Synopsis "The Horses Who Made Me"
How a Grand Prix dressage ridercompeted at the highest level before finding her way to liberty work, and theextraordinary lessons that molded her perceptions, understandings, and feelingsalong the way."In my eyes," says former Frenchinternational dressage competitor Alizée Froment, "dressage is the journey toperfect communication and absolute harmony between horse and rider." Her ownjourney began on the backs of Shetland ponies under the watchful eyes of hermother and then found its way into jumping competitions, and later on, dressagearenas. Along the way, many horses entered and exited her life, each bringingwith them a depth of personality that steadily built her understanding of therelationship a rider can build with an equine partner.In her deeply personal andstrikingly beautiful book, Froment traces her evolution as a horsewoman, adressage competitor, and now a world-renowned performer and trainer of liberty horses--horses that perform free of anything on their bodies.Readers meet the ponies she learned on, and the challenging mounts that helpedher grow as a junior rider. There were horses she immediately loved and horsesshe had to work to connect with--and eventually there were Mistral and Sultan, who she calls her "yin and yang," and who elevated her aspirations both besideand on the back of a horse. It is with these two special souls that Fromentfurther explored riding the Grand Prix movements with only a neck rope--nobridle or bit, and often bareback as well--and demonstrating to the world thepotential that is there for all riders to enjoy, if they are open to theexperience and are willing to take the time for it to evolve.Readers will be entranced byFroment's willingness to bare her soul, powerfully articulating her feelingswhen confronted with jealousy, with performance expectations, with thepossibility of losing the horse she loved to an unknown buyer, with retiring abeloved partner, and with the changing circumstances and altered allegiances ofher heart when her daughter Louise is born. As tender as a story about riding, competing, and performing with horses at the highest levels can be, The Horses Who Made Me isfirst a story of one woman's personal journey, eternally questioning herself, and second, an inspiration for anyone who is forever striving for a better wayof training horses, because of the profound beauty you just might find.
