Considering the Horse: Tales of Problems Solved and Lessons Learned

I love how he can help us fix problems with our own horses by telling us story’s of problems he’s fixed. I also like how it’s not like reading a text book.

Here is a book that excels beyond description. I must admit that Mark Rashid is a gift to horses and I sure hope there would be more people like him. I cannot begin to express how inspirational this book had been. Not only is he a great horseman, but he is also a master at writing.'Considering the Horse' is less of a problem solver and more of an attitude adjuster. Don't get me wrong, Mark addresses common problems in this book and provides innovative and effective methods of solving them. It is his suggestions that will be changing many traditional point of views. He does not force his ideas on you, but supports them with logical explanations backed by evidence from real life. Which brings me to the next point: the book's individuality stems from the fact that it is presented in true story format rather than text-book style. I think this format aids in delivering Mark's message in a subtle voice, allowing the reader to absorb the information and start thinking!Mark addresses problems such catching uncatchable horses, picking up feet, stopping unstopable horses, ground manners, loading, headshyness, mounting problems, and balking. He begins by explaining how he decided on his approach and clearly illustrates different situations where different approaches should be taken. From easy quick-fixes to deep-rooted problems.. everything is explained in his entertaining and enlightening stories. He closes the book with a deeply touching story and a lesson for mankind that brought me to tears.I have read his latest book 'Horses Never Lie' before this one and I find both books equally educational. Mark's passion for horses is evident in every word he writes and as I mentioned before, he is also a gifted writer. I believe that he is reaching out to the horse community, offering his knowledge to benefit as many horses in the world as possible. Five stars don't do him or his books justice.

I read this book in about 5 hours flat! I bought both this and "Considering the Horse" and found both fascinating. I personally bought a horse which was the "wrong colour". He is turning into an absolute dream. As we, in South Africa, do not have access to this kind of horse trainer, I found this book invaluable. It showed me different ways of working through common problems which I thought was unique to my situation. The narrative is easy to read and understand and Mark Rashid sums up the problem, solution and reasoning from the human and horse's point of view at the end of the each chapter. His solutions to common problems are clear and easy to remember - you don't have to take the book with you to the pasture! He shows you how, if his suggestions have not helped, to search for the answer yourself. It is not a "How To" book, but more a "Maybe this could work, what do you think?" book. It helps you search for the solution to certain problems yourself. I think this book will become one of my well thumbed books.

I have lots of books on horse behavior, horse psychology, etc., but this book is better than all the rest put together. I have a young mare who is my first horse at the age of 40plus, she is quite nervous at times which doesn`t do my nerves any good either! This book has been a great help in my ways of dealing with her & we now seem to have a closer partnership. If one thing wasn`t working with her, then I`d approach the problem in a different way as Mark suggests, & we`d finally sort the conflict out. The one thing that struck me after reading this book, was how much calmer I was if she started playing up. I just had to think how Mark, or the old man, would deal with the situation & immediately became calm & resolute in my actions. My mare obviously sensed this & became calm herself. I have just read the book again & am about to order his other one. If you want to solve your horses problems then this book is a must. It is not a book saying you must do this or that, but is a book saying this may work, or because all horses are different then this other way may work, or you may have to find a solution yourself. After reading this book the solution to your problem will be easy to see. If I had to part with all my horse books apart from one, this would be the one left on the shelf

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.

This is truly a great book. It gives tips which one really can understand and it reads brilliantly. It makes one defintely think about horses and the relationships we have with them and they with us.This is the best book I've ever read about horses. Lots of savey :-)Ries