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"Back in the saddle" isn't just a cliché or a metaphor. For Crissi McDonald, it describes where she's spent four decades of her life, and a challenge she wasn't sure she'd still be able to meet.
On an ordinary sunny afternoon in 2014, Crissi's world falls apart. Waking up in the hospital after a freak accident with her horse, the doctors tell her that a small bleed in her brain has stopped and that she's dodged brain surgery.
As the news sinks in, she realizes the facade of her confidence has crumbled. She's at a crossroads: either find ways to overcome the fear that now engulfs her or give up on horses.
Adrift in uncertainty and pain, she discovers that confidence unchallenged is a fragile notion, and that strength can be found in the rebuilding of it. She confronts the reality that if she wants to get back to what she most loves doing, the room of her fears must be smaller. Each day is a choice between giving in to doubt or taking steps toward getting stronger.
Continuing the Ride chronicles the lessons she learned and the horses who helped her return to the life she loves. Whether you'd like your confidence to be more robust or you're looking for a good horse story, you'll find this a satisfying account of healing inside and out-and how to get back up after falling down.
About the author
Crissi McDonald is an Arizona native who grew up surrounded by houses but dreaming of horses. She was fortunate to spend her childhood finding horses in other people's back yards and trading work for lessons.
Shortly after graduating from college she had her own horses and began teaching and training others. She's been a teacher for over thirty years and is currently a clinician who travels with her husband, Mark Rashid, to teach horsemanship clinics. Although a long-time teacher, she also considers herself an eternal student. Crissi is an equine bodyworker and instructor, certified through The Masterson Method®.
"Continuing The Ride: Rebuilding Confidence from the Ground Up" is her first book.
