A compelling look at a lifetime of success competing with
horses, and what it takes to make sure it is the horse that always wins.
Is it possible to be simultaneously passionate about winning in an... Read More
Description
A compelling look at a lifetime of success competing with
horses, and what it takes to make sure it is the horse that always wins.
Is it possible to be simultaneously passionate about winning in an equestrian sport and about the welfare of horses?
Professional polo player Adam Snow and sport horse veterinarian Shelley Onderdonk answer this undeniably twenty-first-century question with a resounding, “Yes!” They have spent a lifetime together, nurturing Adam’s astounding career at the top of his sport (he is the last American polo player to achieve the perfect 10-goal handicap) with the artful, conscientious care and training of the equine partners he needed to be the best. And Shelley’s twenty-five years as an equine veterinarian have been spent helping sport horses compete at the highest levels in other disciplines, as well—including reining, racing, eventing, show jumping, and dressage—while always prioritizing long-term health and well-being.
In these pages, Adam and Shelley share the keys to their success…and the struggles and celebrations that taught them along the way. Through the lens of their disparate and yet synchronous experiences in the intense realm of world-class equestrian sport, they explore topics of concern and those worthy of consideration, including the:
• Role of natural training methods and horse-human communication
• Cultivation of a competitive training mindset• Responsibility of a veterinary team member: goals of prevention and realities of diagnosis
• Options offered by therapeutic alternatives
• Best steps when preparing human and horse for competition
• Hard questions to ask when maintaining an equine athlete
• Pieces that make up the performance puzzle: conditioning, farriery, tack, and travel
• Reality of retirement and when it is the right thing to do, for horse and human
Smart, engaging, and honest, this book is the answer to the online debates and the boardroom arguments. With intelligence and experience, the authors provide the much-needed antidote to the dark side of horse sports. “Our story is an explicit acknowledgement that doing good for the horse is good for results in the competitive arena,” they write. “Our task is to explain our method, and yours is to prove that it can be replicated.”
Details
- Price: $29.95
- Pages: 248
- Carton Quantity: 18
- Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books
- Imprint: Trafalgar Square Books
- Publication Date: 13th June 2023
- Trim Size: 7.25 x 9.25 in
- Illustration Note: 76 color photos
- ISBN: 9781646011728
- Format: Paperback
- BISACs:
PETS / Horses
SPORTS & RECREATION / Equestrian
Reviews
"What an incredible opportunity for all equestrians to get knowledge, experience, and life lessons from a two of the most respected horse people in the world. Shelley Onderdonk and Adam Snow have had amazing horse lives and careers. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone. There is so much here to learn, understand, and appreciate. It’s a must-read!" —Phillip Dutton, 7-Time Olympian, 13-Time USEA Leading Rider of the Year, and Author of Modern Eventing with Phillip Dutton
"'The horses must come first.’ This is the mantra that should be the guidepost for anyone who plays with horses in a competitive arena. Winning with Horses is a must for anyone's equestrian library—full of thoughtfulness, empathy, and a progressive outlook that is valuable in any kind of life with horses. The shared thought process between veterinary work and a high-level competitive program is rare and needs to be celebrated. This is a wonderful philosophy that promotes the idea that horsemanship based on a horse's emotional and physical well-being is always the most successful way to live in this world.” —David O’Connor, USEF Chief of Sport, Former USEF President, Individual Gold and Team Silver and Bronze Olympic Medalist
"A lot of books have been written about how to train horses, but not many books have discussed how to train ourselves, when it comes to training and treating our horses. Winning with Horses will make readers think about themselves from beginning to end. The authors share their experience—the highs and the lows—with horses, and their knowledge about horses, which they have applied in a way that aims to please the horse. And because of that the horses reward them with success. It is an absolute pleasure to read about a competitor and a veterinarian not willing to lower their standards when it comes to doing what is right for the animal! No matter what equestrian discipline you pursue, reading Winning with Horses is a learning experience. Everyone should read this book!” —Volker Brommann, FEI-Level Dressage Trainer and Clinician, Translator for Former US and German Dressage Team Coach Klaus Balkenhol
“A perfectly timed half-halt of a book. The Onderdonk-Snow duo offer us a glimpse through the lens with which they view horses, one that re-balances goals and processes, art and science, mallet and mindfulness. In a nutshell: Shelley and Adam have done it again! Winning with Horses inspired us and it will inspire you.” —Sinead Maynard, US Equestrian Team Member, and Tik Maynard, Canadian Equestrian Team Member and Author of In the Middle Are the Horsemen
