A Horse's Life: The Neuroscience of Equine Welfare

by Stephen Peters, Mark Rashid, Crissi McDonald

A Horse's Life combines real horse case studies with plain-language clinical neuroscience written for everyday horse people. Neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Peters, horseman Mark Rashid, and clinician Crissi McDonald explain what drives horse behavior and how to address it at the source, covering the nervous system roots of common problems like spookiness, resistance under saddle, and difficulty catching. The first book of its kind to bridge clinical equine brain research with practical horsemanship.

204 pages, Paperback

Published April 13, 2026

About the author

Stephen Peters is a screenwriter and author best known for writing the screenplay for Wild Things (1998). He also wrote The Fourth War (1990) and the novel The Park is Mine (1981), which was later adapted for film.

Reviews

[Bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best educational book I’ve ever read full stop. The kind you want to buy multiples of to hand out to any horse person you meet.

It puts into words what I’ve been learning and feeling and expands on it by leagues yet is only a beginning look into a nervous system-informed way of being.

[Marylon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We should always do our best until we know better. Then we should do better."

The book everyone who has something to do with horses, needs to read! I think I've waited for this book since the first time I petted a horse as a kid.

[Lauren Seeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute essential must read for horse owners and trainers. One of the best educational horse books I’ve read in a long time.