Ride From Within

You and your horse can be one with the help of Tai Chi. Have you ever seen a talented dressage rider performing an exquisite test, her seat seemingly melding with her horse’s back, and his movements airy, animated, and effortless? Or, perhaps you have watched a great cutting horse at work, his direction and momentum changing on a dime as he reads his cow, his rider’s body flowing fluidly above him as if they were one. We all dream of experiencing this kind of connection with our horses, and in this groundbreaking new book, James Shaw shows us how the practice of Tai Chi—an ancient Chinese art that unifies the body, mind, and spirit in a series of flowing movements—can help us achieve it. His methods will enable you to: develop a sensitive seat; learn to use your breath as an aid; reduce tension unconsciously held in your hands; lower and expand your center of balance; create free movement in your lower back and spine; heal pain and stiffness in your body; and much more. James’ techniques have worked for hundreds or riders, and with practice, they will work for you. As you gain Tai Chi experience and apply it to you rider, you will find your horsemanship becoming not just more skilled, but more deeply satisfying.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The triumphant true story of a woman who rode her horse across America in the 1950s, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Horse and The Eighty-Dollar Champion “The gift Elizabeth Letts has is that she makes you feel you are the one taking this trip. This is a book we can enjoy always but especially need now.”—Elizabeth Berg, author of The Story of Arthur Truluv In 1954, sixty-three-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins embarked on an impossible journey. She had no money and no family, she had just lost her farm, and her doctor had given her only two years to live. But Annie wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. She ignored her doctor’s advice to move into the county charity home. Instead, she bought a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, donned men’s dungarees, and headed south in mid-November, hoping to beat the snow. Annie had little idea what to expect beyond her rural crossroads; she didn’t even have a map. But she did have her ex-racehorse, her faithful mutt, and her own unfailing belief that Americans would treat a stranger with kindness. Annie, Tarzan, and her dog, Depeche Toi, rode straight into a world transformed by the rapid construction of modern highways. Between 1954 and 1956, the three travelers pushed through blizzards, forded rivers, climbed mountains, and clung to the narrow shoulder as cars whipped by them at terrifying speeds. Annie rode more than four thousand miles, through America’s big cities and small towns. Along the way, she met ordinary people and celebrities—from Andrew Wyeth (who sketched Tarzan) to Art Linkletter and Groucho Marx. She received many offers—a permanent home at a riding stable in New Jersey, a job at a gas station in rural Kentucky, even a marriage proposal from a Wyoming rancher. In a decade when car ownership nearly tripled, when television’s influence was expanding fast, when homeowners began locking their doors, Annie and her four-footed companions inspired an outpouring of neighborliness in a rapidly changing world.

Become the confident, composed, and effective rider you've always wanted to be! Mental skills coach Tonya Johnston, MA, has helped thousands of equestrian athletes achieve success at every level, from recreational riders to award-winning international competitors. In Inside Your Ride, she provides specific methods and clear, easy-to-follow directions to help you mentally prepare for your next ride or competition, no matter your discipline and skill level. This book will show you how to: Become energized and overcome riding challenges Highlight progress and success within your goal setting Conquer anxiety and develop a positive attitude Stay in the moment during your ride Fine-tune your visualization skills Build a consistent preparation routine Communicate well with trainers, partners, parents, or fellow boarders Inside Your Ride is also filled with inspiring quotes, stories, and insights from Olympic and world-class riders and trainers, including Margie Engle, John French, Guenter Seidel, Anne Kursinski, McLain Ward, Gina Miles, and Missy Clark, who share their personal mental preparation strategies.

Sally Ride made history as the first American woman in space. A member of the first astronaut class to include women, she broke through a quarter-century of white male fighter jocks when NASA chose her for the seventh shuttle mission, cracking the celestial ceiling and inspiring several generations of women.After a second flight, Ride served on the panels investigating the Challenger explosion and the Columbia disintegration that killed all aboard. In both instances she faulted NASA's rush to meet mission deadlines and its organizational failures. She cofounded a company promoting science and education for children, especially girls.

A rich collection of writing from those negotiating disability in their lives - a group whose voices are not heard often enough My body and its place in the world seemed normal to me. Why wouldn’t it? I didn’t grow up disabled; I grew up with a problem. A problem that those around me wanted to fix. We have all felt that uncanny sensation that someone is watching us. The diagnosis helped but it didn’t fix everything. Don’t fear the labels. That identity, which I feared for so long, is now one of my greatest qualities. I had become disabled – not just by my disease, but by the way the world treated me. When I found that out, everything changed. One in five Australians has a disability. And disability presents itself in many ways. Yet disabled people are still underrepresented in the media and in literature. In Growing Up Disabled in Australia – compiled by writer and appearance activist Carly Findlay OAM – more than forty writers with a disability or chronic illness share their stories, in their own words. The result is illuminating. Contributors include senator Jordon Steele-John, paralympian Isis Holt, Dion Beasley, Sam Drummond, Astrid Edwards, Sarah Firth, El Gibbs, Eliza Hull, Gayle Kennedy, Carly-Jay Metcalfe, Fiona Murphy, Jessica Walton and many more.

When Kit Bridges moves to England to attend an elite equestrian boarding school, she struggles with grief from her mother's death and her fear of riding after a bad fall.

Buckle up! Max and her flock take on their most daring rescue mission yet in James Patterson's #1 bestselling Maximum Ride series. Someone—or something—is decimating ships and sea life off Hawaii's coast, and Max and her flock find themselves sucked into the Navy's top-secret investigation of the catastrophe. Their objective: rescue Max's activist mom from a wicked subterranean enemy. The hitch: They must dive deep into dark waters, where gruesome evil dwells . . . and for high-flying Maximum Ride, could there be anything more terrifying than being trapped in the great abyss? With sky-high thrills, this soaring adventure takes Maximum Ride and the Flock into terrifying new territory—fans, hold your breath!

Discusses the nature and mechanics of horses and theories, philosophies, and foundations of horsemanship, covering handling, round-pen exercises, riding techniques, trailer loading, hobble-breaking, and more, with anecdotes relating to each chapter's topics as well as tips and troubleshooting exercises.