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Julie Goodnight, Horse Trainer & Clinician
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| Natural Horsemanship ..Suggested Reading |
Suggested Reading List
There are many great books for educating yourself on the principles and techniques of natural horsemanship. Mark Rashid is the author of several of my favorite books, with an anecdotal look at the principles behind NH. Rashid’s books are easy to read and very touching; his titles include A Good Horse is Never a Bad Color, Horses Never Lie, and Considering the Horse.
True Horsemanship Through Feel, authored by Bill Dorrance with Leslie Desmond, is truly a gift to the horse world and an inspiration to anyone who is searching for a better understanding of the horse. It is a very weighty book, both literally and figuratively; one that will take many years to finish reading, as every paragraph contains a lifetime of wisdom and deserves to be pondered over time.
One of my favorite books on horse behavior is Equine Behaviour: Principles and Practice, by Daniel Mills and Kathryn Nankervis. Although it was written as a veterinary textbook, it is a fairly entertaining read and chock full of scientific information on the horse’s evolution and behavior.
Also on the must-read list is The Art of Horsemanship, by Xenophon, first written thousands of years ago but a translated version was compiled by Morris H. Morgan and is published by J.A. Allen & Co. Ltd. This is not a book on natural horsemanship, but is a significant work on the training of war-horses, which shows us that classical horsemanship, at its roots, has a great connection to what we now know of as natural horsemanship.
Natural Horsemanship is not just the tools and the techniques, but is a philosophy and an attitude. The first step in being a successful NH trainer is to make the decision that you want something better for both you and your horse. The next step is to study and understand the horse’s language and its natural behavior. Finally, we can employ specific techniques that the horse will understand and respond to in a natural way. Next month, I’ll show you some specific techniques that you can use to start on a better relationship between you and your horse.
© Copyright 2005
Visit Julie Goodnight's Website: http://www.juliegoodnight.com/
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