Think Like Your Horse

In Think Like a Horse, veteran “horse whisperer” and leadership expert Grant Golliher applies his hard-won horse sense to teach invaluable lessons anyone can use to live a fuller, more successful life. Grant Golliher is what some would call a “horse whisperer,” able to get a wild horse to calmly accept a saddle and a rider without the use of force. Through training thousands of horses, many traumatized or abused, Golliher was able to learn essential lessons about communication, boundaries, fairness, trust, and respect—lessons that apply not just to horses but to humans as well. It’s why celebrities, Fortune 500 ex­ecutives, professional coaches, supreme court justices, and even ordinary families from around the world flock to his Wyoming ranch every year to take part in what one CEO called “the most transformational experience I have ever encountered.” Horse whispering may sound like magic, but as Grant explains in Think Like a Horse, it’s not really all that mysterious. The lessons he shares are as fundamental and ageless as the relationship between horses, the people who ride them, and the beauty of the West. In fact, it’s an approach that anyone can learn, and should learn, in order to better understand our common humanity, overcome trauma, foster more fulfilled relationships, and unlock untapped potential in virtually every aspect of our lives. All you have to do is think like a horse.

In this fascinating best seller, Cherry Hill explores the way horses think and how it affects their behavior. Explaining why certain smells and sounds appeal to your horse’s sensibility and what sets off his sudden movements, Hill stresses how recognizing the thought processes behind your horse’s actions can help you communicate effectively and develop a trusting relationship based on mutual respect.

In this book, Lesley Bayley and Michael Peace have produced a unique, practical guide to help you to understand life from your horse?s point of view. The authors explain how to apply simple principles that will help you to achieve harmony with your horse on a day to day basis. The authors explain how to overcome the difficulties that many have when trying to see the world from an equine perspective, paving the way for the development of mutual respect. Taking readers beyond the concept of ?joining-up? with their horse, this book shows how to work with your horse each day, taking into account his specific needs. Whilst ideal for training the young horse, the authors also show how common behavioural problems in older horses can be worked on effectively. Self-assessment checklists at the end of each chapter enable you to test your understanding of the concepts as you go. All a better relationship with your horse requires is for you to keep an open mind and let the horse be your teacher. Let Think Like Your Horse show you how.

A book chock-full of answers to horse-behavior questions that will change your horse's life for the better. Horses want partners they trust. Meeting their need for security makes them more tuned-in, calmer, and more reliable. In her engaging book, highly illustrated with professional color photographs, certified riding instructor Lynn Acton, MS, shows you how, with practical step-by-step instructions. You’ll see that progress can be surprisingly fast with methods that are gentle, time-tested, backed by science, and that make intuitive sense to your horse. Discover how to earn trust and make training more efficient by engaging horses’ innate intelligence, maintaining clear two-way communication, and considering their point of view. This leadership approach has been used successfully for centuries by people of all backgrounds and skill levels on horses at all levels of training. Acton refers to this relationship as Protector Leadership because you are the horse’s protector. In these pages, she combines extensive horse experience and an academic background in social dynamics with in-depth research. She interprets and cites the scientific findings that explain why Protector Leadership works, and offers valuable insights into equine psychology while exposing myths that are sources of problems. Plus, Acton includes “Things to Try” at the end of each chapter—fun and easy-to-implement exercises that help you engage your horse as a thinking partner Throughout, the narrative includes stories of Acton's progress with her own horses, including mistakes and hindsight, and especially the transformation of the book’s "cover girl" Brandy from a dangerous throwaway to a happy, reliable partner. Clear, detailed photographs show the subtle body language of horses and people, and illustrate critical interactions that make a real difference in our relationships, communication, and training. These are a few of the concrete skills you will learn: · Earn trust starting the moment you meet a horse. · Recognize “misbehavior” that actually means your horse is thinking like a partner. · Turn pressure into clear communication instead of stress. · Use Positive Reinforcement for better learning, behavior, and reliability. · Turn anxiety and spooks into confidence building situations. · Discourage unwanted behavior without punishment. · Allow your horse appropriate choices and freedom. As your bond strengthens, you can enjoy watching your horse’s true personality blossom. A thoughtful, progressive book for riders of all disciplines and students of the horse of all experience levels.

