Over the years I’ve wished for horsemanship books that I could recommend to students but they were either set up to take ratings or they were complicated and dry. Then one day an adult dressage student told me he’d been filling in the gaps for things he wanted to learn by reading books written for kids.
That’s when I decided to write uncomplicated topical books with illustrations that were informative and enjoyable to read. Not your standard regurgitated horsemanship books, but ones filled with information that students miss when they are concentrating on lessons. Things you learn in long horse conversations or from years of working with horses.
If you have read the Riding Instructor for a while, you know I am a foundations teacher. I admire Vince Lombardi. He stuck to the basics. So do I. In my opinion, there are more awesome tomes of equestrian theory available to us than there are quality books about horsemanship that are enjoyable to read. Many of those works sit on my own library shelves. Understanding the Horse was written for all ages as an informative, enjoyable, and easy-to-read handbook.
By horsemanship, I mean the total horse and the total rider whether you are walking one with colic, teaching a kid how to bathe a pony, or looking for Olympic accolades. Riding is only part of being a horseman.
Learning About the Animal Beneath You — Understanding the Horse
A student can learn the mechanics of riding surprisingly well without knowing very much about horses.
Your rider may know how to post the trot but not recognize when a horse is worried. She may know how to put on a bridle but not understand why a horse throws his head when she approaches him with it.
Horses don't experience the world the way we do. They see and hear differently. They respond differently. Their instincts are meant for survival.
When we don't understand that, horse behavior can seem unpredictable. When we do understand, many of those reactions begin to make sense.
And that knowledge makes us safer and more comfortable with horses.
This Isn't a Horse Training Book
There are many books about horse behavior that teach readers to understand how horses think so they can become better trainers.
That isn't what I set out to write.
Understanding the Horse is about educating the person. It is for the student beginning riding lessons who wants to know more about the horse she rides every week. It's for the adult returning to horses after years away. It's for the parent whose child is horse-crazy and who suddenly finds herself standing in a barn wondering what she needs to know.
It's also for riders who have been around horses for a while but realize there are gaps in their horsemanship education.
Understanding the Horse is the ideal preparation if you don’t have access to a horse.
You don't need to want to train a horse to benefit from understanding one. You need that knowledge simply to become a better horse person.
Building a Foundation in Horsemanship
I have always believed in building a strong foundation in the basics.
We sometimes become so eager to move students forward that the basics become things to hurry through. But good horsemanship isn't a collection of elementary skills that we leave behind as we advance.
The basics are what everything else is built upon.
Understanding the horse is one of those basics.
Before we ask a horse to trust us, we need to be trustworthy, and that involves learning what frightens the horse.
Before we decide he's being difficult, we should understand what he may be trying to tell us.
Before we handle him, we should understand where he can see us, where he can't, and how our position affects his response.
Before we expect a student to be confident around a thousand-pound animal, we should give that student the knowledge that helps confidence develop.
Confidence around horses doesn’t come from being told, "Don't be afraid” or “Show him who’s boss.” It should grow from understanding the horse and knowing what to do.
What's Inside Understanding the Horse?
The handbook begins with the horse's nature and the instincts that influence his behavior. From there, readers learn about the horse's senses and how those senses affect the way he experiences his surroundings. Do you know how the horse identifies who was last in the paddock?
We look at communication and body language—what the ears, eyes, head, tail, posture, and movement can tell us.
The book moves into the practical side of horsemanship: approaching and handling horses, leading, grooming, hoof care, and other basic knowledge someone spending time around horses should have.
Illustrations appear throughout the book to help readers see what the text is describing. I wanted this to be a handbook someone could learn from, not a textbook they had to struggle through.
A Resource for Riding Instructors
I wrote Understanding the Horse for learners, but I also wrote it with riding instructors in mind.
There is never enough time in a riding lesson to teach everything we would like our students to know. We may explain why they shouldn't wrap a lead rope around their hand or why they should approach a horse in a particular way. We answer questions about pinned ears, spooking, grooming, feet, and dozens of other things while we're also trying to teach position, balance, aids, and riding skills.
Some students have opportunities to spend hours at the barn absorbing this knowledge. Others arrive for their lesson and leave when it is over. Those students need another way to learn.
My hope is that Understanding the Horse can become something instructors can put into their students' hands and say, "Here. This is part of learning to ride, too."
The Beginning of Something Larger
Understanding the Horse is the first book in The Riding Instructor's Basics and Building Blocks series.
The series grew out of something I've believed throughout my teaching career: a long and rewarding horse life is built on strong basics.
These handbooks are intended to help riders build that foundation one subject at a time. Because riding is only one part of horsemanship. And learning to ride a horse should include learning to understand one.
Understanding the Horse
The Riding Instructor's Basics and Building Blocks series
130 pages • Illustrated throughout • Paperback • $19.99
Get Your Copy of Understanding the Horse