Four Books That Changed How I See My Horses
As a book nerd AND a horse nerd, this is a pretty big deal.
I’m not the sort of person who takes one idea and sticks to it. I prefer to read a lot, find what works for me, and apply it. This applies to horsemanship, as well as to many other areas of life, be it hunting, fishing, or otherwise.
I’d caution any reader that there are public-facing trainers and programs that inspire a lot of cult-like behavior, and as a kid who grew up in a toxic cult, it grosses me out. It’s profit-driven and ego-centered. You’ll find their hardcore evangelical followers on the internet, bumming everyone out with their comments. To me, that’s a big yikes.
So, I stick to the lanes where I feel most of the showmanship is pushed aside and advice is offered that can help me not only be in better relationship to my animals, but also helps me be in better relationship to myself and other sentient beings.
I love when things offer scientific backing to help us build toward our goals. Training literature, to me, is like a big beautiful apple tree in its ripest stage. It takes more than one apple to make a great pie. And I could list my whole shelf, but I simply don’t have time for that.
These books hit the mark. Each adds more than one tool into our toolkit as animal folks. I’d recommend them for any casual horseperson’s bookshelf, and I say that as an amateur who just likes to have fun communicating with my crew.
Also, hilariously, I realized these four books fit the mark of silly rhyme, so enjoy my take on that very weird organizing decision. L o L.
To be clear: Books are one piece of a big puzzle in learning about horses. No one should go off book-learning alone. The oral and physical tradition of mentorship in equine disciplines stretches back thousands of years. This is just one way that I enjoy learning more about my animals. I highly recommend working with trainers in person, attending clinics, using online video resources, and riding educated horses for at least a few years prior to working with young or untrained animals.
Four Excellent Books on Training Horses
Something Old: Think Harmony with Horses — Ray Hunt
Favorite Takeaway: The slower you’ll do it, the quicker you’ll find it. - RH
What It Is: A theoretical approach that, for me, continues to evolve into understanding over many years spent with animals.
Published in 1978, this book is — in my geriatric Millennial opinion — something old. Ray Hunt followed in the footsteps of Bill and Tom Dorrance, and there are books from each trainer on my shelf. But, to me, Ray’s book is probably the most intuitive. It’s short, and it offers a lot of ethereal wisdom close to the Dorrance philosophy, but it’s less mysterious while offering similar ideas.
Hunt’s book is less prescriptive than a typical training book. Think of this as a theoretical baseline for creating a dynamic, choice-centered working relationship with horses. It’s philosophical. He does, in the back of the book, break down certain scenarios and how to work through them. But ultimately, the 28-page philosophy is a short and powerful read, that, in my opinion, needs to be ready many times over a horseperson’s life.
The more I learn about horses, the more this book makes sense. And that’s after thirty years of a life adjacent to the big critters. (I wish someone had given it to me when I was a kid. Alas, it came into my life six years ago.) The other thing I like about this book? Pay attention, because Hunt provides a clear understanding of humans as well. And we could use a bit of his philosophy to make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult for all of us.
Beginners could certainly read this book. I think there are better places to start — like with my next suggestion.
Something New: The Principles of Training — Warwick Schiller
Favorite Takeaway: The Donkey Kong Principle
Listen to: If you’re curious about the principles, you should first listen to Warwick’s excellent Journey On podcast episode on The Principles of Training
I first encountered Warwick Schiller through a subscription called Horse.TV, where he hosted a television show called ‘The Principles of Training.’ That show changed my life as it relates to horses. What I love about Warwick is that — prior to breaking down the principles and stepping into a relationship-centered design in his training program — he was a world-class reiner where both he and his wife Robin competed at the top of the game.
There’s something to be said for what I’d call a proven clinician. If you can take a colt from start to finish and compete at the top level, the parts are in place. Schiller has since stepped back from high-level competing to focus on educating people more than horses. His humility in his own emotional remapping of his life with horses is one to follow.
The principles Schiller unravels are baked into everything we do with horses (and beyond). The book covers twelve in total, and the fun of understanding them is finding them in the work we already do — as well as learning to regularly apply them when things awry. Schiller also has an online video training community that is affordable and well-worth your time.
As a reader, it’s a joy to have them at my fingertips. Anyone who is interested in horsemanship should read this book, even established trainers — as I think it’s fun to find the principles inherent in the work we do to better our partnerships. At the very least, we should all know the Donkey Kong Principle. It’s elite.
