Customer Reviews

Horses Never Lie: The Heart of Passive Leadership

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4 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have three of Mark Rashid's books and am here to get the fourth. His writing is friendly and fun to read, and I hate coming to the end of a book.

That said, if like me, you're fairly new to owning horses and looking for tips on training and communicating with horses, be sure to start with Mr. Rashid's "Considering the Horse". It has a plethora of useful information for the beginner and helps you think through how to work through problems with your horse.

"Horses Never Lie" is a tribute to a horse with which the author has an outstanding relationship. It has some food for thought, and is of course enjoyable to read. I happen to be looking for the line between becoming assertive enough to keep horse and self safe on a ride, and just being over bearing. Some of the stories in this book confused me as to where that line should be drawn.

On the other hand, this book would be interesting even to horse lovers who don't own horses.

What the heck, while you're here, you might as well just get all of his books. If you're a horse lover you're going to want them.

I love the way this book was written. A humble accessible voice fills the pages. As someone who has spent the majority of her life with horses, I find this book a must have. It is simple, no nonense, real heartfelt horsemanship. Kudos to Mark.

I found the book interesting and very easy and fast to read. I am an avid horse fan/owner and try to absorb any information out there to include anything regarding "natural horsemanship" . I enjoyed the book but was put off by the subtle put downs he had for other trainers. I think any attempt to get people to switch to "Natural Horsemanship" is a wonderful thing and should not be
put down or criticized especially considering the alternative. I felt each reference to other "natural" trainers (and most true horse lovers know exactly who he is referring to) was a blow to horses in general. Followers of these trainers may not be doing it exactly right but at least they are trying. I was confused as to what he was trying to tell me exactly, did he consider this wave of natural horsemanship a bad thing as long as it came from other trainers. Having said that I enjoyed hearing about how smart and forgiving horses really are. I would buy another of his books and hope he writes more but without the underlying jabs at others.

This book was so interesting, that I plan to buy all books written by Mark Rashid. My family and friends will be receiving this book as a gift over the holidays.

As a novice horse person, I have purchased many books on horse behavior and training. Of all the books I have, I have learned the most from Mark Rashid's books. He doesn't tell you "how to" but he gives you enough insight to develop your own how to. The most helpful thing I learned is that I don't have to win every "little" battle with the horse. It's a process, and one I've enjoyed more since I am no longer trying to be the alpha-mare; a concept that never worked for me. I will be recommending these books to all of our 4-H kids.

I absolutely loved this book, It has changes a lot of my perceptions on how to read my horses and that I would rather be the passive leader anyday as opposed the hated and untrusted Alpha leader. I recommned this book to anyone that truly wants to have a partnership with thier horse as opposed to a dictatorship.

I just could not put this book down, it was so much fun to read. One of the best horse books I have read!

Mark's books aren't "how to do it manuals." They let us see how the mind of the horse works and they illustrate that it is not so much what we DO that is significant, but how well we OBSERVE and understand the actions of the horse and the feedback it is giving us. Mark, in his books and in his clinics, acts as a translator and ombudsman for the horse. We come to understand through his stories (parables, if you ask me) that it is the horse who teaches us and not the other way around. Mark shares with us how he has virtually lost his ego and learned humility through his interaction with horses over the years...something that wouldn't hurt ANY of us. We (as predators) always seem to want to DO something - when we would be much more effective if we were to WAIT and WATCH and CONSIDER before we DO. There are plenty of books that provide specific techniques for getting a horse to perform all kinds of maneuvers. While he provides some of this type of information, Mark's approach is refreshing in that he explains things from the horse's perspective and even encourages us to think CREATIVELY (gasp!) in "reading" what our horses are telling us and designing appropriate ways that we and the horses can work together to achieve the desired result. I think this approach is very necessary in this "point it & punch it" era. Horses are a lot more like small children than the powerful machines they APPEAR to be. Mark is a gentle, understanding guide to the psyche of the horse and how we can (and should) communicate with it.

I highly recommend this book. I read it, thought about what Rashid said, tried the approach he advocated and found the results absolutely positive. One thing Rashid offered was the possibility of a different paradigm. That is, that the "Herd Leader" or "Alpha Horse" was NOT the horse the herd wants to hang with, rather; they looked the friendly, fair and calm horses as companions and leaders. Someone who they trusted.

When I was new to horses I became totally into a popular horsemanship program in search of answers of how to have a successful relationship with them. I started to question that you could "get respect" by being "assertive" and being the "herd leader." I suspected that there was much more to the relationship.

I started to listen and to look around and consider other opinions on horsemanship and how to be a partner with my horse. When I hear Mark speak of "passive leadership" I wanted to know more. So I read this book, "Horses Never Lie: The Heart of Passive Leadership," and found in it a profound different way of being with my horse.

I have continued to incorporate the teachings of this book into my handling of horses and have positive results. So I recommend this book and hope you find it useful as I did.

I have read a lot of horse training books and I have to say this one is one of the most eye-opening books on the subject. I had been vaguely aware of "looking for the try" before I read this book just through my experiences with my horse, but Rashid really cleared things up for me. I usually question people who totally get into one trainer's ideas. For example, a lot of people immersed themselves in Pat Parelli for awhile. But I will say that all of Rashid's books have helped me tremendously. They are logical, simple, and easy to put into practise. I also greatly appreciate the fact the he is not a salesman. A lot of these top trainers are )albeit excellent horsepeople)-Lyons, Parelli, even Lynn Palm. Not Rashid-no marketing needed there! Just be understanding, kind, and confident! Most importantly, use your common sense. Also try Chris Irwin's book and Hempfling's Dancing with Horses.