About the Book
After more than 20 years in print, an updated edition of the evocative and transformational classic about the powerful bond between women and horses When Linda Kohanov wrote The Tao of Equus over twenty years ago, she posed questions that few were asking: Do horses make choices? How do they seem to know what people are thinking and feeling? Are horses spiritual beings? What do they have to teach people? Why are women so attracted to horses? The answers, detailed in this extraordinary chronicle that synthesizes science, behavioral research, and personal insight, transformed how we think about one of humanity's oldest companions and established Kohanov at the vanguard of the emerging field of animal-assisted learning/therapy.
In this updated edition, Kohanov weaves new developments in neurological science and scholarship into her original exploration of spiritual awakening, cultural history, and mythology. The Tao of Equus delves into the mental and spiritual processes behind the magical connections that people often experience with horses. It remains a powerful exploration of the feminine wisdom horses model, subtleties that women riders have intuited for centuries.
About the Author :
Linda Kohanov has written five books on the healing and transformational potential of the horse-human bond. In 1997, she founded Eponaquest Worldwide, a southern Arizona-based collective of educators, coaches, counselors, and horse professionals, which has since grown to serve clients on six continents. Eponaquest.com
Review :
Praise for the revised edition of The Tao of Equus
"This updated edition of Kohanov's classic work takes the reader and rider even deeper into the realm of myth and insight, with new explorations of the horse as healer, as well as transformer, of the human. A must-read."
-- Rupert Isaacson, author of The Horse Boy
"In the revised and updated version of her seminal book, The Tao of Equus, Linda Kohanov provides a pertinent scientific framework to elucidate how the sentient wisdom of the horse is whispered back and forth between horse and human. She skillfully weaves neuroscience, the polyvagal theory, and some exciting new research into and between personal anecdotes, healing experiences, dreams, and mythology. The reader discovers how horses and humans have coevolved to reciprocally regulate each other's physiological states and foster mutual growth and restoration. This timely book will inspire not only people interested in horses but all those who recognize the importance of reviving the wisdom of the ancients and restoring our engagement with nature before it is too late."
-- Ann L. Baldwin, PhD, Professor Emerita of Physiology at University of Arizona, director of Mind-Body-Science, and author of The Vagus Nerve in Therapeutic Practice
"This masterpiece invites us to join Linda Kohanov on her extraordinary journey with horses as she harvests a magnificent maturation of her work that she first introduced over twenty years ago. Expect to have an adventure, a trail ride over many landscapes and across time, if you will, traveling deeply into revelations of the depth of our human connections with our horse ancestors and discovering fresh, empowering possibilities for our future."
-- Trish Broersma, author of Riding into Your Mythic Life: Transformational Adventures with the Horse
"The Tao of Equus inspired the addition of equine-facilitated learning into our curriculum for medical students and residents. Linda Kohanov's ongoing research as a teacher, trainer, and writer, reflected in this new edition, is an important contribution to the field of integrative medicine and to our center."
-- Devorah Morris Coryell, director of Integrative Medicine Elective Rotation (IMER), Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine
"Linda Kohanov escorts readers through a transformative spiritual odyssey with horses as the guiding spirits. There's an old adage that says, 'When the student is ready, the teacher appears.' If this book crosses your path, my advice would be to open your heart and mind and let it in."
-- Warwick Schiller, horse trainer, host of The Journey On Podcast, and author of The Principles of Training
Praise for the first edition of The Tao of Equus
"Linda Kohanov's stories about the mystery of healing and transformation between human and horse are extraordinary, magical. Linda has done her homework, and her book stands well on its research, but it dances on its stories. A book that can change minds, hearts, and attitudes."
-- Susan Chernak McElroy, author of Animals as Teachers and Healers
"An extraordinarily moving account of a gifted thinker, writer, teacher, and horsewoman who dares to venture deep within to explore the truth of the connection that merges horse, human, mind, emotion, and spirit."
-- Riding
"This articulate, well-researched story brings together many disciplines of learning and weaves a magic carpet for discovery with our horses. The Tao of Equus will allow your imagination to take flight, and give you insight into yourself and your equine partner."
-- The Equestrian News
"Kohanov is a steadfast writer who isn't shy about claiming a strong feminine approach, showing how mythology and history are filled with examples of powerful woman-horse connections. She also has the courage to reveal her paranormal experiences with these intensely emotional and intuitive animals -- stories that may sound familiar to anyone who has ever loved and dreamed of horses."
-- Amazon.com's Best of 2001
"An exciting, multidimensional work."
-- NAPRA Review
"This inspirational book would make an excellent gift not only for horse lovers, but for anyone dealing with fundamental questions of grief, sadness, and healing."
-- BookPage
"This is a new story in which both masculine and feminine are healed, raised to honored positions, and offered a clean slate -- a tabula rasa -- for the dawning of a new era."
-- Noetic Sciences Review
"The Tao of Equus helps us to experience the exquisite balance between body, mind, and spirit."
-- Lynn V. Andrews, author of Medicine Woman
"The Tao of Equus reveals the transformative, healing power that is implicit in the human-animal bond. It is a startling challenge to anyone wishing to limit consciousness to humans."
-- Larry Dossey, MD, author of Reinventing Medicine
