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Changing The Tide: Lessons In Horsemanship
A collection of short stories revolve around three central characters that come to life in a narrative that offers unforgettable lessons of horsemanship. Walt and Amos are elderly twin brothers who have gathered a life time of experience understanding horses. They share their knowledge with a young boy who has a passion for horses. In his journey the boy makes the same mistakes common to all horse people and the brothers adopt the same principles of educating the boy as they might a young horse - with kindness, support and encouragement to explore and experiment.
188 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 2012
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November 7, 2017
Some friends introduced me to the wisdom of Ross Jacobs and I've been following is FB page and enjoy the snippets he posts about horses and training and when I saw he had some books available, I figured it might be interesting to read what more he had to say.
Unlike a more traditional horse training / horsemanship book, Ross isn't interested in a one-size/solution fits all kind of training. He doesn't have a method or a system which can be frustrating. You want, as a horse owner, to say I'm having a problem with X and all I need to do is Y and everything is fixed. That's the quick and shortsighted approach.
Ross believes horses are all individual and unique and things that might work for one horse might not be the answer to another. Instead be believes in doing what is good for the horse - what will make them feel better about spending time and doing work for humans and then uses that foundation to build on his training. I admired how some of the stories relayed here don't necessarily put Ross in the best light - he is willing to show himself making mistakes which I actually found very helpful. If he is as stuck or perplexed as I was, well, he eventually figured it out and therefore there's a chance I might be able to too.
There is not linear progression, the chapters are little mini-stories about a particular horse and it usually involves Ross picking the brain and learning from two old brothers, who hung around the riding school he worked out and had years of handling and training horses behind them. The stories are amusing, illuminating and sometimes troubling (the horses don't always go on to have a happy life) but I'd say at least 1/2 to 3/4 of the situations he discusses I've had thoughts or problems with my own horse and what I need to do about, so I found it very insightful.
That being said, if you are looking for a step-by-step approach to training or a magical cure all, this is not the book for you. This is a philosophy of horsemanship, a way to think about horses and their interactions with people, a foundation or an approach underlying the training. It raised more questions for me, but I think ultimately he doesn't think he has all the answers, and that if people were more open and questioning (and focused on taking care of their equine partners) then there's a chance your search could turn up a way to help your horse, and maybe someday, someone else's.
Unlike a more traditional horse training / horsemanship book, Ross isn't interested in a one-size/solution fits all kind of training. He doesn't have a method or a system which can be frustrating. You want, as a horse owner, to say I'm having a problem with X and all I need to do is Y and everything is fixed. That's the quick and shortsighted approach.
Ross believes horses are all individual and unique and things that might work for one horse might not be the answer to another. Instead be believes in doing what is good for the horse - what will make them feel better about spending time and doing work for humans and then uses that foundation to build on his training. I admired how some of the stories relayed here don't necessarily put Ross in the best light - he is willing to show himself making mistakes which I actually found very helpful. If he is as stuck or perplexed as I was, well, he eventually figured it out and therefore there's a chance I might be able to too.
There is not linear progression, the chapters are little mini-stories about a particular horse and it usually involves Ross picking the brain and learning from two old brothers, who hung around the riding school he worked out and had years of handling and training horses behind them. The stories are amusing, illuminating and sometimes troubling (the horses don't always go on to have a happy life) but I'd say at least 1/2 to 3/4 of the situations he discusses I've had thoughts or problems with my own horse and what I need to do about, so I found it very insightful.
That being said, if you are looking for a step-by-step approach to training or a magical cure all, this is not the book for you. This is a philosophy of horsemanship, a way to think about horses and their interactions with people, a foundation or an approach underlying the training. It raised more questions for me, but I think ultimately he doesn't think he has all the answers, and that if people were more open and questioning (and focused on taking care of their equine partners) then there's a chance your search could turn up a way to help your horse, and maybe someday, someone else's.
Displaying 1 of 1 review