Think Harmony With Horses - An In-Depth Study of Horse/Man Relationship

by Ray Hunt

1998 15th printing hardcover with dust jacket as shown. Book and jacket in Fine condition.

Genres: Horses, Nonfiction, Animals, Reference

87 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Bara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice book, I liked most of the concepts:) Ray Hunt seems like a very pleasant trainer

[Jesse Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a timeless piece of wisdom. Ray Hunt speaks plainly but with intention and gentle authority. The themes are repetitive but that’s as they were intended to be. He hammers on the points most people miss. It’s a short read. It’s an enjoyable read. And it’s a read you will want to come back to. I really enjoy tapping into a little of Mr. Hunt’s wisdom before I ride my horse and I think my horse appreciates it too.

[Dezirah Remington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make the wrong thing hard and the right thing easy...

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book for horse lovers. It could be read by anyone and there would be advice that would help you deal with workplace dynamics, personal relationships, anger, and general day to day human behavior; but maybe a non-horse person would not recognize how this advice would be pertinent. It would be interesting, though, to hear back from a non-horse person who reads and ponders the words in this book. It gets 5 stars because I just love the content.

[Payton Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book!

[Brenda Engelen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great wisdom for everyone who is involved in working with or owning horses.

[Sam Canado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good insight I guess light read.

[stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

what i appreciate about ray hunt is his easy way of writing, and the way he feels everything truly boils down to knowing where your horse's feet are.

it's such a simple concept - if you can't master something at the walk, how can you expect to do it at the canter (or lope), but it is so skipped over especially by the up and coming generation of riders.

the other thing i appreciate about ray hunt is that he was a horseman, first and foremost. he had his own horses that he didn't sell, but he trained other people's horses for them as well. the horses themselves were not his business. the people were. that he tried to listen to the horse, to "dance" with it, give it options -

in a way, everything written in this book is applicable toward parenthood as well. it is a careful, genuine book full of respect, and i am proud to know that i can always tell you what hoof is hitting the ground when i'm riding, even in a western saddle. (more leather). and basically i just want to spend a day at the walk again, and remember all there is to learn, and keep learning.

[Charty · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for the actual writing which is conversational and not very well organized. 5 stars for the horse philosophy which I feel is simple on initial presentation but very important for anyone who wants to develop a true working partnership with their horse.

Unfortunately if you are looking for a step by step guide to achieve this, this book is not for you. Hunt has a great approach to horsemanship but he is not a very effective writer. His style could best be described as folksy. There are great insights in there, but I wonder if I would have picked up on them as well if I hadn't been exposed to them in other contexts?

Worth reading if you are interested in other philosophies of horsemanship.

[Goele Lousbergh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book I've ever rated 5* despite obvious shortcomings. It could have been edited a lot better but the content is SO strong it makes up for that. It's a training-philosophy book but moved me to tears, it is a love letter to the horse.
M. Hunt may not be around any more but I am here to witness his (and the Dorrance's) legacy lives on in the likes of Buck Brannaman, Warwick Schiller, Pat Parelli and many many more. Including, in a small, clumsy way, in myself and my Peanuts.

[C.J. Darlington · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot of meat in this little book. Ray's philosophy about horses shines here, and I enjoyed getting to know them as he's kind of the father of much of the gentle-yet-firm-when-necessary horsemanship trainers out there. I'll need to re-read again to digest it all.

[Lynette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I desperately wanted to love this little book, because I agree with Ray Hunts's horse training philosophy, but it's terribly written and edited. It's stream of consciousness writing and incredibly repetitive. It did get the point across, however, and there is some great training wisdom here.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for any horse owner to read, even a practical gentle no nonsense approach to horse training. I liked the way it was written, just as Ray spoke, in may not be fancy or polished but it did get his point across.

[Marjori Ollson]

Nice book...(Laura Lee done good 8)...

[Delia · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best horse books I have ever read. Ray Hunt was one of the Master Horsemen of our time. His down to earth, thought driven training style can teach anyone to understand horses better.

[Daryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

currently rereading
If i remember not well written but full of wisdom.