Understanding the Ancient Secrets of the Horse's Mind [Paperback]

Robert M. Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1999

Successful horsepeople know the secrets of the horse's mind. All horses share 10 common character traits that affect every move they make. These traits are embedded deep within the horse's DNA and are shared by every horse. Dr. Miller explains how to predict what your horse will do, get the proper response and fix unwanted behavior. He shows how you can unknowingly teach your horse how to misbehave.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Robert Miller is a veterinarian and an expert on equine behavior. His techniques for imprint-training newborn foals are used by horsepeople around the world. Dr. Miller has published numerous books, videos, scientific papers and magazine articles devoted to horse behavior.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From the Introduction: Non-coercive techniques produce equine athletes which perform well and enjoy doing it. This is achieved by means of the behavior-shaping techniques described in this book and especially by control of movement. Of course, many traditional trainers will reject this concept. To the skeptics I point out that an older mare almost invariably leads wild horses. Indeed, she is often a decrepit older mare, certainly not the physically strongest individual in the herd. How is this possible? Shouldn't the leadership be accorded to the fleetest and strongest? No! It is awarded to the wise, experienced older individual and that position is maintained by assertively controlling the movement of the other members of the herd. We can do the same thing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 138 pages
• Publisher: Russell Meerdink Company (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0929346653
• ISBN-13: 978-0929346656
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #990,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Robert M. Miller is a world renowned speaker and author on Horse Behavior and Natural Horsemanship. He is also father of the revolutionary foal training technique known as "imprint training".

In his 30 years as an equine veterinarian, Dr. Miller has always been an innovator. Over the past 25 years, he has become a mentor to natural horsemanship clinicians around the world. His ability to explain how and why the clinicians training techniques are so effective has made him a driving force in the movement towards better, more humane, AND more effective training of horses.

The "other side" of Dr. Miller is well known among both veterinarians and cowboy poetry & humor enthusiasts. His cartoons, done under his initials RMM, have been published in veterinary and horse magazines around the world. He has been featured at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame's Cowboy Cartoonist Art Show.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking collection of essays, May 20, 2006

By 

marymuse - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Understanding the Ancient Secrets of the Horse's Mind (Paperback)

Having heard Dr. Miller speak about imprinting a foal, I've been a big fan of his work. He's done a lot in the field of horsemanship, helping to educate horse owners. His work is aimed at the amateur horse owner, someone who might not have a background in horses, or who only has one or two in their care. With that said, do I agree with everything he says? No, I do not. However, I did find this book to be a thought provoking collection of essays.

The "ancient secrets" to which Dr. Miller refers is simply the natural way in which a horse is hardwired. Those who work around horses know that they are prey creatures. Their instincts tell them to flee from danger, and barring that, fight to get free. Therefore, many of things that owners and trainers do to them run counter to that instinct. Dr. Miller's book helps the owner and/or trainer to understand a bit more the details in a horse's mind, and understand why a horse may be performing a certain action.

From the title of this book it sounds like it might be the "be-all-end-all" to horsemanship tomes. Certainly "Understanding the Ancient Secrets of the Horse's Mind" sounds weighty and important. I'm not saying this book isn't important, but the book cannot, especially in such a slim volume, be the complete handbook to getting inside a horse's psyche. No, this is a title to read, to ponder, and to learn from, and then use as a way to branch out into other books on equine psychology.

With that said, however, I do feel that this book is a worthwhile addition to any horseman's library, and certainly should be on the "must read" list of any serious horse owner.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ancient Secrets of the Horses's Mind, June 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Understanding the Ancient Secrets of the Horse's Mind (Paperback)

This book is so good I have already sent 3 copies as gifts to friends. What more can I say. It is the best book about basic horse instints I have ever read. If one wants to understand why horses do what they do, then read this book.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than the flashy title, February 12, 2001

By 

youpidou (Suisse) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Understanding the Ancient Secrets of the Horse's Mind (Paperback)

I found this book to be much better than its flashy, "whisperer-trendy" title would indicate. It is a well-written, logically built collection of key "psychological" characteristics of horses. Not directly useful as a problem-solving guide, but still a must-read, because it explains quite clearly what every horse lover should deeply absorb.