My Books

Introducing "The Promise": A Book about Horse Riding From a Father's Perspective.

Hazem Abbas

05 May 2026 — 4 min read

I didn’t come to horses for fun. I didn’t ride because it looked “cool.” I rode because I was drowning.

At the time, I was trapped in a marriage that had become a prison , years of silence and emotional neglect had hollowed me out until I felt like a ghost in my own life. Then came Kuzey. He wasn’t just a horse; he was a lifeline. He pulled me from the depths before I could drown, standing by me when silence threatened to consume me.

But this book wasn’t originally meant for the world. I wrote it for my son, Mo.

Our journey began when Mo was just a toddler. I had to leave my career as a software engineer to become his full-time caregiver, and as he grew, he began to suffer from intense “growing pains”, those deep muscle aches that keep a child screaming through the dark hours of the night. His mother really hates horses and animals; in fact, she tried to scare him, telling him they were dangerous and would hurt him.

I knew I had to teach him a different truth. I discovered that when I placed him on the back of a calm pony, his pain vanished. He slept peacefully. I realized that being around these creatures offered a sanctuary where love could grow steadily, like a rider finding balance in the saddle. I bought our first horse not for me, but as a commitment to his well-being and character.

This book is my way of passing those lessons to him, and now to you. It is a story of survival, of fatherhood, and of promises kept.

What’s Inside “The Promise”

This memoir is broken down into chapters that explore the healing bond between humans and horses, offering both practical advice and emotional reflection:

Through My Horse’s Eyes: An introduction to the horse-riding community and a critique of the “myths” and ego-driven ignorance that can often harm these animals.
My Son “Mo” and The Horse!: The story of how horses helped heal my son’s physical pain and provided us with a sanctuary during a difficult divorce.
How I Saved My Horse and How He Saved Me!: My encounter with a neglected, aggressive horse and the realization that while I thought I was rescuing him, he was actually rescuing me from my own despair.
Why I Will Never Sell My Horse: A reflection on loyalty and honor, explaining why the bond with a horse is a sacred promise that cannot be bought.

For Horse Riders

Your Horse is Your Mirror!: An exploration of how horses reflect our inner truths; our fears, stress, and hidden emotions, acting as a mirror to our souls.
“What Is a Horse?”: Challenging the shallow view of horses as “pets” or “machines” and defining them instead as social creatures, partners, and “creatures of war”.
Your Horse As Therapist!: How the routine of grooming, training, and mindful riding acts as a powerful form of emotional healing.
Horses for Kids: Building Character: A look at how interacting with horses teaches children responsibility, discipline, teamwork, and empathy.
The Fake Gatekeepers & Ignorance: Warning signs for spotting “experts” who exploit animals for profit and why continuous education is vital for every rider.
Practical Riding Guides: Detailed parts of the book focus on choosing the right stable, spotting a skilled rider, and developing a disciplined riding routine.
Equine-Centric Riding: A call to put the horse’s well-being above our own ego, ensuring they are healthy, exercised, and respected as sentient beings. Equine-centric riding means prioritizing the horse’s physical and emotional well-being over the rider’s ego. It involves mindful training, regular exercise, and deep respect for the horse as a sentient partner rather than just a machine or tool.
Choosing a Riding Discipline: I explain why I eventually chose endurance riding. Coming from a background in martial arts and software engineering, I value structure. Unlike some trendy sports like mounted archery, endurance riders actually know their horses — their heart rates, their diet, and their physical limits. It’s about being a partner, not just a passenger.
The Saddle Tells the Truth: This is a crucial guide for beginners. I learned that you can tell the soul of a stable by the quality of its equipment. If a farm uses cracked, ill-fitting saddles on multiple horses just to save money, they don’t care about the animal’s pain, they only care about turnover.
The 8-Lesson Myth: I expose the lie that you can learn to “ride like a pro” in just eight lessons. This system is built on greed, pushing people into the saddle before they even know how to groom or lead a horse. It leads to accidents, broken trust, and injured animals. Real skill takes time, groundwork, and humility.

I owe my horse more than I can ever repay. If you’ve ever looked into an animal’s eyes and seen something deeper than words, then perhaps this story is for you, too.

I am working on a series of book about horse-riding, to point out the disastrous malpractice I have seen toward those magificent creatures.

What do you think is the most important lesson a child can learn from an animal?