The Wild Horse Way

The Soul of a Horse

by Joe Camp

Ok.. In case it isn't immediately obvious, no this book is not on Amazon's Top 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime.  As an avid reader, I found it quite difficult to stick just to that list when there are so many amazing novels coming out every day that I would also like to read.  So I made a new deal with myself:  For every book off the list I read, I can read one book that is not on the list.  Thus, came Joe Camp.

Camp is the writer, director, and producer of the Benji movies.  One day, Camp and his wife Kathleen decide to delve into the world of horses which.. is not for the naive of mind or heart.  As Ralph Waldo  Emerson once aptly stated, "Riding a horse is not a gently hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire.  It is a grand passion.  It seizes a person and once it has done so, he will have to accept that his life will be radically changed."  I can only assume, that Camp and his wife had not heard of this quote when they decided to purchase three horses with no prior experience whatsoever.

Again, in case it isn't immediately apparent, this book appeals to a very select group of people: horse lovers.  Horses have been a part of my life since I was seven years old, and much to the chagrin of my parents, who paid for it my whole youth, it will always be a huge part of my life.  I recently bought a new horse named Coco Chanel, who is quickly proving to be the most wonderful animal I have ever encountered. 

Camp beautifully captures the world of horses in his account.  It is filled with anecdotes about those things that horses do every day that humans will simply never understand.  He also is extremely enthusiastic about the natural horse approach. This method of horse training is based on the idea that humans have put horses in conditions that are convenient for humans but not actually good for the animal.  It embodies the ideal that horses are healthiest and happiest when living outside, with no shoes on their feet, in a large space, with other horses to create a "herd" environment.  He also emphasizes this idea of "join-up" in which humans bond with their horse, and become their leader, so the horse wants to work with them rather than be forced to do so.  He gets a little preachy on this topic, and I'll admit I took a bit of a hiatus from the book because it was too much for me.  I understood his point, and valued it, but there was a part that felt like I was being lectured.

Camp brings the story back around though, and ends with a picturesque scene of happy horses and a happy family.  Over all, it was a delightful read about what life is like with horses.  If you have horses, have had horses, or might ever have horses, I definitely recommend giving this a read.