The Tao of Equus (revised): A Woman's Journey of Healing and Transformation through the Way of the Horse

After more than 20 years in print, an updated edition of the evocative and transformational classic about the powerful bond between women and horses

When Linda Kohanov wrote The Tao of Equus over twenty years ago, she posed questions that few were asking: Do horses make choices? How do they seem to know what people are thinking and feeling? Are horses spiritual beings? What do they have to teach people? Why are women so attracted to horses? The answers, detailed in this extraordinary chronicle that synthesizes science, behavioral research, and personal insight, transformed how we think about one of humanity’s oldest companions and established Kohanov at the vanguard of the emerging field of animal-assisted learning/therapy.

In this updated edition, Kohanov weaves new developments in neurological science and scholarship into her original exploration of spiritual awakening, cultural history, and mythology. The Tao of Equus delves into the mental and spiritual processes behind the magical connections that people often experience with horses. It remains a powerful exploration of the feminine wisdom horses model, subtleties that women riders have intuited for centuries.

Linda Kohanov has written five books on the healing and transformational potential of the horse-human bond. In 1997, she founded Eponaquest Worldwide, a southern Arizona–based collective of educators, coaches, counselors, and horse professionals, which has since grown to serve clients on six continents.

Eponaquest.com

ISBN: 9781608688982
Format: Paperback
Pages: 400
Publisher: New World Library
Published: June 28, 2024

Praise for the revised edition of The Tao of Equus

“This updated edition of Kohanov’s classic work takes the reader and rider even deeper into the realm of myth and insight, with new explorations of the horse as healer, as well as transformer, of the human. A must-read.”

— Rupert Isaacson, author of The Horse Boy

“In the revised and updated version of her seminal book, The Tao of Equus, Linda Kohanov provides a pertinent scientific framework to elucidate how the sentient wisdom of the horse is whispered back and forth between horse and human. She skillfully weaves neuroscience, the polyvagal theory, and some exciting new research into and between personal anecdotes, healing experiences, dreams, and mythology. The reader discovers how horses and humans have coevolved to reciprocally regulate each other’s physiological states and foster mutual growth and restoration. This timely book will inspire not only people interested in horses but all those who recognize the importance of reviving the wisdom of the ancients and restoring our engagement with nature before it is too late.”

— Ann L. Baldwin, PhD, Professor Emerita of Physiology at University of Arizona, director of Mind-Body-Science, and author of The Vagus Nerve in Therapeutic Practice