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.

With her landmark first book Horse Speak: The Equine–Human Translation Guide, trainer Sharon Wilsie upended conventional methods of human–equine communication (using words and ropes, for example) with her clear classification of the language horses use with each other (body, breath, and intent), as well as an unparalleled explanation of how we as humans can effectively mirror it. Learning to “listen” and “talk” to horses in their language, instead of expecting them to comprehend ours, is a milestone in the progressive philosophy of horsemanship, helping find positive solutions to behavior and training problems and ultimately leading to fewer misunderstandings between horses and humans. In her much–anticipated follow–up, Wilsie uses true stories to relate examples of “problems” and how they were solved using Horse Speak. Her engaging narrative introduces readers to dozens of real–life scenarios from different barns, various disciplines, and riders and handlers with contrasting experiences and backgrounds. Wilsie highlights her Horse Speak process, the clues that point to the best course of action, and the steps she takes to connect with horses that have shut down, grown confused, or become sulky or aggressive for any number of reasons. The result is a book full of incredible insight and exciting possibilities.

The most complete guide available to understanding the horse's language, knowing how to “talk” back, and to using Horse Speak® principles in any training system. In 2016 Sharon Wilsie's Horse Speak: The Equine—Human Translation Guide broke new ground for anyone who works with horses, providing a practical system to “listening” and “talking” to horses in their language instead of expecting them to understand ours. Now Wilsie has provided the most complete guide to Horse Speak ever. Those familiar with Wilsie's work will find novel ideas that have developed since the first book was released, and those new to Horse Speak will be supported with fundamental lessons that will allow them to start having authentic “conversations” with their horses during their very next trip to the barn. With a focus on how horse training methods in general can be improved with certain small changes in movement and mindset, Wilsie has once again created a resource of immense value across the equestrian spectrum. Solidify basic language skills—General Horse Speak fundamentals, plus new discoveries. Observe the horse's environment and movement signals—The “Chessboard of Life” and how horses negotiate it. Know the Buttons and what they do—The 15 communication centers on the horse's body, plus new connections and Conversations. Understand herd dynamics and your horse's type—Personality and energy types to assist you in understanding the role your horse is playing in his daily interactions. Explore the circular nature of horse Conversations—How the Four Gs and IINN help you remember where you are in a Conversation with your horse. Start the Conversation outside the box—Safe and effective ways to initiate connection and source breakthroughs from a distance and in environments other than arenas. Invite the horse to come with you—Best practices for haltering, leading, and backing up in hand so it is less challenging and a more rewarding experience for both you and your horse. Advance your body language at liberty and on the longe line—Keys to developing the rapport we desire with a horse by understanding his balances and imbalances on the ground. Ride with a new perspective—Take all that you have learned about communicating with the horse on the ground and bring it to your shared experience in the saddle. PLUS, use the one-of-a-kind Dictionary of Horse Speak to find out how to know what your horse is telling you, how to say things in reply to him, and how Horse Speak can help you fix common training and behavior problems. With illuminating sections on basic handling, groundwork, and ridden work, Wilsie gives readers everything they need to improve the training techniques they already use by enhancing both horse and human understanding of the process and the goals. The result is improved behavior, enhanced performance, and a happier, healthier equine partner in whatever you choose to pursue together.

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.

An eye-opening book leading equestrians into a brave new horse world, where we train horses their way, not ours. For years, Andrea Kutsch filled stadiums with spectators as she demonstrated remarkable transformations in “problem horses” using the Natural Horsemanship training methods she'd learned from leaders in the field. But something was bothering her—a feeling that had been with her since her childhood days, watching Icelandics in a field and coming up through a traditional German riding system. Despite the strides made in improving the horse's well-being through the worldwide adoption of Natural Horsemanship techniques, she knew that the methods were still missing something. They still trained horses looking at every situation from the human perspective and were dependent on a trainer's natural feel. This meant that, for the horse, there was stress involved in the training process. In addition, positive results gained by a professional often couldn't be replicated by a horse's owner; what the horse learned from one person wouldn't transfer to others. Kutsch set out to find the next stage in the evolution of horse training. She studied the results of methods she used with thousands of young horses at The Lewitz Stud in Neustadt--Glewe, Germany, the renowned farm owned by European champion Paul Schockemöhle. This provided the basis for what she calls Evidence-Based Equine CommunicationTM (EBEC), a means of reading the horse and understanding the world from his point of view. Here she introduces EBEC and how it can take our relationship with horses and their ability to perform as our partners to a whole new level. Inside find: Myth-busting popular assumptions related to typical gestures made by the horse, such as “licking and chewing” and “lowering the head.” Explanation of how ethograms can be used to map out equine body language and help us attain a clearer sense of the horse's true perspective. Discussion of how the horse's physical and psychological needs must be met in order for him to learn, including what those needs are. Exploration of the difference between inter- and intra-species communication. Introduction to a new reward-and-punishment model that looks at operant conditioning from the horse's point of view. Identification of the need for non-violent communication on the part of the trainer as well as the training skills she must have when working with a horse, and what these light look like not from our perspective, but the horse's. Certain to provide ideas for improving every interaction with horses, whatever your experience or discipline, From the Horse1s Point of View is a conversation-starter for all those looking to take their horsemanship to a whole new level.

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.

This practical book helps you interpret and connect the physical signals that horses display in response to their environment. These signals are evident in the everyday actions, gestures and attitudes that horses communicate to each other, but are often so subtle that they can go unnoticed by humans. This book aims to rectify that, offering horse lovers and equine professionals an opportunity to gain a unique insight into their 'horse's world'. Key features: includes detailed description of language signs of domestic horses, with a special emphasis on calming signals includes 275 pictures to visualize various language signs, calming signals, behaviour sequences and facial features presents communication ladders to show how a horse responds to incentives in his environment, and what signals he uses at certain moments contains tips on the use of the communication ladders and calming signals to improve the socialisation, training and wellbeing of your horse considers equine psychological stress from an environmental perspective, providing a valuable alternative to the current common clinical perspective. After reading this book you will be more astute in spotting calming signals, displacement activities, stress signals and distance-increasing signals, and better able to see which stimuli your horse can handle and which he cannot. This means you will know what to do to calm your horse before his stress rises to an unmanageable level. Language Signs and Calming Signals of Horses is both fascinating and important reading for any equine veterinary practitioner, student or nurse, as well as horse owners and trainers.