Something Borrowed: Don’t Shoot The Dog: The Art of Teaching and Training — Karen Pryor
Favorite takeaway: ‘Positive’ and ‘Negative’ are not interpreted as good or bad, but as addition (+) and subtraction (-) of a stimulus.
What It Is: A theoretical, broken-down layperson’s read on operant conditioning — which anyone who owns a single animal should understand at its basic level!
I loaned this book to someone, and — miraculously — I got it back. I think that’s the first time this has ever happened. Therefore, it’s my something borrowed. Listen, the title could be better. This book was published in the 80s and clickbait didn’t exist then, but if it did….
Personally, this is a hardcore re-reader for me. Pryor revolutionized clicker training for the masses, and her work helped me train my Boykin Spaniel into a wonderful pet, aided me in providing a path forward with a mare who had soured on a lot of things, and brought the art of true operant conditioning into my life as a tool that really can redefine the way we approach both animals and humans. (Parents — this one’s for you.)
The book breaks down the four quadrants of conditioning: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, negative punishment — and how all of them can be utilized within a smart and pragmatic training program. (Remember, positive is an addition — not a ‘good’ or ‘better’ way of training.)
Pryor really sets up the story, creates a fun read, and helps us learn how to better train and prepare our four-legged friends for a good life along the way. Her book on dog training “Clicker Training for Dogs” was a lifeline for me with a very intense and ridic spaniel pup who is now an excellent (and still ridic) companion, thanks in huge part to these two books.
Something Blue: Blue Creek’s Trail Riding, Packing, and Training - Blue Creek Outfitters
Favorite Takeaway: The hitches and knots section is easy to follow! I went through a few books before I found this. You can actually learn how to from the book, which is great.
What It Is: A big comprehensive guide for trail goers.
I think I’ve read all the books I can find on horse packing, and Blue Creek’s book stands out to me as the best resource. It’s large, comprehensive as it can be given that it’s a finite book, and it covers a lot of ground — from knots to safety — that you don’t find in many books.
It’s also comprehensive enough that if you don’t know what you’re doing, a book like this will help you understand the general amount of knowledge and work it takes to pack horses into the backcountry.
Though this book isn’t as theoretical as the other three, it provides something invaluable. The sections on packing and knots are the best I’ve found after looking for an in-house guide to practice knowledge I’ve learned that I don’t often have to use. It’s a great refresher resource for knots, in a way that no packing-specific book has offered.
This is great to have on the bookshelf for any trail-going horseperson, and it’s well worth the money.
A Short Primer to Purchasing Books Affordably
Though I link books out via Amazon, it’s only because it’s more simple and less time-consuming than researching the best priced books out there. I’ve done enough of that work! So here are my tips on how to find a better deal.
If I purchase off Amazon, I almost always use the “Other Sellers” box where I can find used books at a far better prices from independent dealers — often with Prime shipping still included.
Other resources I use include Abebooks, Goodwill’s online book shop, and Thriftbooks. I also go to in-person book shops and do my best to support independent small-biz dealers, but living in rural America has its downside. It’s hard to find what I want in a timely manner.
If you have any other tips or fave spots for online shopping for books, let me know in the comments! I’m always looking for better options.
A New Print Issue of The Westrn: Coming in July!
We’re developing The Westrn’s second newsprint magazine of 2025! It ships in July, and it will have more horse-centered content than our inaugural issue.
You can pre-order it here for $10 or subscribe to The Westrn annually via Substack.
Bookshop.org is a way to buy new books from independent bookstores online. You can even choose the independent bookstore you want to buy it from, so they make money from the sale. There are often discounts, and buying on this site supports independent booksellers and therefore independent thought.
Thank you for sharing this well-considered list — I’ve come away with three new resources to explore.
I share your reflections on Dorrance’s writing. I initially found his work quite abstract, but revisiting it later in my own work with horses offered a great deal more clarity. I agree that Hunt’s interpretation made those philosophies more accessible, and I’ve personally found Brannaman’s books to build on Hunt’s work even further — each adding a layer of tangibility to the same tradition.
In that vein, I also thoroughly enjoyed The Art of Making a California-Style Vaquero Bridle Horse by Mike Bridges.
Happy riding!