The Soul of a Horse by Joe Camp
Release date/ Length: 2008 / 200 pages
Synopsis (from the back cover): A surprise birthday gift plunged Joe and his wife, Kathleen, into the world of horses as complete neophytes without a clue as to what a horse needed or wanted. They search for logic and sense in the rule books of traditional horse care. What they found was not what they had expected.
First line: “My name is Cash. I am horse.” 
Review: I realize this memoir’s title may not initially interest most of my “non-horse” readers 
but I think most readers would find it inspiring, especially since it affected me on so many levels. First, if you are wondering why the name “Joe Camp” sounds familiar, he is the creator of the Benji movies! What a joy those movies are…
So, when the latest Benji movie did not go as well as the first few, Camp was a bit lost and decided to tackle the world of horses. His subsequent journey paralleled my own in so many ways, and I found this memoir a true joy.
I loved horses as a girl, but sold my horse (appropriately named Daffy) when I began college. Ten years later, reeling from my brother’s sudden death, a friend suggested that I consider getting a horse. She was building a small barn on her property but only wanted one horse herself. Since horses are “pack animals” and prefer to live with at least one buddy, she hoped I would buy a horse of my own and board at her place.
What transpired was a wonderful journey of learning, adventure (and misadventure) and healing that I will be forever grateful for. Similar to Camp, my friend and I were initially a bit “conventional” in our thinking: our horses were stalled overnight, wore shoes (with snow pads and ice studs!), and had brand new blankets. Now, nearly ten years later, my horse lives outside 24-7, is rarely blanketed (in fact, I experimented last week and she actually shivered more WITH the blanket on… in sub-zero temps!), has been “barefoot” for many years, and has never been happier.
Joe Camp — and myself — have become advocates of what is called “Natural Horsemanship” — which means trying to create living conditions as close to the “wild” as possible. This is a bit controversial in the horse world, but I can only go on my own experience which has proven that the more Mariah lives “on her own” (sort of, since I do visit her nearly daily ), the happier and healthier she becomes.
A few things I particularly enjoyed about this memoir — Camp does a nice, succinct job of explaining the philosophy of Natural Horsemanship and his prose is very readable and very fast. In fact, I’m hoping my husband will read this before we move to CO. My husband is very good with dogs and I know the same will be true with our horses, but they (horses) are so different from dogs — predators vs. prey animals – and I think Camp explains this crucial difference well.
While I was familiar with natural horsemanship before reading this, I did learn one technique that will prove invaluable. When riding horses, a “one rein stop” is an quick emergency break that I have used for years. However, in Minnesota I am accustomed to nice, wide trails with a lot of room for turning. We are moving to the foothills around Denver and will be on much narrower trails at times. Camp introduced me to a Calvary Stop that I had never heard of, but will start learning ASAP!
So, even if you are not interested in horses I think this lovely memoir would be inspiring — and educational, if you are considering getting one yourself. I strongly recommend The Soul of a Horse. By the way, if you think your book club may be interested in reading this book, let me know — Joe Camp would be happy to call into book club meetings and answer questions!
