Good Horse is Never a Bad Color

I bought this book not knowing what it was about. I had read Mark Rashid's two other books, and his name on this one was all I needed to make the purchase. I have already been educated and inspired from 'Considering the Horse' and 'Horses Never Lie' more than I have been from all other horse books put together. I knew 'A Good Horse Is Never a Bad Color' would be as good. I was not disappointed.Unlike the other two, though, this book covers a slightly different subject. While the others mainly discuss training attitude and problem solving, this one focuses on making good horses. It discusses practical issues such as choosing a good horse, imprinting newborns, early training, solving problems that might occur along the way, and even changing a bad horse into a good horse. Of course, Mark never tells you, "if you have a problem with that, do this to solve it." Instead, he writes in story format, recalling his experiences as they happened. This charming style guarantees the book unputdownable. Even if you are not into horses, you could read this book as an autobiography.In the last chapter, Mark concludes that it was 'the old man' who had passed on this gift to him. He hopes that through this book, he had been able to pass on the gift to the reader. But really, to learn the gift and use it, you must read all his books. They complete each other and deliver his message to the world: a horse will give his all to the person who talks to him in a language he understands. This book costs only $[money], but I would've bought it even it the price was $500. If you have to read only one book in your life about horses, make it one of Mark Rashid's.

I have long been a fan of natural horsemanship, and have read John Lyons, Pat Parelli, Monty Roberts. I learned a lot from each, but always felt that something was missing. Enter Mark Rashid. Rather than profess that we should be alphas (harsh, dominating leaders), he argues for a passive leadership where respect is gained from consistency and kindness, and so true partnership becomes possible. This book is wonderful to read for pleasure (I devoured it in 2 days), and also has very practical insights into common problems. My relationship with my horses is already the better for it. So much for the other books on my shelf--I won't be referring back to them again!

To get absolutely! If you love and live with horses, this is what you need! This book will make you understand the horse point of view and will broaden your horizons. At the same time, the author focuses on specific problems that we've all been confronted to, from catching an "uncatchable" horse to make a young horse go through the water and more. I don't want to reveal anything, just read it... Also, the author has great writing qualities, I didn't put this book down!

I grew up around horses most of my life, but never really understood horses. As a child, I rode horses as a passenger, and did not really appreciate my horse. I am now older, and have a horse of my own. She is green as green can be, and I love her. I have decided not to continue my ignorance of these beautiful creatures, and read and learn all about them. I was bombarded with wonderful books and training techniques to assist my equine partner and myself, but no other book touched me like this one. It kept me turning pages, and I even stayed up til 6 am to finish reading it. Unfortunately, I had to be at work at 8:00. Uuuggghhh. Anyway, I enjoyed the stories, all the wonderful theories and techniques enveloped into a book that just grabs you. I could not recommend this book higher. I passed it on to my parents so they can also benefit from this perspective, and begin to appreciate their horses as well. By the way, It worked. They are now born-again horse lovers. Do not get me wrong, we all love horses, but you can love them for their beauty, strength, and the enjoyment you can have riding them, but that is not a true and complete understanding of horses. We now are working on our relationships with our horses. Wish us luck! Enjoy the book!

Truly, Mark Rashid must be here on earth to be the voice of the horse. Never have I read a more eloquent, spellbinding pair of books as 'Considering the Horse' and 'A Good Horse is Never a Bad Color.' If you read them as training manuals, you will find them informative and thought-provoking. If you read them for entertainment, you'll find humor, drama, compassion, and common sense. Rashid doesn't offer a quick fix for horse training problems. Rather, he advocates considering the lesson from the horse's point of view, then using communication, patience, gentleness, and compassion to form a lasting partnership with the horse. I urge you to read these books, apply Rashid's principles to your training programs, and spread the word to as many other horsepeople as you can. We owe it to our horses.