Equus Lost?

by Francesco De Giorgio, Jose De Giorgio-Schoorl

In the 1980s, the world of riding, training, and competing with horses took a major turn with the spread of natural horsemanship, which at its most basic foundation rejects the use of abusive techniques and relies on methods derived from understanding the dynamics of free-roaming horse herds. Since then, equestrians across disciplines have incorporated elements of natural horsemanship into their work. But despite what was certainly an advancement in human-equine interaction that has improved the lives of many horses, Italian animal behaviorists Francesco de Giorgio and Jos� de Giorgio-Schoorl dare to now ask, What if much of what we think we know about horses is, in fact, wrong? What if the premise of herd hierarchy is a myth? What if "conditioning" the horse's behavior in the ways we've grown accustomed is undercutting his potential for development? What if there is another--better--level of partnership to which we can aspire? Their provocative book takes us into a dimension where we shed our assumptions of leadership, dominance, and control, convincingly showing a way forward that acknowledges that a horse, when allowed, is driven by his own inner motivation to explore and understand the world around him, including his relationship with humans.

Genres: Horses

162 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2017

Reviews

[Marjorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short book about Animal, (mainly the horse), Rights. I think Animal Welfare is more realistic. It gives the ideal situation for horses which is hard to argue but is unrealistic. Basically they advocate treating the horse(s) as an honored guest. They didn't seem to do anything with their herd of horses other than sit and look at them or talk to them. Which I think is fine and a wonderful life for a horse. However the reality is, like us animals are expected to add some value in the way of work or service to a situation.
I liked some of their suggestions in training and today there is much more of this type of training involving the needs of the horse and going slow in their schooling and waiting for them to find an answer.

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing introduction into how we can (and should) engage in dialogue with animals, and horses in particular. It goes beyond just “listening to the horse”, but explores how we can create experiences with the horse that spark curiosity in both human & horse. Well-written with lovely anecdotes, good arguments. it invites you as reader to enter in dialogue with yourself too and think about your place in and with the world (as Paulo Freire explores too from a human cognitive perspective).