Customer Reviews

Horses Don't Lie: What Horses Teach Us About Our Natural Capacity for Awareness, Confidence, Courage, and Trust

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is one of the best books I have ever picked-up. As attuned as I feel toward horses and as high as is my esteem for them as living and glorious creations, I certainly still learned a thing or two about their natural behaviors from this book!
Chris Irwin is a knowledgable horseman and his techniques, as well as the reasons behind them, have unlocked a treasure chest for me.
I have always been much more than a casual observer of the horses I have known or spent time with...Chris described exactly certain situations I have been in with horses, and he explained the reasons why what happened, did happen. In particular, his description of the "driving" force in the equine body language was incredibly informative. This helped me to understand the problem I had with one quite unusual gelding last summer...he ("T-Boy") would not let me go "behind" his shoulder area when he had his freedom, and he was uncomfortable with having me near his tail when he did not have his freedom...now I know why. This particular horse got over his seemingly insurmountable problems and became a delightful riding horse with gaits that would spoil a prince. However, I never did know WHY he finally stopped displaying that particular strange behavior (not wanting me near his "southern-half"). I was amazed to read of this very situation in Irwin's book, "Horses Don't Lie". I was elated to understand the situation (finally) and more than a little bit embarassed that I never had the real key to understanding that particular glitch with "T-Boy". It was, as I thought, a trust issue, but it was so much more than that. Irwin surely has second-sight, and can explain his insights very well.
His writing style is one which I best handled in "sections" for total comprehension. In short, the man described so much important information that I had to put the book down once in a while to assimilate the contents, lest I'd forget or fail to comprehend the matter. His book is insightful and informative, giving examples with hands-on type of descriptions on how best to deal with certain handling problems or riding errors. His understanding of the horse and the horse's understanding of the world is something every horse enthusiast should read about...Irwin describes the psyche of the horse so well it brings about true revelations.
I would highly recommend this book. Irwin has a way of getting his point across so that one can take the information and put it to use. I think every horse would thank him for his insight!
So much of what I read in this book is information I wish I could relay to everyone with an interest in horses. The subject gets so deep, however, that one really must read the whole book for themselves. It isn't hard reading, by any means--just very informative! It is deep, intense, interesting and riveting information. Irwin explores our personal inadequacies (or what we think are our inadequacies) and relates the connections between them and our relationships with horses. He also states irrevocably that we must make a conscious decision to change our own thoughts about ourselves before we can change the behavior of our horses. He describes thoughtfully how our perceived or real inadequacies are projected onto our horses...and they can't be convinced otherwise. What we are is what our horses perceive us to be. They are accurate in their assesments, and for reasons Irwin explains so well, they act on their assesments. Horses comprehend the world from the unique perspective of an equine...until we understand that basic information, we are lacking some very essential insights.
If you know of anyone with a real yen for understanding their equine friends, consider this book as a gift. If you just want to increase your own library, you can't go wrong on this one by Chris Irwin and Bob Weber. It is a must-have, in my opinion.

You may conclude from the title that this book is filled with long philosophical chapters that will be easily forgotten once read. Not so. Chris Irwin presents his subject (which is much broader than you may think) with concrete advice and solid information that he has gathered through his many years of experience with horses. He writes with an honest, down-to-earth style that is guaranteed to both touch your heart and appeal to your mind.

The first half of the book is a study of horse psychology in comparison to human psychology. Chris explains the different ways that horses and people view the world using the terms 'prey consciousness' and 'predator consciousness'. Although many horse people are aware that horses view their world from the eyes of a prey, they don't quite comprehend that we approach horsemanship from the eyes of a predator. This is the first book I have read that thoroughly explores this issue and offers solutions and ideas to help us bond with our horses.

Chris also runs through identifying equine body language to enable us to effectively understand and communicate with horses. Following that, he uses metaphors and imagery weaved with realistic tips and guidelines to explain the basis of achieving smooth forward movement in the horse, both from the ground and under saddle.

The second half of the book I found not particularly useful as I couldn't apply his message to myself. The author devotes an entire chapter to encourage people to get in touch with their inner self, develop a positive attitude, heal their souls, and generally change their outlook on life into a brighter and more productive view. Once he was through with that, he finally discussed the subject of how horses can help us heal from within. The last one-quarter of the book is the most inspirational.

Horses Don't Lie is a great read for every horse person willing to take their relationship with their horse one step further. The title of the book is slightly misleading; much more than what it suggests is covered.

