MY “TOP” MUST READ ESSENTIAL HORSE TRAINING BOOK LIST
MY “TOP” MUST READ ESSENTIAL HORSE TRAINING BOOK LIST
I really struggled with my first year of university and it took me two full semesters to work out how to perform well in my course and how to adjust my study techniques to be able to cope with the difficult subjects I was studying. The key technique I discovered is that success came easier when I just didn’t memorise stuff but I UNDERSTOOD it. What this meant is that as I would go through the course material I would keep asking myself – does that make sense, do I understand that? As soon as I came across a word I didn’t know or a concept that didn’t make sense or I felt out of my depth I would go and find the meaning of that word, look at other more detailed or more simple explanations or back track in a subject to the point it did make sense and start again. Back then the internet had not been around too long so I did spend a lot of time in the library as I was always having to find other books or references and I used a dictionary a lot….but I was disciplined about it because that was less painful and soul destroying than struggling along with borderline grades or failing. So when I started discovering more about training and working with horses my “study technique” just kicked in.
What I have discovered about the horse is that there are many dimensions and lenses though which you can view the horse. I am currently working through a weekly video series to present a snap shot of each of these dimensions because understanding these dimensions can be the key to transforming your skills and ability to work with horses…just like how it helped me a university and why I am producing the videos in the first place to help inspire people to delve deeper into understanding their horse.
So here is my essential horse training resource list. I am a fan of audiobooks because they are a super way of taking the time you spend driving, doing mundane tasks or exercising and turning it into a great learning experience. I can’t remember the last time I listened to the radio in the car but because I drive a lot I typically get through 1.5-2 books a week so it really helps me churn though a lot of information. I also make sure I keep a note book and pen handy in my car and at the end of my journey I always write some notes about what I thought was a great insight.
1. GREAT MEANINGFUL HORSE STORIES
I have called this group of books this title because they are not necessarily horse training books, they are people that have written about their journey understanding horses, what they have learnt and how that learning has changed over time. In doing so the authors teach you about the lessons they have learnt in their lives and they are meaningful lessons that can certainly change your perspective and open your eyes and your heart to new ideas you may not have considered before. So these books are:
MARK RASHID BOOKS – ALL OF THEM (most available as audiobook): Starting with Considering the Horse and you MUST read them in order because Mark takes you on the journey of his life with horses and how his understanding and approaches have changed or deepened and it is fascinating to listen to him change as he refines his knowledge, his approach and understanding about life. I always get disappointed when they finish as they are really enjoyable to listen to. Once you have finished “Considering the Horse” Mark will leave you the gift of the “old man” in your heart who will always be forever watching over your shoulder when you work a horse.
BUCK BRANNAMAN/WILLIAM REYNOLDS – FARAWAY HORSES (available as audiobook): I enjoyed the movie “Buck” and thought this would just be a pretty much like the movie but it was so much more. This book is another great story, a sad story and at times difficult to listen to because Buck had a horrific childhood but the insights he has learnt about trauma and repair are thought provoking and I always think of young damaged Buck being given a pair of work gloves by his foster father Forrest Shirley and how taking him out and giving him and a job and purpose helped the damaged little boy so much every time I work with a troubled horse. Again, great meaningful story and wise lessons will be found in this book.
2. THE TRAINING BOOKS – these books are the books that focus on training concepts.
ROSS JACOBS – ESSENCE OF GOOD HORSEMANSHIP: Funnily enough the first thing Ross talks about in this book is how it is not a training book and while it is not a step by step training book it is by far the most powerful thought provoking “training book” I have ever read. This book is a series of short essays all focused on examining the concept that “every behaviour starts with a thought”. It was this concept that changed me from someone who could train horses to do things to someone who could ask horse’s questions and they would answer me and from this I could slowly train them things that horses could feel successful and willing to do. This book I keep reading over and over again as it is layered with insights and I can get different ideas from reading the same essay multiple times. Now, I have had people read it and love it; people read it and feel confronted as they realised their horse felt negative about them; plus others that found it convoluted. Therefore, I think this is a book when you have some basic training concepts under your belt (such as horses learn from the release of pressure etc.) and are prepared to start looking in mirror for the answers to their horse behaviour.
