I haven’t ridden a horse for many years. But when I saw this book listed, it took me to my childhood.
In High School, when my friends left for the summer, I would exercise their horses regularly. I never had any training in riding horses, but I did learn from the groomsman the basics of taking care of the horses.
So when I saw this book featured, I was curious to see what I should've known!

Let’s be clear on the intended audience. Notice the subtitle: Understanding … Your New Horse. And the Introduction says the book is for “anyone who works with or wants to work with horses”. Later she says ”… as you prepare to enter the world of horses … those who are in the process of horse shopping.”
So the book is intended to help beginners and those who don’t claim to be experts.
Based on that, I would say that Meredith Hill has done a good job. I am sure a lot of long-time horsemen, including most of the cowboys of the 1800s, would agree it is pretty basic and has little new information for them [OK, for many horsemen back then, Section One Chapter 1 included a fair amount of information about evolution that they weren’t familiar with!]
Chapter 2 looks at the way horses in the wild take care of themselves. Since everything is based on survival, being able to spot danger and get away from it quickly is critical. It also means there isn’t as much time for being sedentary or having time to overeat as a lot of horses today. The herd stallion and lead mares are in charge, rather than humans. And they live in herds not just for safety, but also because they need time together.
Chapter 3 points out how domestication changes the rules so much.
Section 2, covers details of some of those things: about the ‘naughtiness’ (her term) of horses. Since horses can’t say “My right rear leg hurts” they have to tell us in other ways than words. Chapter 1 is about when the horse is in pain. It’s critical to figure out where and why the horse hurts, and that requires paying attention to what they do.
Chapter 2 is about boredom – remember your horse is not on full time alert when he’s in your barn. He expects you to do something to keep predators away. Because he’s not busy full time as he would be if wild, he needs some mental stimulation.
Chapter 3 looks at the lack of correct training and how it feeds the naughtiness.
Chapter 4 covers actual abuse and other trauma as ways to get the horse to do the wrong things.
Chapter 5 This is actually a reminder that the naughtiness tends to be for one (or more) of the four reasons:
pain, boredom/need-for-mental-stimulation, training, and/or trauma
Section Four covers specific answers to some of the previously discussed barn vices (again, her term).
Section Five goes beyond the barn vices, and starts with the Ask, Tell, Demand system: start with asking your horse to do something. If the horse has let old instincts cause it to act inappropriately, asking a couple times is good, but be prepared to escalate. Ensure the horse see you are telling them to do something. If that doesn’t work, escalate by demanding they obey.
The individual chapters in this section cover some specific actions. And sometimes a professional needs to be brought in on the case.
The last part of the book is about resources: how to choose a professional, as well as links in the Resources appendix divided up by topic.
She also has a checklist – if you turn in your name and email, that is. I didn’t, so don’t know any details.
Overall, a useful guide to equine behavior for those with horses – or those who should know more before they get a horse.

Fantastic practical book for anyone interested in horses, from beginners to experienced horse riders and owners. The author’s extensive experience and her love of horses shines through on every page. This is both an accessible and enjoyable read, and an excellent reference manual.

Whether your horse is naughty, has bad habits or handling issues, you can easily sort through likely explanations and then find out what you can do and which experts to go to for solutions.

There are plenty of links to further online resources and these are handily organised by section.

Brilliant book and I want to read more in the series. ( )

An interesting look on horse behavior! This definitely brings up some topics on why behavior may be occurring, how to address it, and what options are available. Good read! ( )