Originally printed in USDF Connection, the official publication of the US Dressage Federation
A Different Kind of Journey
Dressage instructor and USDF “L” graduate Shelley R. Rosenberg’s book My Horses, My Healers (203 pp.) is an ultimately affirming account of how horses can heal damaged human beings, and vice versa.
As Rosenberg tells it, it was horses that helped lead her out of the misery caused by a childhood fraught with sexual abuse. Later, as a professional trainer and instructor herself, she saw how students’ emotional problems surfaced, and sometimes could be worked through, in their interactions with their horses.
The descriptions in My Horses, My Healers of what Rosenberg suffered are disturbing, and I wouldn’t give the book to a younger child. But older readers may find elements in her story that they can relate to, as many horse lovers instinctively recognize the power and the benefits of the horse-human relationship.