KAREN PRYOR - DON’T SHOOT THE DOG: Now this is not a specific horse training book plus it is also about the concept of “untraining behaviours” in animals but Karen Pryor writes well, gives great easy to follow descriptions and great examples and even though it is about “untraining” it examples training principles well. I did have someone once get offended that I recommended this book as they reckoned it said that pressure training was evil and we should only use food rewards to train animals. This is not true, the Karen Pryor merely points out that working with pressure and the emotions that pressure can tap into means that if pressure training is not done well it can go badly for the animal….well that is nothing to be offended about, that is reality and why when you train with pressure like I do you have to work very hard to understand what you are doing and how to do it so that you can avoid the risk of this training approach. But this is a tremendous book to introduce you to training concepts with fascinating examples of how behaviour can be influenced.
3. THE SCIENCE BOOKS – Just this title will turn some people off because of the crappy impression your school experience left you with concerning science….if you want to see me rant ask me what I think of science education in schools. In the world of research people in certain fields of study add to an ever increasing understanding we have about things….so the research and science into horses is a fascinating place…its always evolving and there is always so cool insight or explanation to explain something new or just another way in which something we already know might happen. It can also be a place of controversy and in science that is totally cool, you can get conflicting information or beliefs as people produce research that puts evidence on the table which sometimes might be contradictory and I enjoy these debates. I get a lot of science research about horses or related topics, but these are books which can be helpful.
MARTIN BLACK/STEPHEN PETERS – EVIDENCE BASED HORSEMANSHIP (Available as DVD and book): This is another must have, I prefer the DVD over the book. The DVD has more information and some better graphics which really help you understand what happens with a horse during training and many other important aspects like the role of experience in in how to horse learns to cope with life.
DANIEL MILLS/KATHRYN NANKERVIS – EQUINE BEHAVIOUR PRINCIPLES & PRACTICE: I like this book because for a science book it is not too badly written and takes you on a journey from evolution of the horse and its behaviour all the way to its neurological system to the mechanism of training.
PAUL MCGREEVY – EQUINE BEHAVIOUR A GUIDE OF VETERINARIANS & EQUINE SCIENTISTS: This book adds onto the detail in the Mills/Nankervis book and its language is more “sciency” but still not badly written if you are prepared to type the odd word into google to check the meaning so that you don’t lose any understanding as you read it.
PAUL MCGREEVY/ANDREW MCLEAN – EQUITATION SCIENCE: I debated whether or not to include this book but it is probably the resource I utilise the most and the information it contains is excellent, really excellent. BUT, it is terribly presented for any audience other than an equitation scientist with a PhD. Even I struggle to understand it in places and learning is my research area so I am familiar with the language. I know many people who have bought the book and been devastated by how un-reader friendly it was. But, I have learnt a lot from this book and it has saved me many hours of research on many occasions to help me pin-point research to follow up as I study something. My recommendation would be to get the other two books above and if you get through them then they will give you a good background to be able to take on this book with the help of an online dictionary. I also hope that Paul McGreevy and Andrew McLean think about writing another book one day that is more accessible to people as what they have to say is very helpful in understanding horses.
4. BIOMECHANICS – The thoughts of a horse will affect the body of the horse but the body of the horse will also impact its thoughts…knowledge about biomechanics is very important to have! Here are two books I recommend.
GILLIAN HIGGINS – POSTURE AND PERFORMANCE: Now biomechanics can definitely be another realm where there can be different opinions but someone I found really engrossing to listen to that really opened my eyes up to biomechanics and the anatomy of the horse and how this relates to performance is Gillian Higgins and her “Horses Inside Out” concept. You might know Gillian Higgins as the lady that paints skeletons and muscles on horses. She really is super and I really enjoy this book as being a great combination of understanding anatomy, function and simple exercises to help use these ideas for performance.
MARIJKE DE JONG – INTRODUCTION TO STRAIGHTNESS TRAINING (free ebook): http://academicartofriding.com/.../free-ebook-about.../) This is a free induction book to the concept of natural asymmetry of a horse. This concept really helped me understand the “why” behind many common training frustrations that I use to think resided in the horses head and I had not connected the how the body can affect the thoughts and preferences of the horse. It helped me understand why horses fall in or out in certain directions, turn in or out in the round pen and really opened my mind up to the whole entire plan and purpose of training dressage. So definitely a recommended read!
