Equestrian Horsemanship

The popular and highly respected horse trainer Mark Rashid brings together Western and Eastern philosophies to demonstrate a seamless new incarnation of horse training. After years of helping "difficult" horses, Mark Rashid understands how to build the foundation of a horse's training and resolve any problems encountered along the way.

A revolutionary approach to the techniques of working with horses, by a renowned instructor. In Horses Never Lie, renowned horse trainer Mark Rashid challenges the conventional wisdom of "alpha leadership" and teaches the listener to become a "passive leader" - a counterpart to the kind of horse other members of a herd choose to associate with and to follow. Applying Rashid’s principles and techniques helps cultivate horse personalities that are responsive and dependable regardless of the rider.

In this illuminating book, brain scientist and horsewoman Janet Jones describes human and equine brains working together. Using plain language, she explores the differences and similarities between equine and human ways of negotiating the world. Mental abilities—like seeing, learning, fearing, trusting, and focusing—are discussed from both human and horse perspectives. Throughout, true stories of horses and handlers attempting to understand each other—sometimes successfully, sometimes not—help to illustrate the principles.

On Horsemanship, also sometimes titled The Art of Horsemanship, is a treatise written about 350 BCE by the Athenian historian, soldier, and student of Socrates, Xenophon (c. 430-354 BC). The treatise is a "hands-on" manual which deals with the selection, care, and training of horses in general.

Here is a compelling meditation from renowned horseman Mark Rashid on all the ways that the principles we apply in our dealings with fellow humans can apply to our relationships with our horses, and vice versa. Horsemanship Through Life is about awareness, learning, teaching, honesty, integrity, and much more. It is about more than tips or technique; it is about principles to live by. It is about taking ownership of and responsibility for our lives and relationships with horses and humans. It doesn t take long to listen to, but will be with you for life.

After everything she’s suffered—and everyone she’s lost—Mia Ledger wants nothing more than peace. She spends her days teaching riding lessons and raising horses on her quiet Montana ranch. But when she steps in to stop a kidnapping that echoes her own haunted past, she paints a target on her back. The crime syndicate behind the attack sends enforcers to settle the score. When Mia returns home to find her barn burning and her horses slaughtered, she fights back with the fury of someone who’s got nothing left to lose.

Many horse trainers, even those who espouse the so-called natural horsemanship approach, take the position that horses who fail to obey a human's request are doing so as much out of perversity as ignorance. That's not Mark Rashid's view. In his words, "If we understand that horses can't separate the way they feel from the way they act, then we can start to see that unwanted behavior isn't bad behavior at all. More times than not, it's just the horse expressing the way he feels at that particular moment in time....

“When you ask your horse to do something it should be his idea he wants to do it, he likes to do it, he understands how to do it, and he does it.” These words are typical of the way Ray Hunt expresses his philosophy of the ideal relationship between man and horse.

The foundational work you do now is critical, and you’ll always have it to fall back on. Make sure your horse is never spooked in a dangerous moment again…From desensitizing and disengaging to backing up, these are fundamental training procedures you can’t afford to get wrong...and they’re not procedures you’ll only ever have to engage in once. You don’t need to spend years in equestrian school to learn these skills: You simply need access to all the essential knowledge distilled and explained in one clear resource.

Louis Seeger was an important 19th century dressage figure in Berlin. He was the son of a court horseman in the service of Prince Heinrich of Prussia, the brother of King Friedrich II. After training at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna with Max Ritter von Weyrother, Seeger founded his own riding school, Seegershof, where he preserved Old School training principles. His most famous student was Gustav Steinbrecht, the author of "Gymnasium of the Horse."Seeger authored a number of books about horses. In addition to "System of Horsemanship" (1844), he wrote "Rathgeber fuer die ...

In 1973, Secretariat, the greatest champion in horse-racing history, won the Triple Crown. The only horse to ever grace the covers of Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated in the same week, he also still holds the record for the fastest times in both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. He was also the only non-human chosen as one of ESPN's "50 Greatest Athletes of the Century".

Enjoy this Listening to the Horse-inspired book, packed full of stories, lessons, case studies, and exercises for you and your horse. This book is the first book in the Equine Listenology trilogy.

Did you know there is an area of your brain known as the "Lizard Brain" that thinks only about the immediate moment and your means of survival? Yes, in certain circumstances, your "Rational Brain" can effectively "shut down" and you are at the mercy of a reptile... dry-mouthed, sweating, queasy, unable to think clearly - even though you know better. When does the Lizard Brain run the show? It can happen in any number of unfamiliar, uncomfortable, challenging, or "stressful" riding situations. But here's the thing: with the right kind of training, you can learn to manage the reptile within.

Among the earliest known works on choosing, caring for, and riding horses, this book is still hailed--2,300 years after it was written - as one of the most complete, thoughtful, and accessible guides of its type. Civilization has changed radically in the centuries since it was written, but the equestrian arts have remained essentially the same. Much of what we presently accept as common wisdom about horsemanship derives from this volume.

First published in 1733 as Ecole de Cavalerie by François Robichon de la Guérinière, this book is considered as the beginning of modern equitation. The book is most famous for its introduction of the shoulder-in. The theories in this book provide the basis for all modern equitation, and it is probably the most important work on the subject ever written. It was translated from the French to English by Tracy Boucher.

In 2008, 26-year-old Tik Maynard faced a crossroads not unlike that of other young adults. A university graduate and modern pentathlete, he suffered both a career-ending injury and a painful breakup, leaving him suddenly adrift. The son of prominent Canadian equestrians, Maynard decided to spend the next year as a "working student." In the horse industry, working students aspire to become professional riders or trainers, and willingly trade labor for hands-on education.

The foundational work you do now is critical, and you’ll always have it to fall back on. Make sure your horse is never spooked in a dangerous moment again. From desensitizing and disengaging to backing up, these are fundamental training procedures you can’t afford to get wrong, and they’re not procedures you’ll only ever have to engage in once. You don’t need to spend years in equestrian school to learn these skills: You simply need access to all the essential knowledge distilled and explained in one clear resource, and that’s exactly what you’ll find in this guide.

Ride at your best and unlock your full potential in any equestrian competition! Whether you’re aiming to excel in Dressage, Show Jumping, or Cross-Country Riding and Eventing, this book is your ultimate guide to perfecting the skill of preparation, both physically and mentally. Revamp your training routines, boost your confidence, and develop the mindset needed to perform like a champion! Have you ever experienced a situation at a horse show where you were not able to achieve your goals? Being successful in equestrian competition is about more than just skill and a bit of luck; it’s ...

Over 15 years ago, Jane Savoie wrote the first book to recognize the importance of training the mind and shaping attitude in order to achieve higher levels of riding skill than ever imagined. Riders who benefited from the lessons in "That Winning Feeling!" clamored for more, and Savoie responded with her fabulous follow-up audiobook, "It's Not Just About the Ribbons". Once again, Savoie shares the tools and ideas for self-improvement that she has used, not only to help herself deal with challenges, but her students—who range from Olympic contenders to intermediate riders—as well.

Carleton Brooks and Traci Brooks share their decades of knowledge, expertise, and winning ways in their first book, With Purpose: The Balmoral Standard. Carleton is a widely respected horseman, a large 'R' judge, and member of the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame, and Traci has spent more than 30 years developing horses and riders, guiding them to victory at the biggest shows in the country.