Evidence-Based Horsemanship

by Stephen Peters, Martin Black

Most horsemen agree that timing, feel, and balance are the holy trinity of horsemanship. They are also key elements of this book. The timing couldn’t be better. We are in the midst of a revival of interest in horsemanship. People are hungry for factual information and intelligent conversation. The feel of the book is genuinely refreshing and original. It is unpretentious, straight forward and informative. The balance is scientific facts and the empirical evidence to support those facts assembled by two highly respected professionals in their respective disciplines.-RANDY RIEMAN

Genres: Horses, Nonfiction

126 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2012

About the author

Dr. Stephen Peters is a Neuroscientist specializing in brain functioning. As a horse brain researcher, he has given numerous Equine Brain Science seminars/presentations throughout the U.S. and Canada and performed many horse brain dissections for students. He is the co-author with Martin Black of i>Evidence-Based Horsemanship.

Reviews

[Goele Lousbergh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had expected more, though I did learn some new things. It could have been a far sexier and compelling book with color pictures of how bits in the brain interact with each other and of the outward reading of these processes on the horse's face. Now you get a black and white picture of an almond accompanying the section where it is said that the amygdala looks like an almond...

What would also have been good is "what is the biological explanation for this and that phenomenon" sections, and with more evidence for the later chapters which simply say "research shows that ..." - what research? How was it done?

It felt like an essay, a first draft, that could use more body, especially in those later chapters. I got the impression Dr. Peters is an expert on the brain and all the rest was sort of haphazardly thrown together to be able to have enough content for a book. The quality of those later chapters is much lower than the first, in which Dr. Peters talks about his own expertise.
Compared to "The Nature of the Horse" (Budiansky) I thought that was far more consistent throughout with evidence based findings.

However, any book that advocates keeping horses outside, with fulltime access to grass/hay and friends and a life based on their needs, not ours, deserves to be out there.

Oh, and does anyone else have an issue with the mention that "God designed them this way"?

[Hester Stasse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not entirely what I was hoping for (which was a book that would look into the science behind different horsemanship methods). Instead, this is a concise summary of how horses "work": the way they experience the world, what processes are going on inside their nervous system and brain, why they react the way they do and what stress does to them.

Had a raised eyebrow moment when reading "Horses by nature are suspicious of many things including man. God designed them this way for their survival." The latter sentence seemed a bit out of place in a book that claims to be evidence-based...

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book uses neuroscience to explain horse behavior. There is some actual training advice, especially towards the end, but there's very little in here for someone looking for specific training methods. Not at all what I was expecting but it's still a fantastic read if you're looking to have a deeper understanding of why your horse reacts and behaves the way it does.

[Ck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but rather short. I wanted a little more meat on the bone.

[Jennifer Weeks Ph.D · Rating 3 out of 5]

For full transparency, I come to this book and review having a Ph.D. in psychology that was a heavy neuroscience and animal behavior focus. My dissertation was about the heritability of dominance and aggression in horses.

The pros: This book does a very nice job, in non super sciency language, describing the functioning of many brain structures and how they affect memory and learning. It has some nice pictures to illustrate topics.

The cons: This book could have been SOOOO much more. It is super short and brief and it feels like it just touches on the tip of the iceberg. I realize that it was not written for the academic crowd but I really feel like it could have expanded much more into learning theory and memory and how it directly relates to horse training.

With that said, I think this is a great little book that is a short read for someone newer to horses or whom has never delved into the science behind how they learn. Great for a novice horseperson.

[Bradi Kooyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked up this book based on Warwick’s recommendation. I really enjoyed this book - it’s very direct and simple to read, (although I occasionally had to reread some of the science bits to really absorb them), and I really enjoy the evidence based claims alongside the anecdotal bits too (and helpful pictures).

It’s a short read but a lot of information to “put to memory” - I highlighted, annotated and flagged quite a bit as a reference. I can definitely see myself reading it again and referencing it quite a bit while I working on my horsemanship. Wish I would’ve bought it in hardback as I can see myself packing it along and it getting tattered up.

Anywho, I always recommend buying it second hand at a cheaper cost if you can, but I do think the knowledge and future use is worth the $18.

