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There Are No Problem Horses, Only Problem Riders
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A Year in the Life of the Animal Hospital
The Alex Studies: Cognitive and Communicative Abilities of Grey Parrots
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There are No Problem Horses, Only Problem Riders

Average customer rating:

Twelveponies thinks problems are all in rider's head
Practical and realistic
Not very helpful
The worst thing you could do to horses
This author would be lost around horses without her WHIPS!

There are No Problem Horses, Only Problem Riders
Mary Twelveponies
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

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What Your Horse Wants You to Know: What Horses' "Bad" Behavior Means, and How to Correct It
Teach Your Horse Perfect Manners: How You Should Behave So Your Horse Does Too
How Your Horse Wants You to Ride: Starting Out, Starting Over
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ASIN: 061812750X

Book Description

The best-selling guide to horsemanship for English and Western riders THERE ARE NO PROBLEM HORSES, ONLY PROBLEM RIDERS has stood for twenty years as an indispensable text in its field. As Mary Twelveponies writes in her introduction, "It is the hardest pill for all of us would-be horsemen to swallow, but it is absolutely true if the horse is not responding properly, we are doing something wrong." This easy-to-read guide offers sensible advice on every common problem you may have in handling your horse, and provides highly effective solutions. Newly introduced by John Lyons, America's Most Trusted Horseman, this reissue covers everything from dressage to barrel racing, show jumping to endurance riding.

Customer Reviews:

Twelveponies thinks problems are all in rider's head.......2007-02-17

Twelveponies falls for the oldest mistake in the book. Since she is a trainer, she thinks all problems can be solved by training.

I've "retrained" many problem horses. In many cases, the problem was not the former rider/trainer. It was a physical problem. I always start with a farrier and vet, and look for conformation problems that call for a specialty saddle. It is so rewarding to give a problem horse a rest and treatment to heal sore muscles, arthritic joints or a damaged spine. It's so easy to get proper corrective shoes, fit the right saddle, and then all is well. Once in a while the problem is more serious, but still is fixable by a vet. Example: a retained testicle. No amount of training will get an apparent gelding with a hidden testicle to stop acting like a stallion.[...]

Practical and realistic.......2006-06-07

Mary Twelveponies provides excellent advice to riders on all levels. Her approach is practical and takes into account the importance of respect in the relationship between a human and a 1,000 lb. animal. I sent a copy to my neice to help her learn the necessary assertivness skills to deal with her typical "new horse-owner" type problems. A well-behaved horse is a joy to ride. Getting and keeping one that way takes some work. This book will help. Those who have called these techniques harsh should note that John Lyons wrote the forward. I found her approach balanced and clearly that of an experienced horsewoman.

Not very helpful.......2004-10-24

I bought this book thinking it would be full of wonderful advice, but I really did not gain a thing from it. I get much better results from communicating with my horse, rather than threatening him. Also, the advice on mounting a tied horse is outright DANGEROUS! DO NOT DO THAT! When I started my horse, he was hard to mount, so I just taught him the verbal command of 'stand' (which I use for all kinds of other things too, not just mounting) and now he knows to stand quietly when I ask. I agree with another reviewer, Pat Parelli and John Lyons have much better advice.

The worst thing you could do to horses.......2004-07-13

The worst thing you could do to horses is to follow the advice of Mary Twelveponies. This book and her philosophies are based on the principle: eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. She often refers to the holy book. Maybe she seeks an excuse when she hit horses with nails if they bite. She likes to punish horses with a whip if they don't obey. She says serveral times: you have to be the boss. So you whip a horse on the foreleggs firmly if he does'nt listen? When I finished the book I was alsmost shaking because of disgust. Unbelievable that these kind of people may spread their word in print. This book should be put into a huge bonfire. I am relieved that there are other authors like John Lyons and Pat Parelli. Those persons deserve respect.

This author would be lost around horses without her WHIPS!.......2002-09-20

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"With all of the great books for horse people and horses out there, there's no reason to buy this book." That's what respected trainers told me. I wish I'd listened and saved having to throw it in the garabage, but I liked the (misleading) title and it was on sale, so I learned the hard way.

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