Starting in the Middle

The follow-up to the bestselling memoir In the Middle Are the Horsemen , a lovely book about starting horses on their journey to realize their potential (Art Davidson, author of Minus 148°: First Winter Ascent of Mt. McKinley ).

When midlife appeared before horseman Tik Maynard, his own questions about his life as a horse trainer and equestrian competitor began to overwhelm the joy of all he had accomplished and discovered. When an invitation to participate in Road to the Horse, the World Championship of Colt Starting, was offered, Maynard immediately saw an opportunity to reboot the passion that had always driven him. And so he took a chance on himself and an unknown, unbroken colt, and said, I'll do it.

In these deep, considered, and painstakingly articulated pages, Maynard chronicles a year of reading, traveling, asking questions, and trying new things, as he, supported by family and friends, threw himself into the preparation he knew he needed to have 265 minutes in front of a live audience be something positive for both him and a horse he did not yet know. Readers are offered the opportunity to grow alongside Maynard, not only as horse lovers, but as people, as he tries and tests and fails and finds—and eventually, chooses which direction to take in the second half of his life.

With a diligence and intelligence that is unique to the genre of books about horses and extends well beyond the barn to the broader questions faced by the human race, Maynard has again given us an unfailingly honest telling of one life and the pursuit of fulfilling it.

A page-turning ride full of wisdom about horses and life. ―Shelley Onderdonk, DVM, and Adam Snow, authors of Winning with Horses