Whole Heart, Whole Horse by Mark Rashid

In Whole Heart, Whole Horse, internationally acclaimed horse trainer, clinician, and author Mark Rashid offers a compelling, heart-warming, and instructive account of how to establish a fulfilling connection with your horse.

Many horse trainers, even those who espouse the so-called natural horsemanship approach, take the position horses that fail to obey a human's request are doing so as much out of perversity as ignorance. That's not Mark Rashid's view. In his words, "If we understand that horses can’t separate the way they feel from the way they act, then we can start to see that unwanted behavior isn’t bad behavior at all. More times than not, it's just the horse expressing the way he feels at that particular moment in time. How we perceive that information dictates how we respond to it."

Among several key points, he explores:

• Mistakes—Similar to misdialing a phone number but then having an unexpectedly pleasant conversation with a complete stranger, a horse’s behavior that you took as “bad” can be a stepping stone to a new positive experience. Rashid explains how a lot of good can come from mistakes.
• Boundaries—Demonstrating respect and limits, boundaries between horses are especially important within herds, and identifying horse-to-human boundaries are essential in order for rider and horse to operate as a team.
• Energy—Akin to mastering how to walk by unconsciously using movement and energy, this same energy is apparent in the rider’s relationship with a horse. By focusing and strengthening natural energy, horse and rider can communicate and direct positive energy between each other.
• Consistency, Dependability, and Trust—The more consistent we are in our actions, the more dependable and understandable we are. Doing so creates a bond of trust that ensures a healthy and useful collaboration.

Full of examples that extend beyond the training pen, Whole Heart, Whole Horse offers good sense and information that will make you a more astute, capable, and sensitive horseman—and person.

Mark Rashid is internationally recognized for his ability to understand the horse's point of view and solve difficult problems with communication rather than force. A student of the martial art of aikido, he incorporates its philosophy of harmony as a way to improve horses and riders. The author of seven books, Rashid was featured on the PBS Nature series. He lives in Estes Park, Colorado.

Hardcover, 224 pages