Portuguese Equestrian's New Book Reveals Her Secrets for Breaking Horses

"Playing With My Youngsters" by Maria Ana Beja da Costa is a stirring memoir that explores her relationship with her daughter and with horsemanship.

Lisbon, Portugal (PRWeb) December 10, 2006 -- "Playing With My Youngsters" by Maria Ana Beja da Costa challenges the brutality, ignorance and greed associated with modern horsemanship and advocates a gentler, more natural kind of animal training.

Riders and horse lovers will find themselves engrossed in equestrian Maria Ana Beja da Costa's fascinating book, "Playing With My Youngsters." Beja da Costa grew up in a family of horse breeders and toured among Lisbon's famous riding centers. In 1997 she moved to a small farm with her daughter and both began to work with horses, focusing on dressage, which is the development of a horse's natural athletic abilities and willingness to perform. Wanting to pass along and preserve her incredible knowledge and experiences, Beja da Costa began to write this book.

Beja da Costa explores the history of the horse, from the American Indian's riding techniques to the origin of the classical seat to the mysterious talents of horse whisperers. She describes how and why older horses can teach riders and reveals her own uniquely successful way of breaking these animals with gentleness and attention. Inspirational and helpful, this is both a text on the right way to break a horse and a moving adventure story of a woman, a little girl and the horses they both love.

This is what other authors had to say about Beja da Costa's book:

"The depth and range of Maria Beja da Costa's ... are apparent on every page of this remarkable book... It combines observations about horse training throughout the ages with modern methods and the author's own experiences. I found it fascinating and absorbing."

- Lesley Skipper, author of The Arabian Show Horse, Inside Your Horse's Mind, Realize Your Horse's True Potential, and Let Horses Be Horses

"We both love the idea on human breaking methods"

Catherine Henriquet, former French Dressage Champion.

-Michel Henriquet, Author of Gymnase and dressage, L´Equitation, un art, une passion, Le debourrage du cheval.

For more information or to request a free review copy, please contact the author by e-mail. "Playing With My Youngsters" is available for sale online at Amazon.com, Borders.com and through additional wholesale and retail channels worldwide.

About the Author

Maria Ana Beja da Costa was born in Lisbon, Portugal, to a family of horse breeders. Taught by students of the great Portuguese riding master Nuno de Oliveira, she became immersed in horsemanship. A recipient of a Kress Foundation Grant for graduate students of archaeology and an American Numismatic Society Fellowship, she was accepted as an Oxford Probationer Research Student in the history department of Oxford University. She and her daughter live in Lisbon, Portugal.

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