5. BOOKS THAT ARE NOT HORSE TRAINING BOOKS BUT REALLY ARE VERY GOOD BOOKS WITH TRAINING INSIGHTS YOU CAN APPLY TO HORSES
CHARLES DUHIGG – THE POWER OF HABIT - WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO IN LIFE AND BUSINESS (available as audiobook): When we train horses we are really training habits. When horses learn problem behaviour, this can also come under the same umbrella as habit formation. I have got lots of great ideas to solve problems from this book or it has just helped me identify triggers to a particular horse's evasions or anxiety. It will also give you some good information about yourself and how you do things as well. A great entertaining read.
CATHERINE PITTMAN/ELIZABETH KARLE - REWIRE YOUR ANXIOUS BRAIN (available as audiobook): This is a tremendous book as it really gives a great description of how you can use the knowledge of neuroscience to help understand fear, anxiety and panic in people as well as horses and how you can use that knowledge to your advantage.
6. UNDERSTANDING YOUR HUMAN-NESS – To begin to be successful with horses you have to embrace the understanding that horses respond how they feel and the person hanging onto the lead rope or sitting in the saddle is going to have the greatest influence on how they feel. A key to understanding how to make horses feel more comfortable is to understand that we have some instinctual human traits and ways of doing things that can make horses feel uncomfortable. Therefore, learning what these things are can help us adapt our behaviour to be less human "primate" and more horse friendly human.
PATRICIA MCCONNELL – ON THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH (available as audiobook): Patricia McConnell might be an expert in aggressive dogs but she presents a fascinating book on understanding ourselves as humans and how we can be rather ignorant and naïve that other species we live with, like dogs and horses, are different species with different species requirements and expertise. I will always blame Patricia for making me aware my dog hates me giving him hugs, but I have discovered he loves been scratched on the side of his neck….so although I have to check myself and not hug him, I know he is loving the neck scratch a lot more! A must read and a lovely read with great stories that will leave you laughing and crying as you learn about the mighty collie Cool Hand Luke and how he saved Patricia’s life and other beautiful stories of how we love animals and by learning about them and respecting them we can form strong connections.
ANGELA DUCKWORTH – GRIT – THE POWER OF PASSIONM AND PERSEVERENCE (available as audiobook): I recommend this book to my horse friends as well as my regular friends and everyone loves it and is inspired by it. It is all about the power of struggle and how important struggle and overcoming challenge is in creating an inner strength – grit….a quality that can make people do great things in their lives. After you read it you will see life differently, see children and others differently and see it is not success that should be acknowledged but the effort!
CAROL DWECK – MINDSET – THE NEW PSYCHOLOGY OF SUCCESS (available as audiobook): I did find the first few chapters of this book a little dry but once I got into it there was much gold revealed. In the book you learn about the fixed and growth mindset types. The fix mindset see everything as fix, so your intelligence is fixed, your skills are fixed etc. people with a fixed mindset suffer with the fear of failure and judgement and even though they can be successful to a point their fixed mindset will be their achilles and cause them much stress. The growth mindset sees everything as temporary and failure as feedback and instead of fearing judgement they welcome it because knowing their weakness can help them target their improvement. This book and Grit are so vital for learning how to work horses well because it is a struggle and the horse never ever stops giving you feedback on how you are going and to start with you FAIL a lot. I know I have a growth mindset about working with horses and this has definitely given me an edge over other people BUT it also revealed that just because I have a growth mindset about horses I have a fixed mindset about other things such as eating better and including more regular exercise beyond working horses. Definitely a must read book!
ROBERT POOL/ANDERS ERICSSON – PEAK – SECRETS FROM THE NEW SCIENCE OF EXPERTISE (available as audiobook): This book is directly from my research area of expert performance from one of my favourite researches in the area Anders Ericsson. If you have heard of the 10,000 hour rule to become an expert then you have heard of Anders Ericsson’s research (even though he actually doesn’t say this at all but if you listen to the book he will explain how this is a simplification of a finding from one of his studies). This book is fascinating and is woven with great stories about how people can develop their skills in anything from memory to being a fighter pilot to a martial artist. It really makes you understand how you learn to get good at stuff and again it will pinpoint the importance of challenge or struggle that Angel Duckworth will present to you in Grit. The concepts can also be applied to how horses improve in their learning over time. So you can apply the knowledge you gain from this book to both yourself (or other people if you coach people like me) or to horses!
