The Horses Who Made Me: A Journey to a Horsemanship Philosophy

Alizee Froment's book, "The Horses Who Made Me," is a deeply personal and strikingly beautiful exploration of her journey as a horsewoman, dressage competitor, and now a world-renowned performer and liberty trainer. She traces her evolution as a rider, from learning on Shetland ponies to challenging mounts, and shares the stories of the horses who have helped her grow. Froment explores riding the Grand Prix movements with only a neck rope and bareback, demonstrating the potential for all riders to enjoy. She also articulates her feelings when confronted with jealousy, performance expectations, and the changing circumstances and altered allegiances of her heart when her daughter Louise is born. The book is an inspiration for anyone who is striving for a better way of training horses, due to the profound beauty that can be found.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 14 July 2024
Publisher: Trafalgar Square

Alizee Froment, a former French international dressage competitor, believes that dressage is the journey to perfect communication and absolute harmony between horse and rider. Her journey began on the backs of Shetland ponies under the watchful eyes of her mother and then found its way into jumping competitions and dressage arenas. Along the way, many horses entered and exited her life, each bringing with them a depth of personality that steadily built her understanding of the relationship a rider can build with an equine partner. In her deeply personal and strikingly beautiful book, Froment traces her evolution as a horsewoman, dressage competitor, and now a world-renowned performer and liberty trainer. Readers meet the ponies she learned on, and the challenging mounts that helped her grow as a junior rider. There were horses she immediately loved and horses she 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 beside and on the back of a horse. It is with these two special souls that Froment further explored riding the Grand Prix movements with only a neck rope—no bridle or bit, and often bareback as well—and demonstrating to the world the potential that is there for all riders to enjoy, if they are open to the experience and are willing to take the time for it to evolve. Readers will be entranced by Froment's willingness to bare her soul, powerfully articulating her feelings when confronted with jealousy, with performance expectations, with the possibility of losing the horse she loved to an unknown buyer, with retiring a beloved partner, and with the changing circumstances and altered allegiances of her heart when her daughter Louise is born. As tender as a story, Froment's book is a testament to the power of dressage to transform lives and the importance of the bond between horse and rider.

Dimension: 267 x 229 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781646012152