Discovering Natural Horsemanship: A Beginner's Odyssey [Hardcover]

Tom Moates (Author), Harry Whitney (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2006

A natural horsemanship novice reveals his inspiring journey toward a Better Way with horses.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Moates was an established author, writing on the subjects of homestead living and renewable energy. But in his midthirties, he felt like he was ready for a change. His wife, Carol, saw an ad for an "Amish trained" horse. When Carol met Niji, there was an instant connection, and she and the author began a new communication with horses that they call the Better Way. Natural horsemanship is largely about the relationship between horse and human, about seeing things from the horse's point of view. In plain language, Moates speaks of how he learned to work with Niji and with Sokeri, the mare he later bought. Moates was a total novice and unused to riding, so the emphasis on communication with the horse as a separate issue from the commands and aids used to guide the ridden horse makes for a refreshing addition to the large canon of books on horsemanship. This personalized account of learning the art of natural horsemanship will find a ready audience among horse lovers and anyone interested in animal training. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Tom has an easy, personal style of writing and he warns people gently yet
effectively of how much natural horsemanship necessitates our own self
development."--Linda Parelli

 

"What a unique and utterly refreshing approach to the topic of natural horsemanship. In a genre flooded with overbearing tomes that spout trademarked catch-phrases, Tom’s book stands out as a truly enjoyable read, with the added benefit of being incredibly informative. Rather than simply telling us what natural horsemanship is all about, Tom invites the reader to learn along with him. The journey is fascinating.

One of the most open-minded, inquisitive and contemplative people you’ll ever meet, Tom is continually asking “why” and gives careful consideration to each and every answer he receives. When he turns his attention to horses and so honestly shares with us what he discovers, the result is a gem of a book."--Christine Barakat, Equus magazine

"With his blatant honesty, Tom gives other beginners in this quest of plenty to relate to, but he also takes those of us who have never known life without horses back to revisit some of the perils, struggles, and life-changing discoveries that horses present all of us. Many of us have come to accept these as everyday occurrences and need the newness and freshness of Tom's insight that we might look anew at what life with horses has to offer us humans."—Harry Whitney

 

"The prose is wonderful, a smooth ride in itself. I have only just started, and already as I read I am worried that you can't keep it up. Can this continue so smoothly and so fun?" --Dr. David Williams, PhD, author of Sin Boldly! and Wilderness Lost

Moates was an established author, writing on the subjects of homestead living and renewable energy. But in his midthirties, he felt like he was ready for a change. His wife, Carol, saw an ad for an "Amish trained" horse. When Carol met Niji, there was an instant connection, and she and the author began a new communication with horses that they call the Better Way. Natural horsemanship is largely about the relationship between horse and human, about seeing things from the horse's point of view. In plain language, Moates speaks of how he learned to work with Niji and with Sokeri, the mare he later bought.  Moates was a total novice and unused to riding, so the emphasis on communication with the horse as a separate issue from the commands and aids used to guide the ridden horse makes for a refreshing addition to the large canon of books on horsemanship. This personalized account of learning the art of natural horsemanship will find a ready audience among horse lovers and anyone interested in animal training. /Nancy Bent/Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved/--

Booklist

 

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1 edition (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592289509
• ISBN-13: 978-1592289509
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #800,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A brand new way to ride!, October 25, 2006

By 

Ken B. (Colchester, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Discovering Natural Horsemanship: A Beginner's Odyssey (Hardcover)

Natural Horsemanship has apparently been around for quite a few years now. Being new to the world of horses I just learned about this type of training a few short months ago. Mr. Moates gives a wonderfully insightful, and often amusing, introduction to the natural training method. Since I am new to horses this book was perfect for me. Anyone with a love of horses will enjoy this book. And it may inspire you, no matter what your age, to get involved with horses. This book never gets bogged down or tedious. It is fun!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing and informative look at one journey in Natural Horsemanship, May 21, 2009

By 

Inquiring Mind (Alameda, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Discovering Natural Horsemanship: A Beginner's Odyssey (Hardcover)

Tom Moats does an entertaining job describing the emotional and physical journey from the beginning of the natural horsemanship path. He is both amusing and informative and his empathy for the horse shines through his narrative. He begins with shopping for a horse and his first purchase and continues through pasturing, farriers, vets and emergencies, training and clinics and all of the things that a new horse owner has lived through. He weaves his story in a flowing style that leaves the reader wanting more. This is my first book by this author but it will not be my last.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for Someone First Looking into Natural Horsemanship, December 27, 2008

By 

M. Testa (Portland, ME) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Discovering Natural Horsemanship: A Beginner's Odyssey (Hardcover)

I have been only riding and training using natural horsemanship techniques for many years now but it was really refreshing to go back and look at a beginners perspective. I remembered the doubt and frustration that I had initially felt so many years ago when I first started. The author was really honest about his feelings and also his mistakes. He admitted that there were times that he didn't put in enough time with horse--one of the stepping stones to a great relationship and progress with your horse.

The part that I found most interesting was the author's opinion about riding with other non-natural horsemanship people. He had been told that eventually it becomes very difficult to ride with people using more traditional, old-school techniques. However, he hadn't found that and really enjoyed riding with one man in particular who didn't claim to use natural horsemanship at all. After four years of intensely learning "natural horsemanship" techniques, I do in fact find it difficult to ride with other people. I don't like the tools they use (harsh bits, flash nose bands, etc) or the techniques they use, (whipping their horse into a trailer or pushing their horse forward so strongly into the bit that the horse feels trapped and rears, etc). Now that it has been at least seven years since i first fell in love with natural horsemanship, I really try to find others to ride with you are practicing the same methods.

Anyway, this book is really interesting and a great read.