I purchased this book because I am a horsewoman AND because I had heard that some of the principals of the book were applicable to modifying behavior in other animals - including the human kind. I work with delinquent juveniles and thought it would be fun to read this book and see if it would actually work on both species <g> I'll have to let you know later if they work on kids- not enough data yet <g> There are some good lessons in the book, it's a simple book to read and easy to reread, non-technical for the most part, and full of just good common sense. Worth the price of purchase easily!

While I'll agree that the book is not full of technical issues, it is an excellent book well worth your time in reading. I read both this one and "Horses never lie" and have found both to be excellent. Not only does it offer a heartwarming viewpoint, it also offers ideas and causes you to look a little deeper into your relationship with your horse. Great read!

This is the best horse book I have read so far. It's simple and natural and you can easy apply those principles in practice. The first part of the book tells about how Chris became a 'horse listener' (less interesting but essential) and the rest of the book contains principles of getting in control of your horse. I reccomend it to those who are interested in more than just a riding but want succed with horses.

I recieved this book as a gift and I didn't know what to expect. When I finally got around to reading it, I found it very interesting. I think it's important to know that it's not really a hands-on or practical book.

The book was great, his articles from his web site were a nice supplement to what the book teaches-but his video, "Horse Whispering Demystified" is awsome. I've watched it three times now and put his concepts to work and was amazed at the difference I acheived in communicating with my horses. He is a very good teacher. I just ordered all his other videos and can't wait till they come.

A friend and fellow horse lover loaned me this book. I found that as I read it I learned more about my equine partners. Being a trainer, horsemanship instructor for people and certified in equine assisted psychotherapy, I am always trying to learn more about horses, people and the interactions between them. I found this book helpful especially in understanding some of the confidence and fear issues that my clients have when it comes to working with their horses. It is not always easy to empathize with them when you have never experienced these same issues. This book gave me a deeper perspective and awareness when it comes to working with both horses and their owners.

I think every new horse owner should read this book before they buy a horse, because there is a lot more to horse ownership than getting the horse to do things physically so that you can ride them. There are plenty of books about the physical and mechanical aspects of training, however many leave out the mental and emotional stablility of the horse and rider. This book is a nice bridge to fill that gap, because it helps us understand how the horse thinks, and why he does what he does.

Thank you Chris for sharing your experiences and insight about the psychology of horses and how they can make us more aware of our own issues. I have quoted from this book in the equine psychology classes that I teach my students.

This book presented good insight into the horse/human bond and the understanding that can occur between the two. It was helpful especially in the presentation of the point of view of the horse as a prey animal. The author is particularly aware of this viewpoint as he deals with horses and is able to make it clear to the reader. He is amazed, as we are when we read his accounts, of the unusual trust that the horse has in humans, since we are predators. I found that this point of view stuck with me as I worked with my horses after I read the book. I found myself more aware and grateful to my horses for their trust.

This book is one I'd consider a 'must read' before deciding to commit to the responsibility of being a horse-owner. It's not like buying a car or a jet-ski. The horse owner must commit to spending quality time to develop not only basic riding skills but rapport with the animal. This book definitely helped me decide I'm not ever going to own a horse. Which saddens me, but ultimately it's better to know before making the mistake than afterwards.

This book is great when it addresses the authors areas of expertise & personal experience. Where it breaks down is when it gets off into things the author hasn't experienced directly. As an example, he talks about hierarchy among predators and prey, exhorting the reader to develop a horse-like understanding of the world & his/her place within it.

In essence, Irwin seems to say that the tendency towards predator-like competition among humans is what makes the world a bad place. Guess he's never observed or read about packs of dogs or wolves, prides of lions, etc. Relationships among predators are not about live-or-die. The only life-or-death struggle in nature is between predator and prey, not within species. Perhaps he should have suggested that people stop treating one another like prey and that would have been more valid.

When a challenge arises in the pack, as in the herd, the solution is decided upon with minimum of bloodshed and damage to challenger and challenged. As in the herd, the constant pattern of leadership and challenge helps each individual find a place and function within the group. So, I found that comparison to be ill-informed & awkward.

This book does go off into some hippy-dippy touchy-feely moments, but overall it seems to emphasize the hard work one must put in to being a competent horse-person, both with the horse and within oneself. If you aren't willing to do the work and put in the time, you definitely shouldn't inflict yourself on a horse.