A Good Horse Is Never a Bad Color (Paperback)

~ (Author), Herb Mignery (Illustrator), Bonnie Ebsen-Jackson (Foreword) "IT WAS ONLY 10:30 in the morning, but it felt like I'd already put in a full day..." (more)
Key Phrases: round pen, hitch rail, fly spray (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The title spells out one of the book's twin morals; the other is "Kindliness is better than force." Rashid (Considering the Horse), a professional horse trainer and frequent contributor to western equestrian magazines, reiterates these two themes ad nauseam, illustrating them in long-winded and meandering anecdotes, many of them reminiscences of his childhood mentor and later employer, "the old man." Admittedly Rashid has extensive experience with horses and has encountered a wide range of colorful characters in his lifetime out West. However, readers looking to glean hard information about equine behavior or training techniques will find few in proportion to the ocean of verbiage. Those who just want to cozy up with some folksy horse tales may find themselves wishing that Rashid had reined in his prolixity. Best enjoyed by true converts.

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

In this follow-up to his first book, "Considering the Horse," Mark Rashid continues to share his gift for using communication, not force, in working with horses. Rashid uses heart-warming and humorous stories to share his techniques of teaching horses by understanding their view of the world. These tales deal with many facets of buying, owning, and training horses. Stories of Arabs, appaloosas, and paints—mistrusted and mistreated because of their breed—will give you a new perspective on these breeds and others. Rashid’s accounts of horses bound for slaughter because they couldn’t be trained will inspire you to give your own problem horse another look. And when Wil, the ugliest horse you can imagine, turns out to be the best on the ranch, you’ll understand why a good horse is never a bad color.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Spring Creek Press (February 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555661424
• ISBN-13: 978-1555661427
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #285,649 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! Read this book with your head AND your heart., September 15, 1999

By	Zhezahn "Zhezahn" (Mebane, NC) - See all my reviews

Truly, Mark Rashid must be here on earth to be the voice of the horse. Never have I read a more eloquent, spellbinding pair of books as 'Considering the Horse' and 'A Good Horse is Never a Bad Color.' If you read them as training manuals, you will find them informative and thought-provoking. If you read them for entertainment, you'll find humor, drama, compassion, and common sense.

Rashid doesn't offer a quick fix for horse training problems. Rather, he advocates considering the lesson from the horse's point of view, then using communication, patience, gentleness, and compassion to form a lasting partnership with the horse.

I urge you to read these books, apply Rashid's principles to your training programs, and spread the word to as many other horsepeople as you can. We owe it to our horses.

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gift, March 31, 2002

By	Duaa Anwar "Dressage rider/ Author" (Cairo, Egypt) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book not knowing what it was about. I had read Mark Rashid's two other books, and his name on this one was all I needed to make the purchase. I have already been educated and inspired from 'Considering the Horse' and 'Horses Never Lie' more than I have been from all other horse books put together. I knew 'A Good Horse Is Never a Bad Color' would be as good. I was not disappointed.

Unlike the other two, though, this book covers a slightly different subject. While the others mainly discuss training attitude and problem solving, this one focuses on making good horses. It discusses practical issues such as choosing a good horse, imprinting newborns, early training, solving problems that might occur along the way, and even changing a bad horse into a good horse. Of course, Mark never tells you, "if you have a problem with that, do this to solve it." Instead, he writes in story format, recalling his experiences as they happened. This charming style guarantees the book unputdownable. Even if you are not into horses, you could read this book as an autobiography.

In the last chapter, Mark concludes that it was 'the old man' who had passed on this gift to him. He hopes that through this book, he had been able to pass on the gift to the reader. But really, to learn the gift and use it, you must read all his books. They complete each other and deliver his message to the world: a horse will give his all to the person who talks to him in a language he understands. This book costs only $[money], but I would've bought it even it the price was $500. If you have to read only one book in your life about horses, make it one of Mark Rashid's.

55 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Title says it best... my thoughts exactly, November 4, 1999

By	Robyn ([e-mail]) (Texas, U.S.A) - See all my reviews

I grew up around horses most of my life, but never really understood horses. As a child, I rode horses as a passenger, and did not really appreciate my horse. I am now older, and have a horse of my own. She is green as green can be, and I love her. I have decided not to continue my ignorance of these beautiful creatures, and read and learn all about them. I was bombarded with wonderful books and training techniques to assist my equine partner and myself, but no other book touched me like this one. It kept me turning pages, and I even stayed up til 6 am to finish reading it. Unfortunately, I had to be at work at 8:00. Uuuggghhh. Anyway, I enjoyed the stories, all the wonderful theories and techniques enveloped into a book that just grabs you. I could not recommend this book higher. I passed it on to my parents so they can also benefit from this perspective, and begin to appreciate their horses as well. By the way, It worked. They are now born-again horse lovers. Do not get me wrong, we all love horses, but you can love them for their beauty, strength, and the enjoyment you can have riding them, but that is not a true and complete understanding of horses. We now are working on our relationships with our horses. Wish us luck! Enjoy the book!