Horses are beautiful creatures who respond favorably to humans because we have the ability to create a positive relationship with them. But how do we create a positive learning environment that will obtain desirable behavior from horses? In her guidebook, a professional educator and Grand Prix dressage horse trainer shares step-by-step lessons and powerful tools of behavior modification that will help horse trainers and riders create successful horse performance. Dr. Patti Dammier relies on over twenty-five years of experience in horse training and professional research and education to offer an innovative approach that uses scientific evidence to teach basic principles of behavior change. Through her methods, case studies, and key points, riders and horse trainers will learn how to: ? Establish goals and objectives specifi cally tailored for each horse ? Create reasonable and achievable lessons ? Develop rider aids and cues that reward behavior ? Decrease undesirable behavior without unnecessary force ? Manage risk and ensure a safe learning environment Horse Makeovers is a guidebook for anyone eager to learn an educated approach to training horses that utilizes proven scientific research, resources of learning theory, and techniques of positive motivation to achieve results.

Unlock the myth and mystery surrounding the current horse training literature. Understand the reasons that make any horse training method work. Use the effective methods developed by research scientists that created the powerful tools of behavior modification that can help trainers and riders create successful horse performance. Learn the power of behavior modification that allows any horse behavior or training method to be explained. Create reasonable, achievable lessons for your horse. Create rider aids and cues that truly reward the horse. Increase desirable horse behavior while decreasing the undesirable. Learn step-by step lessons to train horse behavior. Behavior Modification for Horses was written by a rider and trainer with over twenty-five years of experience working with the best riding masters in Europe. Patti Dammier brings the best expertise of both worlds: horse training and a professional background as an educator and researcher—an innovative approach that takes the work of scientists and explains behavior modification based on horses. It is time to move away from the trendy and quick-fix horse-training methods and learn the basic principles of behavior modification that teaches anyone to create a positive training environment and a method to obtain desirable behavior from horses.

Mackenzie's life needs a complete makeover. Just like her retired racehorse. Halfway between a quarter-life crisis and a midlife one -- that's where you'll find Mackenzie O'Neill. With the glitter of West Palm Beach and the debris of a failed marriage in her truck's rear-view mirror, she's heading to North Florida to start over as a groom for show-jumper Basil Han and his girlfriend, Kayla Moore (The Sweetheart Horse). With her, she brings a retired racehorse she loves with all her heart, and her hope of taking him to the Thoroughbred Makeover competition in Kentucky. Oh, and a lot of emotional baggage about controlling men. She's looking forward to healing and personal growth on a quiet farm. She didn't know about the farrier renting stalls and an apartment in the same barn where she'll be living and working As Mackenzie works on repairing her life and retraining her off-track Thoroughbred, she finds it harder and harder to resist this quiet giant of a man, who rehabs racehorses with a gentle hand. But she knows better than to let a charming man past her defenses. Even one who lives just across the barn aisle. Even one who might be her only hope to get her beloved ex-racehorse to the Thoroughbred Makeover. Book Five in the heartwarming Ocala Horse Girls series brings back old friends and introduces new ones in a relatable, emotional, and thoroughly horsey adventure! Combining the best of romantic comedy and women's fiction, the Ocala Horse Girls are full of fun, heart, and friendship.

For generations, we've been stuck with a cookie-cutter mold for success that requires us to be the same as everyone else, only better. This "standard formula" works for some people but leaves most of us feeling disengaged and frustrated. As much as we might dislike the standard formula, it seems like there's no other practical path to financial security and a fulfilling life. But what if there is? In the Dark Horse Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, bestselling author and acclaimed thought leader Todd Rose and neuroscientist Ogi Ogas studied women and men who achieved impressive success even though nobody saw them coming. Dark horses blaze their own trail to a life of happiness and prosperity. Yet what is so remarkable is that hidden inside their seemingly one-of-a-kind journeys are practical principles for achieving success that work for anyone, no matter who you are or what you hope to achieve. This mold-breaking approach doesn't depend on you SAT scores, who you know, or how much money you have. The secret is a mindset that can be expressed in plain English: Harness your individuality in the pursuit of fulfillment to achieve excellence. In Dark Horse, Rose and Ogas show how the four elements of the dark horse mindset empower you to consistently make the right choices that fit your unique interests, abilities, and circumstances and will guide you to a life of passion, purpose, and achievement.

In this lively cultural history, Margaret Guroff reveals how the bicycle has transformed American society, from making us mobile to empowering people in all avenues of life. Book jacket.

Horse training isn’t a mystical procedure. In fact, there isn’t mystery in the methods necessary to teach any skill. To learn any skill there is a logical sequence that if adhered to, allows a behavior to be taught and learned. Creating a Positive Horse consists of using positive methods, which in turn creates a positive attitude. Positive Horses explains those positive methods necessary to create horses that perform on taught/learned cues, both on the ground and in the saddle that are systematically rewarded, but also have an extremely positive attitude to their trainer/companion. The system uses the method, ‘Behavior Modification’. This book is about: • Explanation of basic educational methods using systematic sequences that support training horses. • Creating the goals and objectives for each individual horse rather than a “one size fits all” approach. • Training using positive reinforcement— how food rewards creates useable cues, instead of the trainer performing meaningless behavior that the horse doesn’t understand. • Horses learning basic cues: come, stand, walk on, and halt, which provides safety on the ground and assists in the next work in the saddle. • Applying basic training to other equestrian disciplines. • Addressing training method failure, because the trainer doesn’t assess the correct the behavior to reward and doesn’t understand the methods. • Horse case studies exemplifying the use of behavioral methods.

It's time to get real—that is, real, do-it-yourself horse training. Professional trainer Sean Patrick has created the ultimate guide to the "complete" riding horse—whether a performance, working, or "just for fun" prospect. Quite simply, you begin at Lesson Number 33 and count your way down through the basic exercises—the "primary education"—every horse needs. And when you get to Lesson 1, you've done it; you've prepared your horse for advanced work in any number of equestrian disciplines. You can't get lost along the way. There's no room for confusion. Sean clarifies the point and explains the gist of every step. The happy result? He trains you to be a trainer. Whether your horse is a foal or five, guilelessly green or imperfectly veteran, he will benefit from the Countdown—a true "foundation" program, serving to prepare him for the endless variety of activities and "jobs" horses perform today. From indispensable handling, "sacking-out," and tying exercises, to how you, the rider, can control the different parts of the horse’s body from the ground and the saddle; from mounting on both the left and the right to performing flawless flying lead changes, you’ll be amazed at how effective and efficient this program is.