Land of the Horses - by Chris Lombard (Paperback)

About the Book

"An intensely moving memoir of a young man who left heartbreak in Maine to seek healing Out West in the company of horses. Growing up in a small Maine town, Chris Lombard had never ridden a horse-never even touched one. But on one fateful night, as what he'd thought was a happy twenty-something life full of love and possibility fell suddenly apart, he met two horses and looked into their eyes. What he saw inspired him to leave everything he had, and everything he didn't have, behind, and go in search of what was missing. With the little he needed packed in his ten-year-old Pontiac Grand Prix, and little more to go on than a belief that someone would give him a chance, Chris headed west to find work on a horse ranch. His journey took him first to the mountains of Colorado, then the Hollywood Hills of California, and finally, the wild borderlands of Southern Arizona. The settings changed but the same lessons came in quiet moments, movingly captured in these pages: watching horses, reaching out to them, swinging upon their backs. Chris learned new meanings for words-presence, connection, softness, and balance-the elements of good horsemanship feeding a deep hunger he didn't know he had. But learning to ride a horse, learning to communicate with him, to teach him things, these required qualities Chris was only beginning to cultivate. Human nature plans; it pushes and it rushes. And it would take a terrible accident to awaken a whole new awareness for time and space, and Chris's place within it, beside a horse"--

Book Synopsis

An intensely moving memoir of a young man who left heartbreak in Maine to seek healing Out West in the company of horses.

Growing up in a small Maine town, Chris Lombard had never ridden a horse--never even touched one. But on one fateful night, as what he'd thought was a happy twenty-something life full of love and possibility fell suddenly apart, he met two horses and looked into their eyes. What he saw inspired him to leave everything he had, and everything he didn't have, behind, and go in search of what was missing.

With the little he needed packed in his ten-year-old Pontiac Grand Prix, and little more to go on than a belief that someone would give him a chance, Chris headed west to find work on a horse ranch. His journey took him first to the mountains of Colorado, then the Hollywood Hills of California, and finally, the wild borderlands of Southern Arizona. The settings changed but the same lessons came in quiet moments, movingly captured in these pages: watching horses, reaching out to them, swinging upon their backs. Chris learned new meanings for words--presence, connection, softness, and balance--the elements of good horsemanship feeding a deep hunger he didn't know he had. But learning to ride a horse, learning to communicate with him, to teach him things, these required qualities Chris was only beginning to cultivate. Human nature plans; it pushes and it rushes. And it would take a terrible accident to awaken a whole new awareness for time and space, and Chris's place within it, beside a horse.

In the austere beauty of the Sonora Desert, Chris met a cowboy whose intense love for life on the back of a horse held a deep sadness at bay, but only for so long. Their brief time together, working land and livestock, would bring Chris to the realization that the richly fulfilling new life he'd found held all the answers he sought, but only if he could ultimately leave it behind.

Evocatively written, interweaving the author's growing understanding of horses and how we connect with them with his deeply personal experiences, Land of the Horses brings to life a young man's transformation alongside the horses, people, and dramatic landscapes of the American West. Healing heartbreak, falling and getting back on, searching for something true--this is a story that is in all of us. And it shows we are all capable of creating the life we truly want to live.

Review Quotes

"A well written and heartfelt
book that demonstrates the positive and often life changing promise that horses
have to offer--when we
let them." --Mark Rashid, author of Journey to Softness, Finding
the Missed Path, and Horses Never Lie

"This book gave me
pause. I was absorbed in Chris Lombard's words of wisdom about being with and
connecting with the horse. His thoughts on horses and life resonate truth.
They are simple, yet profound. It made me want to run out to my barn to work
with a small and troubled horse that is new to my farm and seems angry at
the world. I slowed down with him and started seeing a shift and a softer eye. Land
of the Horses is definitely worth the read!" --Cindy Meehl, Cedar
Creek Media, Director and Producer of Buck, 7 Clinics with Buck
Brannaman, and The Dog Doc, and Executive Producer of Rewind, The
River and the Wall, For the Birds, Unbranded, Trapped, and Dogs
on the Inside

"This book needs to be read.
I am changed by it. It has a quietly powerful way of bringing home the
connection between the human and the horse." --Joe
Camp, author of The Soul of a Horse

"I love linear timeline books such as this...narratives
that take you on an emotional and physical journey while periodically dropping
you into very different worlds along the way. Chris Lombard's story is told
with an adventure essence that kept me connected the entire time--from teaching
children in a school to guiding night rides in Los Angeles to working with
dudes in Arizona. It's a story of adventure steeped with the discovery of
finding oneself--and the horse serving as the catalyst for that discovery." --Bud
Force, Co-Director, Producer, and Director of Photography for the feature
film Cowboys: A Documentary Portrait

"It's a moving memoir of self-discovery and resilience." --Western
Life Today

"Evocatively written, Land of the Horses interweaves the author's
growing understanding of horses and how we connect with them with his deeply
personal experiences, bringing to life a young man's transformation
alongside the horses, people, and dramatic landscapes of the American West.
Healing heartbreak, falling and getting back on, searching for
something true--this is a story that is in all of us." --Northwest
Horse Source

"A smooth and engaging read,
Land of the Horses moves along at a comfortable pace, is tied together with
engaging anecdotes and Lombard's reflections, and puts into words some of the
more abstract concepts of equine philosophy and horsemanship--an entertaining
story and worthy read for beginner and experienced equestrians alike." --Natural
Horse Magazine

"Land of the Horses takes
you for an epic ride. It is an inspiring story of a man's journey through the
American West, meeting wise horses and mythic cowboys along the way, and coming
to a stirring finish at the end." --Open Fences Magazine