A collection of short non-fiction pieces by various authors about how they experienced personal growth through a relationship with horses.

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.

A collection of short non-fiction pieces by various authors about how they experienced personal growth through a relationship with horses.

Inspiring true stories of how horses teach humans and heal their hearts. Horses are sensitive creatures with hearts ten times larger than humans and much more to share with us than meets the eye. Life Lessons from the Heart of Horses offers poignant short stories about the trials and tribulations of befriending horses. Equine expert Kathy Pike brings you on a healing journey that includes lessons a wild horse taught her, how horses teach humans in her equine facilitated learning programs, and personal insights about living off the land and engaging with the dynamics of a herd each day. Every story in this inspirational book highlights lessons about trust, surrender, timing, and building relationships. Some stories are light and playful, others are insightful, and some are even a bit heart-wrenching, bringing you on the journey as if you are in direct relationship with each horse. Questions offered after each chapter invite you to apply this book's lessons to your own life or relationships. Life Lessons from the Heart of Horses will deepen any horse lover's understanding of the invisible and emotional bond between horse and human.

A heartwarming story of a couple and their horse exploring what caring for a horse can teach us about companionship—whether it’s with a four-legged friend or a fellow human. A surprise birthday gift plunged Joe and his wife, Kathleen, into the world of horses as complete neophytes without a clue as to what a horse needed or wanted. They searched for logic and sense in the rule books of traditional horse care. What they found was not what they had expected. Written for everyone who has ever loved a horse or ever loved the idea of loving a horse, this memoir leads us on a voyage of discovery as Joe and Kathleen navigate uncharted territory on their way to achieving a true relationship with their horses. Joe Camp’s inspiring book unlocks the mystery of a majestic creature who has survived on earth, without assistance, for fifty-five million years and teaches us that the lessons he learned apply not only to horses but also to our relationships with people.

“Horses are a lot like people,” says renowned horseman Mark Rashid. “When there are gaps in understanding, confusion, and thus frustration, worry, and even anger are sure to follow.” Horses often grow up with these “gaps” in their training and education. When this happens, it can be difficult for the horse to be a willing partner to a human, and he may need to be “restarted”—that is, given a second chance to learn what is expected of him and how he can find a place where he is confident and comfortable both beside a handler and beneath a rider. In order to restart a horse successfully, we need to know how to retrace the steps the horse’s education has taken and find the path missed the first time around. In this book, the first of the expansive library of books penned by Rashid to include full-color photographs, readers are guided through practical steps for restarting horses, using Rashid’s simple yet impactful concepts derived from years of study of martial arts. We walk along with him as he proceeds with the quiet sorting of experience that provides the insight we need to give any horse the new beginning he deserves.

Horse Speak is not a training method or technique—it is a practical system for “listening” and “talking” to horses in their language, instead of expecting them to comprehend ours. Horse Speak can be used by anyone who works with horses, whether riding instructor, colt starter, recreational rider, or avid competitor. It promises improved understanding of what a horse is telling you, and provides simple replies you can use to tell him that you “hear” him, you “get it,” and you have ideas you want to share with him, too. The result? Time with your horse will be full of what horse trainer and equine-assisted learning instructor Sharon Wilsie of Wilsie Way Horsemanship calls Conversations, and soon the all-too-common misunderstandings that occur between horse and human will evolve into civil discussions with positive and progressive results! Learn Horse Speak in 12 easy steps; understand equine communication via breath and body language; and discover the Four Gs of Horse Speak: Greeting, Going Somewhere, Grooming, and Gone. Practice regulating your intensity, and sample dozens of ready-made Conversations with your horse, as step-by-step templates and instructional color photographs walk you through the eye-opening process of communicating on a whole new level.