Customer Reviews

Clinton Anderson's Lessons Well Learned: Why My Method Works for Any Horse

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's an easy read for those of us time-challenged multi-taskers who rarely have time to finish an entire "conventional" horse-training book.

It's a GREAT guide to the progression of Clinton's training method and covers what Downunder Horsemanship MATERIALS (videos in particular) one should study at each step of the way. I like it a lot more than his first book - this one should be called "DownUnder Horsemanship for Dummies" (or "The Ten-Minute DUH Manager") - it is so well-organized and will make a terrific reference manual for those of us who want to go back and fill in the "holes" in our horses' educations. Maybe they will come out with a small-format paperback we can keep in our pocket at all times.

It lists 20 lessons horses have taught him and that you will need to understand in order to teach YOUR horses. For those of us who are Mark Rashid fans, Clinton's new book strikes a chord; each lesson kicks off with a story about a particular horse whose particular "issue" or "issues" added another building block to Clinton's education.

Plus, though I've read the story of Clinton's evolution from "just a normal kid" to the leading trainer of SEVERAL generations, somehow this book clarifies that progression in a very entertaining and illuminating manner. I am ever so much more in awe of his talent than I was before, and yet the book isn't written in a bragging manner. In fact I'm not sure even CLINTON realizes how remarkable he is.

What I love about it is that at times you actually believe that if YOU apply yourself to the study of horsemanship as assiduously as did Clinton, you might grow up to be famous. Me, I'd happily settle for being able to train TWO horses to a decent degree of accomplishment - MY two. This book will help a LOT. And I'm only halfway through it.

I love the title of the last chapter - truer words were never spoken - something about most people who hope to turn the corner in their horsemanship quit before they ever get to the corner.

In my estimation this book will definitely take you AT LEAST to the corner. Read it, keep it handy as a reference tool, apply its lessons to your own horse and you can, like Clinton, go wherever your dreams may take you.

Don't get me wrong, this is an interesting read but if you are looking for to learn Clinton's methods, they are not in this book. This one is more about his philosophy, and how and why his methods work, but this is not the step by step instructions on how to do them. I bought this book and Clinton Anderson's Downunder Horsemanship: Establishing Respect and Control for English and Western Riders together thinking that this book would be kind of like a "part 2", maybe more advanced training techniques but it isn't. It is more in-depth on why his method's work, just not how to apply them, which is what I was looking for.
Like I said earlier, this is still a good read, not a waste of time by any means but if you are looking for Clinton's "manual" to train your horse, get the other one, "Downunder Horsemanship" too.

I try to keep an open mind and use various horse training methods as a professional horse trainer. Clinton Anderson has the easiest program by far for me to show my clients how I work with their horses, thus they can continue learning and teaching their horse when they leave. His first book showed each exercise, word for word as well as photos, which is excellent for the beginner horseman and professionals alike.
This second book I feel helped me to keep on track as a professional, and how to communicate training to my clients in a better, more productive way. And also to help clients wishing to purchase a horse when the client just doesn't get that even if they pay $50,000 for a horse, the horse's training still has to be maintained, or the horse isn't going to continue to perform at the level they expect. And, if they have a bad minded horse, 'rescue' etc, do they have the time, knowledge, and experience to train the horse? He makes the reader ask themselves a lot of hard questions that many horse owners don't want to know the answers to.
The ideas and suggestions he gives will keep me motivated to keep trying to help newbies in the horse industry by giving them this book to helping them to understand their questions, ideas, and thoughts once they have left our farm with either a training horse or a newly purchased horse. Great product Clinton! Thank you for not going over the same boring thing like other authors! Any professional in the business, or any new horse owner will be able to use your concepts, and get a better working communication with their horse as well as the horse industry as a whole! I highly suggest both books!

Clinton is one of the best, most effective trainers in the world and this book gets you into his head: how he thinks and why he does things the way he does. Knowledge is power when it comes to working with horses--you can't have too much. If you're serious about improving your horsemanship skills, this book deserves a place on your shelf.

I really like Clinton's training philosphy of making it easy for you to understand. It's been interesting to read his experiences and how he's figured out the easiest solution. If you like Clinton's tapes, you'll enjoy the book.

This book offers a bit of everything; wonderful photography, training suggestions and Clinton's personal history. It's a great read....cover to cover.

Very pleased. Easy to understand and apply techniques. Also improves your relationship with your horses. Basic natural common sense.

Clinton Anderson is the top horse trainer around and his ideas and tips have been the foundation of training our two thoroughbred rescues.

Excellent reading on how Clinton Anderson got started in training horses and why you need to do the steps he talks about but doesn't get into the exercises he uses to achieve this goal. That's explained in his other book "Downunder Horsemanship" which I have just purchased. This book gets you excited about wanting to train horses, which is my new endeavor.

Very easy to read. Interesting too. Made me read it cover to cover over a weekend and buy another of Clinton's books.