What Every Horse Should Know: A Training Guide to Developing a Confident and Safe Horse

by Cherry Hill

In Cherry Hills' groundbreaking bestseller, "How to Think Like a Horse," she took an in-depth look at how horses think, learn, and respond to stimuli, and interpret human behavior. In this fascinating follow-up, "What Every Horse Should Know," Hill continues her exploration of how horses learn with a focus on the knowledge every horse needs to live safely and confidently in the company of people. Mastering certain skills is critical to bringing out the full potential of the horse-human partnership.
As Hill states in her introduction, "Wild horses know everything they need to survive. They are complete. It's when we domesticate a horse and bring him into our world that he needs to learn new things in order to adapt." What Every Horse Should Know examines the lessons that are vital for every domesticated horse, whether a trail horse, dressage or jumper, rodeo or ranch horse. The book features sections on how to handle a horse without fear, how to teach respect and patience, and how to help the horse master the actual "work" he needs to do.
Written in clear, accessible language, accompanied by photographs, illustrations, and infographics, "What Every Horse Should Know" addresses all stages of a horse's life, from foalhood to old age. Readers can choose to start at the beginning and follow a sequence or enter at the appropriate point in a horse's life. There are tests for assessing the level of a horse's knowledge with suggestions on developing individualized tests. The final section of the book provides comprehensive training program checklists know according to his age.
For anyone intrigued by the workings of the equine mind and seeking insights into how to enrich and strengthen the horse-human relationship, "What Every Horse Should Know" is a fascinating and useful reference.

Genres: Horses, Animals

193 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2011

Reviews

[M T White · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a novice equine owner I sought to understand our newly adopted and abused horse/pony better. I found this book very helpful on the psychological side of things.

[telavio ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tylko jeden model myślenia konia i jego zachowań. Mimo to, myślę że warta przeczytania

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Positives: She is right in that every horse should know the things listed in the book. Decent explanations and rationalizations. Lots of full colour photos and text. Good for riders who want to polish off training or get ideas in what other things their horse should do.

Negatives: Makes assumptions that the owner will know how to train these things into a horse. Doesn't mention that buying a horse who knows these things requires consistent proactive maintenance. In other words, the owner must be proactive in training and discipline or the horse will inevitably stop doing them.

[Lexy Nuesch]

This is a very great book that gives you the basic things that every horse should know. I really liked how throughout the book it showed pictures as well as gave little tests at the end of each chapter to see if your horse could pass it. I really liked the part when it talked about all of the little, and often unexpected things that horses can spook at. It showed how to go about desentizing them to these things. This was a great addition to the book. If you are a horse owner, this is definitely a book to read for a safe and confident horse. I found it at the Norfolk Library.

[Nicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought there would be more how-to advice. I guess I like Clinton Anderson and John Lyons better for instruction and guidance. She gives a list of things all horses should know but doesn't do a very good job of explaining how to get from A to B.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent check up for those who have some knowledge. Cherry does not go into detail about how to achieve goals. She speaks more on how to prevent issues. She stress basics and patience and knowing the horse. This book is full of pictures and I found it helpful.

[M.L. Milligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Every Horse Should Know is a comprehensive guild every horse owner should have on their shelves! Cherry Hill lays out simple but important facts and information in this amazing book. Highly recommend!

[Jo-jean Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical, well-written and easy to understand and utilize.