| Riding into Your Mythic Life
Patricia Broersma
New World Library
ISBN: 1-57731-574-X
Non- Fiction, Self Help, Horses
Reviewed by Dr. Tami Brady |
The author of Riding into Your Mythic Life, Patricia Broersma, is a therapeutic riding instructor who founded Saddle Light Center. She is also an instructor with the North American Riding for the Handicapped and president of the Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association. In her work, this author has seen the healing connection that can occur between horse and human being. It’s truly a magical transformation, not unlike that of the hero and his allies in Joseph Campbell’s Journey of the Hero.
Riding into Your Mythic Life is an interesting work. The book is part philosophy, part self help, and part horse training guide. The author equates the bonding between a person and their horse in terms of a journey of self-knowledge. The resulting connection further serves to facilitate deep healing within both individuals.
The text itself is filled with touching stories showing the potential of such equine-human relationships. Chapters are organized by topic with each subject building upon the knowledge attained in the previous section. Each of these sections includes practical exercises that serve as a guide to the reader’s own hero’s quest and the strengthening of the connection between them and their ally.