Is it possible to be simultaneously passionate about winning in an equestrian sport and about the welfare of horses?
Sport horse veterinarian Shelly Onderdonk and professional polo player Adam Snow answer this question of “social license” with a resounding, “Yes!” They have spent a lifetime together, nurturing Adam’s astounding career at the top of his sport (he is the last American polo player to achieve the perfect 10-goal handicap) with the artful, conscientious care and training of the equine partners he needed to be the best. In addition, Shelley’s twenty-five years as an equine veterinarian have been spent helping sprot horses compete at the highest levels in other disciplines, too – including reining, racing, eventing, show jumping, and dressage – while always prioritising long-term health and well-being.
In these pages, Shelley and Adam share the keys to their success, and the struggles and celebrations that taught them along the way. Smart, engaging, and honest, Winning with Horses is the answer to the online debates and the boardroom arguments. With intelligence and experience, the authors provide the much-needed antidote to the dark side of horse sports.
“Our story is an explicit acknowledgement that doing good for the horse is good for results in the competitive arena,” they write. “Our task is to explain our method, and yours is to prove that it can be replicated.”
Paperback.