes to understanding how animals tick and a genius at telling us their story. The Soul of a Horse is a must read for those who love animals of any species.?
Monty Roberts
Author of New York Timers Best-seller The Man Who Listens to Horses

The Soul of a Horse is beautiful. As I read it, I kept needing to go outside to pet Smokey; not for his sake, but for mine (actually the best place to read it would be sitting in the middle of a pasture full of horses). Everyone who reads this book will laugh a little, cry a little, and think a lot; about the horse, about mankind, and about themselves. Some will be angry, some will be sad. Others will jump for joy that this story was told. But this is the case with any Truth. In the end The Soul of a Horse will pave the road to a better world for our beloved horses. At the same time I do believe this ?hard look in the mirror? will make the world a little better for people, too.?
Pete Ramey
Author, Clinician, Hoof Rehabilitation Specialist

This book takes you through the first two years that a couple goes through for first time horse owners. Lots of very funny stories, and what I really appreciated, was some really good solid information about horses - their feet, using blankets vs no blankets, feed, etc. An eye opener for me, as I am currently looking to buy my first horse.

Even if you don't own or will never own a horse, this is a great book to read. Again, like Monty Robert's book, it very plainly shows that trust (and some self-education!) are the key to success.

Highly recommend this book.

I was enthralled by this book. I had spent 15 years of my life researching and learning everything about horsemanship through books, seminars, video and travel to many countries. I arrived at the identical conclusions found in Joe Camp's book. . This is advice you can trust and believe in. I had to answer one question: "If I was a horse would I want to be owned by me?"........I am sure Joe Camp's horses are thrilled to be owned by Joe Camp as I hope mine are happy to be owned by me. It takes thought, knowledge, love,and a sense of no-compromise to achieve what Joe Camp has with his horses. We can all do it and should.

As a firm believer that the horse does things for me because she wants to, and that I am part of her herd once respect has been created, I often can be skeptical when reading books that are horse related. I was extremely pleased to find out that this book helps people understand the importance of a natural horse environment, is full of humour and teachings, and is also written with identified research to support the theories.
It is written for, and with the horse owner in mind, not written with a veterinarian in mind.
There were moments when I laughed, and other moments when I cried, and times when I wanted to phone Joe to thank him. Some people will read this book and say that the environment he is talking about is not for them. I disagree. It is the preferred environment for a horse. Joe and Kathleen have done a great job documenting and creating an environment that is as close to their natural habitat as possible.
The added feature that made this book wonderful was the parallel story of the wild herd.

I was so excited to read this awesome book (or a draft of it) that I could not stop until I was finished. I cannot wait for it to be published and available! I am already compiling a list of people I want to pre-order it for as a gift. Joe is a great story teller. He has managed to pull together all of the aspects that make up this new paradigm of horse care called "natural horsemanship", and has done so in a manner that is some how both gentle and forgiving to the reader as well as absolutely unquestionable. He makes it simple and so obviously the best way to keep and relate to horses. There will be so many horses (and people) that will benefit tremendously from this book! What a blessing Joe Camp is.

Terry Jenkins
Retired Zoo Sanctuary manager and animal advocate
Struggling my way into the new paradigm.

I have read an advance copy of this book, and I was transfixed. I couldn't stop reading the book. I stayed up way too late, but I finished the book--every word of it. It made me feel like a kid again, when I hid under the covers past my bedtime to read horse books--all the Walter Farley Black Stallion books, horse bios like Exterminator...this is a great book, written with compassion, and allowing the reader to live Joe's experiences. I am in awe of how Joe Camp has managed to compile the Natural Horse wisdom into such a nurturing and personal format. I'm sure that every reader will project him/herself into the situations that Joe describes with his horses. Anyone who has ever been with horses or who loves horses needs to read this book.

Thanks to Joe Camp for enriching my life!

I truly enjoyed this book as it mirrored my own journey with horses in many ways and is therefore very easy to relate to. I love that he pushes people to question the status quo, research things yourself and come up with common sense solutions to problems with the horse foremost in mind. This can be a hard thing to do in the face of all the strong (and often times conflicting) opinions prevalent in the horse world, but it ultimately benefits the horse and our relationship with them. If you enjoy his story telling format, I highly recommend any of Mark Rashid's books.

This book is one of those that you just can't put down, I spent a whole weekend at the cottage reading this.
Even if your not a horse owner you will find enjoyment in Joe's stories & experiences.
If you own horses & find there's something missing in the connection between you & your horse then this is a good place to start.

After reading this you will be sure have a different attitude towards your horse. Do you kiss your horse ? I surely do, each & everyone I ride.
A truely inspiring book.