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The True Story Of The Yorkshire Horseman review

Martha Terry Martha Terry

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    • The Yorkshire Horseman

    Score

    8/10

    Price as reviewed:

    £9.99

    Title: The True Story of The Yorkshire Horseman Cooper Wilson
    Author: Cooper Wilson with Chris Berry
    Published: 2022

    Available as paperback
    View now at gnbooks.co.uk or  amazon.co.uk

    About The Yorkshire Horseman

    The True Story of The Yorkshire Horseman lifts the lid on the life of a man who has a rare psychic gift of being able to understand and help solve horses’ problems.

    Cooper Wilson is a man who knows horses. In this his first book he tells how the apparition of a stag started what has now brought him the honorary title of The Yorkshire Horseman.

    From humble beginnings as the son of a hunt servant, Cooper was a boy who went to school in his wellies. He began to realise that his extraordinary powers of being able to work with ailing horses was unique.

    The blurb hails Cooper as “now the most in-demand horse psychic internationally”. He travels regularly on tour throughout England, Ireland, Scotland and around the world, where huge numbers of horse owners bring their animals almost like a pilgrimage to have Cooper tell them more about what is wrong, what should be done, and to put them back in good health and fitness.

    Review

    I found this to be a fascinating read, which had me interested the whole way through. I must admit I don’t know quite where I stand on the concept of psychic gifts. Can horses really communicate with humans in a spiritual realm? Reassuringly for the cynics among us, Cooper addresses this in the first chapter.

    “People call me the animal communicator and I used to shiver when I heard that because it over-simplifies everything. I am not some kind of weird Doctor Doolittle,” he writes. “My ability to give readings, and all of what others might call the heebie-jeebie stuff, is as much of a mystery to me why I have it, but I’m no one-trick pony. It’s not all about the readings, and it never has been.”

    So, first and foremost, this is an account of a horseman, who does everything he can to make life better for every horse he encounters, and enable them to be the best they can be. That he has tapped into his spiritual gifts to tune into what horses are feeling only enhances his horsemanship.

    Cooper grew up as the son of a hunt servant and his family were often on the receiving end of horses brought to the kennels to be euthanised and given to the hounds. As a child he formed relationships with these death-row horses, who were sometimes brought because they were a danger to their handlers, other times because of irreparable injury. Many a time, Cooper was able to turn them around, take them hunting and produce them as riding horses again.

    Cooper is a proper Yorkshireman, the type who calls spades what they are. He admits he struggled at school (“I never learned to read or write properly. That’s why I got Chris Berry to write this book for me in the way that I speak, because I can’t do it for myself). The result is that you can hear his character coming through on every page. The style is fairly rough and ready, with short chapters and plenty of anecdotes. You get the sense Cooper has had to defend what he sees as a psychic gift throughout his life, and rather than trying to persuade his detractors with eloquent words, he feels the proof is in the pudding – you can take it or leave it.

    Throughout the book, I loved all the tales of horses being rehabilitated, recovering their zest for life and there are some fabulous anecdotes. Not all of the stories end well – it’s a balanced account – but horses tend to be the heroes, while the portrayal of humans is usually less glowing. Some of the more spiritual stories are off the scale, but Cooper’s voice is so authentic I cannot imagine why he’d make them up. He’s convinced this cynic anyway that there may be a spiritual realm operating beyond what we see in front of our eyes. And that the equine world is a better place for horsemen like Cooper.

    Verdict

    Whether you’re cynical or fascinated by a psychic’s approach to horses’ problems, this authentic account of the experience and life of Cooper Wilson, “The Yorkshire Horseman”, will encourage you to contemplate your own relationship with horses. An enlightening read.

    View now at gnbooks.co.uk or amazon.co.uk

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    Martha Terry
    Martha Terry

    H&H features editor
    Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.
    Martha Terry

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