Big Horses Good Dogs And Straight Fences: Musings of Everyday Ranch Life

by Mark Rashid

Mark Rashid is a great storyteller, as the readers of his horsemanship books know, and this collection of fifteen tales, he's in top form. These stories are of Mark's life working on cattle ranches and guest ranches before he became famous worldwide for his work with horses.

Genres: Horses, Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

Mark Rashid (pronounced RASH-id) is an internationally acclaimed horse trainer known for his ability to understand the horse’s point of view and solve difficult problems with communication rather than force. He began working with horses at age ten, when he met the “old man,” who taught him to work with horses, not against them, and to listen to what the horse is trying to say. Mark’s clinics center on one-on-one work with horse and rider and are immensely popular with people around the world.

When Mark decided to study the martial art of aikido as a way to improve his horsemanship, he brought the same quiet determination to it that he exhibits in his work with horses. After years of practice, he has earned a second degree black belt in Yoshinkan aikido and now teaches the “way of harmony” in the local dojo.

Mark worked full time on ranches for many years gathering herds, managing stock, and training horses. When time permits, he still enjoys working on ranches near his home in Estes Park, Colorado.

Mark has been a guest on NPR’s The Horse Show and was featured on the Nature series on PBS. He is the author of nine books - Considering the Horse, A Good Horse is Never a Bad Color; Horses Never Lie; Life Lessons from a Ranch Horse; Horsemanship Through Life; Big Horses, Good Dogs, & Straight Fences; A Life With Horses; Whole Heart, Whole Horse; and his latest, a novel, Out of the Wild. He also has a solo music CD Song of the Prairie and enjoys singing and playing guitar with a local band The Elktones.

Reviews

[C.J. Darlington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told in Mark's great storytelling style, this book is a collection of some great stories about dogs, horses and ranching. Not to be confused with Mark's books on horse training and behavior, this is still a wonderful collection that was over way too quickly.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. I've always dreamed of growing up on a ranch, this book let me live that dream through Mark Rashid's stories. It is definitely a worth-while read. If you have not yet read any of Rashid's books. I highly recommend them all.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy all of Mark's books, and this one was no different.

Just good stories about good animals and good friends.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some fun ranch-life stories.