Navigating the world of horse training can be a deeply rewarding journey, akin to deciphering complex academic subjects. Just as understanding is paramount in academic pursuits, a similar depth of comprehension is crucial when working with horses. This involves not just memorizing techniques, but truly grasping the underlying principles. When encountering unfamiliar concepts or terms, much like during university studies, the key is to seek clarity, backtrack when necessary, and build a solid foundation of knowledge. This diligent approach, while time-consuming, ultimately proves more effective and less disheartening than struggling with incomplete understanding. This same principle of seeking deep understanding is what drives the exploration of horse training resources, transforming a pursuit into a profound learning experience.
Understanding horses involves appreciating their many dimensions and perspectives. This resource list is curated to offer a comprehensive exploration of these facets, aiming to transform your skills and ability to connect with horses. For those who find themselves with ample time during commutes, mundane tasks, or exercise, audiobooks offer a fantastic avenue for continuous learning. By dedicating driving time to absorbing information from 1.5-2 books per week, one can efficiently process a significant amount of knowledge. Keeping a notebook handy allows for immediate capture of insights, transforming passive listening into active learning.
1. Great Meaningful Horse Stories
This category features narratives of personal journeys in understanding horses. These stories transcend simple training manuals, offering profound life lessons that can shift your perspective and open your heart to new ideas.
Mark Rashid Books – All of Them: These books, many available as audiobooks, are best enjoyed in chronological order. Rashid masterfully guides readers through his evolving understanding of horses and life, creating a captivating and deeply personal narrative. Starting with “Considering the Horse,” you’ll find a mentor in the “old man” figure who thoughtfully oversees your practice.
Buck Brannaman/William Reynolds – Faraway Horses: Inspired by the documentary “Buck,” this book offers more than just a cinematic retelling. It’s a poignant and at times difficult exploration of Buck’s childhood trauma and his subsequent journey of repair. His insights into overcoming adversity, much like the support he received from his foster father, Forrest Shirley, offer valuable parallels for working with troubled horses.
2. The Training Books
These resources delve into the core concepts of horse training.
Ross Jacobs – Essence of Good Horsemanship: While not a step-by-step guide, this book offers profound insights into the concept that “every behavior starts with a thought.” This perspective can shift your approach from merely training horses to perform actions to engaging them in a dialogue, fostering willing and successful cooperation. It’s a book to be revisited, revealing new layers of understanding with each reading.
Karen Pryor – Don’t Shoot the Dog: This book, though not exclusively about horses, masterfully explains principles of behavior modification. Pryor’s clear examples and descriptions illuminate how behavior can be influenced, offering valuable lessons even when discussing “untraining” unwanted actions. It highlights the careful consideration required when using pressure-based training, emphasizing the animal’s welfare.
3. The Science Books
Exploring the science behind equine behavior and training can be a revelation, moving beyond potentially dry school experiences. Research in this field is constantly evolving, offering fascinating insights into how horses learn and interact.
Martin Black/Stephen Peters – Evidence Based Horsemanship: The DVD version is particularly recommended for its enhanced information and graphics, which vividly illustrate equine learning and coping mechanisms during training.
Daniel Mills/Kathryn Nankervis – Equine Behaviour Principles & Practice: This accessible science book traces the evolution of equine behavior, from their origins to the intricacies of their neurological systems and training mechanisms.
Paul McGreevy – Equine Behaviour A Guide of Veterinarians & Equine Scientists: Building upon Mills and Nankervis’s work, this book offers deeper scientific detail. While its language is more specialized, occasional use of a dictionary can unlock its valuable information.
Paul McGreevy/Andrew McLean – Equitation Science: Despite its challenging presentation, this book is an invaluable resource for deep dives into equine science. It’s recommended to build a foundational understanding with the previously mentioned books before tackling this one, using an online dictionary for support.
4. Biomechanics
Understanding how a horse’s body influences its mind, and vice versa, is crucial.
Gillian Higgins – Posture and Performance: Higgins’ “Horses Inside Out” concept, often visualized through her painting of equine anatomy on live horses, offers a captivating introduction to biomechanics and anatomy, complete with practical exercises for performance enhancement.
Marijke de Jong – Introduction to Straightness Training: This free ebook explores the natural asymmetry of horses, providing clarity on common training frustrations and how a horse’s physical makeup influences its responses and preferences. It offers a comprehensive understanding of training, particularly dressage.
5. Books with Applicable Training Insights
Certain books, while not strictly horse training focused, offer powerful insights applicable to equine behavior and learning.
Charles Duhigg – The Power of Habit – Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business: This book is instrumental in understanding habit formation, which is fundamental to both horse training and addressing problematic behaviors. It helps identify triggers for evasion and anxiety in horses.
Catherine Pittman/Elizabeth Karle – Rewire Your Anxious Brain: Leveraging neuroscience, this book provides a detailed understanding of fear, anxiety, and panic in both humans and horses, offering strategies to manage these emotions effectively.
6. Understanding Your Human-ness
Recognizing how our human instincts can impact horses is key to building better partnerships.
Patricia McConnell – On the Other End of the Leash: McConnell’s expertise, though focused on dogs, offers profound insights into interspecies communication. Her work highlights how our human behaviors can inadvertently cause discomfort to other species and encourages adapting our approach to be more considerate of their needs.
Angela Duckworth – Grit – The Power of Passion and Perseverance: This inspiring book emphasizes the importance of struggle and perseverance in developing inner strength. It encourages acknowledging effort over innate talent, a crucial perspective for navigating the challenges of horse training.
Carol Dweck – Mindset – The New Psychology of Success: Dweck’s exploration of fixed versus growth mindsets reveals how embracing challenges and viewing failures as feedback can lead to greater success. This is particularly relevant for horse training, where constant feedback and initial failures are common.
Robert Poole/Anders Ericsson – Peak – Secrets from the New Science of Expertise: Delving into the science of expertise, this book, drawing from Anders Ericsson’s research, explains how skills are developed. It underscores the role of deliberate practice and challenge in achieving mastery, principles equally applicable to humans and horses in their learning journeys.
