"Gallop to freedom"- latest book from Frederic Pignon! Already coming in the second Edition!
A wonderful book about the work of Frederic Pigon and Magali Delgado, the founders of "Cavalia", and their horses!
The reader gets to know very impressive insights of the way of training and communication with horses of these two extraordinary horsepeople. Combined with wonderful pictures of their horses made by Gabriele Boiselle and other famous equestrian photographer, this book is a must have for every horse fan!
"Gallop to freedom"- latest book of Frederic Pignon and Magali Delgado!
Gabriele Boiselle recommends very warmly this book to every horse fan! It is published in english language and be purchased via amazon.com
A short film about the release can be found >>here
Informationen about the book:
GALLOP TO FREEDOM
Frederic Pignon und Magali Delgardo
Format: ca. 21 x 26 cm, 192 Seiten, 187 Bilder
Trafalgar Square Books
ISBN 978 1 57076 420 2
Price: $29.95
Pictures of Gabriele Boiselle in the book:
A small gallery of the wonderful pictures released in the book can be found >>here
Press release in America:
LOS ANGELES (Oct. 30, 2009) -- “When I heard that Linda Tellington Jones and Gabriele Boiselle were planning to visit Magali Delgado and Frédéric Pignon on their farm in France, I knew there was a book party waiting to happen,” says affiliate member Elizabeth McCall, who did the next best thing to being there. She got the famous four friends to bring out the horses, pop some champagne, and have a backyard party to celebrate the release of Gallop to Freedom ($29.95 hc) from Trafalgar Square Books in a way their friends and fans around the world could virtually enjoy the >>YouTube film. Little did she know the casual barn-side affair would coincide with news that Gallop to Freedom has soared to the No.1 horse book on Amazon.com in all major categories, during its first week of release.
“Emceed” by their dear friend Linda Tellington-Jones (Tellington TTouch creator) who delightfully shares her favorite excerpts between toasts to Magali and Frédéric, the founding stars of Cavalia, a pair of the couple’s famous Lusitano stallions join the party -- between bites of grass in the back yard. “It’s the goal of our life, work with pleasure!” laughs Magali in the video, standing next to longtime pal and renowned equine photographer Gabriele Boiselle. “I feel very honored that I’m allowed to make pictures of Frédéric and Magali and their horses. Their relationship is so unique and my biggest goal is to capture this in pictures,” says Gabriele, whose work is featured in Gallop to Freedom. Don’t miss Gabriele’s new photos of them at the end of the YouTube video credits--there’s a shot she took of the former Cavalia stars together on horseback that will take your breath away.
Gallop to Freedom is available at major bookstores, www.Amazon.com and www.horseandriderbooks.com.
Note to editors: Available now from Trafalgar Square Books, Gallop to Freedom ($29.95 hc) presents a touching, mind-opening perspective on horses and life as Frédéric and Magali share the events, experiences, and horses that shaped their training philosophy and the principles they embrace. Visually captured in 187 stunning photos, Gallop to Freedom is a tribute to the power of writing from the heart while communicating the rare and remarkable relationship the couple has with horses (and one another).
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British co-writer rethinks horses after collaborating on Gallop to Freedom
with Magali Delgado and Frédéric Pignon, the founding stars of Cavalia
North Pomfret, Vermont (Oct. 21, 2009) — “I increased my respect for horses tenfold and I suppose it has even filtered down to the whole animal world,” says British writer David Walser, whose recollection of co-authoring Gallop to Freedom from Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com) with Magali Delgado and Frédéric Pignon, the founding stars of Cavalia, is reminiscent of a book of its own. “I am now so much more aware that if we can find the way to let horses communicate with us—or indeed other animals with whom we have contact—and if we can overcome the initial disadvantage of not sharing the same language, we can learn so much and use this knowledge to help develop their education.”
An Oxford-educated author, illustrator, painter, and cellist who speaks French, as well as some German, and Italian, in addition to his native tongue, Walser technically “retired” 12 years ago after leaving the private English firmpublishers Gallery Five, which had made an international name producing greeting cards, children’s friezes, posters, and books in the 1960s and 1970s. “My life seems to have taken off in a nice way since I left,” remarks Walser, who first connected with Trafalgar Square Books when his friend and publisher Caroline Robbins asked him to re-translate an obscure, wordy, complicated passage from German several years ago. A tiny project by Walser’s estimation, he nevertheless had another shot more than a year later—Robbins wanted to know if his French was as good as his German. Soon after, Walser was devouring everything in print about Magali Delgado and Frédéric Pignon in preparation for meeting Cavalia’s founding stars on tour and discussing a book with Trafalgar that had stalled in its initial attempt.
