Michael Schaffer (1)

As dog lover with a lot of interest in how dogs and people interact, I jumped on this book. Dogs on the national level! Dog sociology! Dog culture in 21rst century America! Unfortunately, the book was mildly interesting, but not nearly as involving as it could have been. Schaffer provides lots and lots of facts about how much we spend on our dogs, and how silly a lot of the spending is, but I didn't get much sense of why. Nor was he nearly as funny as he could have been, given the wealth of material at his disposal. The great American dog book remains to be written.… (mehr)

When you see a horse under saddle that looks light, elegant, and graceful—as though he’s having the best time of his life—that horse is moving in “true balance.” Right from the Start introduces trainers and riders to the fundamentals of training a horse to perform with these desirable qualities. Author Michael Schaffer offers clear instruction on his unique methods of starting young horses as well as re–schooling those that lack a good training foundation. Using techniques both on the ground and under saddle, Schaffer reveals the key to success—teaching the horse to soften and move into the rider’s hand. Right from the Start offers training principles that produce happy, well–trained horses, enabling riders to succeed in any area of the sport they choose—dressage, jumping, reining, trail, or just riding for fun. Michael Schaffer has trained horses professionally for more than 25 years; he works out of New Start Farm in central New Jersey.… (mehr)