There Are No Problem Horses Only Problem Riders

Discusses the behavior of horses, describes the basic methods for training horses, and recommends solutions for common difficulties with controlling and handling horses.

If you have seen his weekly television program, Downunder Horsemanship, then you know that Clinton Anderson's training techniques can achieve amazing results with almost any horse. Now his methods are available for the first time in a reader-friendly, highly illustrated book, and you, too, can learn the program that teaches "everyday people"—regardless of riding style, age, or ability—how to better communicate with their mounts.

Expert advice from an experienced equestrienne packs The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Horseback Riding. Learn simple strategies for mastering basic riding skills, essential information on caring for horses, the differences between Western and English riding styles, caring for the saddle, and much more! Rules of polo and polocrosse are also included.

The author, who has had a lifetime of experience with horses, tailors her advice to the amateur horse owner, explaining everything in clear, easily understood terms. Practical and easy to read, this indispensable guide addresses such basic issues as equiping the colt, gaining his trust, saddling, and more. 100 line drawings.

This marvelous book, borne of a unique collaboration between Dr. Allen Schoen—a world-renowned veterinarian and author—and trainer and competitor of many years Susan Gordon, introduces the 25 Principles of Compassionate Equitation. These Principles, conceived by Dr. Schoen and Gordon, are a set of developmental guidelines, encouraging a level of personal awareness that may be enacted not only through the reader's engagement with horses, but can be extended to all humans and sentient beings he or she encounters. The 25 Principles share stories and outline current, peer-reviewed studies that identify and support methods of training, handling, and caring for horses that constitute a safe, healthy, non-stressful, and pain-free environment. Through their Compassionate Equestrian program, the authors encourage all involved in the horse industry to approach training and handling with compassion and a willingness to alleviate suffering. By developing deeper compassion for their own horses, and subsequently, all equines, equestrians transcend their differences in breed preferences, riding disciplines, and training methodologies. This leads to the ability to empathize and connect more closely with the “global collective” of horses and horse people. In doing so, a worldwide community of compassionate equine practitioners and horse owners will emerge, which will not only benefit the horses: People involved with horses are found in many influential segments of society and have the potential to affect wide circles of friends, acquaintances, and co-workers from every walk of life. These are simple changes any horse person can make that can have a vast impact on the horse industry and society as a whole.

Eastern philosophy enters the stables in this unique guide to horsemanship. Allan Hamilton describes how horses understand and respond to the flow of vital energy around them. They use this energy, called chi, to communicate with their herd, express dominance, and sense predators. Hamilton shares safe, simple techniques to make you more receptive to your animal’s chi, so you can develop a calm and effective training style that will not only help your horse follow commands, but strengthen the spiritual bond between horse and rider.