What Horses Really Want: An Unexpected Guide to New Directions in Horsemanship

by Lynn Acton

Relationships with horses, whether for companionship or competition, are complex and ever-changing. This is one of the reasons why "horsemanship" can become a lifelong pursuit: There is always a balance to be struck with our equine partners, and it demands continual growth and understanding on our side. In this book, horsewoman Lynn Acton explains that when the focus in the relationship is on what we want from the horse, his compliance becomes the measure of success, and what he thinks and feels is often overlooked. Is he calm, confident, and trusting? Or anxiously wishing he could escape? His behavior, performance, and reliability--in whatever discipline we prefer or equestrian sport we pursue--depend on the answers to those questions. Horses want security and social bonds. They want leaders they trust to protect them--not only from danger, but from stress. When we provide this security, they accept our rules. This not only puts us in charge, it makes our leadership more effective because we do not force it on them; they seek it. The result is less anxiety, fewer behavior problems, more efficient learning, and better reliability. Acton refers to this relationship as Protector Leadership because being the "protector" is the foundation. Building methodology based on time-tested training theories that we are often exposed to in bits and pieces, Acton shows why Protector Leadership works and how to make it work for us, fitting the separate pieces together, and illustrating the connections with practical examples of real horses in everyday life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horses

184 pages, Paperback

Published March 24, 2020

Reviews

[Ilona Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a hidden treasure!
“What Horses Really Want” is one of our reference books which we use for our workshops and individual 1:1 sessions alongside the other more well-known resources such as Draaisma, Weston & Bedingfield etc.
A very easy to read format, following a series of 7 elements which form the ethos of Protector Leadership.
Having read the book in its entirety, I also use it to dip in and illustrate certain individual concepts, such as interpreting “problem” behaviour or to provide a light bulb moment for someone who is looking for reliability in their horse.
Each paragraph contains a diamond of knowledge that has been crafted into succinct, reality-based and easily understood text.

“Confidence is the feeling of security a horse has when he believes he can be successful at whatever you ask of him. You cannot measure success by what a horse does, or how many times he does it. You measure success by how confident he feels doing it. Confidence is essential for reliability.”

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a gem. It’s a very balanced view of the horse-human relationship with sound, practical advice that considers horse social, emotional, and physical aspects. There’s a lot of value in this grounded yet intuitive and attuned approach to solving problems and creating better interactions with your horse. I will be going back to this book while developing my relationship with my own horse 💙 Highly recommended! Also, the References section at the end is a treasure trove of related horsey books for further learning.

[Susan Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book, with great ideas on being a leader in general, but specifically for your horse. The book makes really good suggestions on how to listen and interpret what your horse is trying to express for a more harmonious relationship. One that is based on trust rather than fear and intimidation.

I highly suggest it for anyone that has horses.

[Brenna Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good refresher

A bit lacking in developing a programme, but still had valid points. As a dog sports enthusiast, i found the concepts almost identical.