[Kayla Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a super short book, but took me forever to read. I found it hard to pick up, getting bogged down in the neuroscience (while helpful, it’s quite dry). It does, however have some great gems. Strong, helpful connections between the way a horse’s brain is wired and the behavior we see and try to encourage, or discourage. I appreciated that this book was heavily based in science and fact, and supported by Martin Blacks experience and vast knowledge, but wish there had been more practical training and behavioral applications.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short book of how the chemistry of a horse works. Martin Black compliments Stephen Peters research with pictures and written examples. The conclusion is for all who are involved with horses to arrange it for the horse to lives as close to their nature as possible which is, provide herd mates, room to wander and access to forage 24/7. A big order in today's shrinking land availability.

[Cheri Pallett · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are two things I loved about this book: it was written by a neuropsychologist (who is also a horseman) and a respected horseman. The authors approached the book from different places, yet found a common ground. The other thing I love is that it confirmed that the changes I have made in my own horsemanship over the last 5 years are congruent with the latest horse brain research. The book was easy to understand and one that I will keep on my shelf for quick reference.

[Andres Navas Gomez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clear and well organized book

A must for horse people. Good neurological explanation of each aspect of th horses behaviour.
Very good info organization makes it easier to read

[Ute Tonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to explain some of the behaviour and needs of horses. The author explains horse behaviour in a neurological way and compares a horse’s brain with that of a human. A must read for every horse rider!

[Antonia Mertin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

Easy to read and understand, but gives such a valuable insight into how horses think. This will definitely be a large influence on how I train

[Kris DeAngelo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a lot of science

Was hoping for new, more, better... it was pretty repetitive and super short. Teaser in the description and not worth the read.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great little book for all equestrians.
Short, concise, informative.
Will definitely read this one again.

[Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zgrabnie napisana książka z podstawową wiedzą na temat behawioru konia i funkcjonowania końskiego mózgu. Po nazwie spodziewałam się czegoś zupełnie innego.

[Monster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Expected more information. But it would be a great choice for a novice rider.

[Mcrvx · Rating 5 out of 5]

GENIALNE

[Susan Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise book of natural facts about how the horse has survived in the wild for thousands of years and how best to apply them to domesticated horses to keep them healthy physically and mentally. Too often humans interfere with their own perceptions of what is best for the horse, housing them in barns, feeding them too much grain without enough pasture time to not only graze, but be mobile as well. This book really helped put some fact basis behind much of how I think horses should be treated to keep them healthy and sane.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This relatively uncomplicated read provided a lot of information about how horses process information, and why, but offered little in terms of how horses learn, how to support them in their learning, or anything to do with horsemanship in particular. I think this book was a great start, and would like to see additional contributions to the field of evidence-based horsemanship. That said, I vehemently disagree with their concept of learned helplessness. If we are not anthropomorphizing horses, learned helplessness is actually dissociation and immobilization, which is a brain-based response.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe it was a veterinarian who said at the conference this book was presented, "If you can have only one book in your library this should be the book."
Dr. Peters tells and shows with pictures how a horse's brain and nervous system work. Martin Black tells and shows with pictures how the horse presents at these times.
In 100 pages there is a wealth of knowledge. Yes, a must/should have book.

[Lucas Truax · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book delves into the inner-workings of a horses brain, but leaves much to be desired for practical application. The small sections which use photos to demonstrate a horses state of mind and reaction to different things were insightful. Still valuable, but I think the authors had the opportunity to make a great book -integrating the way a horse thinks with effective training based on that knowledge.

[Kathy Bathery · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty much what I was expecting. Although I was thinking the book would be a lot bigger with more information. But to be fair, the information is explained in a way most would understand. The science is not always easy to understand, and this book gave an easy description, if you will, of how the horse thinks. I would have liked to have had easier to look at color pics vs black and white, but all in all I enjoyed it very much. Should be a handout with every first horse bought!

[Cindy]

Much easier to read when you have a working knowledge of neuroanatomy.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very to the point read which I easily finished in a couple of hours but which has given me a lot to think about- recommended. I love that it gives the facts in an easily understandable way.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful information on how the horse’s brain works but too scientific with not enough examples.