Anyone who knows me is aware of my extensive library with its collection of horse books that go as far back as Xenophon’s “On Horsemanship,” Gueriniere’s “School of Horsemanship,” Olivereira’s “Reflections on Equestrian Art,” Tom Dorrance’s “True Unity,” Ray Hunt’s “Think Harmony with Horses” and hundreds of others in between and after. Regardless, I have virtually always referred customers to the latter — “True Unity” and “Think Harmony with Horses” to use in their pursuit of horsemanship.

It’s my experience that the concepts presented in both books can and will guide the discerning mind toward a successful understanding of the horse. Both present critical information about the “why” of what horses do — how they react to humans based on the human approach. However, both are, by design, lacking in specific information on “… how to get a horse to do x, y & z ….” Both authors leave it up to the individual to come up with their own sequence of events to achieve a specific response from the horse. Concepts are excellent for those with creative minds and a great deal of empathy, but for those who need a step-by-step understanding of what’s going on, other resources are necessary.

For several years, I searched extensively for a “bridge book” — one that helps dissect some critical steps that the student of the horse must understand before moving forward. A book that helps the student understand exactly where the horse is mentally and what might be creating the behavior that the student wants to modify.

I’m thrilled to say that I’ve found that “bridge book.” It’s called, “A Horse by Nature: Managing Emotional and Mental Stress in Horses for Improved Welfare,” by Mary Ann Simonds. It’s precisely the book I wish I had 40 years ago to give to my students. After all, if our work with our horses is not based upon our desire to manage (reduce) stress and improve our horse’s welfare, then what good is it?

Simonds’ qualifications for writing this book are too numerous to go into here. Suffice it to say, she and I have traveled down many of the same trails at different and parallel times. Her observations of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) horses’ behavior and thousands of domestic horses under saddle, coupled with her detailed and easy-to-understand approaches to reducing stress through an emotional understanding of the many potential conflicts that can be plaguing the horse. In addition, how we can methodically and sensitively help guide our horses toward not only a more balanced state of emotions around us but more importantly, through our enhanced understanding of what is going on inside our horses, we can help provide the peace and comfort that all horses desire.

Whether you are a professional farrier, an experienced, life-long horseman, a weekend rider, or just someone who enjoys learning about horses, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you are satisfied with where you are in your horsemanship journey, this book is most likely not for you. However, it’s been my career-long observation, that real horsemen are never satisfied with where they are. They always want to learn and perform better for the good of the horse.

The 424-page book, “A Horse by Nature: Managing Emotional and Mental Stress in Horses for Improved Welfare,” by Mary Ann Simonds can be purchased in paperback for $36.49. A Kindle version of the books is also available for $22.49. Both versions can be found at Amazon.com.