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…