descripción

Increasingly, people are looking at ways in which domestic life can be made more 'natural' for horses as well as ensuring that all their needs are met. At the same time there has been an immense growth of training methods based on the concept of humans learning to understand the social organization of horses and how they communicate with each other. However, many current ideas about the natural lives of horses are muddled or quite simply wrong, yet they are widely accepted as fact. In addition, there is a widespread lack of understanding regarding the principles underlying learning processes. This book cuts through the confusion and presents a clearer understanding of what matters to horses. It will help readers to: Understand what is meant by a 'natural' lifestyle; Appreciate the similarities between humans and horses as well as the differences; Understand that equine society is based on co-operation rather than conflict, and how we can use this in training our horses; Devise a lifestyle for their horses based on the latter's psychological and physical needs; Communicate with their horses more effectively; Understand and apply the basic principles of learning theory; Give young horses the best possible start in life; Understand the different needs and priorities of stallions, mares and geldings; Find ways of minimizing stress during training and competition; and Devise solutions to common problems. Horse owners will be able to use the information in the book to build good relationships with their horses, based on mutual trust, liking and respect.