Every horse, from the pampered show-hunter to the family pet, is faced at one time or another with an object or situation that is overwhelmingly terrifying, or just downright confusing. With his systematic approach to "bombproofing," Sergeant Rick Pelicano of the Maryland National Capitol Park Police shares his methods on how to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to training your horse to deal with such situations. His vividly illustrated manual shows you how to accustom your horse to a variety of circumstances, noises, and objects, thereby turning him into a more pleasurable, submissive, confident, and ultimately safer mount.

Get your relationship right with your horse and he'll try to get it right with you, too. It's not about following steps to success or special equipment. It's about very subtle signs that show him you are on his side, and when you're with him he can let you take responsibility for his safety. This is the heart of great horsemanship. Be With Your Horse is a clear and accessible guide to finding the best relationship with your horse. Tom Widdicombe invites the reader to embark on a search for the perfect partnership, learning how to make your horse a willing friend, and find the balance between leadership and respect. The book is full of practical advice applicable to all horse owners and horse lovers, and peppered with accounts of Tom's own experiences with horses and how they shaped his ideas about training horses and humans to achieve a greater understanding of one another

An eye-opening game-changer of a book that sheds new light on how horses learn, think, perceive, and perform, and explains how to work with the horse’s brain instead of against it. 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. Horsemanship of every kind depends on mutual interaction between equine and human brains. When we understand the function of both, we can learn to communicate with horses on their terms instead of ours. By meeting horses halfway, we achieve many goals. We improve performance. We save valuable training time. We develop much deeper bonds with our horses. We handle them with insight and kindness instead of force or command. We comprehend their misbehavior in ways that allow solutions. We reduce the human mistakes we often make while working with them. Instead of working against the horse’s brain, expecting him to function in unnatural and counterproductive ways, this book provides the information needed to ride with the horse’s brain. Each principle is applied to real everyday issues in the arena or on the trail, often illustrated with true stories from the author’s horse training experience. Horse Brain, Human Brain offers revolutionary ideas that should be considered by anyone who works with horses.

The bible of North American Horsemanship, Horse, Follow Closely is GaWaNi Pony Boy's signature title about the relationship training methods that are steeped in common sense and the age-old wisdom of his Native American ancestors. Of mixed blood Tsa-la-gi, GaWaNi Pony Boy was able to conceive his philosophy and compile the methods of relationship training while touring the United States with a Native American drum band and consulting the Tribal Elders from many different nations and backgrounds. The methods and beliefs of relationship training come directly from the first great horsemen of North America. "Horse and rider are one. Theirs is a relationship of trust, harmony, and respect born of a way of life that is all but lost." The stunning full-color photographs by Gabrielle Boiselle capture Pony Boy's serenity and unity with his close horse companions. The author's simple eloquence forges a deep, profound relationship with his readers that few books ever hope to achieve. As Pony Boy writes in the introduction, "For many [the Native American horseman] represents the ultimate rider. The essence of a horseman, both his skill and intuition, goes beyond the hours he spends in the saddle;.the folklore of every Native tribe are stories, tales, and beliefs to exemplify human's relations to other animals." The book begins with an analysis of how horses came to live with the Natives of North America and horses' impact on Native life. The crux of relationship training, according to the author, is to understand "what it means to be a horse, react like a horse, and relate to other things like a horse;." Native Americans were able to create such strong relationship with horses in a short time because they understood that "a horse is a horse." Learning to balance the relationship between horse and human is the missing link to becoming a masterful horseman or horsewoman. The book describes not only the techniques involved for relationship training but also the belief system and attitude that must be applied to all methods of horsemanship.In addition to presenting the methods and philosophy of relationship training, Horse, Follow Closely also includes many stories and legends of Native Americans and their horses, all of which teach the reader something new about himself and his relationship with his horse.