In the Middle Are the Horsemen by Tik Maynard

Normally I don’t expect that someone who is only in their mid-thirties has really lived enough life to warrant writing their memoir, but in this case, Maynard has done a great job of focusing his story on the years that followed a cross roads in life which most readers (and riders) can identify with-picking up the pieces when the direction you thought your life was going doesn’t pan out. Izzy and I had the opportunity to work with Tik at a clinic at Fox Hill Equestrians in Barnstead, NH, in May 2018. I enjoyed the piece so much that I pulled it for future reference, something I would suggest doing if you come across his articles in the future. I was struck then by both his thoughtfulness and introspection in the descriptions he gave of the work and rationale. I first became exposed to some of Maynard’s ideas through an article he wrote for Practical Horseman, in which he detailed ground work exercises for event horses. This book chronicles Maynard’s journey to get to this place. And what he has been able to do so successfully is fuse the perspectives of trainers who are from the “classical school”, who are usually focused on producing animals for sport, with the viewpoints of trainers who are from the “natural horsemanship/cowboy school”, whose training objectives tend to be more utilitarian.

Maynard’s approach to training is positive and pro-horse. Tik Maynard at the Area I Annual Meeting January 2018 I’m not really sure how well known he was up here before giving a keynote speech at the Area I Annual Meeting in January, but after this year, you would be hard pressed to find a New England event rider who hasn’t at least heard this Florida based trainer’s name. Most newly published authors do book tours-but for Tik Maynard, author of the 2018 memoir In the Middle are the Horsemen, it somehow seems appropriate that he has instead been doing clinic after clinic up here in New England, offering guidance not just on riding but also ground work exercises for horses of all ages. In the Middle are the Horsemen by Tik MaynardĬ 2018 Trafalgar Square Books: North Pomfret, VT.

In the Middle Are the Horsemen by Tik Maynard