“Adam Snow and Shelley Onderdonk inspire with their deep commitment to each other and their shared goals to be the best at what each does while keeping their horses' well-being paramount. If you have the passion to succeed with horses like Adam and Shelley, this book gives you the perfect blueprint.” —Melanie Smith Taylor, Olympic Show Jumping Team Gold Medalist
“From the first chapter you feel the warmth and conviction of this dynamic couple sharing the intricacies and nuances of caring for horses. Adam and Shelley’s conversational style invites the reader to spend a day at New Haven Farm, take a casual trail ride while learning from a pair of world-renowned experts as they share knowledge and passion for polo and horses. A must for horse lovers.” —Kenny Rice, NBC Sports
“At a time when debate is increasing as to whether a horse’s welfare can be truly protected in sport, this book is a very welcome addition to the discussion. The horse-human partnership is inherently unequal, but people can do much to redress the balance by understanding their horses and putting their needs first. Adam and Shelley’s book is a thoughtful step along that path, demonstrating that competitive sport and equine well-being do not have to be mutually exclusive.” —Roly Owers, Chief Executive of World Horse Welfare
“The real winning with horses is when we do things with them and for them, so that they become our true partners. Within moments of first meeting Adam Snow, I realized that he was a true winner with horses—doing things with and for horses; the love of winning has not driven his success. Instead, winning has come naturally by creating true partnerships with them and seeking never-ending self-improvement on his horsemanship journey.” —Pat Parelli, Founder of Pat Parelli Natural Horsemanship
“Adam reveals what he had to do to become a High Goal player. A moving read.” —Julian Hipwood, 9-Goal Polo Player, International Polo Coach, and Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame Inductee
"The book offers a world of sincere advice and insight into how making thoughtful and deliberated decisions putting the horse’s welfare first, offers not just a virtuous approach based in integrity, but also delivers a better long-term result for the competitor’s ambitions." —Catskill Horse Magazine
“This book’s practical methods for top-notch training and care for high-level equine athletes make it a must-read for horse enthusiasts and competitive athletes.” —Eldorado Polo Magazine
"Both Onderdonk and Snow share lessons learned and strategies they’ve found successful. Their message is one that all equine enthusiasts should take in, even if you don’t know a chukker from a mallet. As Snow writes, “Ultimately, the discipline itself matters little.” —US Dressage Federation Connections Magazine
Praise for the authors' first book Polo Life:
"They eloquently weave a story of goals both on and off the field." —Tommy Lee Jones, actor and polo player
Author Bio
A compelling look at a lifetime of success competing with
horses, and what it takes to make sure it is the horse that always wins.
Is it possible to be simultaneously passionate about winning in an equestrian sport and about the welfare of horses?
Professional polo player Adam Snow and sport horse veterinarian Shelley Onderdonk answer this undeniably twenty-first-century question with a resounding, “Yes!” They have spent a lifetime together, nurturing Adam’s astounding career at the top of his sport (he is the last American polo player to achieve the perfect 10-goal handicap) with the artful, conscientious care and training of the equine partners he needed to be the best. And Shelley’s twenty-five years as an equine veterinarian have been spent helping sport horses compete at the highest levels in other disciplines, as well—including reining, racing, eventing, show jumping, and dressage—while always prioritizing long-term health and well-being.
In these pages, Adam and Shelley share the keys to their success…and the struggles and celebrations that taught them along the way. Through the lens of their disparate and yet synchronous experiences in the intense realm of world-class equestrian sport, they explore topics of concern and those worthy of consideration, including the:
• Role of natural training methods and horse-human communication
• Cultivation of a competitive training mindset• Responsibility of a veterinary team member: goals of prevention and realities of diagnosis
• Options offered by therapeutic alternatives
• Best steps when preparing human and horse for competition
• Hard questions to ask when maintaining an equine athlete
• Pieces that make up the performance puzzle: conditioning, farriery, tack, and travel
• Reality of retirement and when it is the right thing to do, for horse and human
Smart, engaging, and honest, this book is the answer to the online debates and the boardroom arguments. With intelligence and experience, the authors provide the much-needed antidote to the dark side of horse sports. “Our story is an explicit acknowledgement that doing good for the horse is good for results in the competitive arena,” they write. “Our task is to explain our method, and yours is to prove that it can be replicated.”
