Comments on: Suggest any good reading materials to learn horse behavior for a beginner rider/owner?

By: Kristin M

Kristin M — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:47:59 +0000

The United States Pony Club manuals are really great resources – they cover all aspects of riding and horse care in a manner that’s very easy to read and understand. The D manual is their intro, the C the intermediate, and the B / HA / A the advanced – all of them are really great books!
References :

By: Judy

Judy — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:31:59 +0000

Mary Twelveponies, "There Are No Problem Horses Only Problem Riders". she explains the horse behaviors and how to handle them. Covers just about everyhting a beginner might experience. And there is "Horse Watching" by Desmond Morris. And "Horse Behavior Explained" by Margit H. Zeitler-Feicht. I prefer Mary Twelveponies.
References :

By: scredawg

scredawg — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:01:59 +0000

Lyons on Horses: John Lyons’

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lyons-Horses-Conditioned-Response-Training-Program/dp/038541398X
References :

By: fae

fae — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:23:59 +0000

"The encyclopedia of the horse" is wonderful. Go to the library and select books on "horsemanship". A book I used when first starting out and still refer to is "Schooling of the Western Horse" by John Richard Young it was clear and concise and led me to a love of dressage and a desire to have as close a connection to my horse as a hand in a glove! Riding is something that is an Art and so you are always learning always striving for finer and better performance. Good luck! Here is a horse forum in Malaysia http://www.equestrian.com.my/forum Beware of certain Hotels that promote riding for tourists, Horse people have reported the starvation and abuse suffered by Horses purchased from Austrailia.
References :

By: Skewenbabe

Skewenbabe — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:17:59 +0000

Try ‘Think like your horse’ by Michael Peace.

Michael is a holistic trainer who spcialises in problem horses, never blaming the horse only the rider or handler.

I had a horse who wouldn’t load for years about 10 to be precise. When I moved him yards it took us 5 hours, 3 broken head collars and 2 broken lunge lines and I am not inexperienced. He’d kick hell out of you just for going near him with a trailer.

I tried Michaels method outlined in this book and I swear to god he loaded in 13 minutes flat without one kick or fight.

It was perfect!

There are lots of good books out there but try to get ones that concentrate on ‘kind’ methods. Horses will do anything if asked correctly. Its a matter of explaining rather than forcing.
References :
Dressage trainer, rider
Owner of 6 horses, warmbloods, ponies and arabs

By: Troll Enemy No. 1

Troll Enemy No. 1 — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:58:59 +0000

Well, own a variety of books that have helped…Basically you want a few good horse encyclopedias. Most will describe horse behavior, then continue on to teaching you more about horses and riding.
Here are some examples:
http://www.amazon.com/New-Encyclopedia-Horse-Sharon-Lucas/dp/0789471817/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203408344&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/What-Your-Horse-Wants-Know/dp/0764540858/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203408598&sr=8-1
References :

By: clairey_dee

clairey_dee — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:51:59 +0000

The books I would suggest are Horses for Dummies (not suggesting your a dummies but it has everything in there from the basics to advanced!) and The Man Who Listens To Horses by Monty Roberts (this book will give you an insight into horses behaviour and is a good place to start, Monty Roberts is truly inspirational). I would also try and get some practical knowledge by helping out at a stables, you can read alot of books but you need somewhere to put everything you learn into practise. You are doing the right thing by researching everything first before rushing into buying a horse. Good luck x
References :