“My first meeting [with them ]was arranged for Berlin,” recalls Walser. “I arrived at the entrance to the show and announced myself. Reception told me that Frédéric and Magali would be along soon. I found a book about them on the shelf [in the traveling Cavalia boutique ] that I had not seen, bought it, and settled down at a table to read it and wait for them. Meanwhile, I did some very deep breathing trying to calm myself and making an effort to sweep away thoughts like, ‘Even if I hit it off with one of them, how can I hope that I will with both? Will my French be good enough?’ Suddenly I heard a gentle, friendly voice behind me, ‘C'est David?’ As soon as I saw Frédéric, I felt completely at ease. I turned to Magali and the same thing happened. I could not have been more surprised and relieved. Subsequently, I have decided that their ability to communicate with horses has indeed taught them a lot about communicating with people,” says Walser, who later met them at tour stops in Brussels, Madrid, and Knokke [Belgium].
“When I went to see them, I went to all their performances in that location, usually three. They always invited me to stay in their apartment and after the show we would settle down and talk, with me asking questions and making furious notes, which I began to type out on my laptop on the train back to London. Frédéric also introduced me to all the horses—something he does in order to find out more about a stranger, because the horses tell him what they think. I was sure I had failed the test miserably!” laughs Walser. He not only passed the test, Walser’s already eclectic “retirement” interests: throwing pottery, composing for piano (60 pieces!), and volunteering to teach slow readers at a primary school in recent years, (which has morphed into reading and writing poetry with them, plus penning his own large collection) was about to expand even more.
“By a stroke of good fortune, I was in time to meet Templado, [the famous long-maned stallion and ‘liberty star.’] He was no longer performing, but still traveling. After the show Fred would speak to him and massage his back before he was put in his stall for the night. I could see that Frédéric's presence was the very breath of life to him,” recalls Walser. “What a character he was, and what a huge debt Frédéric and Magali had to that great horse. He taught them to listen, to watch, and to understand that it is possible to 'go with' a horse rather than persuade a horse to 'go with' us. He changed the direction of thought.” Seeing their philosophy repeatedly in action gave Walser a unique vantage point for writing with them about it in Gallop to Freedom.
“On one occasion I watched Frédéric working with a young stallion, [one day], which was fascinating because of seeing him put his precepts into practice. What I was trying to observe was whether the difference between his approach and that of any number of top ranking trainers would be obvious,” says Walser. “I finally decided that it was, because of the way he avoided any suggestion of forcing. He was very quick to react, as if he read the horse's mind and knew what he was about to do. Frédéric was nearly always ahead of the game. His concentration was so total that I was intrigued. I don't think I have everhave never reached such a pure state myself.”
Walser grows contemplative, “We send our own children to school often at great sacrifice to ourselves, and it is hoped, not just to regiment them and fill their heads with facts, but to teach them about reason, respect, trust, and how to think for themselves. We feel we have some sort of duty to do this, partly to give them the best possible chance in life.” He continues, “Frédéric and Magali made me understand that we should think of horses in the same way. It is not enough to buy a horse and coop it up and take our pleasure when it suits us. Once we own a horse we have a responsibility, not unlike that toward children. It is interesting that Frédéric and Magali describe the relationship with a horse as being similar to the relationship with one's child.”
Walser momentarily thinks back to a time he rode regularly for about 15 years and smiles at the recollection of a personal story. “I was never particularly good, but reasonably competent and even won a first prize in a gymkhana. The judge murmured in my ear as he gave me the medal, ‘You do realize that this is more for the horse than for your riding.’” Little could Walser—who in those days illustrated and designed a children’s pop-up book called My Bear Book published by the great Waldo Hunt—have imagined his eventual foray into horses decades later and learning to see them through the eyes of two of the most beloved horse trainers on the planet.
“I hope that this book will appeal to a much wider market than the dedicated horse fraternity and that it will make people pause and think about what we owe horses and what we might do in return,” remarks Walser. “It might also make people think about the way we treat animals in general when we use them for our own purposes, or spoil their natural environment. It comes down to this tricky concept of respect for others and what 'others' includes. Does the end justify the means? Is the end the correct one? A horse who is trained, but whose spirit has been diminished or broken is not the proper end,” says Walser with conviction.
It’s apparent that co-writing Gallop to Freedom involved life-altering moments for the English writer. “Frédéric’s life, and of course Magali's, is dedicated to increasing respect toward horses and improving their lot,” reflects Walser. Clearly, through the words Walser helped convey, he’s now devoted to doing that too.
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Scheduled for release October 19 from Trafalgar Square Books, Gallop to Freedom ($29.95 hc) presents a touching, mind-opening perspective on horses and life as Frédéric and Magali share the events, experiences, and the horses that shaped their training philosophy and the principles they embrace. Visually captured in 187 stunning photos, Gallop to Freedom is a tribute to the power of writing from the heart while communicating the rare and remarkable relationship the couple has with horses (and one another).
The book is already going in reprint in February !
Note to editors: Sections of the book may be appropriate for reprint as FREE excerpts in print and online publications. High res jacket images are also available.
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