- Price: $29.95
- Pages: 248
- Carton Quantity: 18
- Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books
- Imprint: Trafalgar Square Books
- Publication Date: 13th June 2023
- Trim Size: 7.25 x 9.25 in
- Illustrations Note: 76 color photos
- ISBN: 9781646011728
- Format: Paperback
- BISACs:
PETS / Horses
SPORTS & RECREATION / Equestrian
"What an incredible opportunity for all equestrians to get knowledge, experience, and life lessons from a two of the most respected horse people in the world. Shelley Onderdonk and Adam Snow have had amazing horse lives and careers. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone. There is so much here to learn, understand, and appreciate. It’s a must-read!" —Phillip Dutton, 7-Time Olympian, 13-Time USEA Leading Rider of the Year, and Author of Modern Eventing with Phillip Dutton
"'The horses must come first.’ This is the mantra that should be the guidepost for anyone who plays with horses in a competitive arena. Winning with Horses is a must for anyone's equestrian library—full of thoughtfulness, empathy, and a progressive outlook that is valuable in any kind of life with horses. The shared thought process between veterinary work and a high-level competitive program is rare and needs to be celebrated. This is a wonderful philosophy that promotes the idea that horsemanship based on a horse's emotional and physical well-being is always the most successful way to live in this world.” —David O’Connor, USEF Chief of Sport, Former USEF President, Individual Gold and Team Silver and Bronze Olympic Medalist
"A lot of books have been written about how to train horses, but not many books have discussed how to train ourselves, when it comes to training and treating our horses. Winning with Horses will make readers think about themselves from beginning to end. The authors share their experience—the highs and the lows—with horses, and their knowledge about horses, which they have applied in a way that aims to please the horse. And because of that the horses reward them with success. It is an absolute pleasure to read about a competitor and a veterinarian not willing to lower their standards when it comes to doing what is right for the animal! No matter what equestrian discipline you pursue, reading Winning with Horses is a learning experience. Everyone should read this book!” —Volker Brommann, FEI-Level Dressage Trainer and Clinician, Translator for Former US and German Dressage Team Coach Klaus Balkenhol
“A perfectly timed half-halt of a book. The Onderdonk-Snow duo offer us a glimpse through the lens with which they view horses, one that re-balances goals and processes, art and science, mallet and mindfulness. In a nutshell: Shelley and Adam have done it again! Winning with Horses inspired us and it will inspire you.” —Sinead Maynard, US Equestrian Team Member, and Tik Maynard, Canadian Equestrian Team Member and Author of In the Middle Are the Horsemen
“Adam Snow and Shelley Onderdonk inspire with their deep commitment to each other and their shared goals to be the best at what each does while keeping their horses' well-being paramount. If you have the passion to succeed with horses like Adam and Shelley, this book gives you the perfect blueprint.” —Melanie Smith Taylor, Olympic Show Jumping Team Gold Medalist
“From the first chapter you feel the warmth and conviction of this dynamic couple sharing the intricacies and nuances of caring for horses. Adam and Shelley’s conversational style invites the reader to spend a day at New Haven Farm, take a casual trail ride while learning from a pair of world-renowned experts as they share knowledge and passion for polo and horses. A must for horse lovers.” —Kenny Rice, NBC Sports
“At a time when debate is increasing as to whether a horse’s welfare can be truly protected in sport, this book is a very welcome addition to the discussion. The horse-human partnership is inherently unequal, but people can do much to redress the balance by understanding their horses and putting their needs first. Adam and Shelley’s book is a thoughtful step along that path, demonstrating that competitive sport and equine well-being do not have to be mutually exclusive.” —Roly Owers, Chief Executive of World Horse Welfare
“The real winning with horses is when we do things with them and for them, so that they become our true partners. Within moments of first meeting Adam Snow, I realized that he was a true winner with horses—doing things with and for horses; the love of winning has not driven his success. Instead, winning has come naturally by creating true partnerships with them and seeking never-ending self-improvement on his horsemanship journey.” —Pat Parelli, Founder of Pat Parelli Natural Horsemanship
“Adam reveals what he had to do to become a High Goal player. A moving read.” —Julian Hipwood, 9-Goal Polo Player, International Polo Coach, and Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame Inductee
"The book offers a world of sincere advice and insight into how making thoughtful and deliberated decisions putting the horse’s welfare first, offers not just a virtuous approach based in integrity, but also delivers a better long-term result for the competitor’s ambitions." —Catskill Horse Magazine
“This book’s practical methods for top-notch training and care for high-level equine athletes make it a must-read for horse enthusiasts and competitive athletes.” —Eldorado Polo Magazine
"Both Onderdonk and Snow share lessons learned and strategies they’ve found successful. Their message is one that all equine enthusiasts should take in, even if you don’t know a chukker from a mallet. As Snow writes, “Ultimately, the discipline itself matters little.” —US Dressage Federation Connections Magazine
Praise for the authors' first book Polo Life:
"They eloquently weave a story of goals both on and off the field." —Tommy Lee Jones, actor and polo player