I was supposed to ride in a clinic with an accomplished equestrian, Tik Maynard, this week.  Thanks to COVID-19 plans have changed…I HOPE we are able to reschedule the clinic and I HOPE I can go o that one.

Since owning Tiger I have been a lot more serious about my riding…I now want to travel and do fun things with Tiger.  We love the hunter paces.  I’d love to camp with him.  Ride in clinics.  I want to take him to Equine Affaire.

I have never competed, but I want to be the best rider I can be.  That is why I want to start attending clinics.

Since I was unable to ride today and yesterday (2 Day clinic) I have instead been reading Tik Maynard’s book; In the Middle Are the Horsemen.

Thomas Ian Kevin was raised in Vancouver, one of three sons, and raised in an equestrian household.  Though he grew up with horses in his life he realized he had a long way to go to figure out his role in the horse world.

At 26, Tik spent a few years as a working student around the globe.  He trained with top riders including Johann Hinneman, Ingrid Klimke, David & Karen O’Connor, Anne Kusinski.  He studied with a rancher named Bruce Logan.

The book describes these years as well as when he and Sinead Halpin (his wife) began their life together.  Tik appreciates both round-penning and lunging and places a lot of importance on groundwork.  He tries to think like a horse and find the best ways to motivate horses to do what we are asking of them.

Since developing his own program Tik has won the thoroughbred makeover twice.

 

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What I have enjoyed most about Tik’s book is his writing.  Not all horsemen can write but Tik can.  He tells his story very well…explains with excellent description.  He wrote for several magazines during his working student days and even hired a writing coach for his articles.  Seeing this and reading his book is inspiring.

I haven’t read a book this fast in quite a while.  Some days I’ll read while enjoying my coffee, other days I’ll relax with a beer.

I also appreciate Tik’s honesty in the book.  There were a lot of moments where I found myself saying “I feel the same way!”  For example:

“My greenness was something I was aware of and not proud of”

This referred to his preparation in creating a list of talented equestrians to seek work experience with.

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I noticed through the book that Tik is a deep thinker.  Something I wish I did more, myself.  He considers horses and horseman on a philosophical level and I appreciate the amount of consideration he takes.  He asks deep questions that on the surface feel simple but make you stop to think.

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This is a book that anyone can enjoy…even non-horse people.  The stories are well written and paint a picture.  It is easy to follow and enjoyable to read.  I am an incredibly busy person so reading is not something I do very often.  During this pandemic I have seemingly been even busier… but I have been making time for reading a bit more and I’m glad I picked this book up.

I highly recommend you check out Tik Maynard’s book “In The Middle Are the Horsemen.”

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Hopefully that clinic will get rescheduled and I’ll actually have the opportunity to meet AND ride with Tik later this year!