Books

During the last few decades more and more people have been questioning established methods of keeping horses and seeking better ways of training and managing them. A bewildering range of different training methods has emerged, many of which have proved immensely popular and influential. Part of the appeal of some of these methods is that they are said to be based on natural horse behaviour; the idea is that this enables the trainer to use the horse’s own language rather than rely on force or coercion.

But how true is this? How do horses really behave? Is equine society based on competition and conflict, as some trainers claim, or is it instead based on co-operation and the establishment of social bonds? And do the new training methods really avoid the use of coercion? We need to ask these questions if we are to establish truly humane and ethical systems for the training and management of horses.

Let Horses be Horses takes a fresh look at some current assumptions about equine behaviour and how humans and horses relate to each other. It considers the learning principles which underlie all forms of training, and looks at ways of managing horses which are based on consideration for the horse’s needs.

The points discussed will help owners to establish a genuine rapport with their horses, which is always the basis of a truly successful partnership, whether the aim is riding purely for pleasure, or a serious involvement in the sporting disciplines.

Hardback.